Electrician license by state

Electrician license requirements by state

Choose your state to see who licenses electricians there, what each license level requires in hours and exams, the fees, renewal and continuing education, reciprocity, and where to look up a license. Every fact comes from the state's own board, statute or rule, with the source linked and the date it was checked.

Every state at a glance

Press a column heading to sort. "Who licenses" says whether the state licenses electricians itself, licenses only electrical contractors (any electrician cards are local), or leaves electrical licensing to cities and counties. Each state page lists its sources and the date they were last checked.

How electrician licensing works

35 of the 51 jurisdictions here (50 states and DC) license journeyman electricians statewide. 10 license only electrical contractors, and 6 have no statewide electrician license, so cities and counties set the rules. Where the state licenses electricians, the usual path is apprentice or trainee, then journeyman after a set number of supervised hours and an exam on the National Electrical Code, then master, and a contractor license to run a business. Among the states that state the journeyman experience in hours, it ranges from 8,000 to 16,000 hours.

• How to become an electrician: the steps, state by state.
• Journeyman electrician license: hours and exam in every state.
• Master electrician license: what each state requires.
• The journeyman electrician exam: format, editions and free practice tests.

Last verified November 11, 2026.