Missouri works differently from most states. No state board tests and licenses individual electricians. Instead, the cities and counties that regulate electrical work each run their own program, with their own apprentice registration, journeyman and master certificates, and exams. The state stepped in only at the business level, with an optional electrical contractor license created in 2017 that every city and county must accept.

That means the path you follow depends on where you live and work. This guide walks through it in order: who regulates what, how to start as an apprentice, the union and open-shop training programs, what the largest cities require for journeyman and master certificates, the statewide contractor license, reciprocity, renewal, and pay. Each requirement links to the statute, regulation, or office behind it, so you can check the source yourself.

Who licenses electricians in Missouri?

Electrical licensing in Missouri is split between the state and local governments. The state regulates electrical contractors as businesses, and local governments regulate the electricians who do the work. Here is how the pieces fit together:

• No statewide electrician license. Missouri does not issue an apprentice, journeyman, or master electrician license at the state level. Cities and counties issue those credentials.
• An optional state contractor license. The Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, part of the Division of Professional Registration in the Department of Commerce and Insurance, issues a statewide electrical contractor license under RSMo 324.900 to 324.945. The office began accepting applications on July 1, 2019.
• Optional, not mandatory. The office’s FAQ for electrical contractors says the statewide license is optional. Under RSMo 324.920, a contractor working where no local license is required, or where the contractor already holds the local license, does not need it.
• Local governments license electricians. Kansas City, the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Springfield, Columbia, and other communities run their own certification programs, issue permits, and inspect work.
• Some places license nothing. The statute defines a local license as one valid only in the city or county that issued it, or in a place that does not require a license, which tells you some Missouri communities have no license requirement at all.

The practical rule: before you take a job, ask the building department in that city or county what it requires of apprentices, journeymen, and contractors. The answer can change at the city limits.

Missouri electrician license types

Because licensing is local, the credential names vary from place to place. Most Missouri programs follow the familiar three-step ladder, plus the state contractor license on top. The state’s FAQ for political subdivisions explains that the statewide license covers only the electrical contractor, not individual electricians:

• Apprentice electrician (local). Cities such as Springfield and Columbia register apprentices, who work under a licensed master and are supervised on the job by a journeyman or master.
• Journeyman electrician (local). A city or county issues this after you document years of experience and pass an exam. Columbia, for example, issues two journeyman certificates based on hours.
• Master electrician (local). The top individual credential in most local programs, usually requiring several years as a journeyman and another exam. Kansas City also issues a Master Limited Electrician certificate.
• Electrical contractor (local). Many cities license the business separately, often requiring a master on staff, insurance, and a business license.
• Statewide electrical contractor (state). The optional state license, which lets a contractor perform electrical contracting work and pull permits anywhere in Missouri.

Not every worker needs these credentials. Under RSMo 324.915, the statewide license law does not apply to employees of electric, gas, water, cable, and telecommunications utilities; railroads; utility line contractors working for those utilities; or contractors who install power-limited, low-voltage, and communications cabling. Local rules may still apply.

Step one: start as an electrical apprentice

Every Missouri electrician starts by working under licensed electricians while building documented hours. Missouri has no state apprentice license, so your first credential, if any, comes from the city where you work. Two examples from cities that publish their forms:

• Springfield: the city’s apprentice application costs $10 and requires a photo ID. Your employer certifies that you work as an apprentice for a company licensed to do business in Springfield, and your supervising trade master signs it.
• Columbia: the city’s trade apprentice license application must be sponsored by a master in the trade, and your employer acknowledges a limit of three apprentices to one master or journeyman on a job site.
• Kansas City and St. Louis: union and open-shop apprentices are placed with contractors through their programs, covered in the next section. Ask your program which local registration you need.
• Elsewhere: call the local building department. Some smaller communities do not register apprentices at all.

Why documenting your hours matters from day one

In Missouri, hours are the currency of every license. Local journeyman and master certificates are granted on documented experience, and the statewide contractor license requires thousands of verifiable hours. Under the state’s application rule, 20 CSR 2117-2.010, you can prove hours with W-2 forms accompanied by an affidavit or a notarized letter on company letterhead, or with affidavits from employers or others with first-hand knowledge, each detailing the hours, dates, and type of work. Keep copies of your W-2s, pay stubs, and a running record of who you worked for and what you did. Hours that nobody can verify years later may not count.

Missouri electrical apprenticeship programs

A registered apprenticeship is the most structured way into the trade in Missouri, and it can shorten the road to the statewide contractor license: a journeyman certificate from a U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship cuts the experience requirement from 12,000 hours to 10,000. Apprenticeship Missouri, run by the Office of Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning in the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, reports 24,883 active apprentices across 343 registered programs as of October 2026. Program names and schedules differ, so read each program’s own requirements before you apply.

Union (IBEW and NECA) programs

• St. Louis Electrical JATC (St. Louis area). The joint program of IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. Its commercial-industrial (inside) program is 9,000 hours, including 960 hours of classroom training, and its residential program is 8,000 hours, including 450 classroom hours. Applicants must be 17 at application and 18 at selection, have a high school diploma or GED, complete a full year of algebra (and geometry for the inside program), and then take an aptitude test and interview. Completing the five-year commercial program can earn up to 60 college credit hours.
• Kansas City Electrical JATC (Kansas City area). The training center for IBEW Local 124 and NECA. Its inside wireman apprenticeship lasts five years with about 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. Applications are online only during the first seven days of each month, carry a $25 fee, and require one algebra credit and a passing aptitude test. The center says the process typically takes about six months and that only about 5 percent of applicants are accepted, with current applicants placed in classes starting in August 2027. A pre-apprenticeship program is also available.
• Springfield Electrical JATC (Southwest Missouri). Affiliated with IBEW Local 453, it provides tuition-free classroom instruction; apprentices pay only for books, and graduates become inside journeyman wiremen. College credit is available.
• IBEW Local 257 (Jefferson City and central Missouri). Contact the local for its apprenticeship details and application dates.

Open-shop programs

• IEC Heartland (St. Louis area and beyond). Formerly the Independent Electrical Contractors of Greater St. Louis, the chapter took the IEC Heartland name in 2026 after expanding across Missouri and Illinois. Its program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor and runs four years of evening classes, August through May, at its Electrical Training Center in Chesterfield, while apprentices work full time for an IEC contractor. According to its application page, open enrollment runs March 1 to June 30, and applicants take a math entry exam requiring a score of 76 percent to pass.
• ABC Heart of America (Kansas City and eastern Missouri). The Associated Builders and Contractors chapter runs a registered electrical apprenticeship with paid on-the-job training. Applicants must be 18 and apply in person, and the chapter lists training facilities in Kansas City and in Fenton.

Community and technical colleges

Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield offers an electrical technician associate degree, which takes two years, and a one-year certificate. Ranken Technical College in St. Louis offers an electrical construction design and management program. A college program can count twice in Missouri: the coursework builds skills, and an associate’s degree from a state-accredited program lowers the statewide contractor license requirement to 8,000 hours. Ask any school whether its hours also count toward the local journeyman certificate where you plan to work.

Most of these apprenticeships take four or five years. For a broader look at the timeline, see our guide to how long it takes to become an electrician.

How to become a journeyman electrician in Missouri

Because Missouri has no state journeyman license, you earn a journeyman certificate from the city or county where you work. Requirements differ, but the published programs share a pattern: documented years of experience under a master, an application reviewed by a local board, and an exam. Here is what four cities publish:

• Springfield: the city’s trade certifications page requires four years of experience under a master electrician’s supervision, or six years of electrical experience. Your application goes to a board that meets on the first Thursday of each month, and approval to test is good for one year.
• Columbia: the city’s electrical certification application lists 8,000 hours as an apprentice for the C-8 journeyman certificate, or 6,000 hours for the C-6 certificate, with proof of hours from each employer.
• Kansas City: the city’s list of electrical certifications names an Electrical Supervisor, Master Electrician, and Master Limited Electrician, but no journeyman certificate. Confirm with the city what credential, if any, you need to work under a master there.
• St. Louis area: the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County run separate programs. Check with each before you work there.

Completing a union or open-shop apprenticeship usually puts you in a strong position to apply, since those programs track your hours and classroom work. Even so, the local certificate is a separate step: you still apply to the city and pass its required exam.

Electrician exams in Missouri

Missouri exams are national exams chosen locally or approved by the state. That has one big advantage: you can often reuse a passing score on an approved exam. The Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors keeps a list of approved examinations for the contractor license, revised February 1, 2022:

• International Code Council (ICC): Electrical Contractor (F49), Master Electrician (G16 and F16), and Journeyman Electrician (G17 and F17), scheduled through Pearson VUE.
• Prov: electrical contractor, master, master residential, journeyman, and journeyman residential exams for the listed code years.
• NASCLA: electrical contractor and journeyman exams, administered by PSI.
• Other states’ exams: contractor, master, and journeyman exams given for other state boards by ICC, NASCLA, Prometric, Prov, and PSI are also approved and are not code-year specific.
• Any level counts: under 20 CSR 2117-2.020, exams at the electrical contractor, master, and journeyman level are all acceptable for the statewide license, and the applicant pays the testing company directly.

Local exams have their own rules. Springfield requires a score of at least 75 percent from Prometric, Experior, Block, or ICC through Pearson VUE, and the exam must be the one the city requires. The city estimates ICC testing fees at about $125, paid to Pearson VUE. Jefferson City accepts the ICC G17 journeyman and G16 master exams, Independence accepts ICC or Prometric scores of 75 percent or higher from the last five years, and Lee’s Summit accepts 70 percent or higher on a Prometric, ICC contractor, or equivalent exam. In the City of St. Louis, the Committee of Electrical Examiners uses written and oral exams covering practical installations, electrical theory, and the St. Louis Electrical Code. Whichever exam you face, it is built on the National Electrical Code, so practice working through code questions under time pressure before test day. Our free NEC practice test is one way to do that.

How to become a master electrician in Missouri

The master certificate is the top individual credential in Missouri’s local programs, and it is usually what a contractor needs on staff to pull permits. Requirements in the cities that publish them:

• Springfield: four years as a certified journeyman electrician, or 10 years of satisfactory experience in the trade, followed by the required exam with a score of 75 percent or better, according to its trade certifications page.
• Columbia: the Type A master certificate requires 4,000 hours as a C-8 journeyman or 6,000 hours as a C-6 journeyman, according to the city’s certification application.
• Kansas City: the city issues Master Electrician and Master Limited Electrician certificates. You apply for a Certificate of Qualification through CompassKC, and the application must come from the qualified individual, according to the city’s contractor licensing guide.
• City of St. Louis: the Committee of Electrical Examiners reviews applicants for electrical certificates and licenses and recommends them after they pass its examinations.

A local master or contractor license can also become your path to the state license. Under RSMo 324.920, a local electrical contractor or master electrician license held for six of the previous eight calendar years, from a city or county that required an approved exam, can satisfy the experience requirement for the statewide contractor license.

The Missouri statewide electrical contractor license

The statewide license was created by Senate Bill 240 in 2017 and revised by Senate Bill 862 in 2018. Its purpose, in the state’s words, is to let a contractor keep one license recognized statewide instead of a license for each city or county. Under RSMo 324.920, an applicant must:

• Carry insurance: provide proof of $500,000 in liability insurance, and post a bond with each city or county that requires one where you will work.
• Pass an approved exam: a standardized, nationally accredited electrical assessment exam created and given by a third party, and pay for it.
• Meet one experience route: 12,000 verifiable hours installing equipment and associated wiring; or 10,000 hours plus a journeyman certificate from a U.S. Department of Labor-approved electrical apprenticeship; or 8,000 hours plus an associate’s degree from a state-accredited program; or 4,000 hours supervising installations plus a four-year electrical engineering degree.

The local license route

Electricians who already hold a local electrical contractor or master electrician license have another path in. Under RSMo 324.920, they are eligible if they show a passed exam based on the National Electrical Code, given by an independent testing agency not affiliated with a city, county, or the state; either 12,000 hours of verifiable experience or six of the previous eight calendar years licensed by a Missouri city or county that required such an exam; proof of insurance; and a local license that is current, active, and not under discipline.

How to apply

• Forms: the office posts the application, instructions, and an optional work experience summary on its application forms page, and applications and renewals are handled through the state’s MOPRO online system.
• Insurance proof: the rule requires a certificate of insurance issued by an insurance company authorized in Missouri. A certificate issued by an agent is not acceptable.
• Hours proof: W-2s with an affidavit or notarized employer letter, employer affidavits, or a local or state license that required similar experience.
• Degrees: verified by an original sealed transcript, or one sent electronically by the school.
• Deadline: an application not completed within 24 months of first submission is void, and you start over with new fees.
• Fee: the license application fee is $200 under 20 CSR 2117-1.070, and all fees are nonrefundable.

One license, one company

A person holds the statewide license and qualifies a business. Under RSMo 324.920, a company that wants to do electrical contracting under the statewide license must employ, at a supervisory level, at least one electrical contractor who holds it, and a statewide licensee may represent only one firm at a time. If you change employers, RSMo 324.935 requires you to clear all permits on your license first, and you must notify the office.

Do Missouri cities have to accept the statewide license?

Yes. This is the main reason contractors choose the statewide license. Under RSMo 324.925, cities and counties may keep their own electrical contractor licenses, but they must recognize a statewide license in place of a local license for contracting work and permits:

• No second exam: a city or county may not require a statewide license holder to get a local license that requires an examination or any other test of proficiency in the electrical trades.
• Permits anywhere: the statewide license holder may perform electrical contracting work and obtain permits from any political subdivision in Missouri.
• Enforcement: if a city or county refuses, the licensee can file a complaint with the division. If a city still does not comply after 30 days, the Department of Revenue can withhold its local sales tax distributions until it does.
• What local governments keep: they can still adopt an electrical code, require a business license, issue permits, inspect work, and license individual electricians, as long as those licenses are based on experience and a nationally accredited exam given on a routine, accessible schedule.

Columbia states this on its own certification form: a contractor holding the State of Missouri electrical contractors license may obtain permits and do permitted work in the city once it gets a city business license. The state does not issue permits or inspect work, so the city or county permit process still applies.

City and county requirements in Missouri

Here is what the largest Missouri jurisdictions publish. Where a city’s site could not be read in full, we say so rather than guess, so call the office before you rely on any detail.

Kansas City

Kansas City’s City Planning and Development Department, Permits Division, handles contractor licensing, certification, registration, and renewals. Its contractor licensing guide lays out three steps:

1. Get a business license through the city’s online tax system, by mail or fax, or in person at City Hall.
2. Apply for a Certificate of Qualification in your trade through the CompassKC portal. For electrical work, the certificates are Electrical Supervisor, Master Electrician, and Master Limited Electrician.
3. Apply for the contractor license for the business through CompassKC once you have both.

The city keeps its reference letter and trade requirements on a separate page. Kansas City is also where the Kansas City Electrical JATC and ABC Heart of America train apprentices.

City of St. Louis

In the City of St. Louis, the Committee of Electrical Examiners decides through written and oral examinations whether applicants have the knowledge and experience for electrical certificates and licenses. The Mayor appoints five members, including a journeyman electrician and a licensed electrical contractor with at least five years in the business. The Building Division’s electrical permit page adds:

• Permits: issued to licensed electrical contractors certified by the City, who need a City electrical contractor’s license and an STL City Permits account.
• Fees and timing: the application fee for all electrical permits is $25, and most applications are approved within one to three business days.
• Homeowners: owners of owner-occupied single-family homes can get limited permits after passing a short test from the Electrical Section, but not for service changes, rehab, or new construction.
• Code: The City adopted the 2017 edition of the National Electrical Code by Ordinance 70802.

St. Louis County

St. Louis County runs its own electrical licensing program, separate from the City of St. Louis, through its Department of Transportation and Public Works. Its electrical licensing page could not be read for this guide, so we have not listed its requirements or fees. Contact the department directly before you work in unincorporated St. Louis County, and check whether the municipality where the job sits has its own rules.

Springfield

Springfield’s Building Development Services certifies electricians through its trade certification program. The department sanctions the tests, and a private testing firm administers them.

• Journeyman: four years under a master electrician, or six years of electrical experience.
• Master: four years as a certified journeyman, or 10 years of experience.
• Exam: 75 percent or better on the exam the city requires; ICC testing runs about $125.
• Process: submit a notarized application packet with an experience form for each employer; the board meets the first Thursday of each month.
• Apprentices: register with the city for $10 with a photo ID.

Columbia

Columbia’s Building and Site Development division issues electrical certificates through its electrical certification application, which handles both new examinations and reciprocation. The C-8 journeyman certificate requires 8,000 apprentice hours and the C-6 requires 6,000; the Type A master requires 4,000 hours as a C-8 journeyman or 6,000 as a C-6 journeyman. The same form notes that a holder of the state contractor license can pull permits in Columbia once it has a city business license.

Jefferson City

Jefferson City licenses electricians at every level, and its electrical licensing page says all personnel working for a contractor within the city must be licensed with the City of Jefferson. One individual electrician license form covers the apprentice, journeyman, master, and maintenance licenses.

• Fees: $13 for an apprentice license and $110 for a journeyman or master license. The testing company, not the city, collects exam fees.
• Exams: The board currently accepts the ICC G17 Journeyman Electrician and G16 Master Electrician exams.
• Renewal: journeyman and master licenses renewed this year are good until June 30, 2027, and the renewal fee is $32.
• Contractors: an electrical contractor license requires a Jefferson City master license, a certificate of insurance, and a $220 fee. A holder of the State of Missouri electrical contractor license applies instead for a $220 electrical business license with a copy of the state license and a certificate of insurance.

St. Charles County

St. Charles County licenses electrical contractors through its Building and Code Enforcement division, and applications and renewals go through the county’s Citizenserve portal. According to the county’s electrical contractor license page:

• Qualification: ICC test results for a Master Electrician exam, such as F16 (2014), G16 (2017), T16 (2020), or R16 (2023), or a State of Missouri electrical contractor license as a master electrician. The county does not require pre-authorization to test.
• Bond and insurance: a license or permit bond of at least $10,000 and liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence.
• Fees: $200 for a two-year license, or $100 if you apply in an even-numbered year, plus a one-time $25 application fee for new licenses.
• Renewal: licenses expire in odd-numbered years, and renewals must be postmarked by December 31 to avoid late fees of $25 a month, up to four months.
• Inactive status: $50 keeps a license current without the bond or insurance. A license expired for two or more code cycles may require retesting with the ICC.

Independence

Independence requires a contractor license from anyone hired to do permitted work in the city. Its contractor license FAQ says the electrical license is the Master Electrical license, and that journeymen may not obtain or be listed on building permits; every permit requires a master license holder.

• Qualification: ICC or Prometric test scores of 75 percent or higher within the last five years, or a current, active license from a jurisdiction that issues licenses similarly and the city reciprocates.
• Personal license: the license belongs to the individual, not the company, and the holder can add authorized users but is responsible for their work.
• Renewal: contractor licenses expire every December 31, regardless of when they were issued, with no proration.

Lee’s Summit

Lee’s Summit licenses electrical contractors as Class D contractors, and a general, building, or residential contractor may not do electrical work without that license. The city’s required documents page lists proof of master certification: a master or craftsman license from a jurisdiction such as Independence or Johnson County, Kansas, a score of 70 percent or higher on a Prometric, ICC contractor, or equivalent exam, or a bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or construction science. Contractors also need $300,000 in general liability, $300,000 in property damage, and $100,000 in contractual coverage, plus workers’ compensation or a notarized exemption affidavit. Renewals require eight hours of continuing education within the past 12 months, or an additional $100 renewal fee.

Other Missouri communities

Outside the communities above, requirements vary from place to place, and some smaller towns license nothing. Suburbs often have rules separate from the big city next door, as Independence and Lee’s Summit show. The statewide law also limits growth: under RSMo 324.925, a city or county that had no authority to issue or require electrical licenses before August 28, 2017, did not gain that authority from the statewide license law. For any community, start with the building or permits office, and contact the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors with questions about the state license.

Which electrical code applies in Missouri?

Code adoption in Missouri is local. RSMo 324.925 preserves each city and county’s right to implement an electrical code based on the National Electrical Code, enforce its own codes, and inspect the work of statewide license holders. In practice, that means:

• Editions differ by city. For example, the City of St. Louis adopted the 2017 edition. Other cities may use a different edition or local amendments.
• Exams use their own editions. The state’s approved exam list includes ICC exams built on the 2014 and 2017 editions, so the book you test from may not match the one your city enforces.
• Ask before you buy. Confirm the edition and any local amendments with the permit office where you work.

Missouri electrician reciprocity

Missouri has no state reciprocity agreements for electricians, because there is no state electrician license to reciprocate. For the contractor license, the office’s FAQ says the statute does not include language relating to licensure by reciprocity. Still, out-of-state experience can count:

• Statewide contractor license: under 20 CSR 2117-2.010, you can show a passed exam with a copy of another state’s license, or a local license from another state, if that license required a division-approved exam and the issuing agency verifies it. You can show experience the same way if the other license required substantially similar experience.
• Columbia: the certification application includes an application for reciprocation, with proof of hours and your previous testing.
• Springfield: the city accepts reciprocity from another jurisdiction with the same documentation as a new applicant plus an exam score of at least 75 percent on the exam the city requires.
• Independence: the city reciprocates with any jurisdiction that issues licenses similarly, so a current, active license from such a jurisdiction can qualify you.
• Lee’s Summit: the city accepts a master or craftsman license from jurisdictions such as Independence or Johnson County, Kansas, as proof of master certification.
• Elsewhere: ask each city or county. Many accept a passing score on a nationally recognized exam.

Renewal and continuing education

The statewide contractor license runs on a three-year cycle. Under RSMo 324.935 and the state’s renewal rule, licenses renew every third year by September 30, and the office’s renewal page says it sends notices about 90 days before expiration.

• Late renewal: if you don’t renew by the deadline, your license becomes inactive, and you may not practice until it is reinstated. You can reinstate it within two years; after two years without renewal, it is void.
• Voluntary inactive status: available if you stop holding yourself out as a statewide licensee, with inactive renewals each cycle.
• Continuing education: the office’s FAQ says the division is not requiring continuing education at this time, although the statute allows it to adopt requirements by rule.
• Renewal fee: the state’s fee rule and the office’s fee page list different triennial renewal amounts, so confirm the current fee with the office before you renew.
• Local certificates: cities and counties set their own schedules. Jefferson City licenses renewed this year run through June 30, 2027, for a $32 fee; St. Charles County contractor licenses expire in odd-numbered years; Independence contractor licenses expire every December 31; and Lee’s Summit requires eight hours of continuing education at renewal. Check with the office that issued yours.

How much do electricians make in Missouri?

Missouri electricians earn a little above the national median. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ state Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (select Missouri) show these figures for electricians as of May 2025:

• Median annual wage: $65,410 ($31.45 an hour).
• Mean annual wage: $72,310 ($34.77 an hour).
• Lowest-paid 10 percent: $43,860 or less.
• Highest-paid 10 percent: $104,060 or more.
• Employment: about 12,780 electricians statewide.

For comparison, the national median for electricians was $63,190 in May 2025, with the top 10 percent earning more than $108,510, according to BLS national data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 9 percent employment growth for electricians nationally from 2024 to 2034.

Apprentices earn less while they train, with raises as they complete hours and classes. Each program publishes its own wage steps, so ask for the scale when you apply.

Missouri electrical licensing at a glance

The main Missouri credentials side by side. Local requirements change, so confirm with the state office or the city before you apply.

Credential	Who issues it	Experience	Exam	Fees	Where to apply
Statewide electrical contractor	Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors	12,000 hours, or 10,000 with an apprenticeship certificate, 8,000 with an associate’s degree, or 4,000 supervisory with an engineering degree	Approved contractor, master, or journeyman exam	$200 application	State application forms
Springfield journeyman	City of Springfield	4 years under a master, or 6 years	75% on the required exam	About $125 ICC exam	Trade certifications
Springfield master	City of Springfield	4 years as a journeyman, or 10 years	75% on the required exam	About $125 ICC exam	Trade certifications
Columbia journeyman (C-8 / C-6)	City of Columbia	8,000 or 6,000 apprentice hours	Required by the city	Contact the city	Certification application
Columbia master (Type A)	City of Columbia	4,000 hours as C-8 or 6,000 as C-6 journeyman	Required by the city	Contact the city	Certification application
Jefferson City apprentice, journeyman, master	City of Jefferson	Set by the city	ICC G17 (journeyman), G16 (master)	$13 apprentice, $110 journeyman or master, $32 renewal	Electrical licensing
St. Charles County electrical contractor	St. Charles County	Master-level ICC exam or state contractor license	ICC Master Electrician	$200 for two years, $25 new application	County license page
Independence Master Electrical	City of Independence	Exam score or reciprocal license	ICC or Prometric, 75%	Contact the city	Contractor license FAQ
Kansas City master certificates	City Planning and Development	Set by the city	Set by the city	Contact the city	Contractor licensing guide
City of St. Louis certificates	Committee of Electrical Examiners	Set by the committee	Written and oral	$25 permit application	Electrical examiners

Statewide license holders need $500,000 in liability insurance and any local bonds. Fees change, so confirm with the state office or the city before you apply.

Step-by-step checklist: becoming an electrician in Missouri

The full path, from your first job to running your own contracting business. Keep the state’s contractor FAQ and your city’s building department contacts handy as you go.

1. Finish high school or an equivalent. Most apprenticeship programs require a diploma or GED and at least one algebra course.
2. Find out what your city or county requires. Call the building department where you will work and ask about apprentice registration and journeyman and master certificates.
3. Join an apprenticeship or get hired by a contractor. Apply to a union JATC, IEC Heartland, ABC Heart of America, or work under a licensed master electrician.
4. Register as an apprentice where required. In Springfield, that costs $10; in Columbia, a master sponsors you.
5. Document every hour. Keep W-2s, pay stubs, employer contacts, and a log of the work you did. Every Missouri license runs on verified hours.
6. Earn your local journeyman certificate. Meet the city’s experience requirement and pass its required exam.
7. Move up to master. Build the additional journeyman years your city requires, then pass the master exam.
8. Consider the statewide contractor license. If you plan to contract in more than one city, apply with your exam score, your hours or six years of local licensure, and $500,000 in liability insurance.
9. Renew on time. Renew the statewide license every three years by September 30, and keep your local certificates current.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

Becoming an electrician in Missouri is a local journey with one state option at the end. Start as an apprentice, document every hour, and earn journeyman and master certificates from the city or county where you work. If you contract across city lines, the optional statewide license gives you one credential that every Missouri city and county must accept. For current forms and fees, start with the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors and your community’s building department. Godspeed!

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Licensing requirements, fees, exam details, and code editions change, and they differ by city, county, and license type. Confirm current requirements with the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, your local building or permits office, and your apprenticeship program before making decisions about training or employment.