There is no national electrician license. Every state answers to a different authority — and eight of them never license individual electricians at all. Find yours below.
The short version. Licensing is decided by your state, not by Washington, and the states do not agree on who should hold a license. In 32 states a state agency licenses individual electricians. In 8 states the state licenses only electrical contractors — the businesses — so there is no state journeyman or master card to earn. 6 states leave it entirely to cities and counties, and 4 states run a state license with a separate local requirement on top. The table below gives every state’s answer and links straight to the body that decides it.
For each state it also lists the hours to journeyman, classroom hours, the renewal cycle and continuing education, and what electricians earn. Median pay runs from $49,070 in Arkansas to $101,310 in Oregon. We fill in a state’s requirements only after checking them against its statute or board rule, so every filled-in row shows the month we checked it and links to its source. 10 states are done so far, and more are added as we check them.
Last updated: October 2026
| State | Who licenses | Licensing authority | Journeyman experience | Classroom hours | Master: what it adds | Renews | CE per renewal | Median pay | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State | Alabama Electrical Contractors Board (AECB) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Alabama guide covers them meanwhile. | $55,690 | In review | ||||
| Alaska | State | Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Alaska guide covers them meanwhile. | $89,440 | In review | ||||
| Arizona | Contractors only | Registrar of Contractors (ROC) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Arizona guide covers them meanwhile. | $61,060 | In review | ||||
| Arkansas | State | Board of Electrical Examiners, Dept. of Labor and Licensing | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Arkansas guide covers them meanwhile. | $49,070 | In review | ||||
| California | State | Dept. of Industrial Relations, Electrician Certification Unit | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our California guide covers them meanwhile. | $76,160 | In review | ||||
| Colorado | State | Colorado State Electrical Board, DPO | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Colorado guide covers them meanwhile. | $62,230 | In review | ||||
| Connecticut | State | Dept. of Consumer Protection (DCP) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Connecticut guide covers them meanwhile. | $77,540 | In review | ||||
| Delaware | State | Board of Electrical Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Delaware guide covers them meanwhile. | $63,700 | In review | ||||
| Florida | Contractors only | DBPR, Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board | No state card. Set by each county (Miami-Dade: 3 years’ experience) | Set by the county | County master (Miami-Dade: 2 years as a journeyman + 2 years prior) | Every 2 years (contractors) | 11 hours per cycle (contractors) | $57,250 | ✓ Sep 2026 F.S. 489.517 |
| Georgia | Contractors only | Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors, Secretary of State | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Georgia guide covers them meanwhile. | $58,320 | In review | ||||
| Hawaii | State | Board of Electricians and Plumbers, DCCA | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Hawaii guide covers them meanwhile. | $96,460 | In review | ||||
| Idaho | State | Idaho Electrical Board, DOPL | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Idaho guide covers them meanwhile. | $63,000 | In review | ||||
| Illinois | City / county | Municipalities (Chicago, Rockford, Aurora and others) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Illinois guide covers them meanwhile. | $99,560 | In review | ||||
| Indiana | City / county | Cities and counties (Indianapolis, Allen County and others) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Indiana guide covers them meanwhile. | $68,490 | In review | ||||
| Iowa | State | Dept. of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Iowa guide covers them meanwhile. | $60,860 | In review | ||||
| Kansas | City / county | Municipal and county governments | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Kansas guide covers them meanwhile. | $65,860 | In review | ||||
| Kentucky | State | Dept. of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) | 8,000 hours since age 16 | Not required (training can replace up to 4,000 hours) | 16,000 hours since age 16 | Every 2 years | 6 hours a year | $59,720 | ✓ Aug 2026 KRS 227A.060 |
| Louisiana | Contractors only | Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $61,540 | Coming | ||||
| Maine | State | Electricians’ Examining Board, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $75,380 | Coming | ||||
| Maryland | State + local | Maryland State Board of Electricians, Dept. of Labor | 4 years under a master, or an approved 8,000-hour apprenticeship | 576 (apprenticeship route) | 7 years under a master | Every 2 years | 5 hours (journeyperson), 10 (master) | $73,490 | ✓ Oct 2026 Md. Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 6-304 |
| Massachusetts | State | Board of State Examiners of Electricians | 8,000 hours over at least 4 years | 600 + a 15-hour code course | 1 year as a MA journeyman + 150 classroom hours | Every 3 years | 21 hours (15 code and law + 6) | $79,420 | ✓ Oct 2026 237 CMR 13.00 |
| Michigan | State + local | LARA, Bureau of Construction Codes — except Detroit | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Michigan guide covers them meanwhile. | $76,270 | In review | ||||
| Minnesota | State | Dept. of Labor and Industry (DLI) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $78,160 | Coming | ||||
| Mississippi | Contractors only | Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $60,860 | Coming | ||||
| Missouri | City / county | Local jurisdictions; optional statewide contractor license via Division of Professional Registration | No state journeyman license. Set by cities (Springfield, Columbia, Jefferson City and others) | Set locally | Local credential. The optional state contractor license needs 12,000 hours, or 10,000 with an apprenticeship certificate | Every 3 years (state contractor license) | None for the state contractor license | $65,410 | ✓ Oct 2026 20 CSR 2117-2.010 |
| Montana | State | Montana State Electrical Board, Dept. of Labor & Industry | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $76,760 | Coming | ||||
| Nebraska | State | Nebraska State Electrical Division / State Electrical Board | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $60,820 | Coming | ||||
| Nevada | Contractors only | Nevada State Contractors Board (C-2 electrical) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $73,570 | Coming | ||||
| New Hampshire | State | Electricians’ Board, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $62,840 | Coming | ||||
| New Jersey | State | Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors | 8,000 hours, 4,000 of them in the last 5 years | 576 | No master license. Contractor: 4-year apprenticeship + 1 year as a journeyman | Every 3 years | 15 hours (journeyman) | $77,250 | ✓ Sep 2026 N.J.A.C. 13:31-5.1 |
| New Mexico | State | Construction Industries Division, Regulation and Licensing Dept. | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $58,390 | Coming | ||||
| New York | City / county | NYC Dept. of Buildings and each other city | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our New York guide covers them meanwhile. | $78,750 | In review | ||||
| North Carolina | Contractors only | NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors | No state journeyman license. Employees work under the contractor’s license | n/a | Contractor qualifier: 3,000 / 5,750 / 9,000 hours (Limited / Intermediate / Unlimited) | Every year | 8 hours a year | $56,800 | ✓ Sep 2026 21 NCAC 18B |
| North Dakota | State | North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $65,710 | Coming | ||||
| Ohio | Contractors only | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Ohio guide covers them meanwhile. | $64,700 | In review | ||||
| Oklahoma | State | Construction Industries Board (CIB) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $61,010 | Coming | ||||
| Oregon | State | Building Codes Division, Dept. of Consumer and Business Services | 8,000 hours, with minimums by type of work | Through the apprenticeship (576 on the out-of-state route) | Supervising (S): 8,000 hours as a journeyman | Every 3 years | 24 hours (8 code change) + 4-hour rules and law | $101,310 | ✓ Sep 2026 OAR 918-282 |
| Pennsylvania | City / county | 2,562 municipalities (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and others) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Pennsylvania guide covers them meanwhile. | $67,600 | In review | ||||
| Rhode Island | State | Board of Examiners of Electricians, Division of Professional Regulation (DLT) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $74,090 | Coming | ||||
| South Carolina | State + local | SC Dept. of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $58,740 | Coming | ||||
| South Dakota | State | South Dakota Electrical Commission, Dept. of Labor and Regulation | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $61,390 | Coming | ||||
| Tennessee | State + local | Board for Licensing Contractors, Dept. of Commerce and Insurance | No state journeyman license. Set by cities (Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and others) | Set locally | Local credential. The state LLE covers jobs under $25,000 in about 65 counties | Every 2 years (LLE) | None for the LLE | $61,090 | ✓ Oct 2026 TN Board LLE page |
| Texas | State | Texas Dept. of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Texas guide covers them meanwhile. | $58,570 | In review | ||||
| Utah | State | Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Dept. of Commerce | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $62,000 | Coming | ||||
| Vermont | State | Electricians’ Licensing Board, Division of Fire Safety | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $63,430 | Coming | ||||
| Virginia | State | Dept. of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) | Being checked against the state’s rules. Our Virginia guide covers them meanwhile. | $62,900 | In review | ||||
| Washington | State | Dept. of Labor & Industries (L&I) | 8,000-hour registered apprenticeship (4,000 industrial/commercial) | Part of the apprenticeship | Hold the journey level (01) for 4 years | Every 3 years | 24 hours (8 code update, 4 law) | $95,220 | ✓ Aug 2026 RCW 19.28.191 |
| West Virginia | State | Office of the State Fire Marshal, Regulatory and Licensing Division | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $64,810 | Coming | ||||
| Wisconsin | State | Dept. of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $76,540 | Coming | ||||
| Wyoming | State | Wyoming State Electrical Board, State Fire Marshal’s Office | Not researched yet. The licensing authority’s site has the current hours and fees. | $76,120 | Coming | ||||
✓ Month every figure in the row checked against the state’s statute or rule that month, with the source linked. In review we have a guide and are re-checking its figures. Coming the authority is listed; requirements are not researched yet. Median pay is the annual median for electricians in that state (BLS, May 2025).
What each answer means
- State — a state agency examines and licenses individual electricians, usually at journeyman and master level. One license works across the whole state. (32 states)
- Contractors only — the state licenses electrical contracting businesses, not the people doing the work. There is no state journeyman or master card; where those exist they are county or city credentials. (8 states)
- City / county — the state stays out of it entirely and each local government sets its own rules. A license in one city may be worthless in the next. (6 states)
- State + local — you need the state license and a separate local license or registration wherever you work. (4 states)
We have published in-depth guides for 31 states so far, linked from each state’s name in the table. For the rest, the authority link goes straight to the board that issues the license, which is where the current fees, hours and exam details live.
How we check the numbers
- From the law, not the summary. Each requirement comes from the state’s statute or board rule, linked in the Checked column. Agency summary pages can lag behind a change in the law, so we read the law itself.
- Ceilings vs. requirements. Some statutes set a maximum that the board’s rule sets lower. Where that happens, we list the rule’s figure, because that is what applies to you.
- Dated rows. Every checked row shows the month we checked it. We re-check a row whenever we rebuild that state’s guide.
- Pay from BLS only. Median pay is the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate for electricians in each state, May 2025. To see a state’s full wage table, open the BLS state wage estimates and select the state.
- Short summaries. Each cell is a summary. Most states have exceptions and alternate routes, which the linked source and our state guides spell out.
This page is for informational purposes only. Electrician Authority is an independent resource, not a licensing authority. Licensing rules change, and local requirements can differ from the state picture. Always confirm current requirements with the authority listed for your state before making decisions about your career.