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13 states · each from the state source · checked 2026-10-20

Electrician license requirements by state

Who issues the electrical credential, the levels, the hours and years, the exam, the fees and the reciprocity partners, read from each state's licensing board page or statute. The shortest stated path to the top credential here is New Hampshire at 4 years; the longest is Michigan at 6 years.

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  1. 1States covered 13
  2. 2Shortest stated path New Hampshire, 4 years
  3. 3Longest stated path Michigan, 6 years
  4. 4Name partner states 4 of 13

All 13 states compared

StateTop credentialTime to topClassroomExamPartners
ConnecticutE-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor6 years720 hYesreview
MassachusettsM Master Electrician5 years600 hYes1
New HampshireM Master Electrician4 years600 hYes13
MaineM Master Electrician6 years702 hYes6
VermontM Master Electrician2 years after the prior level—Yesreview
Rhode IslandA Electrical Contractor (Certificate A)time not stated—Yes—
CaliforniaC-10 C-10 Electrical Contractor (CSLB)4 years720 hYes—
TexasM Master Electrician6 years—Yes14
FloridaEC Certified Electrical Contractor4 years—Yesreview
OhioEC Electrical Contractor (commercial)5 years—Yes—
GeorgiaEG Electrical Contractor Class II (Non-restricted)4 years—Yesreview
North CarolinaU Unlimited Electrical Contractorup to 4.5 years—Yes—
MichiganM Master Electrician6 years—Yes—
New Hampshire4 yearsCalifornia4 yearsFlorida4 yearsGeorgia4 yearsMassachusetts5 yearsOhio5 yearsConnecticut6 yearsMaine6 yearsTexas6 yearsMichigan6 years
Minimum years to the top electrician credential in each state that states one. Bars are to scale; states whose source gives no floor are not drawn.

What the numbers show

10 of the 13 states state a minimum time to their top electrician credential. New Hampshire is shortest at 4 years and Michigan longest at 6 years. The most common hour count written into the sources is 8,000 hours, which appears 10 times. 13 of 13 require an exam for at least one level.

4 states name reciprocity partners on the board page: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Texas. The rest either review out-of-state licenses case by case or name no route in the source read.

New England on this page: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island. Large states: California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan.

Published fees

Only some sources print dollar amounts. Where they do, the chart sums the application, exam and license fees listed for the highest level that shows any.

Georgia$40 (EG)Texas$45 (M)Ohio$50 (EC)Vermont$150 (M)Maine$171 (M)Rhode Island$240 (A)Massachusetts$356 (M)California$650 (C-10)
Published fees for the highest level that prints them, summed (application, exam and license where listed). Bars are to scale; states whose source prints no fee are not drawn.

How to read a state page

Each state page lists the levels in order, the experience each one needs (as hours or years, and whether the time counts from the start of the trade or from the previous license), classroom hours, the exam, the fees the source prints, and reciprocity. Where a source gives hours, the page converts them to full-time years at 2,000 hours a year, the convention Georgia's licensing board prints on its form. Nothing is filled in from other sites: if a board page does not print a fee, the state page says so.

Guides: how long each state takes · how the exams work · reciprocity. Other trades: Plumber · HVAC · General contractor.

General information from the state sources on 2026-10-20, not legal advice. The board is the authority; confirm before applying.