How to get an electrician license in Massachusetts

Journeyman level 8,000 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office Board of State Examiners of Electricians, Division of Occupational Licensure · (617) 701-8786 [17]

The license pathway in Massachusetts

1. 1

   Apprentice

   Apprentices employed by a licensed electrician don't need their own license, and the Board does not register them. You must work under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyman, with no more than one apprentice per journeyman. [1][3][4][5]

2. 2

   Journeyman electrician (Class B)

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • 600 hours of Board-approved education plus a 15-hour code-update course
   • Yes, two parts at PSI: Part 1, 80 questions in 180 minutes; Part 2 (applied), 30 questions in 60 minutes; 70% to pass
   • $31 application, $104 license, $135 PSI exam ($80 + $55)
   • Every 3 years; $78; 21 hours CE (continuing education)

   Qualifies you to install, repair and maintain wiring for light, heat, power, fire warning and security systems. You need the hours, the education, a high school diploma or equivalent, and a passing score on both parts of the exam. [2][3][4][8][9][10]

3. 3

   Master electrician (Class A)

   • 1 year of experience
   • 150 hours of Board-approved education
   • Yes, two parts at PSI: Part 1, 90 questions in 240 minutes; Business and Law, 50 questions in 120 minutes; 70% to pass
   • $66 application, $155 license, $135 PSI exam
   • Every 3 years; $117; 21 hours CE

   A master electrician runs an electrical business and employs journeymen and apprentices. You need at least one year holding a Massachusetts journeyman license, the 150-hour master course and the exam. Electrical business licenses go only to masters or to companies that keep a master as licensee of record. [2][3][4][5][8][9]

4. 4

   Systems technician (Class D)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • 2 years of experience
   • 300 hours of Board-approved education plus a 15-hour code-update course
   • Yes, two parts at PSI: Part 1, 60 questions in 120 minutes; Part 2 (applied), 30 questions in 60 minutes
   • $31 application, $104 license, $135 PSI exam
   • Every 3 years; $78; 21 hours CE

   A separate, shorter track for fire warning, security and other low-voltage ("inherently power limited") systems. Up to 2,000 hours of electrical work can count toward the 4,000 hours. [2][3][4][8][9]

5. 5

   Systems contractor (Class C)

   • 1 year of experience
   • 75 hours of Board-approved education
   • Yes, two parts at PSI: Part 1, 70 questions in 180 minutes; Business and Law, 50 questions in 120 minutes
   • $66 application, $155 license, $135 PSI exam
   • Every 3 years; $117; 21 hours CE

   The business-level license for the systems track. You need at least one year as a licensed Massachusetts systems technician plus 75 hours of education. [2][3][8][9]

Who needs a license in Massachusetts

Massachusetts law says no person or company may work at "the business or occupation of installing wires, conduits, apparatus, devices, fixtures, or other appliances" for light, heat, power, fire warning or security systems without a license from the state examiners of electricians.

The law does not apply to an apprentice employed by a licensed person or company. Security system work also needs a separate license from the Division of Occupational Licensure. [1]

The license ladder

Massachusetts has two tracks.

Electrical track:

• Apprentice. No license and no Board registration. You work under a licensed journeyman, and each journeyman may supervise only one apprentice.
• Journeyman (Class B). 8,000 hours over at least four years, 600 classroom hours, a 15-hour code course, a high school diploma or equivalent, and the exam.
• Master (Class A). At least one year as a Massachusetts journeyman, 150 more classroom hours and the exam. A master runs the business and employs journeymen and apprentices.

Systems track (fire alarm, security, data and other low-voltage systems):

• Systems technician (Class D). 4,000 hours over at least two years, supervised by a systems technician or journeyman, plus 300 classroom hours.
• Systems contractor (Class C). One year as a licensed systems technician plus 75 classroom hours.

The tracks overlap. Up to 4,000 hours of systems work can count toward a journeyman's 8,000 hours, and up to 2,000 hours of electrical work toward a technician's 4,000. More on the levels: journeyman vs. master. [1][3][4][5]

Education requirements

The 600-hour journeyman course covers DC and AC (alternating current) theory, the National Electrical Code (NEC, the national wiring rulebook), circuit and service calculations, grounding, motors, transformers, fire alarm and data systems, and the Massachusetts Electrical Code amendments (527 CMR 12.00). You can take it in two 300-hour tiers or in a non-modular format.

Rules to know:

• A public vocational high school program can count for at most 300 of the 600 hours.
• Every applicant also needs a 15-hour continuing education course based on the current Massachusetts Electrical Code.
• Education expires 20 years after you start the program.
• The Board generally does not accept engineering education. Some electrical engineering coursework might cover part of the 600 hours.

Schools that are approved to teach the 600-hour, 150-hour and systems courses are on the Board's provider list. [3][5][6][7]

The exam

The Board approves your application, and then PSI gives the exam. The journeyman exam has two parts:

• Part 1: 80 questions in 180 minutes; you need 56 right (70%). Topics include services, grounding, wiring methods, motors, alarm systems, solar and battery storage. You may bring the NEC and NFPA 72 (the fire alarm code).
• Part 2 (applied): 30 questions in 60 minutes; you need 21 right. It covers Ohm's law calculations, schematics, troubleshooting, the Massachusetts amendments and licensing laws. Allowed references are the Massachusetts Electrical Code, the Board's rules, M.G.L. chapter 141 and the NEC.

The master exam is a 90-question Part 1 (240 minutes) plus a 50-question Business and Law exam (120 minutes). Each part costs $80 and $55, including retakes.

Your approval lasts 12 months, and you must pass both parts in that time. If you fail three times, you need extra education before you can test again. After six failed attempts you must repeat the full education requirement. Veterans with a DD214 get a 5% credit on each part. [2][8]

Fees and renewal

• Journeyman or systems technician: $31 application, $104 license, $78 renewal.
• Master or systems contractor: $66 application, $155 license, $117 renewal.
• PSI exam: $135 for both parts ($80 plus $55), paid to PSI.

Licenses expire on July 31, and you can renew in eLIPSE starting 90 days before. The Board does not mail renewal notices. To renew, you need 21 hours of continuing education (CE) in the three years before renewal. Fifteen hours must cover the Massachusetts Electrical Code with a Board-approved provider, and six can be professional development of your choice.

A license that has been expired for more than three years (one license cycle) means passing the Massachusetts exam again. [2][9][10]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

The Board does not run or register apprenticeships, but an apprenticeship is the most common way to get your supervised hours and 600 classroom hours. Two routes (see union vs. non-union):

• Union. The Greater Boston JATC works with IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 103. Other IBEW programs, including the Springfield Electrical JATC and the Local 96 Worcester JATC, are on the Board's approved-school list. Find others with the Electrical Training Alliance locator.
• Open shop. IEC New England runs a four-year program with 720 classroom hours while you earn your 8,000 hours on the job.

The Division of Apprentice Standards oversees the state's registered apprenticeship programs. More on getting in: electrician apprenticeships. [5][7][11][12][13][14]

If you're licensed in another state

New Hampshire. This is the only reciprocity agreement. Massachusetts accepts New Hampshire journeyman and master licenses only if you earned them by passing New Hampshire's exam. A license you got by reciprocity or endorsement doesn't qualify. The Board's rule (237 CMR 15.00, amended November 2025) also asks journeyman applicants to show the equivalent of the 600-hour course, completed within 10 years, and 8,000 hours over at least four years, and master applicants to show five years in the trade. The reciprocity fee is $208 for a journeyman and $310 for a master. Masters also need a Massachusetts journeyman license (or a journeyman reciprocity application at the same time) and proof of the Massachusetts 150-hour master course.

Any other state. You must apply, sit for and pass the Massachusetts exam. If you've held a license earned by exam for at least a year and have been actively working, the Board may count your out-of-state education and experience if they are equivalent to Massachusetts requirements. You document them with transcripts, employer letters and a certified letter from your licensing board. You also need the 15-hour code course. Board staff can't pre-review your documents. Many applicants have a Board-approved school evaluate their education and fill any gaps in the 600 hours.

The Board does not grant reciprocity to companies. See license reciprocity for the national picture. [3][5][15][16]

Career changers and veterans

• Time limits. Work experience counts if it was earned within 20 years of your application. Education counts for 20 years from the date the program started.
• Military. Veterans can submit military electrical training and experience on their discharge papers (DD214/DD215). Aircraft or shipboard electricians and merchant marine strikers can get up to 2,000 work hours and 150 education hours of credit. Military construction or base maintenance work can count for up to half the work hours, to a maximum of 4,000.
• Vocational school. If you took electrical shop in a state-approved public vocational school, that can count toward your work experience, and the classroom work toward up to 300 education hours.

[3][5]

Steps to get licensed in Massachusetts

1. Get hired as an apprentice

   Work under the direct supervision of a licensed Massachusetts journeyman, for example through a union JATC, an IEC program or a licensed employer. Have your hours documented on the Board's work experience form (Form 272). [2][3]

2. Complete 600 hours of approved education

   Take the 600-hour journeyman course at a Board-approved school. A public vocational school program can count for at most 300 of those hours. [3][7]

3. Take the 15-hour code-update course

   Applicants must also finish a 15-hour continuing education course on the current Massachusetts Electrical Code from a Board-approved provider. [2][3]

4. Log 8,000 hours over at least four years

   Work hours count only if they were earned within 20 years of your application. [3][5]

5. Apply online through eLIPSE

   Submit your application, education and work forms, a notarized CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) form, the 15-hour certificate and a photo on the eLIPSE portal. Pay the $31 application fee. [2]

6. Pass both parts of the PSI exam

   Once approved, schedule both parts with PSI ($80 plus $55). You must pass both within 12 months of approval. [2][8]

7. Pay the license fee

   After you pass, pay the $104 journeyman license fee. One year later you can start working toward the master license. [2][3]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train electricians in or for Massachusetts, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  IBEW Local 103 / Greater Boston JATC

  The Greater Boston Joint Apprentice Training Center, run with IBEW Local 103, trains electricians and technicians. Applications are online. [11]

• Union

  IBEW/NECA JATCs elsewhere in Massachusetts

  Other union programs, such as the Springfield Electrical JATC and the IBEW Local 96 Worcester JATC, appear on the Board's list of approved schools. Find yours with the Electrical Training Alliance locator. [7][12]

• Open shop

  IEC New England apprenticeship

  A four-year Independent Electrical Contractors program with 720 classroom hours. You earn your 8,000 on-the-job hours through your employer. [13]

• School

  Board-approved schools for the 600-hour course

  Regional vocational-technical schools' evening programs, IBEW training centers and IEC New England are approved to teach the 600-hour journeyman and 150-hour master courses. The Board publishes the list, which also marks lapsed programs. [7]

• State program

  Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS)

  The state office that oversees Massachusetts registered apprenticeship programs, for employers starting a program and for people looking to become apprentices. [14]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask