How electrician licensing works in Missouri

Licensing office Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Missouri Division of Professional Registration) · (573) 522-3280 [5][13]

The license pathway in Missouri

1. 1

   Apprentice or helper (no state license)

   Missouri issues no license at this level. You work for an electrical contractor; in Kansas City, the work is done by or under the supervision of a certificate holder. A registered apprenticeship adds classroom training to paid work. [2][8][11]

2. 2

   Journeyman (apprenticeship completion; no state license)

   Missouri has no state journeyman license. A journeyman certificate from a U.S. Department of Labor-approved electrical apprenticeship lowers the statewide contractor license requirement from 12,000 to 10,000 hours. As an example, the St. Louis Electrical JATC's Inside program is 9,000 hours with 960 hours of classroom training. [2][9]

3. 3

   Master Electrician (Kansas City)

   • 3 years of experience
   • Yes: Kansas City master electrical (20114) by Prometric or standard master electrician (W16) by ICC (the city lists both and says you choose the testing agency), or an approved substitute
   • $60 application

   Lets you qualify a Class I electrical contractor in Kansas City. You need 3 years at journeyman, foreman, supervisor or contractor level (one in commercial or industrial work), two notarized reference letters, a diploma or GED, and you must be 21. [8]

4. 4

   Statewide Electrical Contractor

   • 12,000 hours on the job
   • Yes, a division-approved NEC-based exam (contractor, master or journeyman level)
   • $200 application
   • Every 3 years by Sept. 30; $200

   Lets you contract and pull permits anywhere in Missouri; cities must accept it in place of their own contractor license. Needs 12,000 hours (fewer with an apprenticeship certificate or degree), a passing exam and $500,000 liability insurance. State law says you "shall not be required to possess a statewide license" to keep contracting in a town that requires no local license, or whose local license you hold. [2][3][4][13]

How to get your first electrical job in Missouri

Missouri's electrical licensing law covers electrical contractors, not the people who work for them, so you don't need a state card to start as a helper or apprentice. Local rules still shape the work: in Kansas City, all work under an electrical contractor license is performed by or under the supervision of the license's certificate holder.

Most people start by getting hired by an electrical contractor or by applying to a registered apprenticeship. The St. Louis Electrical JATC (the joint apprenticeship and training committee run by IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis chapter of NECA, the contractors' association) takes applicants at 17 who will be 18 when selected, with a high school diploma or GED and a year of algebra. ABC Heart of America, an open-shop (non-union) contractor association, asks for age 18, a diploma, GED or transcript, and a driver's license. For other programs, see Apprenticeship Missouri or our electrician apprenticeship guide. [2][8][9][10][11]

The statewide electrical contractor license

The statewide license (RSMo 324.900 to 324.945, in effect since 2017) lets the holder do electrical contracting anywhere in Missouri regardless of local licensing. Cities may keep their own contractor licenses, but they must accept a statewide license in their place for contracting and permits, and can't make a statewide licensee pass another proficiency exam.

To qualify you need one of these:

• 12,000 verifiable practical hours installing equipment and wiring;
• 10,000 hours plus an electrical journeyman certificate from a U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship;
• 8,000 hours plus an associate's degree from a state-accredited program;
• 4,000 hours supervising installations plus a four-year electrical engineering degree; or
• a Missouri local electrical contractor or master electrician license held for 6 of the past 8 years, from a town that required a standardized NEC-based exam.

You also need a passing score on an approved exam, $500,000 in liability insurance (a certificate issued by the insurance company, not an agent), and any bonds the local governments where you work require. A company doing electrical contracting under the statewide law must employ a statewide licensee at a supervisory level, and each licensee can represent only one company at a time.

The law also says a contractor working in a town that doesn't require a local license, or in a town whose required local license the contractor holds, "shall not be required to possess a statewide license" to keep contracting there. [1][2][3][4]

The exam

Missouri doesn't give its own exam. The office approves NEC-based exams that are nationally standardized and given by an independent testing company, and it accepts contractor, master or journeyman level exams. Its approved exam list includes ICC exams taken through Pearson VUE, Prov, Inc. exams, and NASCLA (National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) exams given by PSI (a testing company); exams you passed for another state board with ICC, NASCLA, Prometric, Prov or PSI also count. You pay the testing company directly. [4][12]

Fees and renewal

Statewide license fees set by rule: $200 to apply, $200 to renew every three years ($100 if inactive), $100 to reactivate and $250 to reinstate. All fees are nonrefundable. Licenses renew by Sept. 30 every third year; a license not renewed by the deadline becomes inactive, and one not renewed for two years is void. The office also posts a fee waiver form for military families and low-income individuals on its website. [4][5][13][14]

Kansas City and St. Louis

Kansas City licenses contractors through its City Planning and Development Department. You get a business license, the qualified person gets a certificate of qualification through CompassKC, and the business then gets its contractor license. The electrical certificates are Master Electrician, Master (Limited) Electrician and Electrical Supervisor (for low-voltage work such as fire and burglar alarms and communications). Kansas City has no journeyman electrician certificate on its list. The Master Electrician certificate requires age 21, 3 years at journeyman level or above (one in commercial or industrial work), two notarized reference letters, a diploma or GED, a $60 application fee, and a passing score on Prometric's Kansas City master electrical exam (20114) or ICC's standard master electrician exam (W16), or an approved substitute (the city's sheet names both exams and says you choose the testing agency). See the city's contractor licensing page.

The City of St. Louis issues electrical permits only to electrical contractors licensed by the city's Building Division (homeowners can get permits for limited work on their own single-family home after a short test). Its Committee of Electrical Examiners decides, through written and oral exams, who receives certificates and licenses for electrical work in the city. Call the Building Division at (314) 622-3313.

St. Louis County accepts electrical exams from Prov, Inc. for its electrical contractor licensing; you must be approved by the county before you schedule, and computer exams cost $100. [6][7][8][15][16][17]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

The St. Louis Electrical JATC offers three programs: Commercial-Industrial (Inside) Electrician, 9,000 hours with 960 classroom hours; Telecommunication Technician, 8,000 hours with 600 classroom hours; and Residential Electrician, 8,000 hours with 450 classroom hours. Inside and Telecommunication applicants file an application, take an aptitude test and interview; Residential applicants need a sponsoring contractor or IBEW representative. Applications stay active for two years.

For union programs elsewhere in Missouri, including Kansas City, use the Electrical Training Alliance locator. ABC Heart of America runs an open-shop electrical apprenticeship from its Kansas City (4035 Denton Road) and Fenton (2275 Cassens Drive) training facilities. You can also search the Apprenticeship Finder. [9][10][18][19]

If you're licensed in another state

Missouri's universal license recognition law (RSMo 324.009) does not apply to statewide electrical contractors or to the occupations in RSMo 290.257(6), which include electricians. It also doesn't cover licenses issued by cities or counties.

For the statewide license, the office accepts a verified license from another state, or from another state's city or county, as proof of experience and of a passed exam when that license required substantially similar experience or an approved exam. Kansas City accepts certification from another jurisdiction with equal or higher standards in place of reference letters. Confirm with the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors at (573) 522-3280. [4][5][8][20][21][22]

Steps to get licensed in Missouri

1. Get hired or join an apprenticeship

   There's no state apprentice registration. Get hired by an electrical contractor or apply to a registered program such as the St. Louis Electrical JATC or ABC Heart of America. [2][9][10]

2. Check the local license where you'll work

   Cities and counties may license electricians and electrical contractors. In Kansas City, apply for a certificate of qualification through CompassKC; in the City of St. Louis, electrical permits go only to electrical contractors licensed by the city. [3][6][7]

3. Build documented hours

   Keep records of your hours: the statewide license accepts W-2s with an affidavit or notarized letter, employer affidavits, or a verified local or state license as proof. [4][22]

4. Pass an approved exam

   Take a division-approved exam, such as the ICC, Prov or NASCLA journeyman, master or contractor exam; see the approved exam list. You pay the testing company directly. [4][12]

5. Apply for the statewide license

   Send the application, the $200 fee, proof of hours and exam, and a $500,000 certificate of liability insurance from an insurer authorized in Missouri. Applications can be filed through MOPRO, and you have 24 months to complete one. [4][5][22]

6. Renew every 3 years

   Statewide licenses renew every third year by Sept. 30 for $200. A license not renewed for 2 years is void. [4][13]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  St. Louis Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 1 and NECA)

  Inside (9,000 hours, 960 classroom), Telecommunication (8,000 hours) and Residential (8,000 hours) programs at the St. Louis Electrical Industry Training Center, 2300 Hampton Ave. [9]

• Union

  IBEW/NECA training centers (Electrical Training Alliance locator)

  Find the union inside-wireman program for Kansas City and the rest of Missouri. [18]

• Open shop

  ABC Heart of America electrical apprenticeship

  Associated Builders and Contractors chapter with training facilities in Kansas City and Fenton; applications are completed in person. [10]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Missouri

  The state's apprenticeship office publishes lists of U.S. Department of Labor-registered programs in Missouri by occupation, location and sponsor. [11]

• Other

  U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Finder

  Search registered electrician apprenticeships by location. [19]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask