How to get an electrician license in Ohio

Licensing office Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce · (614) 644-3493 [1]

The license pathway in Ohio

1. 1

   Apprentice or tradesperson (no state license)

   Ohio law treats a tradesperson as someone employed by a contractor who does the work without being responsible for how the job is run. The state does not license or register this level, but your years here count toward the five years the contractor exam requires. [2][4]

2. 2

   Journeyman electrician (local, some cities)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes, in cities that license journeymen; Canton's exam is set by the Canton Construction Board
   • Canton: $35 ($20 application plus $15 license)
   • Canton: yearly, $15 by February 28

   There is no statewide journeyman license. Some cities license journeymen themselves. Canton, for example, requires four years of work as an electrician (experience plus approved trade school can count) and a city exam. Ask your city's building department what it requires. [3][8]

3. 3

   Electrical contractor (OCILB)

   • 5 years of experience
   • Yes: electrical trade exam (100 questions, 4 hours, open book, 2023 NEC) and Business and Law exam (50 questions, 2 hours); 70% to pass; PSI
   • $25 application per trade, $25 license per trade, $69 per PSI exam
   • Yearly; 8 hours CE per one-year renewal (half in code courses for electrical)

   The only state electrical license in Ohio. It covers commercial contractors; local building departments may also require it for residential work. You need five years in the trade, the two exams, $500,000 liability insurance and a contracting company to assign the license to. [1][2][6][7]

Who needs a license in Ohio

Ohio's state license is for contractors, not for the electricians who work for them. State law defines an electrical contractor as the person or company responsible for "the means, method, and manner" of the work who also does the work or employs the people who do it. A tradesperson is someone employed by a contractor who does the work without that responsibility.

Nobody may act as or claim to be a licensed contractor without an OCILB license. The state license is aimed at commercial work: the law's definition of a construction project leaves out residential buildings, and OCILB says local building departments may require its license for residential work.

Some low-voltage work is outside the electrical contractor license. Work using less than 50 volts on fire or burglar alarms, cabling, tele-data, sound, communication systems, and landscape lighting and irrigation is excluded. [1][4][5]

The license ladder in Ohio

Most states have apprentice, journeyman and master levels. Ohio's state ladder has one step: the electrical contractor license.

• Apprentice or tradesperson. No state license or registration. You work for a contractor and build up the five years of experience the contractor exam needs.
• Journeyman (local). No state license, but some cities license journeymen. See "Local journeyman licenses" below.
• Electrical contractor. The state license from OCILB. You need five years in the trade, two exams, liability insurance and a company to assign the license to.

You do not need a contractor license to work as an electrician for a licensed contractor. OCILB says everyone working under a contractor's license must be on that company's payroll with a W-2, or hired through a nationally recognized temporary agency. Workers paid by 1099 are independent contractors and must hold their own state license. [1][2][4]

Contractor license requirements

To take the electrical contractor exam, Ohio law says you must:

• be at least 18;
• be a U.S. citizen or a legal alien with documents;
• have been a tradesperson in the electrical trade for at least five years right before you apply, or be an Ohio-registered engineer with three years of business experience in the electrical construction trade, or have "other experience acceptable" to the board;
• carry contractor liability insurance in one company name (OCILB sets the minimum at $500,000);
• not be convicted of a disqualifying offense.

OCILB's application also lists five years as an Ohio government inspector in the trade as a way to qualify. Along with tax records for the last five years, you must prove your experience with one of: a permit for each of the last five years pulled by the licensed contractor you worked under, an active journeyman card, a completion certificate from a state- or U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship, or 40 hours of live or webinar code courses from an OCILB-approved provider. Self-paced courses don't count. [1][2][6]

The exams

Once OCILB approves your application, you take two computer-based exams from PSI, at test centers in Ohio and other states:

• Ohio Electrical Contractor exam: 100 scored questions plus up to 10 unscored pretest questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass. It is open book. Allowed references are *Ugly's Electrical References* (2023) and the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) or NEC Handbook. The NEC is the national wiring rulebook most states adopt.
• Business and Law exam: 50 questions plus 5 unscored pretest questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass. Every contractor license type takes it.

Each exam registration costs $69, including retakes. You get your result right after the exam. If you fail, Ohio law lets you retake after 60 days. After five failed attempts you must reapply.

Your approval is valid for one year. Before the exam you must complete BCI (state) and FBI background checks, and those are also valid for one year. [1][2][6][7]

Fees, insurance and renewal

• Exam application: $25 per trade.
• PSI exam: $69 for each exam.
• License issuance: $25 per trade.
• Insurance: at least $500,000 in contractor liability coverage, in one contracting company name.

All of a contractor's licenses expire each year on the same date, and you can renew up to 90 days before expiration. OCILB requires 8 hours of continuing education (CE) for one-year renewals or 24 hours for three-year renewals. For the electrical trade, half the hours must be code courses. Some CE may be taken online: up to 4 self-paced hours per year on a one-year renewal.

If you're not working as a contractor, you can put the license in inactive "escrow" status. You skip CE and insurance but still pay the $60 renewal fee each year. A license that has been expired for more than a year means reapplying and retesting. Renew online through Ohio eLicense. [1][2][6][7]

Local journeyman licenses

State law lets Ohio cities and counties keep their own rules on electrical work and their own registration of tradespeople. There is one limit: a local contractor registration with a fee must also require the state license.

Some cities use this to license journeymen. In Canton, anyone working as a journeyman electrician needs a city license. To get it you must:

• show at least four years of work as an electrician (practical experience plus technical training from a trade school approved by the U.S. Department of Labor can count);
• pass an exam set by the Canton Construction Board;
• pay $35 ($20 application plus $15 license);
• renew every year by February 28 for $15.

Other cities may have their own rules or none. Before you take a job, ask the building department in the city where you'll work. [3][8]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Ohio

An apprenticeship is the usual way to build the five years of experience OCILB asks for. A completion certificate from a state- or U.S. Department of Labor-approved program is one of the accepted proofs. There are two main routes (see union vs. non-union):

• Union: IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship training committees (JATCs) train inside wiremen across Ohio. Find yours with the Electrical Training Alliance locator.
• Open shop (non-union): Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) chapters, such as IEC Northern Ohio, run a four-year program with at least 144 classroom hours a year and 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year.

For Ohio's registered apprenticeship programs, see ApprenticeOhio at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. More on applying: electrician apprenticeships. [1][9][10][11]

If you're licensed in another state

Reciprocity. OCILB lists electrical reciprocity with Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. You qualify only if you passed that state's exam; grandfathered licenses don't count. Applicants from Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee must also pass Ohio's Business and Law exam. You apply with a notarized reciprocity application, a verification form signed by your home state's board, and $25 per trade.

Other states. If you hold a substantially similar license in a state without an agreement, you can qualify for the Ohio exam another way. OCILB asks for proof of your out-of-state license showing at least five years' experience, at least five permits issued to you there, at least one tax return showing income under that license, and proof that your company is registered to do business in Ohio. You still have to pass the exam: this route only qualifies you to take it.

Military. Service members with substantially similar military experience for at least three of the last five years can also qualify to take the exam. See license reciprocity for how this works across states. [1][2][12]

Steps to get licensed in Ohio

1. Get five years of electrical experience

   Work as an electrical tradesperson, for example as an apprentice in a union or open-shop program. OCILB counts five years immediately before you apply. If your city licenses journeymen, get that local license too. [2][3]

2. Gather proof of your experience

   You need tax documents (W-2s or Schedule C) for the last five years, plus one of: a permit for each year pulled by your employer, an active journeyman card, an apprenticeship completion certificate, or 40 hours of live or webinar code courses from an OCILB-approved provider. [1][6]

3. Apply to OCILB to take the exam

   Send the notarized OCILB examination application with the $25 fee. The board reviews it and tells you by mail whether you may sit for the exam. [1][6]

4. Complete state and federal background checks

   After approval you must get BCI and FBI background checks before the exam. They are valid for one year. [1]

5. Pass the two PSI exams

   Schedule the electrical trade exam and the Business and Law exam with PSI. Each costs $69 and needs 70% to pass. If you fail, you can retake after 60 days. [2][7]

6. Get insured and request your license

   Send your passing scores, the $25 license fee and proof of at least $500,000 liability insurance. The license must be assigned to one contracting company. [1][6]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  IBEW/NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Centers (JATCs) in Ohio

  Union apprenticeships run jointly by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). Use the Electrical Training Alliance locator to find the inside wireman program for your area. [9]

• Open shop

  IEC Northern Ohio apprenticeship

  A four-year program with at least 144 classroom hours a year while you work for an Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) member contractor; applicants must be 18 or older. [10]

• Open shop

  IEC chapters nationwide

  IEC's apprenticeship is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor and typically takes about four years, with at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 576 classroom hours. Other Ohio IEC chapters are listed on the national site. [13]

• State program

  ApprenticeOhio (Ohio Department of Job and Family Services)

  The state's registered apprenticeship page, where "apprentices earn while they learn." It also issues copies of apprenticeship completion certificates, which OCILB accepts as proof of experience. [1][11]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask