How to get an electrician license in Rhode Island

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

Licensing office Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT), Professional Regulation, for the Board of Examiners of Electricians · (401) 462-8580 [4][22]

The license pathway in Rhode Island

1. 1

   Registered apprentice electrician

   • 144 hours of related instruction each year

   You must register with DLT as soon as a licensed electrical contractor hires you, and work with and under the direct personal supervision of a licensed journeyperson. Your sponsor registers you, and DLT mails an apprentice card you must carry on the job site. [2][3][23]

2. 2

   Journeyperson electrician (Class B)

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • 576 hours (144 per year) in a DLT-registered apprenticeship
   • Yes, written exam given by DLT, based on the NEC as adopted in Rhode Island; 70% to pass
   • $75 application; $72 license
   • Every 2 years; $72; 15 hours CE

   You must finish a registered apprenticeship in Rhode Island and send DLT a Certificate of Completion with your exam application. A journeyperson works as an employee of a licensed contractor (or holds a contractor license too). [2][4][5][7][10][11][12][13][25][26]

3. 3

   Limited maintenance journeyperson (Class M)

   • 6,000 hours on the job
   • 3 years of experience
   • 144 hours of related instruction per year
   • Yes, journeyperson M exam
   • $75 application; $72 license

   A shorter apprenticeship track for maintenance electrical work. A Class M holder can later qualify for the Class B exam by registering as a fourth-year apprentice under a Class B journeyperson. [2][3][4][27]

4. 4

   Electrical contractor (Class A)

   • 12,000 hours on the job
   • 6 years of experience
   • Yes, contractor exam given by DLT; 70% to pass
   • $75 application; $240 license
   • Every 2 years; $240; 15 hours CE

   Lets you run an electrical contracting business. You need 12,000 hours (six years) of experience, a Rhode Island Class B license held for two years, and you must be at least 21. [4][5][8][11][13]

Who needs a license in Rhode Island

State law says no person or company may work at "the business of installing, maintaining, servicing, and testing" electrical wiring, equipment and fixtures, including fire alarms, without a license from the state Board of Examiners of Electricians, part of DLT. Low-voltage wiring for heating and refrigeration equipment is excluded.

Owners of a single- or two-family home they live in (or are about to live in) may do electrical work on it themselves. Utility company work, and a few other kinds of work, are exempt. [1][6]

The license ladder

• Registered apprentice. Register with DLT as soon as a licensed contractor hires you. You work under a licensed journeyperson's direct personal supervision.
• Journeyperson (Class B). At least 8,000 hours over four years or more, plus 144 hours of related instruction a year, in a DLT-registered apprenticeship. Since June 25, 2024, state law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-6-24.2, added by P.L. 2024, ch. 330 and 331) says apprentices must complete a registered apprenticeship in Rhode Island to sit for a licensing exam.
• Limited maintenance journeyperson (Class M). 6,000 hours over at least three years, for maintenance work.
• Electrical contractor (Class A). 12,000 hours (six years) and a Class B license held for two years. A Class A license lets you run the business; it doesn't by itself let you do the wiring.

Rhode Island also has separate licenses for fire alarm, oil burner, sign and lightning-protection work. More on the levels: journeyman vs. master. [2][3][5][7][8]

The exam

DLT gives the exams itself. They are written and are based on the edition of the National Electrical Code (NEC, the national wiring rulebook) adopted by Rhode Island's building code committee. You need an average of at least 70% to pass, and you may not use notes or books unless the board allows it. Your application must reach DLT at least 15 working days before an exam date, and DLT mails approved applicants the time and place.

DLT's study page recommends the current state-approved edition of the NEC and general trade knowledge. You can check your application status online. [4][5][9]

Fees and renewal

• Exam application: $75, non-refundable.
• Journeyperson (Class B) license: $72 for two years.
• Contractor (Class A) license: $240 for two years.

Licenses expire on your birthday and renew every two years. Class A and Class B renewals need 15 hours of approved continuing education (CE) on the current code. A license not renewed within two years of expiring is forfeited, and you have to take the exam again. [4][5][10][11][12][13]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

Apprenticeship is the route to the license in Rhode Island, and DLT's Apprenticeship Office registers the programs. Routes (see union vs. non-union):

• Union. The IBEW Local 99 JATC in Cranston, run jointly by IBEW Local 99 and NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association).
• Open shop. Non-union contractors register as sponsors and send apprentices to an approved school such as RICTA, which is affiliated with ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors) Rhode Island, or CCRI.

DLT's education provider list names every approved school. More on getting in: electrician apprenticeships. [14][15][16][17][18][19]

If you're licensed in another state

DLT does not publish any electrician reciprocity agreements. Under the Board's rule, out-of-state applicants who hold a journeyperson or contractor license may take the Rhode Island journeyperson exam. To take the contractor exam, you need a Rhode Island journeyperson license held for two years and 12,000 hours of experience. Send a copy of your license and an official verification from your state with the $75 application.

Apprentices registered in a neighboring state must get reciprocal approval from DLT before working as apprentices in Rhode Island. Military members and their spouses who move to Rhode Island on military orders, and who have held a license in another state for at least a year, can apply for a Rhode Island license under state law (R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-88); the board decides whether the other state's requirements are substantially equivalent. See license reciprocity. [4][5][20][21]

Steps to get licensed in Rhode Island

1. Get hired by a licensed contractor or apprenticeship sponsor

   Apply directly to electrical contractors or to a program such as the IBEW Local 99 JATC. DLT's Become an Apprentice page lists programs. [15][24]

2. Register as an apprentice with DLT

   Your sponsor submits your signed apprenticeship agreement, photo ID, ratio sheet and proof of course registration. Carry your apprentice card on every job site. [2][23]

3. Complete 144 hours of related instruction each year

   Take the classes at an approved provider such as CCRI, IBEW Local 99 or RICTA, four years in all (576 hours). [3][18][19]

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

   Track your on-the-job hours in a work record book, working under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyperson. [2][23]

5. Apply for the journeyperson exam

   Send the Apprentice Completion & Application for Examination form with the $75 fee and a copy of your ID. DLT mails you the exam date. [7][25]

6. Pass the exam and pay for your license

   Score 70% or more on the written exam; DLT then invoices you for the $72 Class B license. [4][5]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  IBEW Local 99 / NECA Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (JATC)

  The union program run by IBEW Local 99 and NECA, trained at 40 Western Industrial Drive in Cranston. Applications need a diploma or GED, an Algebra One grade of 70 or more and an aptitude test. [15][16]

• Open shop

  Rhode Island Construction Training Academy (RICTA)

  A state-approved related-instruction school affiliated with Associated Builders and Contractors of Rhode Island. Classes meet two nights a week and cover the state's 144 hours a year. [17][19][29]

• School

  Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) electrical apprenticeship classes

  CCRI provides the 144 hours of related instruction per year for apprentices already employed by a registered sponsor. You need proof of apprenticeship to register. [18]

• School

  DLT-approved related instruction providers

  DLT publishes a list of approved electrician education providers, including IBEW Local 99, CCRI, NEIT (New England Institute of Technology), Roger Williams University and several adult-education and out-of-state schools. [19]

• State program

  DLT Apprenticeship Office

  Registers apprenticeship programs and apprentices and issues completion certificates. Apprenticeships are jobs: you apply directly to the employer or sponsor. [14][24]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask