How to get an electrician license in Utah

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

Licensing office Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Electrical · (801) 530-6628 [12]

The license pathway in Utah

1. 1

   Apprentice electrician

   • $110 application
   • Every 2 years (November 30 of even years)

   Utah licenses apprentices. There is no exam; your employer completes and signs a Verification of Supervision form. You work under the immediate supervision of a licensed electrician; from your fourth year of training you may work unsupervised up to 8 hours in any 24-hour period. [3][4][5][6][13]

2. 2

   Residential journeyman electrician

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • 288 hours (2-year program, finished in no less than 24 months)
   • Yes: Residential Journeyman written exam (100 questions, 240 minutes, 75% to pass) and Residential Practical exam (4 tasks)
   • $110 application; Prov exam fees
   • Every 2 years; 16 hours CE

   For residential electrical work. You qualify with a 2-year, 288-hour electrical program plus 4,000 hours as a licensed apprentice, or 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice without the program. [2][5][7][10][13]

3. 3

   Journeyman electrician

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • 576 hours (4-year program, finished in no less than 48 months)
   • Yes: Journeyman written exam (100 questions, 240 minutes, 75% to pass) and Electrician Practical exam (6 tasks)
   • $110 application; Prov exam fees
   • Every 2 years; 16 hours CE

   The full commercial and residential working license. You qualify with a 4-year, 576-hour apprenticeship education program plus 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice, or 16,000 hours as a licensed apprentice without the program. [1][2][5][10][13]

4. 4

   Residential master electrician

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: Master Electrician Law and Rule exam (80 questions, 75% to pass); residential practical if not already passed
   • $110 application
   • Every 2 years; 16 hours CE

   Requires 4,000 hours as a licensed residential journeyman, or an accredited electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours as a licensed apprentice. A residential master can qualify a residential electrical contractor. [2][4][9][10][13]

5. 5

   Master electrician

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: Master Electrician Law and Rule exam (80 questions, 240 minutes, 75% to pass); practical if not already passed
   • $110 application
   • Every 2 years; 16 hours CE

   Requires 8,000 hours as a licensed journeyman; or an associate of applied science degree from an approved electrical trade school plus 4,000 hours as a journeyman; or an accredited electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours as a licensed apprentice. An electrical contractor must be a licensed master electrician. [2][4][8][10][13]

Who needs a license in Utah

Utah licenses electricians statewide under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act. DOPL issues five electrician licenses: apprentice, journeyman, master, residential journeyman and residential master. Unlike many states, Utah issues apprentices an actual license rather than a simple registration.

An electrical contractor must be qualified by a licensed master electrician, and a residential electrical contractor by a licensed master or master residential electrician. Working after a license has expired is unlawful conduct under Utah law. [3][4][5]

The license ladder

• Apprentice: no exam; your employer verifies who will supervise you. You work under the immediate supervision of a licensed electrician. Starting in your fourth year you may work alone up to 8 hours in any 24-hour period.
• Residential journeyman: a 2-year, 288-hour approved electrical program plus 4,000 hours as a licensed apprentice, or 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice.
• Journeyman: a 4-year, 576-hour approved apprenticeship education program plus 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice, or 16,000 hours as a licensed apprentice.
• Residential master: 4,000 hours as a licensed residential journeyman, or an EAC/ABET-accredited electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours as a licensed apprentice.
• Master: 8,000 hours as a licensed journeyman; or an associate of applied science degree from an approved electrical trade school plus 4,000 hours as a journeyman; or an accredited electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours as a licensed apprentice.

DOPL's rule credits at most 3,000 hours of work experience in any 12-month period. For the program routes, the 576 hours must take at least 48 months and the 288 hours at least 24 months, with at least 72 classroom hours each semester and a score of at least 75% in each class. [1][2][4][6][7][8][9]

Supervision rules for apprentices

One licensed electrician may supervise up to two licensed apprentices on a non-residential project, or up to three on a residential project (a one- or two-family dwelling, including townhouses).

"Immediate supervision" means different things by job type. On non-residential work, you and your supervisor must be on the same project or job site, though not necessarily in line of sight. On residential work, the supervisor does not have to be on site but must be available to direct, inspect and evaluate your work. [2]

The exams

Utah's exams are run by Prov. Most candidates pass a written exam and a hands-on practical. Since August 1, 2025, the journeyman written exam is a combined code and theory exam: 100 questions, 240 minutes, 75% to pass, based on the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC). The residential exam has the same format. Masters take an 80-question Law and Rule exam.

The practical exam is given in person at Prov's Utah test centers. The journeyman version has 6 tasks (130 minutes), including torque setting, transformer termination, conduit bending and motor control; the residential version has 4 tasks (95 minutes). You only have to pass each task once; if you fail one, you retake just that task. The journeyman written exam can be taken remotely.

Eligibility: you may sit for the exams after finishing your program and at least 6,000 work hours (3,000 for residential), but you need the full hours before you are licensed. If you fail, you can retest after 30 days, for up to six failures, then 120 days after any later failure.

2026 changes: From January 1, 2026, first-time journeyman candidates must be pre-approved for testing by their training school. From January 19, 2026, first-time candidates upload the Verification of Electrician Experience form to Prov when they register. [2][10][11][12]

Fees and renewal

DOPL charges a $110 application fee and a $78 renewal fee for all electrician classifications, plus surcharges such as a $5 education and enforcement fund fee and a $1 e-library fee. Exam fees are paid to Prov; its bulletin lists $85 for each combined theory and code exam, and lists practical fees as $25 per section in one place and $85 in another, so confirm the current amount with Prov.

Electrical licenses renew by November 30 of even years. You need 16 hours of continuing education (CE) per period: at least 12 core hours, including 8 on the NEC and 4 on NFPA 70E (workplace electrical safety). Active-duty military members and spouses may qualify for a fee waiver. [5][10][13][14]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

DOPL's resources page links two training groups: the Utah Electrical Training Alliance (the union route: more than 800 apprentices, two career pathways, on-the-job training with IBEW/NECA contractors in IBEW Local 354's statewide jurisdiction) and the Independent Electrical Contractors of Utah (open shop, a four-year program). Community colleges such as Salt Lake Community College provide classroom instruction but do not place or sponsor apprentices.

Utah also lets a licensed apprentice take approved competency exams (1A through 4B) to satisfy the education requirement or to place into a training program. Each competency exam can be tried once, and you need 75% to move to the next. [2][15][16][17][18][19][20]

If you're licensed in another state

Utah is a licensure by endorsement state. Utah Code 58-1-302 says DOPL shall license you if your out-of-state license covers a similar scope of practice, you have at least 1 year of experience under it, and it is in good standing. DOPL may also license you if your education, exams and experience are substantially similar, and it can issue a limited supervised training permit while you make up gaps.

For electricians, DOPL publishes an "Endorsement to Utah" map for each license type. The journeyman map (last updated July 1, 2020) shows journeyman licenses from most western, plains and New England states, plus Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., as equivalent. DOPL still links this map, but because it is dated 2020, confirm your state with DOPL before you apply. Request a Verification of Licensure from your state and upload it with your application. Master and residential applicants must still pass Utah's Master Law and Rule exam.

A Canadian "Construction Electrician" Red Seal held at least one year is treated as equivalent to the Utah journeyman license; the "Industrial Electrician" Red Seal is not. See also our guide to license reciprocity and the Colorado electrician license. [1][8][11][21][22]

Law changes coming in 2027

Utah has reorganized its Construction Trades Licensing Act. From January 1, 2027, the electrician qualifications move from Utah Code 58-55-302 to a new 58-55-303. The new section keeps the same basic routes: four years of training as a licensed apprentice in an approved program or eight years of approved experience for journeyman, and four years as a journeyman for master. Check DOPL's laws and rules page for the current text. [23][24]

Steps to get licensed in Utah

1. Get hired and apply for an apprentice license

   Find an employer, have it complete the Verification of Supervision form, and apply through DOPL's apprentice electrician page. The application fee is $110. [6][13]

2. Complete school and work hours

   For journeyman, finish an approved 4-year, 576-hour electrical program and 8,000 hours of full-time work as a licensed apprentice (or 16,000 hours without the program). DOPL credits at most 3,000 hours of work in any 12-month period. [1][2]

3. Register for the exams with Prov

   Once you have finished the program and at least 6,000 work hours, register with Prov and upload the Verification of Electrician Experience form. Pass the written exam and the hands-on practical. [2][10][12]

4. Apply for your journeyman license

   After you reach 8,000 hours and pass both exams, apply online or by paper through DOPL's journeyman page. [1][11]

5. Renew every two years

   Renew by November 30 of even years and complete 16 hours of approved continuing education, including 8 hours on the National Electrical Code and 4 hours on NFPA 70E. [5]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  Utah Electrical Training Alliance (UETA)

  The union electrical apprenticeship in Utah, linked from DOPL's electrical resources page. Apprentices get on-the-job training with IBEW/NECA electrical contractors and work within IBEW Local 354's jurisdiction, which covers the whole state. UETA says more than 800 apprentices train with it across two career pathways. [15][16][17][18]

• Union

  Electrical Training Alliance training center locator (IBEW/NECA JATCs)

  Finds the IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship and training committee (JATC) training center nearest you. [25]

• Open shop

  IEC of Utah apprenticeship

  The Independent Electrical Contractors' Utah chapter runs a four-year electrical apprenticeship training program; DOPL lists it on its electrical resources page. [15][19]

• State program

  Utah Department of Workforce Services apprenticeship

  The state workforce agency's apprenticeship pages explain apprenticeship, an "earn and learn" model combining on-the-job learning with classroom instruction. [26]

• School

  Salt Lake Community College electrical apprenticeship training

  Provides the classroom part of electrical apprenticeships (576 hours for journeyman). The college does not provide on-the-job training or sponsor apprentices, so you must find your own employer. [20]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask