It depends on the state. In most states that license electricians, an apprentice also has to be registered or licensed with the state, either before the first day on the job or within a set time after being hired. A few states don't license apprentices at all, as long as they work under a licensed electrician. In states that leave electrician licensing to cities and counties, the answer depends on where the job is.
This guide gives the answer for each state, with who issues the registration, what it costs where the state publishes a fee, and a link to the official source. Everything comes from official state, city and county laws, rules and licensing pages as published when we checked them on October 30, 2026. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the state before you apply. Each state name links to our page on that state's electrician licensing.
The short answer
Of the 52 places covered here (the 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico):
- 17 require registration or a license before you start work: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
- 4 require it within a set time after you're hired: Michigan, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Wyoming.
- 3 don't require an apprentice license if you work under a licensed electrician: Hawaii, Vermont and Virginia.
- 15 leave the rules for individual electricians mostly to cities and counties. The state licenses contractors, or nothing (Tennessee also has a limited individual license), and has no statewide apprentice registration: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.
- 13 we couldn't confirm for this guide. They are listed at the end with links to their state pages.
Three different things called "registration"
Apprentices often hear about registration in three different senses. They are separate:
- A state apprentice license or registration comes from the state agency that licenses electricians: a board in some states, a department such as labor in others. It's what this guide is about: permission to do electrical work while you learn, under supervision. Some states call it a license, some a registration, a certificate or a card.
- A registered apprenticeship is a training program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency, such as a union JATC or an open-shop program. Being in one doesn't by itself register you with the licensing board, though several states tie the two together. Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Michigan and Oregon issue their apprentice credential to people in an approved apprenticeship, and Arkansas registers apprentices enrolled in a school or training course certified by the U.S. Office of Apprenticeship.
- A local license comes from a city or county. In states without a statewide electrician license, this is usually what counts.
States that require registration before you start work
In these states you need the registration or license before you do electrical work.
| State | What apprentices need | Issued by | Fee | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Electrician and Power Lineman Trainee certificate of fitness; the application needs a Davis Bacon letter as proof of indenture in an apprenticeship accredited by the U.S. Department of Labor; no experience or test needed; lasts 6 years | Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection | $50 application fee plus $200 certificate fee | Licenses and requirements |
| Arkansas | Electrical apprentice certificate of registration, for apprentices enrolled in a school or training course certified by the U.S. Office of Apprenticeship; the school or training course applies for you | Board of Electrical Examiners | $10 a year | Electrical statutes (PDF) |
| California | Electrician trainee registration, while enrolled in a state-approved school and supervised by a certified electrician; or, instead, be enrolled as an apprentice in a state-approved apprenticeship program | Department of Industrial Relations, Electrician Certification Unit | $25 trainee registration | What is an electrician trainee? |
| Connecticut | Card of registration as an apprentice with the Labor Department | Department of Labor | Not stated | C.G.S. chapter 393 |
| Delaware | Apprentice Electrician license, if you're enrolled in a Board-approved apprenticeship program; the Board also lists a School Apprentice Electrician license | Board of Electrical Examiners | $100 (School Apprentice: $30) | Apprentice Electrician |
| Washington, D.C. | Apprentice electrician registration, without an exam; work only under the direct supervision of a licensed master electrician | Board of Industrial Trades | $65 application fee plus $110 apprentice license (up to 2 years) | Board of Industrial Trades |
| Idaho | Apprentice registration certificate; working as an apprentice without one is unlawful | Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses | $15 application fee plus $15 license fee, 1-year term | Idaho Electrical Board |
| Iowa | Apprentice electrician license if you're in a registered apprenticeship. Others work under an unclassified person license, needed before 100 days of continuous employment; time worked unlicensed doesn't count toward a registered apprenticeship | Electrical Examining Board | A licensing fee; amount not in the law | Iowa Code chapter 103 (PDF) |
| Maryland | Apprentice Electrician license; apprentices are supervised at all times by a licensed master or journeyperson | State Board of Electricians | $12 original license | State Board of Electricians |
| Minnesota | Registration as an unlicensed individual (electrical) | Department of Labor and Industry | $14 new registration | Minn. Stat. 326B.33 |
| New Hampshire | Apprentice electrician registration | Office of Professional Licensure and Certification | Not stated | RSA chapter 319-C |
| Oregon | Electrical apprentice license, issued to people in a state-registered electrical apprenticeship | Department of Consumer and Business Services | Not stated | ORS chapter 479 |
| South Dakota | Apprentice registration; always under personal supervision; processing takes about 30 days | State Electrical Commission | $20; licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years | Apprentice application (PDF) |
| Texas | Electrical Apprentice license; apply online, and online applicants who report no criminal convictions are issued a temporary license automatically | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) | $20, non-refundable | Apply for an Electrical Apprentice license |
| Utah | Apprentice Electrician license; the application needs a Verification of Supervision form signed by your employer | Division of Professional Licensing | Not stated | Apprentice Electrician |
| Washington | Electrical training certificate, required for all apprentices and anyone learning the trade | Department of Labor and Industries | Not stated | RCW 19.28.161 |
| Wisconsin | Enrollment as a registered electrician | Department of Safety and Professional Services | Not stated | Wis. Stat. 101.862 |
"Not stated" means the source we checked gives no fee. The state's application will.
States that require registration soon after you're hired
In these states your employer hires you first, and you register within a deadline.
| State | Deadline | Issued by | Fee | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Within 30 days after employment, with proof you're in a board-approved apprenticeship program | The state's electrical board | $15; expires August 31 each year | MCL 339.5717 |
| North Dakota | Within the first six months of employment; work only under the personal supervision of a licensed electrician | State Electrical Board | An annual fee set by the board | Apprenticeship registration |
| Rhode Island | Immediately upon employment with a licensed electrical contractor | Division of Professional Regulation | Not stated | R.I. Gen. Laws 5-6-24 |
| Wyoming | Begin the licensing process within 10 days of starting work, if you've never held a Wyoming apprentice license | Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety | $20 new license, plus a 2.5% fee on card payments | Licensing |
States without an apprentice license
These states license journeymen, but an apprentice working under a licensed electrician doesn't need a state license of their own.
- Hawaii: the state's rules let an apprentice, electrician's helper or other unlicensed person do electrical work under the supervision of, and within the scope of, a licensed journey worker or supervising electrician (Hawaii electrical rules (PDF)).
- Vermont: no license is required for work by an electrician's helper under the direct supervision of a licensed person, and a journeyman may supervise an apprentice electrician employed by a master electrician. The chapter creates no apprentice license; a registered apprentice in Vermont is one registered with the state's Apprenticeship Division (26 V.S.A. chapter 15).
- Virginia: someone working under the supervision of a tradesman licensed in that specialty isn't subject to the tradesman license (Va. Code 54.1-1129).
States where the rules are local
In these states the state licenses contractors, or nothing, and has no statewide apprentice registration; Tennessee also has a limited individual license, described below. Ask the building department of the city or county where you'll work what it requires of apprentices.
- Florida: counties and cities may issue journeyman licenses; Hillsborough County notes there is no State of Florida requirement to hold a journeyman certificate of competency.
- Georgia: the statewide license is an electrical contractor license (Class I or Class II).
- Illinois: state law lets municipalities require electrical contractors to register, and some cities license electricians themselves. Springfield, for example, has its own electrical license, which asks for proof of passing the ICC Master Electrician exam.
- Indiana: Lafayette, for example, requires an electrical license, or work as a journeyman or trainee employed or supervised by a licensed electrician.
- Kansas: counties and cities may license electricians; Sedgwick County and Wichita require journeyman and master trade certificates.
- Louisiana: the state licenses electrical contractors, and state law keeps local examination or certification requirements off the employees of statewide-licensed electrical contractors. New Orleans requires electricians working in the city to hold a city license renewed every year.
- Mississippi: the state Board of Contractors licenses contractors, with an electrical classification.
- Missouri: the state licenses electrical contractors and lets local governments set their own contractor licenses; Springfield requires electricians to be tested and certified.
- Nevada: the State Contractors Board licenses contractors; Reno requires electrical work to be done by someone with a journeyman certificate, and people doing apprentice electrician work there must have a card from an approved apprenticeship program. Clark County requires contractors to hold an active state contractor license and to have or employ a certified master or qualified person.
- New York: local governments license electrical contractors. In New York City, electricians must be licensed by the Department of Buildings, and only licensed electricians or their employees may do electrical work.
- North Carolina: the state board licenses electrical contractors; Asheville issues a journeyman electrician license.
- Ohio: the state licenses electrical contractors; journeyman licenses are local, such as Middletown's.
- Pennsylvania: the state has no licensing for most construction contractors or their employees; some municipalities, such as Allentown, license electricians.
- South Carolina: the state licenses electrical contractors, such as residential electrical contractors.
- Tennessee: the state's Limited Licensed Electrician license, issued to people who pass its trade exam, applies only where the state handles permits, for projects under $25,000, and the state tells electricians to check with their local government first. Chattanooga, for example, issues its own journeyman license.
States we couldn't confirm
For these places we don't give an answer here. Follow the link to our state page, and ask the state's licensing board before you start work.
- Arizona and Colorado: the official pages refused our automated check for this guide, so we couldn't re-check them.
- Maine: state law says an electrical installation may not be made except by an electrician licensed by the board, "except as provided in this chapter" (32 M.R.S. §1201). The board's apprentice page refused our check, so we haven't confirmed the apprentice rule here.
- Not yet confirmed: Alabama, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico and West Virginia. Our research on these states hasn't settled whether apprentices must register before they start.
What to do next
- Find your state above and open its official source. If you'll work in a state with local rules, call the city or county building department.
- Find an apprenticeship. Our apprenticeship listings show programs by state. If you're weighing a union program against an open-shop one, see union vs open-shop apprenticeships.
- Register on time. If your state requires registration before work, do it before your first day. If it gives a deadline after hire, put the date in your calendar.
- Plan for the journeyman license. Your state page covers the license you'll work toward after the apprenticeship.