Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation) administers electrician licensing in Delaware. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.
What it’s called
Delaware licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners and held by the electrician personally (not only by the contractor, as in some states). “Electrician license,” “journeyman electrician license,” “master electrician license” and “electrician certification” are common informal names for the individual credential. The exact license tiers, fees, and any separate electrical-contractor license are set out in the license types and requirements below.
License types & fees
| Type | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician | At least 18 years old; enrolled in a Board-approved apprentice program (documentation of enrollment required). Residential apprentices are limited to the scope of work in 24 Del. C. 1422A. | None required for the apprentice license. | $100 |
| School Apprentice Electrician | Enrolled in a Board-approved vocational program at a vocational high school in Delaware. Created as a separate license category by the July 1, 2026 amendment splitting 24 Del. C. 1408(a)(7) into (7)a. (apprentice electrician) and (7)b. (school apprentice electrician). | None required for the school apprentice license. | Not separately published; the Board's fee schedule lists only Apprentice Electrician ($100) |
| Residential Electrician | Over 4,000 hours of full-time experience under the supervision of a licensed limited or master electrician (or while individually licensed) OR completion of a Board-approved residential apprenticeship program. Scope: residential dwellings/buildings before grid connection, or to/beyond the breaker panel or fuse box (24 Del. C. 1422A). | Must pass the residential electrician examination. | $105 |
| Journeyperson Electrician | At least 20 years old; and either (1) complete a Board-approved apprenticeship program (including its final exam), or (2) over 8,000 hours of full-time experience performing electrical work under a licensed master, master special, limited, or limited special electrician. May also qualify by reciprocity (current out-of-state journeyperson license) or by certificate (Dept. of Labor / approved apprenticeship certificate of completion). | Standardized written journeyperson exam (via ProV; minimum passing score 75%) required when applying by examination. Waived for applicants who completed a Board-approved apprenticeship program or hold a qualifying certificate of completion. | $105 |
| Limited Electrician | Three years' full-time experience under a licensed master or limited electrician; OR 4,000 hours of full-time experience under a licensed master or limited electrician plus 288 hours of related instruction / approved training verified by an apprenticeship certificate of completion. | Written standardized licensure exam required (via ProV; minimum passing score 75%). | $127 |
| Limited Electrician - Special (specialties: HVAC, Pools) | Three years' full-time experience in the applicable specialty under a licensed master electrician, master electrician special, or limited electrician special; OR 4,000 hours of full-time specialty experience plus 288 hours of related instruction / approved specialty training verified by an apprenticeship certificate of completion. | Specialty written exam required (via ProV; minimum passing score 75%). | $127 |
| Master Electrician | Knowledge of residential, commercial and industrial electricity, plus one of: (a) six years' full-time experience under a licensed master electrician; (b) 8,000 hours full-time experience under a licensed master electrician plus 576 hours of related instruction / approved training verified by an apprenticeship certificate of completion; or (c) four years' full-time experience under a licensed master electrician plus two years of technical training. | Written standardized licensure exam required (via ProV; minimum passing score 75%). | $203 |
| Master Electrician - Special (specialties: Electric Signs, Elevators, HVAC, Primary Distribution Systems, Pools, Refrigeration) | Knowledge of the specialty, plus either six years' full-time experience under a licensed master or master special electrician in the specialty, OR 8,000 hours full-time specialty experience plus 576 hours of related instruction / approved specialty training verified by an apprenticeship certificate of completion. | Specialty written exam required (via ProV; minimum passing score 75%). | $200 |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
Delaware’s exemptions are in 24 Del. C. § 1419 (‘Exceptions’), and they run against the licensure requirement of 24 Del. C. § 1407 as a whole — so they apply across all of the license classes this page covers (master, master special, limited, limited special, journeyperson, residential, and apprentice electrician). Delaware permits electrical work without an electrician’s license by: (1) three classes of individuals in manufacturing or industrial facilities — an electrical engineer recognized by the company as responsible for facility repairs, maintenance, or electrical additions who is registered with the Board (or a professional electrical engineer registered with the Board and listed with the Delaware Association of Professional Engineers); an electrical engineer or engineering technician recognized as qualified who works in a laboratory environment conducting basic research and development; and in-house R&D staff building and testing custom panels designed by the company and not commercially available, though this does not extend to permanently installing the equipment (24 Del. C. § 1419(a)(1)); (2) the Department of Transportation for work performed by or under the supervision of the Department on drawbridges and traffic-control devices, including traffic signals, signs, and highway lighting (§ 1419(a)(2)); (3) persons working beyond the main breaker or fuse of 200 amps or less on structures used exclusively for agricultural purposes — new installations remain subject to the certificate-of-inspection requirement of § 1420 (§ 1419(a)(3)); (4) any electric light or power company, electric/steam/diesel railway company, telegraph or telephone company, or water or wastewater utility regulated by the Delaware Public Service Commission, and any person performing such a company’s electrical work, when the work is part of the plant or services the company uses to render its authorized public service (§ 1419(a)(4)); and (5) homeowners who comply with the homeowner’s-permit mandates of § 1417 (§ 1419(a)(5)). The homeowner route is a permit, not a blanket exemption: a person planning to install that person’s own internal wiring, electrical work, or equipment — including the main breaker or fuse — in or about that person’s own home may do so only if the home is not for sale and no part is for rent, swimming pools and hot tubs are excluded, and the person obtains a homeowner’s permit (valid one year, requiring photo ID and a copy of the deed, with failure to obtain a final inspection grounds for cancellation) (24 Del. C. § 1417). Delaware also states broadly that nothing in the chapter restricts any person from servicing equipment in the fields of heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, or appliances (§ 1419(b)). Working under supervision is handled by its own license classes rather than an exemption: apprentice and school apprentice electricians must work under the direct onsite supervision of a licensed master, master special, limited, limited special, residential, or journeyperson electrician (24 Del. C. § 1422). Delaware has no minor-work dollar threshold and no general government-employee exemption (the DelDOT clause is the only public-agency carve-out).
Fees
Application fees (paid in DELPROS, non-refundable): Master Electrician $203; Master Electrician - Special $200; Limited Electrician $127; Limited Electrician - Special $127; Journeyperson Electrician $105; Residential Electrician $105; Apprentice Electrician $100; Homeowner Permit $42; Inspection Agency $90. Renewal fee: the amount is disclosed to the licensee at the time of renewal (not published in the public fee schedule); late renewal adds a late fee equal to 50% of the renewal fee.
Exam
Licensure exams are administered by external testing vendor ProV and are based on the most current National Electrical Code (NEC) adopted in Delaware. Delivered as traditional in-person testing at facilities in Wilmington, Newark, and Dover, or online via the Examroom service. Minimum passing score is 75%. Candidates must first be Board-approved to sit, then ProV sends a Candidate Information Bulletin. Master, Master Special, Limited, Limited Special, and (by examination) Journeyperson require the written standardized exam; Residential requires the residential exam. Journeyperson applicants who completed a Board-approved apprenticeship program (with its final exam) are exempt from the journeyperson exam; the Apprentice license requires no exam.
Renewal & continuing education
Biennial. Electrician licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years (e.g., 2020, 2022) and must be renewed in DELPROS before the expiration date; at renewal the licensee attests to completing required CE and (except Journeyperson/Apprentice) meeting the liability-insurance requirement. Late renewal is allowed up to one year after expiration (with a late fee equal to 50% of the renewal fee); it is illegal to practice while expired, and failure to renew within one year terminates the license. (Inspection Agency permits renew annually on June 30.) Per full biennial licensure period (July 1 - June 30 of even years): active Master, Master Special, Limited, and Limited Special electricians must complete 10 hours of approved CE (beginning with the second renewal, 5 of the 10 must relate to the National Electric Code). Active Journeyperson, Residential, and Apprentice electricians must complete 5 hours of approved CE. Prorated for mid-period licensees: licensed less than one year = none; licensed one to two years = 5 hours (Master/Limited tiers) or 2 hours (Journeyperson/Residential/Apprentice). Board-approved apprentice training counts toward CE for the period completed. CE is tracked in the DELPROS CE Tracker; a percentage of licensees are randomly audited after renewal.
How to apply
Applications are handled by Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation). Start at the official application page .