Maryland State Board of Electricians (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) administers electrician licensing in Maryland. 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
Maryland licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the Maryland State Board of Electricians 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Electrician | At least 7 years engaged regularly and principally in providing electrical services under the direction and supervision of a master electrician (or a similarly qualified governmental-unit employee). The Board may allow up to 3 years' credit for an approved comparable formal course of study; work in an approved electrician apprenticeship program (Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning or federal Office of Apprenticeship) is credited toward the requirement. (Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-304(b)) | Yes — written exam administered by PSI Examination Services; passing score 70% | Original license $25.00; renewal $31.50 (COMAR 09.09.01.03, effective July 1, 2025). Exam fee $65.00 paid to PSI. |
| Journeyperson Electrician | At least 4 years engaged regularly and principally in providing electrical services under the direction and supervision of a master electrician (or a similarly qualified governmental-unit employee). Work in an approved electrician apprenticeship program is credited toward the requirement. (Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-304(c)) | Yes — written exam administered by PSI Examination Services; passing score 70% | Original license $18.50; renewal $18.50 (COMAR 09.09.01.03, effective July 1, 2025). Exam fee $65.00 paid to PSI. |
| Apprentice Electrician | No stated experience or exam requirement; an apprentice must be supervised at all times by a licensed master or journeyperson electrician and may not perform electrical work independently. | No | Original license $12.00; renewal $12.00 (COMAR 09.09.01.03, effective July 1, 2025). |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
Maryland’s Electricians Act (Bus. Occ. & Prof. Title 6, rewritten effective July 1, 2021) concentrates its exemptions in §6-303, and they apply to the State Board of Electricians licenses generally (master, journeyperson, and apprentice electrician). Maryland does not require: a public utility company to employ a State-licensed electrician, or a utility employee to hold a State license, while providing electrical services to a company facility that is regulated by the Public Service Commission and located on premises, roadways, or rights-of-way in which the company has a lawful interest (§6-303(1)-(2)); or a State electrician license for a person who is licensed or registered under Bus. Occ. & Prof. Title 18 to provide security system services and acting within that license’s scope, who holds a Bus. Occ. & Prof. Title 12 license (the State Board of Plumbing’s plumbing and gas fitting licenses) and is acting within its scope, who holds a Business Regulation Title 9A license (the State Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors) and is acting within its scope, or who provides wireless security systems in compliance with Business Regulation Title 19, Subtitle 9 (§6-303(3)). Two structural features of the Act function like exemptions and are worth stating. First, the unlicensed-practice prohibition reaches only paid work: under §6-607 an individual may not provide, attempt, or offer to provide electrical services ‘for compensation’ without an appropriate license, and §6-101(c) defines engaging in the business of providing electrical services as providing them ‘for compensation’ — Title 6 contains no express homeowner exemption, but uncompensated work falls outside the statute’s prohibition (local permit, inspection, and code requirements still apply, and §6-103(f) preserves local building-law requirements). Second, licensing is county-implemented: under §6-301 each county and municipality either requires the State license or maintains its own registration system with qualifications at least as stringent as the State’s, so which credential is demanded on a given job also depends on the local jurisdiction. There is no supervised-unlicensed-helper exemption in the current Act — §6-605 requires every individual employed to provide or assist in providing electrical services to hold a State master, journeyperson, or apprentice license, with at least one licensed master or journeyperson present at each job site.
Fees
Original license: Master $25.00, Journeyperson $18.50, Apprentice $12.00. Renewal: Master $31.50, Journeyperson $18.50, Apprentice $12.00. Reinstatement $28–$126 depending on lateness; reactivation $63.00; Letter of Good Standing $50.00 (COMAR 09.09.01.03, effective July 1, 2025). Exam fee $65.00 paid to PSI. All Board fees are non-refundable.
Exam
Master and Journeyperson applicants must pass a written examination administered by PSI Examination Services (testing centers in Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham, and Salisbury). Passing score is 70%; the Board gives exams at least twice a year. The exam fee is $65.00, paid directly to PSI. Apprentices are not examined.
Renewal & continuing education
Two-year term. A State license expires on the first June 30 in an odd-numbered year after its effective date and may be renewed for additional 2-year terms; renewal requires payment of the renewal fee, completion of continuing education, and proof of insurance (Bus. Occ. & Prof. §6-310).
How to apply
Applications are handled by Maryland State Board of Electricians (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing). Start at the official application page .
How Maryland compares to neighboring states
All five jurisdictions below issue the credential to the individual electrician, so their journey-level tiers are the same kind of thing and can be read side by side. Each cell keeps its own state’s wording and units.
| State | Journey-level experience route | Exam | Board fees at that tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | At least 4 years engaged regularly and principally in providing electrical services under the direction and supervision of a master electrician; approved apprenticeship work is credited | Written exam administered by PSI; passing score 70%; offered at least twice a year | Original license $18.50; renewal $18.50; exam fee $65.00 paid to PSI |
| Delaware | At least 20 years old, plus either completion of a Board-approved apprenticeship program (including its final exam) or over 8,000 hours of full-time electrical work under a licensed master, master special, limited or limited special electrician | Standardized written journeyperson exam through 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 | Journeyperson application fee $105 (renewal amount is disclosed to the licensee at renewal, not published) |
| Virginia | One of several combinations, including 4 years’ practical trade experience plus 240 hours of formal vocational training, 8 years of verified practical experience, or a completed apprenticeship program | Trade examination required when applying by the Examination method; may be waived via reciprocity, approved apprenticeship completion, or card exchange | $171.75 application by examination, reciprocity or apprenticeship; $131.75 by card exchange |
| West Virginia | One of: 1 year as an assistant/helper electrician under a master or journeyman; a registered electrical apprenticeship program; or a state-approved vocational program of at least 1,080 hours with the required testing | 50 multiple-choice questions based on the 2023 NEC; passing grade 70% | $25.00 application review fee per examination, plus $50.00 license fee on issuance ($50.00 per year) |
| District of Columbia | 4 years / 8,000 work hours on the exam path, with tax records, an employment verification letter and an NEC code class certificate taken within 2 years | Required, open book; may be waived with proof of completion of a nationally certified apprenticeship program | Application $65.00 plus license $110.00 (up to 2 years) |
What the comparison shows: Maryland and the District of Columbia set the same headline experience bar at the journey tier — four years — while West Virginia’s shortest published route is one year as an assistant/helper and Delaware’s hours route is over 8,000 hours. Every one of the five requires an examination on its examination path, but the passing score is not uniform (70% in Maryland and West Virginia, 75% in Delaware), and Delaware, Virginia and the District each publish defined routes on which the exam is waived — apprenticeship completion in all three, plus reciprocity and card exchange in Virginia.
Details and official sources for each state are on its linked page.
What it costs, all-in
Maryland’s Board fees come from COMAR 09.09.01.03, effective July 1, 2025, and all Board fees are non-refundable:
- Original license: Master $25.00 · Journeyperson $18.50 · Apprentice $12.00.
- Renewal: Master $31.50 · Journeyperson $18.50 · Apprentice $12.00, on a two-year term.
- Examination: $65.00, paid directly to PSI — a separate payment from the license fee. Apprentices are not examined.
- Reinstatement: $28–$126, depending on lateness.
- Reactivation: $63.00. Letter of Good Standing: $50.00.
- Insurance, not a fee but a condition of holding the license: general liability of at least $300,000 and property damage of at least $100,000. Umbrella coverage is not acceptable, and the policy must list the licensee’s name and registration number.
One figure is missing on purpose: the numeric continuing-education hour count. Continuing education is required for renewal by statute, and the hours are set in regulation (COMAR 09.09), but that regulation is served through a JavaScript viewer whose chapter pages could not be retrieved, and the Board’s own continuing-education page lists approved providers without stating an hour count. Rather than publish a guessed number, this page leaves it unstated.
Common questions
Does Maryland accept an out-of-state electrician license? Yes, for some states, and the list differs by tier. Maryland’s reciprocity states are Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia and Delaware for the Master license, and Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia for the Journeyperson license. The statutory basis is Business Occupations & Professions §6-308, which covers waiver and reciprocity for out-of-state master and journeyperson licensees.
Is the state license the only credential needed anywhere in Maryland? Not necessarily. Under §6-301 each county and municipality either requires the State license or maintains its own registration system with qualifications at least as stringent as the State’s — so local registration on top of the state license can apply depending on the jurisdiction where the work is performed.
Can someone with no experience hold a Maryland electrician license? Yes, as an Apprentice Electrician. That tier has no stated experience or exam requirement, costs $12.00 to obtain and $12.00 to renew, and carries a hard condition: an apprentice must be supervised at all times by a licensed master or journeyperson electrician and may not perform electrical work independently. Under §6-605 every individual employed to provide or assist in providing electrical services must hold a state master, journeyperson or apprentice license, with at least one licensed master or journeyperson present at each job site.
How does Maryland’s renewal clock compare with its neighbors’? Maryland runs a two-year term expiring on the first June 30 in an odd-numbered year. Delaware is also biennial but expires June 30 of even-numbered years; the District of Columbia is biennial expiring November 30 of odd-numbered years, regardless of when the license was obtained; Virginia runs a three-year cycle; and West Virginia renews annually, with every electrician license expiring June 30 each year. Maryland’s renewal additionally requires the renewal fee, completion of continuing education, and proof of insurance.
Licensing rules change. We monitor official sources across the site and publish every change we act on — see recent changes and our corrections log .
Verify a license in Maryland
Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing - State Board of Master Electricians publishes a public license search , searchable by Last Name, City Name, Zip Code or License Number. It covers Maryland state master electrician licenses (the individual electrician credential the state issues); returns active licensees.
Records come from Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing - State Board of Master Electricians’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.