Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division) administers electrician licensing in Montana. 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
Montana licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the Montana State Electrical Board 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Electrician | Any ONE of: (a) completion of an approved residential electrician apprenticeship program under Title 39, ch. 6, or a substantially equivalent program; (b) 4,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience in residential construction of fewer than five living units in a single structure; OR (c) at least 20,000 hours in the electrical maintenance field (minimum 8,000 practical), with written employer certification. [37-68-305(3), MCA] | Required for applicants with no active license (PSI, based on 2020 NEC). Waived if the applicant is substantially equivalent (SE) via another state's license. | $190 application by examination (includes original license fee); $50 optional temporary work permit for exam candidates. [ARM 24.141.405] |
| Journeyman Electrician | Any ONE of: (a) completion of an approved apprenticeship program under Title 39, ch. 6, or a substantially equivalent program in the electrical trade; (b) 8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience in the wiring for, installing, and repairing of electrical apparatus and equipment for light, heat, and power; OR (c) at least 20,000 hours in the electrical maintenance field (minimum 8,000 practical), with written employer certification. [37-68-305(1), MCA] | Required for applicants with no active license (PSI, based on 2020 NEC). Waived if substantially equivalent (SE) via another state's license. | $190 application by examination (includes original license fee); $50 optional temporary work permit for exam candidates. [ARM 24.141.405] |
| Master Electrician | One of: (a) being a graduate electrical engineer of an accredited college or university plus a minimum of 2,000 hours of legally obtained practical electrical experience; OR (b) at least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience in planning, laying out, or supervising the installation and repair of electrical wiring/apparatus/equipment. [37-68-304, MCA] | Required for applicants with no active license (PSI, based on 2020 NEC). Master exam consists of at least 80 questions covering the National Electrical Code and board rules/Title 37 laws. Waived if substantially equivalent (SE) via another state's license. [37-68-304, MCA] | $190 application by examination (includes original license fee); $50 optional temporary work permit for exam candidates. [ARM 24.141.405] |
| Electrical Contractor | No exam. Requires a Montana-licensed journeyman or master electrician designated as the 'responsible electrician' (a full-time Montana-licensed electrician responsible for all licensed electrical work). The responsible electrician's license level sets the contractor level: Unlimited electrical contractor requires a master electrician; Limited electrical contractor requires a journeyman and is limited to residential work. Must affirm compliance with Montana workers' compensation and unemployment insurance. [ARM 24.141.505, ARM 24.141.301] | None (qualification is via the responsible electrician). | $210 original license fee. [ARM 24.141.405] |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
Montana collects its exemptions from electrician licensing (residential, journeyman, and master electrician licenses and the electrical contractor license, Title 37, chapter 68, MCA) in 37-68-103, MCA. Property owners are exempt: an individual needs no license to perform electrical work on the individual’s own property or residence maintained for the individual’s own use — but this exemption expressly does not extend to work on a grid-tied generator at that property (37-68-103(3)). Low-voltage work is exempt: no license is required for electrical work involving 90 volts or less of alternating or direct current (37-68-103(9)). In-plant maintenance staff are exempt: the licensing and inspection provisions do not apply to regularly employed maintenance electricians doing maintenance or line work on their employer’s business premises for ordinary in-plant or onsite installations, modifications, additions, or repairs (37-68-103(2)). The chapter does not apply to installation, alteration, or repair of electrical signal or communications equipment owned or operated by a public utility or a city, including telephone wire inside a customer’s premises; a public utility may also do inside wiring in its own buildings through employees who are licensed electricians (37-68-103(1)). Apprentices working under the supervision of a licensed electrician are exempt from licensing and inspection, including participants in approved journeyman or residential apprenticeship programs (37-68-103(7)), and students enrolled in an accredited college or university electrician training program are exempt for classroom and laboratory assignments, though not for work incorporated into an occupied structure (37-68-103(8)). Plugging an appliance into an existing approved outlet does not make a person an installer (37-68-103(5)), and appliance vendors may sell, deliver, and connect appliances so long as the connection requires no installation of structural wiring (37-68-103(6)).
Fees
Application by examination (includes original license fee): $190. Electrical contractor original license fee: $210. Application by endorsement or reciprocity (includes original license fee): $190. Renewal (two years): Contractor $210, Master $140, Journeyman $140, Residential $140. Examination review fee: $100. Examination administered by the board: $200. Temporary permit: $50. CE Provider application fee: $25; CE Provider course fee: $10. All fees are nonrefundable. [ARM 24.141.405]
Exam
PSI is the exam vendor for the Montana State Electrical Board. Exams are based on the 2020 NEC (as of June 10, 2022). Only applicants approved by the board may register; approved applicants receive an admission letter and are eligible to test within one week. PSI maintains test centers at 700+ locations nationwide. Master exam has at least 80 questions covering the NEC and board rules/Title 37 laws. Passing grade: 70 percent for residential and journeyman-level examinations, 75 percent for master-level examinations. [ARM 24.141.503(2)] An applicant has one year from board approval to take and pass the exam. Exam fees are set by the testing agency; the board fee schedule lists an examination review fee of $100 and examination administered by the board of $200.
Renewal & continuing education
Biennial (two-year license period). Renewal fees per ARM 24.141.405(4): Contractor $210, Master $140, Journeyman $140, Residential $140. 16 hours of continuing education per year in the renewal cycle, of which a minimum of 8 hours must cover NEC updates. New graduates of approved apprenticeship programs are exempt for their first renewal cycle. Basic-electric and apprentice-level courses do not count. [ARM 24.141.2102]
How to apply
Applications are handled by Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division). Start at the official application page .