New Hampshire Electricians’ Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, OPLC) administers electrician licensing in New Hampshire. 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
New Hampshire licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the New Hampshire Electricians’ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician (registration) | Person learning/assisting in electrical installations under direct supervision of a master or journeyman electrician; must register with the OPLC (RSA 319-C:7, IV). Apprentice registration is valid for one year (RSA 310:8, II). | $33.00 application / $33.00 renewal / $33.00 reinstatement | |
| Journeyman Electrician | Completion of 8,000 hours of service as an apprentice electrician (board may credit approved coursework or qualifying military experience) plus not less than 600 hours of board-approved education (RSA 319-C:7, II). | Must pass a board-approved examination including applicable provisions of the National Electrical Code (RSA 319-C:7, II(c) and 319-C:8). | $110.00 application / $110.00 renewal / $110.00 reinstatement |
| Master Electrician | Same statutory qualifications as journeyman: 8,000 hours of apprentice service (with allowable board credit) plus not less than 600 hours of board-approved education (RSA 319-C:7, II). A master electrician is defined as one who, as a business, hires/employs others to do electrical work or makes installations as a principal/auxiliary business for their own account (RSA 319-C:2, V). | Must pass a board-approved examination including applicable provisions of the National Electrical Code (RSA 319-C:7, II(c) and 319-C:8). | $198.00 application / $198.00 renewal / $198.00 reinstatement |
| Electrician - High/Medium Voltage | Proof of successfully completing a state, national, or employer certification program approved by the board; or (prior to Jan 1, 2003) proof of at least 5 years' employment as a high/medium voltage electrician with a company with an approved training program (RSA 319-C:7, II-a). Covers installations on power distribution systems over 600 volts. | $198.00 application / $198.00 renewal / $198.00 reinstatement | |
| Electrician - High/Medium Voltage Trainee | Trainee category for high/medium voltage electrical work. | $66.00 application / $66.00 renewal / $66.00 reinstatement | |
| Electrical Corporation | License for corporations/partnerships engaged in electrical installations; one or more officers/employees directly in charge of business affairs must be a licensed master electrician (RSA 319-C:10). | $137.00 application / $137.00 renewal / $137.00 reinstatement | |
| Electrical Corporation - High/Medium Voltage | $137.00 application / $137.00 renewal / $137.00 reinstatement | ||
| Electrical Inspector Level 1 | $200.00 application / $200.00 renewal | ||
| Electrical Inspector Level 2 | $200.00 application / $200.00 renewal |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
New Hampshire’s electrician licensing law (RSA chapter 319-C, which covers the apprentice, journeyman, master, and high/medium voltage electrician credentials) carries two layers of exemptions. First, RSA 319-C:15, II is the homeowner exception: nothing in the chapter prevents a homeowner from making electrical installations in or about a single-family residence the homeowner owns and occupies, or will occupy, as a bona fide personal abode. Second, RSA 319-C:3 lists thirteen classes of work and workers the chapter does not apply to at all: (1) persons (and their affiliates and employees) under the jurisdiction of the New Hampshire public utilities commission, the FCC, or the Interstate Commerce Commission, for installations made in the course of that employment; (2) a utility company’s electrical work and equipment used in constructing, operating, repairing, or maintaining any utility in rendering its authorized service; (3) in-plant electrical work (installation, operation, maintenance, and repair) performed by the regular employees of industrial, manufacturing, or electrical generating plants; (4) work on other properties owned or controlled by industrial or manufacturing plant operators, when done under the supervision of an electrical engineer employed by the operator; (5) electrical work and equipment in mines, pipeline systems, ships, railway rolling stock, automotive equipment, and portable sound equipment; (6) work involved in manufacturing, testing, or repairing electrical equipment in a manufacturer’s plant; (7) exposed experimental wiring in laboratories; (8) regular employees of property owners or lessees doing incidental electrical work, and workers whose occupation is miscellaneous manual-labor jobs in which some incidental electrical work is done (RSA 319-C:2, III-c defines incidental electrical work as ‘a job of minor consequence which occurs by chance, not needing calculations’); (9) installation of fuel-oil or gas furnace or boiler equipment and the controls connected to it; (9-a) students in approved vocational or apprenticeship electrical programs working under a licensed teacher or licensed supervising electrician; (10) electrical work on public highways, including traffic devices, by government employees or government-hired contractors; (11) work on automatic irrigation systems operating at 30 volts or less; (12) licensed elevator or accessibility lift mechanics working within the equipment-side wiring limits stated in the statute; and (13) persons licensed under RSA 153:27-153:38 (fuel gas fitters) performing work governed by their license on electrical equipment. Separately, the statutory definition of ’electrical installations’ (RSA 319-C:2, III) excludes the installation or repair of portable appliances and other portable electrical equipment that simply plug into a fixed receptacle outlet, so that work is outside the license requirement entirely; the definition otherwise applies ‘regardless of the voltage.’
Fees
Apprentice $33; Journeyman $110; Master $198; High/Medium Voltage Trainee $66; High/Medium Voltage $198; Electrical Corporation $137; Electrical Corporation High/Medium Voltage $137; Electrical Inspector Level 1 $200; Electrical Inspector Level 2 $200. Each fee applies to application, renewal, and (where listed) reinstatement (Electricians’ License Fees page).
Exam
Board-approved examination administered by a board-approved examination entity. Exams shall be written, written-and-oral, oral, or computerized as approved by the board and shall include such provisions of the National Electrical Code as the board deems appropriate. An applicant who fails may be reexamined; an applicant who has not passed within one year of the office receiving the application must submit a new application and fees (RSA 319-C:8). The OPLC posts a Prov candidate information bulletin for electrician examinations (Electricians’ Board page).
Renewal & continuing education
Licenses issued by the OPLC are valid for 2 years from the date of issuance, except apprentices, who are licensed for one year (RSA 310:8, II). This statewide 2-year term supersedes conflicting board-specific terms. Renewal application, fee, and supporting documents are due on or before expiration; expired licenses may be reinstated within one year, after which they lapse (RSA 310:8, III). Journeyman and Master electricians: 15 hours of continuing education each code cycle, of which at least 1 hour must cover changes to RSA 319-C, changes to the board’s rules, and installation concerns as determined by the board; the 15 hours must address changes to the latest published edition of NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code). CE cycle is one year, due within one year from the January 1 following the publication date of the latest NFPA 70. Apprentices: 30 hours, required only for those seeking a fifth renewal of an apprentice card who have not yet achieved a journeyman license. Courses must be board-preapproved and certificates submitted through CE Broker (Electricians’ Continuing Education page; RSA 319-C:6-c).
How to apply
Applications are handled by New Hampshire Electricians’ Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, OPLC). Start at the official application page .