Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), Division of Professional Credential Processing / Trades Program administers electrician licensing in Wisconsin. 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
Wisconsin licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Electrician (registration) | Entry-level registration; a registered Electrician must perform electrical wiring under the general supervision of a licensed Journeyman or Master Electrician (Wis. Stat. 101.82(1r)). No exam. | None | $20.00 renewal (1-year term, renews on date of issuance) |
| Electrical Apprentice (registration) | Registration for those completing an electrical apprenticeship. No exam. | None | $15.00 renewal (1-year term, from date of issuance) |
| Journeyman Electrician (license) | One of: (a) completion of an electrical construction apprenticeship recognized under Wis. Stat. ch. 106 or the federal DOL; OR (b) experience installing/repairing/maintaining electrical wiring for at least 48 months with at least 8,000 hours, OR at least 1,000 hours/year for at least 5 years. Each full-time semester in an accredited electrical-related program = 500 hours (max 2,000 hours / 2 years creditable). | Journeyman Electrician exam — 4 hours, 100 questions, open book, passing score 70% (Pearson VUE / DSPS) | $100.00 renewal (4-year term, renews June 30) |
| Residential Journeyman Electrician (license) | Journeyman tier restricted to residential/dwelling wiring. (Tier-specific experience-hour form not yet verified.) | Residential Journeyman exam — 4 hours, 100 questions (open book, 70% passing per DSPS trades exam rules) | $100.00 renewal (4-year term, renews June 30) |
| Industrial Journeyman Electrician (license) | Journeyman tier for industrial electrical work. (Tier-specific experience-hour form not yet verified.) | Industrial Journeyman exam — 4 hours, 100 questions (open book, 70% passing per DSPS trades exam rules) | $100.00 renewal (4-year term, renews June 30) |
| Master Electrician (license) | One of: (a) at least 12 months of experience as a licensed Journeyman Electrician; OR (b) experience installing/repairing/maintaining electrical wiring for at least 60 months with at least 10,000 hours, OR at least 1,000 hours/year for at least 7 years (accredited full-time schooling credited at 500 hours/semester, max 3,000 hours / 3 years); OR (c) a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering from an accredited institution. | Master Electrician exam — 4 hours, 50 questions, open book, passing score 70% (Pearson VUE / DSPS) | $200.00 renewal (4-year term, renews June 30) |
| Residential Master Electrician (license) | Master tier restricted to residential/dwelling wiring. (Tier-specific experience-hour form not yet verified.) | Residential Master exam — 4 hours, 50 questions (open book, 70% passing per DSPS trades exam rules) | $200.00 renewal (4-year term, renews June 30) |
| Registered Master Electrician (registration) | Registration tier; does not expire. No exam, no CE. | None | Does not expire (renewal fee N/A) |
| Electrical Contractor (license) | Business/entity credential for firms performing electrical contracting (criteria under Wis. Stat. 101.82(1v)). No exam. | None | $200.00 renewal (4-year term, renews June 30) |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
Wisconsin’s electrical credentialing statute, Wis. Stat. § 101.862, requires an electrical contractor license to engage in the business of electrical work (sub. (1)) and an electrician license or registered electrician enrollment to perform it (subs. (2)-(3)) — and then lists, in § 101.862(4), work to which none of those requirements apply. Because the § 101.862(4) exemptions lift subsections (1) through (3) together, they apply to every credential on this page: the electrical contractor license, the journeyman/master license classes, and the registered electrician registration. Homeowners: a residential property owner who installs, repairs, or maintains electrical wiring on premises the owner owns and occupies as a residence is exempt, unless a local ordinance requires a department-issued license or registration (§ 101.862(4)(a)). In-plant work: a person installing wiring within an existing industrial or manufacturing facility owned or leased by the person or the person’s employer (§ 101.862(4)(am)), and a person maintaining or repairing wiring within any existing facility or premises owned or leased by the person or the person’s employer (§ 101.862(4)(b)). Specialty carve-outs: elevator and escalator wiring (§ 101.862(4)(c)); equipment or systems operating at 100 volts or less (§ 101.862(4)(d)); alarm and emergency-monitoring electronic systems (§ 101.862(4)(e)); wiring of facilities supporting telecommunications service provided by a telecommunications provider (§ 101.862(4)(f)); manufactured or utilization equipment whose function is not primarily electrical, where the work involves only conductors considered part of the equipment (§ 101.862(4)(g)); wiring of manufactured homes or manufactured buildings while still at the factory (§ 101.862(4)(h)); lighting or signals for public thoroughfares and public airports (§ 101.862(4)(j)); replacement of an existing switch or outlet rated not more than 20 amperes (§ 101.862(4)(n)); and narrowly defined buried-conductor work on private on-site wastewater treatment systems and well pumps (§ 101.862(4)(p)-(q)). Utility work: employees or subcontractors of an electricity provider installing, repairing, or maintaining wiring for equipment installed in the normal course of providing utility services (§ 101.862(4)(i)); work on electric lines on the utility side of customer-owned substations and distribution facilities (§ 101.862(4)(k)); provider employees or subcontractors working on customer-owned primary-voltage facilities operating above 600 volts (§ 101.862(4)(L)); and provider employees or subcontractors restoring service during an emergency (§ 101.862(4)(m)). Two further exemptions lift only the individual license/registration requirements (subs. (2)-(3)): a person born on or before January 1, 1956, with at least 15 years of wiring experience (subject to department rules that, once promulgated, require such electricians to hold a license issued under those rules) (§ 101.862(5)), and a person who, without payment or other consideration, installs wiring in a new one- or two-family dwelling being constructed by a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (§ 101.862(6)).
Fees
Renewal fees (from the official Trades Renewal Dates and Fees schedule, Rev. 1/4/2024): Master Electrician $200; Residential Master Electrician $200; Electrical Contractor $200; Journeyman Electrician $100; Residential Journeyman Electrician $100; Industrial Journeyman Electrician $100; Registered Electrician $20; Electrical Apprentice $15; Registered Master Electrician does not expire (renewal fee N/A). Late fee $25 where applicable; reinstatement fee $200. Initial application and exam fees are calculated within the LicensE portal and are not published as a single flat figure.
Exam
Electrical licensing exams are open book with a 70% passing score, administered through Pearson VUE / DSPS. Per the DSPS Credential Checklist: Master Electrician and Residential Master Electrician exams = 4 hours, 50 questions; Journeyman Electrician, Residential Journeyman, and Industrial Journeyman exams = 4 hours, 100 questions. Permitted materials: a single binder containing Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305 and SPS 316 plus printed notes, the 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC) book or handbook, and up to two bound reference books.
Renewal & continuing education
Journeyman Electrician, Master Electrician, their residential/industrial variants, and Electrical Contractor renew every 4 years on June 30 (Term=4, Renewal Date=30-Jun per the Trades Renewal Dates and Fees schedule and the DSPS Credential Checklist). Registered Electrician and Electrical Apprentice renew annually (1-year term) on their date of issuance. Registered Master Electrician does not expire. Per renewal term (DSPS Credential Checklist): Journeyman Electrician and Master Electrician = 24 hours; Residential Journeyman, Industrial Journeyman, and Residential Master Electrician = 18 hours; Registered Electrician = 24 hours (per 1-year term). Registered Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor have no CE requirement.
How to apply
Applications are handled by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), Division of Professional Credential Processing / Trades Program. Start at the official application page .