How to Get an Electrical Contractor License in Michigan (2026 LARA Guide)

If your company wants to bid, contract for, and pull permits on electrical work in Michigan, the electrician license in your wallet is not enough. Michigan licenses the electrical business separately, through an electrical contractor license issued by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes, under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407). The one requirement that decides whether a firm can get it: a licensed master electrician must stand behind the license.

Below: the master electrician rule in MCL 339.5711, the fees, renewal, and the option when no one on staff holds a master license. For the full state picture, see the Michigan contractor license requirements, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

At a glance

• Who issues it: LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes, under 2016 PA 407.
• The core rule: you hold a master electrician license, or you employ a full time master who lives in Michigan (MCL 339.5711).
• The exam: none for the contractor license itself; the master of record has already passed the master exam.
• The fee: $300 on the state application, for a license that runs on a three year cycle.
• Renewal: every three years by December 31; the master's own license renews every year.

Electrician License or Electrical Contractor License?

Michigan draws a clear line between the person and the business. The individual licenses (apprentice registration, journeyman, master electrician) authorize a person to do electrical work at a set skill level. We cover that ladder in our Michigan electrician license guide, and the difference between the top two tiers in journeyman vs. master electrician.

The electrical contractor license authorizes a business to take on electrical work for others. The act defines an electrical contractor as a person engaged in the business of erecting, installing, altering, repairing, servicing, or maintaining electrical wiring (MCL 339.5701). Under the act, a "person" includes an individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation (MCL 339.5107).

A person may not engage in the business of electrical contracting without an electrical contractor license from the state's Electrical Administrative Board or the appropriate municipality (MCL 339.5737). The same section says an individual may execute electrical wiring only when licensed and employed by, and working under the direction of, a licensed electrical contractor. For how this differs from a local registration, see contractor license vs. business license.

The Master Electrician Rule in MCL 339.5711

The contractor requirement sits in MCL 339.5711, not in the master license section. It says the department shall issue an electrical contractor's license to a person that meets the general licensing requirements and either:

1. is an individual who holds a master electrician's license; or
2. has at least 1 full time employee who is a master electrician, resides in Michigan, and is actively in charge of and responsible for Michigan electrical code compliance of all installations of electrical wiring and equipment.

LARA's own summary says the same thing in plain words: hold a master license or hire someone who does, and if you live outside Michigan, the master you hire must live in Michigan (LARA electrical licensing page). The application form repeats the residency rule whenever the master is not the same person as the contractor (BCC-974).

One master, one contractor. A master electrician's license cannot be used to qualify more than one electrical contractor's license (MCL 339.5713(3)). The BCC-974 form adds that if the master is already linked to another contractor, that other contractor's license is put on hold until it names a new master.

Without a master, the license stops. LARA states that without a master electrician, an electrical contractor's license is put on hold, and that if the qualifying license lapses, the contractor license stays on hold until the master renews and the contractor notifies LARA (renewals page).

Do You Have to Be a Master Electrician to Own an Electrical Business?

No. Michigan does not require the owner to be the master. Under MCL 339.5711(b), the business may employ a full time master electrician who lives in Michigan and is actively in charge of code compliance on the company's installations.

What the state does require is that the arrangement be real. On the BCC-974 application, the master signs that he or she is actively in charge of and responsible for Michigan electrical code compliance of all installations of electrical wiring and equipment. Aiding or abetting another person in the unlicensed practice of an occupation is itself grounds for discipline (MCL 339.5607).

What the Master Electrician Had to Earn

LARA's page says there is no test required to be an electrical contractor, but you still have to apply. The competency sits with the master, who earned the license this way (MCL 339.5713):

• Age: at least 22 years old.
• Experience: at least 12,000 hours over a period of 6 years or more, related to electrical construction, building maintenance, or electrical wiring or equipment, under the supervision of a master electrician.
• Journeyman time: has held an electrical journeyman's license for at least 2 years. LARA's page words this as 4,000 hours as a licensed journeyman.
• The exam: the master electrician exam, passed with a score of at least 75 percent.

A journeyman reaches that point first: at least 20 years old and 8,000 hours over at least 4 years under the direct supervision of an electrician licensed under the act (MCL 339.5715).

The Master Electrician Exam at PSI

LARA contracts with PSI to run the electrical exams. Once LARA approves an application to test, PSI should reach out within 10 business days so the candidate can pay and schedule (LARA PSI Examinations).

The exam fee is $100, paid to PSI (PSI Michigan electrical bulletin, effective 8/20/2026). The exams are open book: the National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230, and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, all bound and free of personal notes or highlighting; the NEC Handbook is not allowed. LARA's page states that all electrical exams are currently based on the 2023 National Electrical Code.

What It Costs to Get Licensed

State and exam vendor fees for the licenses a Michigan electrical company touches, from the application forms, LARA's renewals page, and the act (MCL 339.5707).

Fee notes

• Mid cycle filings: a contractor who applies outside the renewal window pays the three year fee on a yearly pro rata basis to the end of the cycle (MCL 339.5707(8)).
• Veterans: the initial license fee is waived with a DD214 or DD215 (BCC-974; MCL 339.5417).
• Refunds: application fees are non refundable, per the BCC-974 form.

The state application asks for no bond and no insurance certificate for an electrical contractor. Within Article 7, proof of public liability insurance is written into the sign specialty contractor license (MCL 339.5727), not the electrical contractor license. Confirm any local requirement with the city where you pull permits.

The Licensing Steps in Order

1. Put the master in place. Confirm that the owner holds an active Michigan master electrician license, or bring on a full time master who lives in Michigan and is not tied to another contractor. Nothing else moves without this.
2. Set up the business. Form the sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation that will hold the license, if it is not the master personally.
3. Complete form BCC-974. Check "Electrical Contractor", fill in the applicant, and have the master sign the section that associates the master license with your company. Signatures must be real, not typed or digital.
4. Pay and file. Apply and pay online through LARA's Accela system or mail the form with a check or money order to the State of Michigan. The $300 fee is due with the application.
5. Wait for LARA's review. There is no contractor exam to schedule, so the file rests on the application and the master's license.
6. Keep it active. Keep the master employed and licensed, renew every three years, and tell LARA promptly if your master leaves.

If you live in the City of Detroit, LARA notes that Detroit issues its own licenses and registrations locally, and the BCC-974 form tells Detroit applicants to hold a license issued by the city.

Renewing Contractor, Master, and Journeyman Licenses

The company and its electricians renew on different clocks (LARA renewals page).

Renewal notes

• Early renewal: LARA lets you start renewing 90 days before the expiration date, and masters, journeymen, and contractors may use Express Pay without logging in.
• Code update course: masters and journeymen must complete a board approved course within 12 months after Michigan adopts a new code (MCL 339.5713(4); MCL 339.5715(4)). LARA notes this does not happen every year; keep your certificate, since proof is only asked for on audit.
• Contractors: no code update course is required to renew the contractor license, but a qualifying master is.
• Missed deadlines: a contractor license not renewed by March 1 of the renewal year is void, and the company must apply for relicensure (MCL 339.5707(6)). A license expired 3 or more years goes through LARA's rules for relicensure, which can include testing again (MCL 339.5411).

LARA warns that an expired contractor license may affect your ability to pull permits, and that a journeyman or master may not be on the job site without an active license.

Work That Does Not Need an Electrical License

MCL 339.5737(3) lists classes of work that do not require a license. The ones contractors ask about most:

• Minor repair work: electrical wiring with a value of $100 or less (MCL 339.5703).
• Homeowners: work by a homeowner in a single family home and its outbuildings that the homeowner owns and occupies.
• Mechanical and plumbing contractors: mechanical contractors licensed in the classifications the section lists, licensed plumbing contractors, and their employees, servicing control wiring in existing mechanical systems on the load side of the unit disconnect, except life safety wiring.

Work outside the exemptions in MCL 339.5737(3) runs through a licensed contractor. In a municipality that provides inspection, a permit must come from the board or the municipality with jurisdiction (MCL 339.5731).

City Licensing and Out of State Electricians

A state license issued under the act is recognized by all Michigan municipalities, but a municipality that provides electrical inspection may require contractors working there to register under its ordinance (MCL 339.5733). A city, village, or township with its own licensing ordinance at least as strict as the state's may license contractors with a place of business there.

Michigan does not hold reciprocity with any other state or country. An out of state electrician is considered by sending a copy of the current license and that state's licensing requirements in detail (LARA electrical licensing page).

Penalties for Contracting Without a License

Practicing a regulated occupation without a license is a crime under MCL 339.5601, and a lapsed or suspended license counts as no license.

A court may also order restitution. For licensees, LARA may impose an administrative fine of up to $10,000, suspension, or revocation (MCL 339.5603).

When Your Company Has No Master Electrician

Here is the scenario that stalls real companies: the work is lined up, but no one at the company holds a master electrician license. The owner runs the business side and never went through the 12,000 hour ladder, or the firm's only master retired and the license is on hold.

The legal fix is the one MCL 339.5711(b) writes out: bring a licensed master electrician into the business as a full time W-2 employee who lives in Michigan and is actively in charge of code compliance on your installations. That is the role a qualifying agent fills. The qualifying agent is on your payroll, signs the BCC-974 as your associated master, and actually supervises the electrical work; the role is real, not a name on paper. Our overview, what is a qualifying agent, explains the role in full.

The Licensing Company, founded by Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, places licensed professionals as full time W-2 employees to fill the credential a business is missing. See how the electrical version works in electrical contractor qualifying agent, or start at hire a qualifying agent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Michigan electrical contractor license cost? The state fee on form BCC-974 is $300 for the electrical contractor license, which runs on a three year cycle and renews for $300. Your master electrician also carries a $50 yearly license, and the exam at PSI costs $100.

Can I get an electrical contractor license in Michigan without being a master electrician? Yes, if the business employs at least 1 full time master electrician who lives in Michigan and is actively in charge of code compliance (MCL 339.5711(b)). That master may qualify only one contractor at a time.

What happens if my master electrician leaves? LARA states that without a master electrician, an electrical contractor's license is put on hold. Put a new qualifying master in place and notify LARA as soon as you can; a qualifying agent placement is one way to fill the gap without closing the business.

How do I renew a Michigan journeyman license? Renew every year by December 31 through LARA's Accela system or Express Pay, starting up to 90 days early. The fee is $40, with a $50 late fee if you miss the deadline. You need a code update course only within a year after Michigan adopts a new code.

How do I apply for a Michigan master electrician license? File form BCC-341 with notarized letters from present and former employers documenting your hours, plus the $50 license fee. After LARA approves you, PSI contacts you to schedule and pay for the exam.

Is an electrical contractor license the same as a general contractor license? No. Michigan licenses the electrical trade under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, separate from the Residential Builder license. See our Michigan general contractor license guide and, for the plumbing side, the Michigan plumbing contractor license.

Get Your Michigan Electrical Company Licensed

If your company is ready to work but has no master electrician to stand behind the license, we can help you put the right licensed person in place as a W-2 employee. Call 615-219-2110 or start at hire a qualifying agent.

Sources

All retrieved September 29, 2026.

• LARA: Electrical Examination, Licensing/Registration and Application Information
• LARA: Application for Electrical/Fire Alarm/Sign Contractor Examination and License, BCC-974 (Rev. 10/2025)
• LARA: Application for Journeyman or Master Electrician Examination and Licensure, BCC-341
• LARA: Electrical Contractor License Map
• LARA: Master Electrician License Map
• LARA: License and Registration Renewals
• LARA: PSI Examinations
• PSI: Michigan Electrical Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 8/20/2026)
• MCL 339.5107, Definitions (person)
• MCL 339.5411, Late Renewal and Relicensure
• MCL 339.5417, Fee Waiver
• MCL 339.5601, Unlicensed Practice
• MCL 339.5603, Administrative Penalties
• MCL 339.5607, Grounds for Discipline
• MCL 339.5701, Definitions
• MCL 339.5703, Definitions (minor repair work)
• MCL 339.5707, Fees and Expiration
• MCL 339.5711, Electrical Contractor License
• MCL 339.5713, Master Electrician License
• MCL 339.5715, Electrical Journeyman License
• MCL 339.5727, Sign Specialty Contractor License
• MCL 339.5731, Permits
• MCL 339.5733, Municipal Ordinances
• MCL 339.5737, License Required and Exemptions
• LARA: State License Search

This guide covers the Michigan electrical contractor licensing process and is current as of September 2026. Fees and requirements are set by statute and by LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes and can change; confirm them with LARA before you apply.