Colorado licenses electricians statewide through the DORA State Electrical Board. Here is how to qualify for residential wireman, journeyman or master, pass the PSI exam, apply, and register a company as an electrical contractor.
Colorado licenses electricians through the DORA State Electrical Board, with three statewide levels: residential wireman, journeyman electrician and master electrician. Getting licensed means logging documented hours, passing a PSI exam for the level you qualify for, and filing a complete application with the Board.
At a glance
- Issued by: the DORA State Electrical Board, one license good statewide.
- Hours: 4,000 for residential wireman, 8,000 for journeyman, 10,000 for master.
- Exam: 90 scored questions in 240 minutes at PSI, with a $78 exam fee.
- Business: an electrical contractor registration needs a master on staff.
- The offer: The Licensing Company can prepare and submit the application for a flat $999 per state application.
This guide walks through who needs a license, the three levels and how to qualify for each, the PSI exam, the application steps, fees, renewal, reciprocity, and how a company registers as an electrical contractor once it has a master on staff. For the rest of Colorado's construction licensing, see the Colorado contractor license guide, and for every other state, how to get a contractor license in each state.
How to get an electrician license in Colorado: who needs one
Anyone who wires for, installs or repairs electrical apparatus and equipment for pay in Colorado needs a license from the State Electrical Board, or must be a registered apprentice working under one. Under section 12-115-109, C.R.S., no one may work as a journeyman, master or residential wireman until the Board issues the license or a temporary permit. The Board regulates the whole state, so there is no separate city or county electrician license layered on top.
A homeowner performing electrical work on their own residence is the one exception. Section 12-115-111 of the statute treats the homeowner as a "qualified applicant" who can pull a permit for work on their own property without holding a Board license, though the finished work still has to pass inspection. Anyone hired to do that work for someone else needs the license.
The three license levels
Colorado licenses electricians at three levels, and each one carries a different scope of work and a different hours requirement. A residential wireman works only on housing up to four units; a journeyman and a master can work on anything electrical, with the master also planning, laying out and supervising the job. Apprentices register with the Board too, but an apprentice registration is not a license on its own.
| License | Hours required | Earned in at least | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Wireman (RW) | 4,000, residential | 2 years | One to four family dwellings |
| Journeyman Electrician (JW) | 8,000 | 4 years | All electrical work |
| Master Electrician (ME) | 10,000 | 5 years | Plan, lay out, supervise |
Table notes
- Hours and years: Board Rule 1.7(B)(5) sets 4,000 hours in no less than 2 years for RW, 8,000 hours in no less than 4 years for JW, and 10,000 hours in no less than 5 years for ME.
- Journeyman extras: at least 2,000 of the 8,000 hours must be commercial, industrial or substantially similar work, earned over at least 2 of the 4 years (section 12-115-110(2), C.R.S.).
- Master paths: besides the experience path, a graduate electrical engineer qualifies with 1 year of construction experience, and a trade school or community college graduate qualifies with 4 years of practical experience.
Residential Wireman
Section 12-115-103 defines the residential wireman as a person qualified to wire for and install electrical equipment in one, two, three and four family dwellings. The applicant documents 4,000 hours of residential only experience earned in no less than two years, or two years of accredited training, then passes the residential wireman exam. A residential wireman works without direct supervision on that housing, but on commercial or industrial work, or on a residential project of more than four units, the Board's apprentice guidance says the person must register as an apprentice and work under a licensed journeyman or master.
Journeyman Electrician
The journeyman license covers the full range of electrical work. The applicant furnishes written evidence of 8,000 hours of apprenticeship or practical experience, earned in no less than four years, with at least 2,000 of those hours in commercial, industrial or substantially similar work over at least two years. A purely residential background does not qualify someone for the journeyman exam on its own.
Every journeyman applicant also documents 288 hours of classroom training in safety, the National Electrical Code and related subjects, completed during the last four years of the applicant's apprenticeship. Board Rule 1.7(D) counts one training hour as at least 50 minutes of instruction, and the Board does not pre-approve courses in advance; it reviews each applicant's documentation against its own criteria.
Master Electrician
A master electrician plans, lays out and supervises electrical installations. Most candidates qualify on experience: 10,000 hours earned in no less than five years, which is the journeyman's 8,000 hours plus 2,000 more, with some of the added hours in planning and layout and some in supervising registered apprentices while holding a journeyman license. The experience path runs through the journeyman license first; the Board does not let an applicant go from residential wireman straight to master on experience alone.
Two other paths exist under section 12-115-110(1), C.R.S.: a graduate electrical engineer with one year of construction experience, or a trade school or community college graduate with four years of practical experience. If the line between journeyman and master is still unclear, our national explainer on the journeyman vs. master electrician path compares what each level can do.
Apprentice registration comes first
Almost every Colorado electrician starts as a registered apprentice. The employing electrical contractor registers the apprentice with the Board, and an apprentice who holds an active residential wireman license and works on a commercial job site must still register as an apprentice for that work. The employer must remove the apprentice from the company's registration within 30 days of the end of employment.
An apprentice works under the direct supervision of a licensed master, journeyman or residential wireman, meaning the supervisor is physically present at the same address. Applicants cannot verify their own experience; a master electrician or an employer's signatory authority must sign the Affidavit of Experience, and Board Rule 1.7(B)(1) bars self-verification outright.
The Colorado electrical exam
The Board contracts with PSI Services for the residential wireman, journeyman and master exams, plus a journeyman exam for apprentices with six or more years of registration who do not already hold an active residential wireman or master license. PSI's candidate bulletin, updated June 18, 2026, sets each exam at 90 scored questions in 240 minutes, with 70 percent, or 63 correct answers, needed to pass. Up to 10 unscored questions ride along with 30 more minutes added; the residential wireman exam carries up to 7 unscored questions instead.
| Exam | Scored items | Time | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Wireman | 90 | 240 minutes | 63 correct (70%) |
| Journeyman Wireman | 90 | 240 minutes | 63 correct (70%) |
| Master Electrician | 90 | 240 minutes | 63 correct (70%) |
Exam notes
- Code book: effective August 1, 2026, every question follows the 2026 National Electrical Code; PSI will still provide the 2023 code book on request through December 1, 2026.
- At the test center: PSI provides the code book and a formula page, and you may not write, highlight or tab them; no other reference materials are allowed.
- Content: grounding and bonding carries the most questions on the journeyman and master exams, 14 each; on the residential wireman exam, services, feeders and branch circuits lead with 18.
- Results: PSI reports your score as soon as you finish the exam.
How to sign up for the exam
Register and pay directly with PSI, then file the license application with DORA after you pass. Create an account at PSI's Colorado electrical page, using the name exactly as it appears on your government issued ID, choose the exam, pick a test center and time, and pay. You can also book by phone at (855) 898-0710, and PSI accepts a booking as late as one day before the exam if a seat is open.
The exam fee is $78, and a retest is $73. Neither fee is refundable or transferable, and a paid fee stays valid for one year. You can cancel or reschedule without losing the fee if PSI receives your notice two days before the exam; after a failed attempt, you can call PSI the next business day to book a retest.
Apply for your license step by step
- Register as an apprentice through your employing electrical contractor, before you start logging commercial or industrial hours.
- Log your hours by type (residential, commercial, industrial) and have each employer sign the Affidavit of Experience; you cannot verify your own hours.
- Finish the 288 classroom hours if you are working toward journeyman, and keep every certificate and transcript.
- Register for and pass the PSI exam for the level your hours support, using the online or phone process above.
- Apply in DPO Online Services by the examination method: upload your passing result, affidavits and transcripts, answer the screening questions and pay the application fee.
- Receive the license once the Board finds your evidence sufficient, then carry it on the job as Board rules require.
- Renew every three years by September 30, with 24 hours of continuing education, starting after your first renewal.
An application expires one year after submission under Board Rule 1.7(J), and an incomplete one then starts over with a new fee. Compare dates and hours across every affidavit before you submit; a mismatch between what you logged and what an employer signs off on is the kind of gap that stalls a file at the Board.
Want the application done for you?
Logging hours correctly, chasing employer signatures and tracking a PSI exam date takes real time away from working or running a business. The Licensing Company's License Application Processing service handles the paperwork side of a Colorado electrician application for you.
The service starts with an eligibility audit before anything is filed, so you know where you stand before paying a state or exam fee. From there, it builds your document checklist and chases the pieces with you, prepares every required form and reviews it line by line, and submits the application the way DORA requires. If the Board comes back with questions, those get answered and the application resubmitted, until the Board makes its decision.
It is a flat $999 per state application, paid up front. State fees, exam fees and any background check are paid to the state or to PSI, not to us. This covers the paperwork, not the outcome: it does not promise approval, does not promise a timeline, and does not include sitting the PSI exam for you. Call 615-219-2110 to talk through whether it fits your application.
Where a qualifying agent fits if you are not eligible yet
Owning an electrical company does not require you personally to hold a master license. Colorado law gives an owner two paths: earn the master license yourself, or employ a licensed master who runs the electrical work as the company's responsible master electrician. The second path is what a qualifying agent is, and it is the arrangement the statute describes for a company that wants to register as an electrical contractor now rather than wait years for an owner to qualify on their own hours.
A qualifying agent qualifies the company as its owner or as a full time W-2 employee who actually supervises the work, not as an outside name on a form. The Licensing Company places each master this way, matched to a company that needs one. To see how it works for your company, hire a qualifying agent or read about the electrical contractor qualifying agent role. Colorado masters who want to be placed can become a qualifying agent.
What it costs: state fees
| Item | Paid to | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Exam, any level | PSI | $78 |
| Retest | PSI | $73 |
| License application | DORA DPO Online Services | Shown at checkout |
| Renewal, every three years | DORA DPO Online Services | Shown at renewal |
DORA sets its application and renewal fees under section 12-115-117, C.R.S., and shows the current amount online when you apply or renew; the Board does not publish those figures in a static document, since they can change with the agency's fee rulemaking. Every fee is nonrefundable, so confirm you qualify before paying. A late renewal inside the 60 day grace period adds a delinquency fee.
Bond and insurance
Colorado does not require a statewide surety bond for an individual electrician license or for the electrical contractor registration. Some cities and counties set their own bond or insurance rule for a local electrical permit layered on top of the state license, so check with the jurisdiction where you plan to work before assuming none applies. The state registration itself does ask a company to show it complies with Colorado's workers' compensation and unemployment insurance laws.
How long it takes to get licensed
The Board's hour and year requirements set the floor. A residential wireman needs at least two years of documented experience, a journeyman at least four, and a master at least five on the experience path. A graduate electrical engineer can sit for the master exam after only one year of construction experience, and a trade school or community college graduate needs four years of practical experience instead of the full master timeline.
The exam itself is rarely the slow part. PSI takes bookings up to the day before an exam date when a seat is open, and you get your score the moment you finish. The time goes into logging verified hours correctly and filing a complete application the first time, since an incomplete file or a missing affidavit signature is what actually adds weeks to the process.
Renewal and continuing education
Every electrician license and electrical contractor registration expires on September 30 every three years, aligned with the Board's adoption of each new National Electrical Code. The current period ends September 30, 2026, and licenses can be renewed through November 30, 2026, inside the 60 day grace period; after that the license is expired and must be reinstated.
To renew an active license you need 24 hours of continuing education from a provider the Board has approved. At least 4 of those hours must cover National Electrical Code changes, no more than 4 hours of safety training count toward the total, and the rest comes from grounding and bonding, wiring methods, or theory and calculations. Your first renewal after passing the licensing exam needs no continuing education.
Keep your continuing education certificates for seven years, since the Board audits licensees after each renewal period. A license issued within 120 days of the renewal date picks up the next expiration date instead of the one that just passed.
Reciprocity and endorsement for electricians licensed elsewhere
Colorado participates in the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance. A current journeyman or master license from Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah or Wyoming can earn a Colorado journeyman license without sitting the exam again, as long as the license is active, was earned on a state administered exam, and has been held for at least one year. A license granted by grandfathering, without passing a state exam, does not qualify.
Reciprocity covers the journeyman license only; Board Rule 1.7(F)(3) states that a Colorado master license may not be granted by reciprocity. Every level, including master, can apply by endorsement instead, which needs an active out of state license at the same level, a comparable written exam based on the current National Electrical Code, and a verification form from the issuing board. An applicant can combine qualifications earned in more than one state to meet the endorsement standard.
From individual license to electrical contractor registration
A master license lets a person do master level work. It does not let a company contract for electrical jobs, sell work or pull permits; under section 12-115-110(5), C.R.S., no firm may engage in the business of an electrical contractor without registering with the Board. Apply for that registration once the company has its master in place.
- A master on staff: an owner holding a master license who supervises all the work, or at least one employed master responsible for all of the company's electrical work.
- One company, full time: a master may be named for only one contractor at a time and must be actively engaged with that company on a full time basis.
- Acknowledgment of Responsibility: the master and the owner, when they are different people, both sign the Board's form.
- Insurance compliance: proof the company meets Colorado's workers' compensation and unemployment insurance laws.
If the company loses its master for any reason, Board Rule 1.13(E) gives it 20 days to hire another before the Board places the registration into inactive status. Reinstating it takes evidence that a new master is on board and the fee is paid. Solar installers face a separate deadline: Senate Bill 25-165 requires a photovoltaic installer, as the bill defines that term, to register with the Board by December 31, 2026, if the company was already operating as of September 1, 2025, and employs at least one NABCEP certified installer.
Our national guide on how to get an electrical contractor license covers the business layer across states, and the Colorado general contractor overview shows how this registration fits Colorado's broader construction licensing.
Colorado electrician license FAQ
Does Colorado have a statewide electrician license? Yes. The DORA State Electrical Board issues residential wireman, journeyman and master licenses that are good anywhere in the state, and it registers electrical contractors through the same office.
What is an RW license in Colorado? RW is the residential wireman license. It covers wiring one to four family dwellings and takes 4,000 hours of residential experience earned over at least two years, plus a passing score on the PSI residential wireman exam.
How much does a Colorado electrician license cost? The PSI exam is $78, with a $73 retest fee if you need one. DORA charges a separate license application fee and a renewal fee every three years, both shown online when you apply, since the Board does not publish those as a fixed printed amount.
How many hours do I need for a journeyman license? You need 8,000 hours earned over at least four years, including 2,000 hours of commercial, industrial or similar work over at least two years. You also document 288 classroom hours and pass the PSI journeyman exam.
Do you have to be a master electrician to own an electrical company in Colorado? No. An owner can hold the master license personally, or the company can employ a licensed master who works full time and supervises all of its electrical work as the responsible master electrician. That second path is what a qualifying agent provides.
Do I need a licensed electrician for work on my own house? A homeowner can pull a permit and do electrical work on their own residence under the qualified applicant rule, without holding a Board license, and the finished work is still inspected. Anyone you hire to do that work for you needs a Colorado license.
Which states have electrical license reciprocity with Colorado? Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, for the journeyman license only, through the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance.
How do I apply for an electrical contractor license in Colorado? There is no separate exam for the business registration. Once the company has a master electrician on staff, full time and responsible for all its electrical work, it registers as an electrical contractor with the Board and signs the Acknowledgment of Responsibility.
Can one master electrician qualify more than one company? No. A master may be named for only one electrical contractor at a time and must work full time with that company.
Talk to us about your Colorado plan
Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski built The Licensing Company around exactly this kind of qualifying party work across the country, and the License Application Processing service for owners who want the paperwork handled. Call 615-219-2110 or hire a qualifying agent and we will walk your Colorado plan with you.
Related Colorado guides: plumbing license in Colorado, HVAC license in Colorado, and licensing guides for other states.
Sources
All retrieved 2026-10-07.
- DORA State Electrical Board homepage
- State Electrical Board applications, licensure requirements and contractor registration
- State Electrical Board apprentice information
- State Electrical Board continuing education
- State Electrical Board Rules, 3 CCR 710-1, current version effective July 15, 2026
- Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 12, Article 115 (Electricians), via Colorado Public Law
- PSI candidate information bulletin, Colorado State Electrical Board, updated June 18, 2026
- PSI Colorado electrical exam registration
- Senate Bill 25-165, as introduced, with legislative summary of enacted provisions
- Senate Bill 25-165 bill history and final enacted summary
- 3 CCR 710-1, Rule 1.13 renewal and reinstatement citation
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.