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

Michigan is one of the clearest states in the country when it comes to electrical licensing: the trade is licensed at the state level through the Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), a division of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). That matters, because Michigan famously has no statewide commercial general contractor license, but it absolutely licenses electricians, plumbers, and mechanical (HVAC) contractors at the state level. If you wire buildings in Michigan, the state, not the city, decides whether you can call yourself a journeyman, a master, or an electrical contractor.

This guide walks the full Michigan electrical ladder: apprentice, journeyman, master, and electrical contractor. It covers the real hour requirements, the exam, the fees, and the one detail most tradespeople miss until it costs them a job, the fact that the business license (electrical contractor) has to be tied to a licensed master electrician. That last point is where a lot of growing electrical companies get stuck, and it's where the qualifier path comes in.

This is a guide to the licensing process, not exam preparation.

Michigan licenses electricians at the state level

Electrical work in Michigan is governed by the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (2016 PA 407) and administered by LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes. The BCC issues four credentials that form a clear ladder:

1. Electrical apprentice (registration, not a competency license)
2. Journeyman electrician (licensed to do the work under a master's oversight)
3. Master electrician (licensed to design, supervise, and take responsibility for code compliance)
4. Electrical contractor (the business license, must be tied to a master electrician)

Understanding that the top of the ladder is a business credential, and that it can't stand on its own without a master, is the single most important thing to grasp before you plan your path.

Step 1: Register as an electrical apprentice

Before you can log the hours that count toward a journeyman license, you register as an electrical apprentice with the BCC. Apprentice registration must be kept active and renewed every year, Michigan is explicit that you can't legally be on a job site without an active apprentice registration, and letting it lapse can create problems on the job or trigger a late fee. Throughout your apprenticeship you're expected to continue related classroom coursework alongside the on-the-job hours.

Step 2: Journeyman electrician

To sit for the journeyman exam, Michigan requires that you have completed 8,000 hours of electrical wiring experience obtained over a period of not less than 4 years as a registered electrical apprentice, working under the supervision of someone holding a Michigan journeyman or master electrician license. The work must relate to the electrical construction or maintenance of buildings, or to electrical wiring and equipment.

You then take and pass the journeyman electrician exam with a score of at least 75%. Michigan's electrical exams are open-book and based on the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC), the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules (Part 8), 1972 PA 230, and 2016 PA 407. Exams are delivered by PSI.

Step 3: Master electrician

The master electrician license is the credential that unlocks running the electrical side of a business. Michigan offers two routes:

• Be at least 22 years old and hold a Michigan journeyman electrician license for at least 2 years, plus complete 4,000 hours of experience as a journey electrician; or
• Have at least 12,000 hours of qualifying experience obtained over a period of not less than 6 years, performed under the supervision of a master electrician.

If you already hold a Michigan journey license, you don't have to re-document experience from before that license was issued. You then pass the master electrician exam at 75% or higher.

Step 4: Electrical contractor (the business license)

Here's the part that reshapes how a company plans its licensing: in Michigan, an electrical contractor license requires an associated master electrician. The master electrician is the person legally in charge of, and responsible for, code compliance on all electrical wiring and equipment the company installs. A firm that wants to bid and pull electrical permits as a business needs that master on the license, either an owner who holds it, or a qualified master the company brings on.

Michigan electrical license fees (2026)

The following are the state application and licensing fees plus the PSI examination fee. Fees are set by the board and the testing vendor and can change, always verify the current amount with LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes and PSI before you apply.

| Credential | Application fee | Exam fee (PSI) | Renewal | |---|---|---|---| | Journeyman electrician | ~$40 | ~$100 | ~$50 / year | | Master electrician | ~$50 | ~$100 | ~$50 / year | | Electrical contractor | ~$55 | (no trade exam; tied to a master) | ~$300 / 3 years |

There is no state-mandated surety bond or general-liability insurance requirement to obtain the state electrical license itself, though individual municipalities, permit offices, and clients routinely require insurance and bonding before you work, so treat coverage as a practical necessity even where the state doesn't mandate it.

Continuing education and renewal

Michigan ties electrical continuing education to code adoption rather than to a fixed annual class. When the state adopts a new edition of the NEC, licensed electricians must complete 15 hours of approved code-update coursework within 12 months of the adoption date. Journeyman and master licenses renew annually; the electrical contractor license renews on a three-year cycle. Because CE timing follows the code cycle, verify your specific deadline with the BCC or through Michigan's CE tracking provider.

The business license is where the qualifier path begins

Notice the pattern across the whole Michigan electrical ladder: the electrical contractor license can't exist without a master electrician standing behind it. That's not a Michigan quirk, nearly every state ties a contractor's business license to a licensed, exam-passing individual. The industry term for that individual is a qualifying agent (Michigan's statute frames them as the master electrician "in charge of and responsible for" the company's code compliance).

For a Michigan electrical company, that creates one of the most common growth bottlenecks in the trades:

• An owner without a master electrician license can build a capable crew and still be unable to hold the electrical contractor license in the company's name.
• A master electrician who leaves can take the company's only path to a contractor license with them.
• A firm expanding into Michigan from another state has to satisfy Michigan's master requirement even if it's licensed elsewhere.

This is exactly the problem a qualifying agent solves. If you want to understand the role in depth, start with what a qualifying agent is and the electrical contractor qualifying agent guide.

The Licensing Company places qualifying agents as full-time, W-2 employees, never as a percentage-of-revenue arrangement, a flat "rental" fee, a per-project deal, or a 1099 contractor, and never as a license you "borrow." A qualifier who holds your electrical contractor license is a genuine employee of your business, which is the structure state boards expect and the only structure that keeps the license defensible. If your Michigan electrical company needs a master electrician on its license, you can hire a qualifying agent or talk through your situation.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get an electrician license in Michigan?

The journeyman path requires 8,000 hours over at least 4 years as a registered apprentice before you can test. Moving up to master takes an additional 2 years holding the journey license (plus 4,000 hours), or 12,000 hours over 6 years total. There's no shortcut around the hour requirements, they're set in statute.

How much does it cost to get licensed?

Application fees are modest, roughly $40–$55 depending on the credential, plus about $100 for the PSI exam. The larger costs are the years of apprenticeship and, for a business, the insurance and bonding municipalities require. Because a company's electrical contractor license must be tied to a master electrician, the real "cost" question for a business owner is often how to secure a master, not the state fee. Costs for that vary by situation, see Consultation Packages. (All state and exam fees above are set by LARA and PSI and can change, verify before applying.)

Does Michigan have a journeyman electrician license, or just contractor licenses?

Michigan licenses electricians at every level, apprentice, journeyman, and master, at the state level. This is different from states like Florida or Georgia that have no statewide journeyman license. It's also a useful contrast with Michigan's general contractor situation: the state has no statewide commercial GC license (see the Michigan general contractor guide), yet it fully licenses the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical trades.

Do I need a master electrician to run an electrical business in Michigan?

Yes. The electrical contractor license requires an associated master electrician who is responsible for code compliance. If no owner holds a master license, the company needs to bring one onto the license. That's the qualifying-agent path, and Michigan explicitly contemplates a company operating under a licensed master.

What's the difference between a journeyman and a master electrician?

A journeyman does the wiring under a master's ultimate responsibility; a master can design systems, supervise, and, critically, hold a company's electrical contractor license. See our national explainer, journeyman vs. master electrician, for the full breakdown.

Related Michigan and electrical guides

• How to get a general contractor license in Michigan (2026 LARA guide)
• How to get a plumbing license in Michigan (2026 LARA guide)
• How to get an HVAC (mechanical) license in Michigan (2026 LARA guide)
• How to get an electrical contractor license (national state-by-state guide)
• What is a qualifying agent?

Fees, hours, code editions, and requirements above are set by the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes and PSI and are subject to change. Verify current requirements with LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes before applying. This guide covers the licensing process only and is not exam-preparation material.