Missouri Electrician License: Local Rules, State Contractor License and CE

Missouri does not issue a state journeyman or master electrician license. Individual electricians are licensed by the city or county where they work, and each local board sets its own hours, exam and renewal terms. The state's one electrical credential is an optional statewide electrical contractor license for companies, run by the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors under Sections 324.900 to 324.945, RSMo.

The state requires no continuing education to renew that license today, so any CE you owe comes from your local license.

New to licensing in Missouri? Start with the Missouri contractor license requirements, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

At a glance Who licenses electricians: your city or county; Missouri has no state journeyman or master license. State contractor license: optional, issued by the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors. Experience: 12,000 verifiable hours, or a shorter path with an apprenticeship, degree or engineering degree. Cost and insurance: $200 application, $100 triennial renewal, $500,000 liability insurance. Continuing education: none required by the state today.

Is There Continuing Education for Missouri Electricians?

Not at the state level. The office's FAQ answers the question directly: at this time the division does not require continuing education for the statewide electrical contractor license. The renewal rule, 20 CSR 2117-2.030, asks only for the renewal form and the fee.

That could change. Section 324.910.1, RSMo lets the division adopt rules on "continuing competency requirements for the renewal of licenses," and the FAQ tells licensees to watch the office's website for updates.

Your local license is a different matter. Every city and county that licenses electricians writes its own renewal terms, and some tie renewal to code update classes. Before you book a course, confirm the hours, the approved providers and the deadline with the board that issued your card.

Who Licenses Journeyman and Master Electricians in Missouri

Under Section 324.900(6), RSMo, a local license limits its holder to the political subdivision that issued it, or to places that require no license. Section 324.925.4 adds that a subdivision without authority to license electricians before August 28, 2017 did not gain it from the statewide law.

So the building department where you work sets the rules. Here is how five local programs compare, each from the government's own page.

Local notes

• Columbia: the city's electrical code, reprinted on its Board of Electrical Examiners page, provides nine certificate types, and applications go to the director of community development; the page marks that board as no longer active. A master certificate needs 4,000 hours as a C-8 journeyman or 6,000 hours as a C-6 journeyman, and costs $90. Certificates renew every three years, at $30 for a journeyman and $90 for a master.
• Springfield: Trade Certifications require 4 years under a master or 6 years of experience for a journeyman, and 4 years as a certified journeyman or 10 years of experience for a master. A passing score is 75 percent.
• Jefferson City: the city's electrical licensing page charges $117 for a journeyman or master license and $34 to renew. A city Electrical Contractor License is $233 and requires a Jefferson City master license.
• Jefferson County: the county's contractor registration packet requires a $25,000 license and permit bond and a master level exam passed within six years.
• Kansas City: the Permits Division issues Certificates of Qualification in each trade under Article XII of the city's building code.
• City of St. Louis: the Committee of Electrical Examiners qualifies applicants by written and oral examination.

If the difference between state and local licensing is new to you, our state vs. local contractor license guide explains the models states use. Missouri sits with Illinois in the local category, though its optional statewide layer makes it a hybrid. For the difference in rank, see journeyman vs. master electrician.

The Statewide Electrical Contractor License

The statewide license was authorized by Senate Bill 240, effective August 28, 2017, and Senate Bill 862, effective August 28, 2018, and is codified at Sections 324.900 to 324.945, RSMo. The Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, inside the Division of Professional Registration in Jefferson City, began accepting applications July 1, 2019.

"Electrical contracting" under Section 324.900(3) means the business of installing, erecting or maintaining electrical wiring, fixtures, apparatus, equipment, devices or components, regardless of voltage.

It Is Optional

Section 324.920.4, RSMo says a person working as an electrical contractor where no local license is required, or who holds the local license where one is required, does not need a statewide license to keep working there. The office's FAQ puts it plainly: the license is "optional, not mandatory."

Its value is for a company working in several jurisdictions: one credential the whole state must recognize, instead of a license in every city and county.

Cities Must Recognize It

Section 324.925.1 requires every political subdivision to recognize a statewide license in lieu of a local license for contracting work and for permits. No city or county may make a statewide licensee obtain a local license that requires an exam or any other test of trade proficiency.

Cities keep real powers under Section 324.925.3. They still adopt an electrical code based on the National Electrical Code, issue permits, inspect a statewide licensee's work, require a business license and license individual electricians. The state issues no permits and performs no inspections; you pull permits locally exactly as before.

If a city or county refuses to honor the license, file a complaint with the division. Under Section 324.925.2, a subdivision found in violation gets 30 days to comply, then the Department of Revenue withholds its local sales tax money until it does.

The check runs both ways: a city or county may suspend a statewide licensee's work within its borders for up to 30 days while it files a complaint, per the office's FAQ for political subdivisions.

Work the Law Does Not Cover

Section 324.915 exempts employees of electric, gas, water, cable and telecommunications utilities, railroads, and contractors building utility power lines or substations for the utility. It also exempts contractors working on class two or class three remote control, signaling or power limited circuits and on fiber and communications cabling for voice, video, audio and data.

Experience and Exam Requirements

To qualify, Section 324.920.1 and 20 CSR 2117-2.010 require proof of $500,000 in liability insurance, proof that every bond a political subdivision requires has been posted, a passing score on a division approved exam, and one of these experience paths.

The local license route. Section 324.920.2 opens the statewide license to a holder of a Missouri city or county electrical contractor or master electrician license who passed a standardized National Electrical Code exam given by an independent testing agency. The applicant also needs either 12,000 verifiable hours or six of the previous eight calendar years licensed by a subdivision that required that exam, plus the insurance and a local license that is current, active and free of discipline.

How hours are proven. Under 20 CSR 2117-2.010(3), hours can be shown with W-2 forms backed by an affidavit or notarized letter on company letterhead, employer affidavits, or a verified local or state license that required similar experience. Degrees need an official transcript sent from the school, and military experience can count toward the requirement under 20 CSR 2117-2.060.

Insurance paperwork. The rule requires a Certificate of Insurance issued by an insurance company authorized in Missouri; a certificate issued by an agent is not acceptable. Bonds stay with the city or county that requires them; you show the state proof they were posted. The office's FAQ also points contractors to counsel on the separate workers' compensation laws.

Approved Exams

Under 20 CSR 2117-2.020, the division approves exams based on the National Electrical Code, nationally standardized and given by an independent testing agency. Exams at the electrical contractor, master electrician or journeyman electrician level all count, and you pay the exam costs to the testing entity.

An exam you passed for a local or out of state license counts once the issuing office verifies the exam and score. If yours is not on the office's approved examinations list, call 573-522-3280.

The Licensing Steps in Order

1. Confirm you need it. If you work in one jurisdiction and hold its license, Section 324.920.4 says you do not.
2. Pick your experience path from the table above and gather the proof: W-2s with affidavits, employer affidavits, license verifications or sealed transcripts.
3. Pass an approved exam, or line up verification of one you already passed for a local or state license.
4. Buy the insurance. Get a Certificate of Insurance for at least $500,000 in liability coverage, issued by the insurance company itself.
5. Post local bonds with each city or county that requires one, and keep proof for the application.
6. Apply through MOPRO. The Division of Professional Registration opened MOPRO registration on January 14, 2025; it is linked from the office's home page. Pay the $200 application fee, which is nonrefundable.
7. Finish within 24 months. Under 20 CSR 2117-2.010(6), an application not completed within 24 months of first submission is deemed invalid, and a new application and fee are required.
8. Register locally. Each city may still require a business license. Jefferson City, for example, issues an Electrical Business License to a holder of the state license for $233 with a copy of that license and a certificate of insurance.

Questions go to the office at OSEC@pr.mo.gov or 573-522-3280. If you do not yet have the hours, see our guide to getting a contractor license without the experience.

What the Statewide License Costs

The division sets fees by rule under Section 324.910 and publishes them on its fee page. All fees are nonrefundable.

Fee notes

• Renewal: the $100 triennial renewal took effect June 1, 2026 by emergency amendment to 20 CSR 2117-1.070, published in the Missouri Register of June 15, 2026. A proposed amendment in the same issue would make the change permanent.
• Inactive renewal: confirm the current inactive renewal amount with the office before you file.
• Exam: paid to the testing company, not the state. The office lists a veteran's reimbursement program for exam fees.
• Local costs: city and county license fees, bonds and your insurance premium sit on top of the state fees.

Renewal Dates and What Happens If You Miss One

Every statewide license expires September 30 of every third year. Under 20 CSR 2117-2.030, the first renewal fell September 30, 2020, and each renewal after it falls on September 30 three years later: 2023, 2026, 2029 and on. The office's renewal page says notices are mailed approximately 90 days before expiration, and under the same rule, not receiving one does not excuse a late renewal.

Renewals must be postmarked by the expiration date to avoid late fees.

A license not renewed by the deadline goes inactive and is treated as lapsed. Inside two years you can restore it with the reinstatement form and the $250 fee; a license left unrenewed for two years is void. A licensee who chooses inactive status must still renew each cycle at the inactive rate, and returns to active with the $100 reactivation fee.

Who Has to Hold the License for an Electrical Company

This is the rule that matters most if you own the business. Section 324.920.3, RSMo reads: if a company "desires to engage in electrical contracting licensed under this chapter, then it shall have in its employ, at a supervisory level, at least one electrical contractor who possesses a statewide license." The same subsection adds that a statewide licensed electrical contractor "shall represent only one firm, company, corporation, institution, or organization at one time."

The rules give that person a name. 20 CSR 2117-1.010(11) defines the qualifier as the "supervisory level licensee who is designated by his or her entity as a holder of the electrical contractor license on behalf of the entity." The office's FAQ says the license covers a qualifier who is responsible for the work the company does, who must be employed by the business and must be at a supervisory level.

Only one qualifier is required, and a company may have more than one if it chooses. When a qualifier changes jobs, the office's Change of Employment form ends the old registration, names the new employer and lists every active permit on the license.

Plan for the day that person leaves. The office's FAQ states that the statewide law "does not contain a provision for an interim qualifier" if the licensee becomes unable to work or dies, and it sends you to the permit issuer. Until a new qualifier is in place, the company lacks the person Section 324.920.3 requires.

Local programs follow the same idea. Jefferson County requires an electrical contractor applicant to be a full time employee of the business and employed by only one employer. Kansas City has the qualified individual apply for the Certificate of Qualification before the business can get its contractor license.

This is where a qualifying agent fits. A qualifying agent is a licensed electrical contractor who joins your company as a full time W-2 employee, supervises the work and represents only your company, which is the arrangement Section 324.920.3 describes. Read what a qualifying agent is, see how hiring a qualifying agent works, or read our electrical contractor qualifying agent guide. Minnesota writes the same employment principle into its responsible individual rule.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Missouri require continuing education for electricians? Not for the statewide electrical contractor license; the division does not require it at this time, though Section 324.910.1 lets it adopt CE rules later. Local licenses set their own renewal terms, so check with your city or county board.

Does Missouri have a state journeyman electrician license? No. Journeyman and master electrician licenses come from cities and counties. The only state credential is the optional electrical contractor license.

Is the statewide electrical contractor license mandatory? No. Under Section 324.920.4, a contractor who holds the required local license, or who works where no local license is required, does not need it.

Can a city make me get its license too? Not one that requires an exam or proof of trade skill (Section 324.925.1). Cities can still require a business license, permits and inspections.

Do I pull permits from the state? No. The state issues no permits and does no inspections. You pull permits from the local authority as before.

How many hours do I need for the statewide license? 12,000 verifiable hours, or a shorter path with a U.S. DOL approved journeyman certificate, an associate's degree or an electrical engineering degree, as the table above shows. Holders of a qualifying local license can instead show six of the last eight years licensed.

Can I use a license from another state? The statute has no reciprocity provision. The office's FAQ says a passed exam and verified hours from another state may still meet the testing and experience requirements under 20 CSR 2117-2.010.

Does my whole crew need statewide licenses? No. One qualifier at a supervisory level is required, and a company may choose to have more.

Can one license holder cover two of my companies? No. Section 324.920.3 says a statewide licensed electrical contractor may represent only one firm at a time.

What happens if our license holder leaves or dies? The law has no interim qualifier. You need another statewide licensed electrical contractor in your employ at a supervisory level, and the office's FAQ sends you to the issuer of your permits in the meantime.

When does my statewide license expire? September 30 of every third year, counted from the first renewal on September 30, 2020, under 20 CSR 2117-2.030. Mark the renewal years on your calendar: 2023, 2026, 2029 and every third year after.

Other Missouri Trade Licenses

Plumbing and mechanical work follow their own local rules in Missouri, and the statewide electrical license does not carry over to them.

• Missouri plumbing license requirements covers how cities and counties license plumbers and plumbing contractors.
• Missouri HVAC and mechanical license requirements covers local mechanical licensing. SB 957 (2026), the Missouri Statewide Mechanical Contractors Licensing Act, was second read and referred to committee, per the Missouri Senate.
• Missouri's designated supervisor rule covers who can hold these licenses for a company.

Expanding into plumbing or mechanical work means a separately qualified person under each city's rules. For the wider picture, read our complete guide to getting an electrical contractor license or browse all state licensing guides.

Talk to Us About Your Missouri Electrical Company

If your company works across several Missouri jurisdictions and needs a statewide licensed qualifier in its employ, we can help you fill that seat with a licensed electrician who joins your team full time. Call 615-219-2110 or start at hire a qualifying agent.

Hold a Missouri electrical license already? See becoming a qualifying agent.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-09-29.

• Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, home page
• Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, fees
• Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors, renewal information
• FAQ's for Electrical Contractors
• FAQ's for Political Subdivisions
• Approved Examinations list
• Change of Employment form
• Missouri Senate, SB 240 (2017), truly agreed text
• Missouri Senate, SB 862 (2018), truly agreed text
• Section 324.900, RSMo
• Section 324.910, RSMo
• Section 324.915, RSMo
• Section 324.920, RSMo
• Section 324.925, RSMo
• 20 CSR 2117-1, General Rules
• 20 CSR 2117-2, Licensure Requirements
• Missouri Register, June 15, 2026 (emergency and proposed amendment, 20 CSR 2117-1.070)
• City of Columbia, electrical code on the Board of Electrical Examiners page
• City of Springfield, Trade Certifications
• City of Jefferson, Electrical Licensing Requirements
• Jefferson County, Electrical Contractor License Registration
• City of Kansas City, Contractor Licensing
• City of St. Louis, Committee of Electrical Examiners
• Missouri Senate, SB 957 (2026)