Wyoming Electrician License: Fire Marshal Requirements, Exams, Fees and the Master of Record Rule (2026)

Wyoming is the outlier among its own trades. Plumbing and HVAC in this state are licensed city by city, with no state board at all. Electrical is licensed statewide, by one agency, under one statute, with one ladder.

At a glance

• Who issues it: the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety inside the State Fire Marshal's Office
• Journeyman: 4 years, 8,000 hours, plus 576 classroom hours; ICC 385, 80 questions, 70 percent
• Master: 8 years, 16,000 hours, 4 of them as a licensed journeyman; ICC 701, 100 questions, 75 percent
• Fees: Journeyman, $100.00 initial; Master, $200.00 initial; Electrical Contractor, $400.00 new and renewal
• Contractor rule: employs a Wyoming master electrician full time as master of record

When someone searches for a "certified electrician in Wyoming," what they are looking for is a state licensed electrician. Wyoming does not issue a certificate; it issues licenses, and the credential that lets a person do electrical work for hire is a journeyman or master electrician license from the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety inside the State Fire Marshal's Office. That is the "Wyoming fire marshal electrical license" people ask about, and a Wyoming journeyman or master card works in every county in the state.

This guide covers the full 2026 ladder from the Department's own published requirements, the statute and the Electrical Board's rules: apprentice registration, the hours behind the journeyman and master exams, the exams themselves, the twelve low voltage and limited technician classes most guides get wrong, reciprocity, the renewal calendar that can cost you your license, and the contractor rule that Wyoming states in a single sentence with a word in parentheses that tells you exactly what this business is.

Who Licenses Electricians in Wyoming

The licensing agency is the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety, part of the State Fire Marshal's Office, at 320 West 25th Street, 3rd Floor, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002, phone (307) 777-7288. Under W.S. 35-9-122 the chief electrical inspector "is responsible for licensing electrical contractors, master electricians, journeyman electricians, low voltage electrical contractors, limited electrical contractors, low voltage technicians and limited technicians and shall pass on the fitness and qualifications of applicants for licenses." The Electrical Board writes the training, licensing and reciprocity rules under W.S. 35-9-124 and hears appeals from the chief electrical inspector's decisions.

Three documents govern everything on this page:

• The statute, W.S. 35-9-120 through 35-9-130, which sets the contractor rule, the license terms, the supervision ratios, the fee ceilings and the penalties.
• The Electrical Board's rules, Wyoming Administrative Code agency 041, Chapter 5 (Electrical Licensing), which set the experience, classroom and passing score requirements, the apprentice year table and the reciprocity conditions.
• The Rules of the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety, Chapter VI (Electrical Licensing), which set the fee schedule, the temporary work permit, the renewal mechanics and the 45 day grace period.

Every license is applied for, paid for and issued through the Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Public Portal (an ImageTrend eLicense system). Effective April 1, 2025, per Wyo. Stat. § 9-4-217(h), a 2.5 percent processing fee is added to every credit or debit card transaction at checkout, with a $1.00 minimum. The portal takes Visa or MasterCard only.

What Changed in 2026: The 2026 NEC Is Now in Force

Wyoming adopts the National Electrical Code without modification, and the Department states in the technician, journeyman and master sections of its licensing page that "The examinations for licenses are based on the current edition of the National Electrical Code."

The Department's adopted code list now names the 2026 National Electrical Code. Wyoming adopted the 2024 International Codes on June 28, 2024, including the 2024 International Building Code, Fire Code, Mechanical Code, Fuel Gas Code and Existing Building Code, and the 2026 NEC sits on that same list. The transition from the 2023 edition ran to July 1, 2026, the date the Department published while its code list carried both editions; as of this review the list names the 2026 edition alone and no longer shows the date, so the transition is complete.

If you are preparing to sit an exam or renewing this cycle, that is the single most important date on this page, and it comes with a caution. The ICC examination bulletin for Wyoming, published August 19, 2025, still lists the 2023 National Electrical Code as the reference for every Wyoming exam outline, and the Department's master renewal page still describes the required code hours as "2020 or 2023 code update." Continuing education content and exam references move with the code, so confirm with the Department which edition your specific exam and your specific CE credits are being measured against before you pay for anything.

The Wyoming Electrical Licenses at a Glance

The Department issues three families of credential: individual electrician licenses (apprentice, journeyman, master), technician licenses (apprentice technician, seven low voltage classes, five limited classes) and contractor licenses (electrical contractor, low voltage or limited electrical contractor). The fees below are the Department's published fees; exam fees are paid separately to the testing vendor.

A late fee of $50.00 applies to any electrician or technician renewal filed in the 45 days after expiration. The statute caps every one of these fees: W.S. 35-9-129 says the Department's fees "shall not exceed" $400.00 for an electrical contractor, $200.00 for a low voltage or limited contractor, $200.00 for a master, $100.00 for a journeyman or technician, $50.00 for a temporary working permit, $300.00 for an examination and $20.00 for apprentice registration. The Department currently charges the statutory maximum for every license fee.

Step by Step: From First Day to Master of Record

1. Register as an apprentice within 10 days of starting work. Create a portal account, verify your ID, apply, pay $20.00, and have your employer register you.
2. Log 8,000 hours and 576 classroom hours over at least four years, with no more than 75 percent of the hours in any one of residential, commercial or industrial work, and renew the apprentice registration every year with an OJT form signed by your supervising journeyman or master.
3. Apply to the Department for the journeyman exam. Upload notarized work verification, transcripts and, for military experience, a DD-214.
4. Schedule and pass ICC exam 385 at Pearson VUE (80 questions, 4 hours, open book, 70 percent). The exam fee is $115 and is paid to Pearson VUE.
5. Upload your pass letter and pay the $100.00 journeyman license fee. The license is emailed from the portal; the Department no longer mails licenses.
6. Work four more years, 8,000 hours, as a licensed journeyman, keeping 16 hours of Board approved continuing education per three year cycle, 8 of them on the NEC.
7. Apply for the master exam, pass ICC exam 701 (100 questions, 5 hours, open book, 75 percent) and pay the $200.00 master license fee.
8. To hold a contractor license, employ a Wyoming master electrician full time as master of record (or be that master yourself), file the Master of Record Acknowledgment Form and the Personnel of Applicant form, and pay $400.00 by July 1 each year.

Step 1: Register as an Apprentice, and Do It Fast

Wyoming puts a deadline on this that catches new hires out. The Department's requirement: "If you have never held a Wyoming Apprentice License, you must begin the licensing process within 10 days of the start of employment."

Ten days from your first day. Not ten days from when you get around to it. The obligation runs both ways: under W.S. 35-9-127(a) the electrical contractor must notify the chief electrical inspector in writing of each apprentice's name, address and date of hire or termination "within ten (10) days of the action," and the Department's rules repeat the ten day registration duty for the employer.

A new apprentice electrician license costs $20.00, renews at $20.00, and reinstates at $40.00 if it has been expired more than one year.

The apprentice year is fixed statewide: it "runs from 7/1 of the previous year to 6/30 of the current year." Submitting on the job training hours from outside the current apprentice year gets the application denied until a corrected form is filed. The Department's rules add a yearly registration renewal deadline of September 1, with a renewal notice mailed about 90 days ahead, and require the contractor to keep monthly records of each apprentice's residential, commercial and industrial hours, classroom hours and grade average.

Wyoming then sets out the apprentice progression in years, with on the job training hours, classroom hours and a required supervision percentage for each. The table is the Department's own, and the Board's rule behind it (041-5 § 5-6) says an apprentice will not be advanced to the next year "until proof of one (1) year (2,000 hours) of on-the-job electrical work experience and 144 hours of successfully completed electrically related classroom instruction" is filed.

Year 6 is not a typo, and it is the most interesting line in the table. Supervision drops to 25 percent in years four and five, then snaps back to 100 percent in year six.

The Board's rule states it plainly: "An apprentice who has at least 10,000 hours on-the-job-training regardless of hours of related training shall be supervised 100 percent of the workday." An apprentice who has not tested out by then goes back under full supervision. Wyoming built an expiry date into apprenticeship without ever calling it one.

Supervision ratios come straight from statute. W.S. 35-9-127(a): "A licensed journeyman or master electrician shall supervise each apprentice electrician. A licensed journeyman or master electrician shall not supervise more than two (2) apprentice electricians at the same time." And 35-9-127(b) tightens it for technicians: "A licensed technician shall not supervise more than one (1) apprentice technician at the same time."

Apprentice classroom instruction must come from a program approved by the Office of Apprenticeship, United States Department of Labor, or from training the Department accepts as equivalent. Programs must provide "at least 144 hours per year, 576 hours over a four (4) year apprenticeship program, of a structured and comprehensive sequence of instruction."

Out of state on the job training can be submitted, but only at initial application, and only through notarized letters on company letterhead from past or present employers, broken down by residential, commercial and industrial hours.

Step 2: Journeyman Electrician

The Department's stated qualification to sit the journeyman exam:

• Experience, four years, 8,000 hours of work experience in the electrical wiring industry. The Board's rule adds that the 8,000 hours "must have been obtained during a time frame of no less than four (4) years."
• Classroom, 144 hours per year, or 576 hours over a four year apprenticeship, of successfully completed electrically related classroom instruction through a Department of Labor approved electrical apprenticeship training program
• Supervision and setting, the work history must show experience "in planning, laying out, and NEC" and must have been "under the direct supervision of a qualifying electrician for a licensed electrical contractor"
• Breadth, experience must span residential, commercial and industrial categories, with no more than 75 percent of the 8,000 hours in any one category (the Board may waive this "in special circumstances")
• School credit, up to two years, 4,000 hours, of credit for electrically related courses at an accredited school beyond the required 576 hours, a credit W.S. 35-9-126(a) writes into the statute itself
• Military, a DD-214 must be uploaded with the application for military electrical experience to be considered; a Joint Service Transcript can be added to show the electrical coursework
• Another state's license, a current journeyman or master license from a state whose work history requirement equals or exceeds Wyoming's 8,000 hours may be accepted as proof of work history

The education exemption. If you cannot produce 576 hours of classroom instruction, the Department allows a second route: "an applicant may qualify for the exam if evidence of 10 years and 20,000 hours of on the job training experience as a licensed journeyman or master electrician is provided and approved by the Chief Electrical Inspector."

That is a genuine alternative route for career electricians who learned on the job rather than in a classroom, and it needs the Chief Electrical Inspector's approval rather than being automatic.

Fees. The initial journeyman license fee after passing the exam is $100.00. Renewal is $50.00, with a $50.00 late fee. Testing fees are separate and paid to the testing facility.

Term. The journeyman license "is valid for 3 years, renewing on January 1st of every 3rd year." The renewal window opens 90 days before expiration, on October 1 of the preceding year, and closes January 1.

Continuing education. 16 hours of approved update education before renewal, of which at least 8 hours must specifically cover the National Electrical Code. All courses need prior Electrical Board approval, and the hours must be obtained between issuance and expiration. The statute, W.S. 35-9-126(b), is the source of both numbers.

Step 3: Master Electrician

The Department's stated qualification for the master exam:

• Experience, eight years, 16,000 hours in the electrical wiring industry
• Of which, four years, 8,000 hours documented as a licensed journeyman
• Classroom, 576 hours of electrically related classroom instruction, with the same 10 year, 20,000 hour exemption available with the Chief Electrical Inspector's approval
• Same setting requirement, planning, laying out and NEC work under the direct supervision of a qualifying electrician for a licensed electrical contractor, across residential, commercial and industrial categories

Fees. Initial master license $200.00. Renewal $100.00, with a $50.00 late fee.

Term. Three years, "renewing on July 1st of every 3rd year." Note the mismatch with journeyman: journeyman renews on a January 1 cycle, master renews on a July 1 cycle, and W.S. 35-9-126(a) writes both dates into the statute. An electrician who upgrades from journeyman to master in Wyoming moves onto a different renewal calendar, six months out of step with the one they were on.

Continuing education. 16 hours, at least 8 of which must be code update content, all with prior Electrical Board approval.

The Wyoming Electrical Exams: ICC Through Pearson VUE

Wyoming's electrical exams are written by the International Code Council and delivered at Pearson VUE test centers. The order of operations matters: the ICC bulletin states that "prior to scheduling a test with this program, you must first make a license application with the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety." The Department approves your experience, notifies ICC of your eligibility, and only then can you schedule. ICC recommends waiting 24 to 48 hours after the approval notice before trying to book.

Every Wyoming exam is open book, four option multiple choice, with no penalty for guessing, and results are available immediately at the test center. Each exam costs $115, paid to Pearson VUE. The Department's rules allow the testing agency to set the exam fee but cap it at $300.00.

A failed exam can be retaken after a 10 day wait. Passing scores come from the Board's rule, 041-5 § 5-3(e): 75 percent for master, 70 percent for journeyman, low voltage and limited technician.

ICC calls exam 253 the low voltage lawn sprinkler and landscape lighting technician exam; the Department's class name for it is LV-LS, lawn sprinkler systems. Allowed references during any Wyoming exam are the National Electrical Code plus Ugly's Electrical Reference, Ferm's Fast Finder Index, the NEC Handbook (the hardcover is allowed as your copy of the code, though the exam is written to the code provisions, not the handbook commentary) and Tom Henry's Key Word Index. As of the August 19, 2025 bulletin every Wyoming outline still cites the 2023 NEC; confirm the edition with the Department before you buy a code book.

Temporary work permits. Under W.S. 35-9-126(c) the Department issues a temporary permit to work as a journeyman, low voltage technician or limited technician to an applicant who has documented the experience to qualify for the exam and paid the fee. The permit lasts no more than 150 days, costs $50.00, and the Department's rules allow only one such permit per person in any three year period. A journeyman who let a Wyoming license expire may receive one 30 day work permit while re-testing.

The Renewal Cliff: 45 Days, Then You Test Again

This is the rule that costs Wyoming electricians their licenses, and it is unusually harsh.

There is a 45 day grace period after expiration. Renew inside it and you pay the renewal fee plus a $50.00 late fee, a figure written into W.S. 35-9-126(b).

Miss it and the Department is blunt: "Any electrician or technician who fails to renew his or her license within forty-five (45) days of expiration must pay all applicable fees and pass the appropriate examination to reinstate his or her license."

Your only route back is the exam. Not a bigger fee, not a hearing, not a reinstatement application. The exam. For a master electrician with 16,000 documented hours, a missed date on a calendar means sitting the master exam again.

The Department's journeyman renewal page spells out the mechanics: a new exam application, the full $100.00 license fee plus testing fees, and you are relicensed under your old license number. For masters and technicians on the July 1 cycle the renewal closes August 15, and the Department notes the rule "applies to reciprocal license holders as well," because a reciprocal license is a one time grant.

Compare that with what Wyoming's cities do to a lapsed plumbing or mechanical license and you get a sense of how differently the two systems treat the same mistake. Cheyenne's Contractor Licensing Regulations (revised March 10, 2026) give a trade license no grace period at all, a license not renewed before expiration must be reapplied for as a new license, but only trigger a re-exam once the license has been expired more than 30 days; Wyoming's electrical ladder gives 45 days of grace and then triggers the same thing. Either way, the calendar is the risk.

Renewal windows. Journeyman: opens October 1, closes January 1. Technician: opens April 1, 90 days before the July 1 expiration, and closes July 1. Master: expires July 1, with the same 45 day grace period closing August 15; the Department's rules say the renewal notice goes out approximately 90 days before expiration. The Department mails that reminder but its rules state it "is not responsible for failure of renewal notice to reach applicant."

Licenses are issued through the ImageTrend eLicense portal and emailed from noreply@imagetrend.com. The Department states it no longer mails licenses, that processing can take up to five business days per step, and that during the June renewal rush the "available for payment" email can take 7 to 10 business days. An application received by midnight on June 30 is on time.

Reciprocity: Which States Wyoming Honors

Wyoming has reciprocal journeyman electrician agreements with seventeen states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Iowa and Utah. Reciprocal master electrician agreements exist with three: Idaho, South Dakota and Iowa. Oregon and Utah applicants must have their board email a license verification letter directly to the Department.

The Department's rule of thumb: "Reciprocation only exempts you from the exam not licensure requirements." To reciprocate you must have earned the original license by examination (70 percent or better for journeyman, 75 percent or better for master), held it at least one year from the exam date, kept it in good standing with no violations, and still meet Wyoming's own hours (8,000 OJT and 576 classroom hours for journeyman; four years and 8,000 hours as a journeyman for master).

The Department verifies hours and exam scores through NERA. You also submit 16 hours of CEUs, 8 of them code related, completed within the last three year period. The reciprocal license fee is $100.00 for journeyman and $200.00 for master.

Three conditions bite:

• You may reciprocate into Wyoming one time. If the reciprocated license lapses, you test.
• Anyone who has taken and failed a Wyoming master or journeyman exam is not eligible for a reciprocal license until they have held their home state license for three years, and must show 16 hours of approved code education.
• Licenses that were "grandfathered in" elsewhere are not eligible.

The statute (W.S. 35-9-126(d)) and the Board's rule (041-5 § 5-5) allow reciprocal low voltage and limited technician licenses in principle, but the Department publishes reciprocal agreements only for journeyman and master, and its contractor licensing page states flatly that "Technician Licensing can only be obtained through examination." In practice, technicians qualify by examination.

Low Voltage and Limited Technician Licenses

These are separate credentials with their own hour requirements and their own exams. Most guides to Wyoming licensing list an outdated or incomplete set, so here is the Department's current list, with the ICC exam that goes with each class. Low voltage work is work under 90 volts; limited technician work is confined to the load side of the equipment disconnect except where noted.

One caution on the hours: the Board's codified rule (041-5 § 5-3(c) and (d)) groups some categories differently from the Department's page. The rule folds communications, sound, television and control into a single LV-CATV class at 2,000 hours over at least one year, lists lawn sprinklers as LV-L at 80 hours over at least two months, pairs signs with light fixtures in an LM-LS class at 1,000 hours over at least six months, and puts every other limited class at 4,000 hours over at least two years. The Department's published list above is what applicants are held to; if your experience sits near a threshold, ask the Department which figure it will apply.

LM-H is worth a second look if you are in the mechanical trades. Wyoming issues no state HVAC license, but it does issue this one, and an HVAC company doing its own equipment wiring in Wyoming may need it plus the contractor license that goes with it. That whole picture is in HVAC license Wyoming.

A Low Voltage Technician is defined by the Department as a person with two years and 4,000 hours of experience in the portion of the wiring industry their license covers, with the technical knowledge to install and supervise installation "in accordance with the National Electrical Code and city, county and state ordinances and regulations." The Limited Technician definition mirrors it. No classroom instruction is required for either.

Technician fees: initial $100.00, renewal $50.00, late fee $50.00. Term is three years, "renewing on July 1st of every 3rd year," with the renewal window opening April 1, 90 days before the July 1 expiration. The apprentice technician license is $20.00 new, $20.00 to renew, $40.00 to reinstate after more than a year expired.

Technicians cannot work independently. The Department states: "Any Technician performing low voltage work in the State of Wyoming shall be employed at all times by a Low voltage/Limited Contractor who carries a current Wyoming Low Voltage/Limited Contractor's license." And W.S. 35-9-123(a)(vii) confines a low voltage contractor to systems under 90 volts.

The Electrical Contractor License, and the Word Wyoming Uses

Here is the gate between a skilled electrician and their own business, and Wyoming states it about as directly as a government agency ever states anything.

The Department's electrical contractor licensing requirement, verbatim:

"Electrical Contractors must actively employ in a full-time capacity a Wyoming licensed master electrician who will serve as the master of record. This individual will assume responsibility to ensure that the NEC, W.S. 35-9-120 through W.S. 35-9-130 and applicable rules of the department are adhered to on all electrical work undertaken by the electrical contractor in the State of Wyoming."

And then, in the next two lines:

"You cannot proceed with a contractors license until you have a Wyoming licensed Master Electrician to be the Master of Record (Qualifier).

A master of record can ONLY be a master of record for one (1) company."

That parenthesis is the state of Wyoming putting the industry's own word into its published licensing requirements. The master of record is the qualifier. Wyoming says so on the page.

The statute behind the page is W.S. 35-9-125(a). The applicant "shall be or actively employ in a full-time capacity a licensed master electrician of record who assumes responsibility to ensure that the National Electrical Code, W.S. 35-9-120 through 35-9-130 and applicable rules of the department are adhered to on all electrical work undertaken by the electrical contractor in the state of Wyoming, and who is not the master electrician of record for, or employed by, any other electrical contractor."

Three things follow from those sentences, and each one shapes how a Wyoming electrical business has to be built:

1. Employment, not affiliation. "Actively employ in a full-time capacity." Not retained, not contracted, not consulted. Employed, actively, full time.
2. One company, full stop. A master of record can back exactly one company, and the statute goes further: the master may not even be employed by any other electrical contractor. There is no volume model here and no way to spread one master across a group of businesses.
3. Real responsibility. The master of record "will assume responsibility to ensure that the NEC, W.S. 35-9-120 through W.S. 35-9-130 and applicable rules of the department are adhered to on all electrical work undertaken by the electrical contractor." That is signed up liability for every job the company touches, and the Department requires the master's signature on the acknowledgment of responsibility form to be notarized.

The same structure applies one tier down. A Low Voltage / Limited Electrical Contractor "must actively employ in a full-time capacity a Wyoming licensed low voltage/limited technician/journeyman electrician /master electrician who will serve as the technician of record," and again: "A technician of record can ONLY be a technician of record for one (1) company and must be Wyoming licensed." W.S. 35-9-125(b) and (c) mirror the master of record language for low voltage and limited contractors, and waive the contractor license fee for a low voltage or limited contractor who employs no technicians or apprentice technicians other than himself.

Wyoming also closes the loop from the worker's side. The Department states it separately for each individual license class, including this one for masters: "Any Master Electrician performing electrical work in the State of Wyoming shall be employed at all times by an Electrical Contractor who carries a current Wyoming Electrical Contractor's license." And it attaches consequences: an electrician who "fails to perform all electrical work while working for a licensed electrical contractor, will be subject to fines or license suspension as stated in Wyoming Statute 35-9-130."

So the relationship is mandatory in both directions. The company cannot hold a license without employing the master. The master cannot work without being employed by a licensed company.

When the master of record leaves

The Board's rule 041-5 § 5-2 answers the question every owner eventually asks. "An electrical contractor who has lost their master of record may have up to but not more than thirty (30) days to register a new master of record." During that gap the contractor "shall submit to the Electrical Safety Division each Monday a list of all licensed employees that worked on projects the previous week in Wyoming," with project assignments, hours, apprentices and the supervisor available to each.

The same 30 day rule applies to a low voltage or limited contractor that loses its technician of record. Thirty days is the whole runway.

Contractor fees and terms

• Electrical Contractor, new and renewal $400.00
• Low Voltage / Limited Electrical Contractor, new and renewal $200.00

Both "will expire on July 1 next following the date of issue," which is the statute's own wording in W.S. 35-9-125. That wording matters: the expiration is a fixed calendar date, not an anniversary, so a contractor license issued in May expires roughly six weeks later, and one issued in August runs nearly eleven months. The Department requires a Master of Record Acknowledgment Form, a Technician of Record Acknowledgment Form and a Personnel of Applicant form as part of the process. Under the Department's rules the contractor renewal must be submitted "no later than the 20th day of the month prior to the expiration of the license," so June 20 for a July 1 expiration, with the notarized acknowledgment of the full time master of record returned during the 90 days before expiration.

All Wyoming electrical fees, terms and classes are set by the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety and the Electrical Board and are subject to change. Effective April 1, 2025, per Wyo. Stat. § 9-4-217(h), a 2.5 percent processing fee applies to credit and debit transactions at checkout, with a $1.00 minimum. Verify current requirements with the Department at (307) 777-7288 before applying.

Who Must Hold a License, and Who Is Exempt

"Do you have to be a licensed electrician?" In Wyoming the default answer is yes. W.S. 35-9-123(a): "Licensed electrical contractors employing licensed master or journeymen electricians, or registered apprentice electricians supervised by a licensed master or journeyman electrician shall install all electrical equipment." The statute then lists the waivers, and each one still has to meet the code:

• A person installing equipment on property that person owns or holds as a tenant, including a partner or a major stockholder of a family corporation, when the property is not for immediate resale
• Oil and gas field operations, railroads, refineries, fertilizer plants, foundries and mines
• Public utilities exercising their utility function
• Cable television, satellite television and telecommunications providers and their contractors, limited to low voltage cable and related services
• Farms and ranches of 40 acres or more on deeded land
• Industrial arts buildings built by a school or community college district under a qualified instructor, with inspection required
• Licensed low voltage contractors within the scope of their license, never above 90 volts, and licensed limited contractors on the load side of the disconnect
• Employees of rural electric cooperatives making or repairing secondary service connections at the utility point of attachment

Subsection (b) closes the door most people try: "Exceptions shall not apply to anyone who contracts or subcontracts to or for any exempt person, partnership or corporation." An exempt ranch may wire its own barn; the contractor it hires may not.

The penalties are in W.S. 35-9-130. A violation is a misdemeanor: for an individual, a fine of up to $500.00, up to six months in jail, license revocation, or all three; for a corporation, a fine of up to $1,000.00, revocation, or both. Working without a license under 35-9-123 also carries a civil penalty of up to $500.00 for a first offense and $1,000.00 for any further offense within three months, each violation a separate offense. And under W.S. 35-9-124(c) the Board may suspend or cancel a license for a "serious violation," defined as one that risks injury or death or property damage over $2,500.00, or a "repeated violation," one within two years of a documented prior.

What If You're Ready to Run a Shop but Don't Hold the Master License?

This is the most common position in the trade, and Wyoming's arithmetic explains why. The master credential sits at eight years and 16,000 hours, four of those years as a licensed journeyman, plus 576 classroom hours. Plenty of capable operators are ready to bid work, run crews and carry payroll years before they personally clear that bar. Plenty of others own a company where the owner was never the electrician.

The established answer is a qualifying agent: a licensed master electrician who joins your company as the master of record so the business can hold its contractor license legally.

What makes it compliant is exactly what Wyoming already requires. The master of record is a genuine W-2, full time employee with real responsibility for the electrical work performed under the license, which is precisely what "actively employ in a full-time capacity" and "will assume responsibility" describe. Wyoming's one company rule means the arrangement structurally has to be a real job: a master of record backs one company, may not be employed by any other electrical contractor, signs a notarized acknowledgment of responsibility, and actually supervises the work.

A qualifying agent qualifies the company. That is the whole model, and it is the model Wyoming wrote into W.S. 35-9-125.

Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski built The Licensing Company around that exact structure, placing licensed master electricians as full time W-2 qualifying agents in the states that require one, and Wyoming writes that requirement into statute in plain words. The role is explained in full in what is a qualifying agent, with the national picture in how to get an electrical contractor license and the practical route in how to hire a qualifying agent.

Costs and Timeline

The state fees are modest:

• Apprentice electrician, $20.00 new, $20.00 renewal, $40.00 reinstatement after more than one year expired
• Journeyman, $100.00 initial, $50.00 renewal
• Master, $200.00 initial, $100.00 renewal
• Technician, $100.00 initial, $50.00 renewal
• Electrical Contractor, $400.00 new and renewal
• Low Voltage / Limited Contractor, $200.00 new and renewal
• Late fee on any electrician or technician renewal, $50.00
• Exam fee, $115 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE
• Temporary work permit, $50.00
• Reciprocal license, $100.00 journeyman, $200.00 master
• State electrical wiring permit, $50.00 ($40.00 for a 90 day temporary permit), outside cities and counties that run their own inspections

Add continuing education at 16 hours per three year cycle, the 2.5 percent card processing fee on every portal payment, and liability insurance for the business.

The real investment is time:

• Journeyman, four years and 8,000 hours, plus 576 classroom hours, or the 10 year, 20,000 hour route with Chief Electrical Inspector approval
• Master, eight years and 16,000 hours total, four of them as a licensed journeyman

What it costs to bring on a qualifying agent as your master of record depends on your situation: scope of work, risk profile, how many licenses need holding, where you operate, and how fast you need to be pulling permits. There is no single published number that would be accurate for more than a few companies, so we scope it individually. Walk through your specifics on our consultation packages page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "certified electrician" mean in Wyoming? Wyoming does not certify electricians; it licenses them. The credential is a journeyman or master electrician license issued by the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety in the State Fire Marshal's Office, earned by documented hours and an ICC exam. A "certified" electrician in Wyoming is a state licensed one, and you can verify any license through the Department's public portal.

Does Wyoming have a statewide electrician license? Yes. Apprentice, journeyman, master, low voltage, limited technician and contractor licenses are all issued statewide by the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety under the State Fire Marshal's Office, under W.S. 35-9-120 through 35-9-130. This makes electrical the exception among Wyoming trades, since plumbing and HVAC are licensed only by cities.

What is the Wyoming fire marshal electrical license? It is the same license. The State Fire Marshal's Office houses the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety, whose chief electrical inspector issues every electrical license in the state through the Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Public Portal.

Which NEC edition does Wyoming use in 2026? The Department's adopted code list names the 2026 National Electrical Code; the transition from the 2023 edition ran to July 1, 2026. Wyoming adopts the NEC without modification and bases license examinations on the current edition, but the August 2025 ICC bulletin still references the 2023 NEC for each exam outline, so confirm with the Department which edition applies to your specific exam or CE credits.

What are the Wyoming journeyman electrician license requirements and application process? Four years and 8,000 hours across residential, commercial and industrial work plus 576 hours of approved classroom instruction (or 10 years and 20,000 hours with the Chief Electrical Inspector's approval). Apply through the Department's portal with notarized work verification and transcripts, pass ICC exam 385 at Pearson VUE (80 questions, 4 hours, 70 percent, $115), upload the pass letter and pay the $100.00 license fee.

How long does it take to become a master electrician in Wyoming? Eight years and 16,000 hours of electrical wiring industry experience, of which four years and 8,000 hours must be documented as a licensed journeyman, plus 576 hours of classroom instruction. Then ICC exam 701 (100 questions, 5 hours, 75 percent) and a $200.00 license fee.

How do I get a Wyoming low voltage license? Pick the class that matches your work (LV-G, LV-A, LV-C, LV-S, LV-T, LV-X or LV-LS), document the hours for that class (80 to 4,000), apply to the Department, pass the class exam at Pearson VUE with 70 percent, and pay the $100.00 technician fee. You must then work for a licensed Wyoming low voltage or limited contractor at all times.

Do you have to be a licensed electrician to do electrical work in Wyoming? Yes, unless you fall inside a statutory exemption in W.S. 35-9-123: your own property not for immediate resale, farms and ranches of 40 acres or more, oil and gas operations, utilities, and a few others. Anyone who contracts to do the work for an exempt owner loses the exemption. Unlicensed work is a misdemeanor with fines up to $500.00 for an individual and a civil penalty of up to $500.00 per first offense.

How often do Wyoming electrician licenses renew? Every three years. Journeyman licenses renew on a January 1 cycle; master and technician licenses renew on a July 1 cycle. Contractor licenses expire on July 1 next following the date of issue and are renewed yearly. Apprentice registrations renew every year.

What happens if my Wyoming electrician license expires? You have a 45 day grace period with a $50.00 late fee. Past 45 days, the Department requires you to pay all applicable fees and pass the appropriate examination again to reinstate. There is no other route back, and a reciprocal license holder cannot reciprocate a second time.

How much continuing education does Wyoming require? 16 hours of Board approved update education per three year cycle for journeyman and master licenses, of which at least 8 hours must specifically cover the National Electrical Code. Courses need prior Electrical Board approval and the hours must be earned between issuance and expiration.

Does Wyoming have electrician license reciprocity? Yes, for journeyman licenses with seventeen states and for master licenses with Idaho, South Dakota and Iowa. You must have passed the other state's exam, held the license a year in good standing, and still meet Wyoming's hours. Reciprocity waives the exam only and is granted one time.

Can I open an electrical business in Wyoming without a master license? Not on your own credential. Wyoming states you "cannot proceed with a contractors license" until a Wyoming licensed master electrician serves as the company's master of record, and that person must be actively employed full time and can back only one company. If you do not hold a master license yet, employing a qualifying agent as a full time W-2 master of record is the legitimate route. See how to hire a qualifying agent.

What is a master of record in Wyoming? It is the licensed master electrician a company must employ full time for the business to hold an electrical contractor license under W.S. 35-9-125. Wyoming's own licensing page calls this person the "Master of Record (Qualifier)" and states the individual assumes responsibility for NEC and statutory compliance on all electrical work the contractor performs. If that person leaves, the company has 30 days to register a replacement.

What is the difference between a journeyman and a master electrician? A journeyman performs electrical work for a licensed contractor; a master holds the senior credential, earned after four more years as a journeyman, and can serve as the master of record that lets a company hold its contractor license. We cover the distinction in detail in journeyman vs master electrician.

Wyoming Electrical vs the Other Trades in the State

Wyoming runs one clean statewide electrical ladder while leaving plumbing and HVAC entirely to its cities, and the state's own page puts the word in brackets after the title: Master of Record (Qualifier). The other two trades in this state work nothing like this one. See plumbing license Wyoming and HVAC license Wyoming for the municipal systems that govern them, and how all three sets of rules converge on the same full time employment requirement. For general contracting, which Wyoming also leaves to its cities and counties, see the Wyoming contractor license page, and for how Wyoming's electrical rule compares with the qualifier rules in every other state, see contractor license and our states overview.

Sources

• Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety, Electrical Licensing (license classes, hours, fees, apprentice years, technician classes, master of record and technician of record requirements, renewal and grace period, reciprocity): Wyoming State Fire Marshal Electrical Licensing (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Electrical Safety home page (adopted codes, address, forms): Wyoming State Fire Marshal Electrical Safety (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Rules, Statutes and Jurisdictions: Wyoming State Fire Marshal Rules, Statutes and Jurisdictions (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office, Wiring Permits: Wyoming State Fire Marshal Wiring Permits (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Wyoming Statutes, Title 35, Chapter 9, Article 1 (Department of Fire Prevention), Divisions 2 and 3, W.S. 35-9-120 through 35-9-130 (Wyoming Legislature): Wyoming Statutes, Title 35 (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Electrical Board Rules, 041-5 Wyo. Code R. Chapter 5, Electrical Licensing, § 5-2 (contractors): 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-2 (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Electrical Board Rules, 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-3 (master, journeyman, low voltage and limited technicians): 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-3 (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Electrical Board Rules, 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-5 (reciprocal licensing): 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-5 (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Electrical Board Rules, 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-6 (apprentice electricians and training programs): 041-5 Wyo. Code R. § 5-6 (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• Rules of the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety, Chapter VI, Electrical Licensing (renewal, temporary work permits, apprentice registration, fee schedule), linked from the Department's rules page: Wyoming State Fire Marshal Rules, Statutes and Jurisdictions (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• International Code Council, Wyoming Electrical Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, published August 19, 2025 (exam numbers, question counts, time limits, fee, references, scheduling): ICC Wyoming Electrical Examination Information Bulletin (retrieved 2026-09-24)
• City of Cheyenne, Contractor Licensing Regulations, Rev. 03/10/2026, sections 4.2 and 4.2.1 (municipal comparison): City of Cheyenne Contractor Licensing Regulations (retrieved 2026-09-24)

Talk to The Licensing Company

If you are ready to run a Wyoming electrical contracting business before you personally hold the master credential, The Licensing Company places licensed master electricians as full time W-2 qualifying agents so your company can hold its license and operate legally, structured to satisfy Wyoming's one company master of record rule and the 30 day replacement clock. Call 615-219-2110 to talk through your situation, or start at how to hire a qualifying agent. Compare requirements on our states overview, or map out your specifics through our consultation packages.

This guide covers the Wyoming electrician licensing process. It is not exam preparation. For official application steps, current fees and the current code edition, work directly with the Wyoming Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety.

Last reviewed September 24, 2026.