Electrician License Requirements in Colorado
- Training hours
- 8000 hrs
- Upfront cost
- $198
- Exam
- Journeyman Wireman Examination
- Renewal cycle
- Every 3 years
- Issuing board
- Colorado State Electrical Board — Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO), Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA)
How to get licensed
- 1
Meet the prerequisites
Pass a criminal background check. Neither the Board's rules (3 CCR 710-1) nor the Applications page state a minimum age for licensure; the requirement is experience- and education-based (8,000 qualifying hours over 4+ years, including 2,000 commercial/industrial hours, plus 288 hours of classroom electrical education). All original and reinstatement applications require answering character/criminal-history screening questions (a 5-year lookback covering arrests, discipline, license loss, and related conduct) with supporting documentation where applicable, and a separate Felony Conviction Form is available for applicants who need to disclose a conviction; this is a self-disclosure character review, not a fingerprint-based background check. Under Colorado's Ex-Offenders Practice in Regulated Occupations law (HB24-1004), a conviction may generally only be considered for a 3-year window from conviction or release, absent additional convictions. [1]
- 2
Complete approved training
Complete 8000 hours of training at a state-approved program. 8,000 hours of electrical construction wiring experience earned in no less than 4 years, of which 2,000 hours must be in commercial and/or industrial work; practical experience must be documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form, completed by the supervising electrical contractor. ALL journeyman applicants must also complete 288 hours of classroom electrical education (documented with a transcript or similar statement) — the Board's rules state there is no grandfathering of any apprentice registration around this requirement. Colorado's entry tier is Electrical Apprentice registration (which requires 288 hours of documented training during the last 4 years of apprenticeship for those who registered on/after Jan 1 2011); the tier above Journeyman is Master Electrician (10,000 hours/5 years, or shorter combinations with a relevant degree or trade-school credential, plus supervisory/planning hours). A Journeyman Electrician cannot be the signatory 'responsible party' for an electrical contracting business — that role requires a Master Electrician tied to a registered Electrical Contractor business. [1]
- 3
Journeyman Wireman Examination
Pass the Journeyman Wireman Examination (fee: $78). Computer-based, open-book exam; 90 scored items plus up to 7 non-scored pretest items; 240 minutes for the scored portion plus 30 minutes for the non-scored items. Content areas include General Electrical Knowledge, Services/Feeders/Branch Circuits, Grounding and Bonding, Overcurrent Protection, Conductors and Cables, Raceways and Boxes, Special Equipment, Electrical Devices, and Electrical Calculations. The current-edition NEC code book and a Formula Page are provided at the test center (no personal references or calculators beyond the on-screen calculator are permitted); scored using a compensatory model with 70% (63 of 90 items) required to pass. Retest fee is $73; exam fees are non-refundable, non-transferable, and valid for one year from payment. Exam content referenced the 2023 NEC through 7/31/2026; effective 8/1/2026 the exam switches to the 2026 NEC edition. [2]
- 4
Submit your application
Submit your application to Colorado State Electrical Board — Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO), Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). [3]
- 5
Receive your license
Once your application is approved, Colorado State Electrical Board — Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO), Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) issues your Journeyman Electrician License for Colorado.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee [3] | None specified |
| License fee [3] | $120 |
| Renewal fee [3] | None specified |
| Journeyman Wireman Examination [2] | $78 |
| Residential Wireman original/endorsement application [3] | $100 |
| Master Electrician original/endorsement application [3] | $140 |
application is null: Colorado charges no separate Board fee merely to qualify/register for the exam — candidates document experience on a free Affidavit of Experience form, then pay PSI directly ($78) to test. license ($120) is the Board's 'Original Application' fee paid after passing the exam to be issued the Journeyman Electrician license (the same $120 fee also applies to the Endorsement/Reciprocity application pathway for the Journeyman tier). renewal is null: DORA does not publish the renewal fee on a public page — it is shown only inside the login-gated DPO Online Services portal at the time of renewal.
Renewal & continuing education
Renew every 3 years. 24 continuing education hours required per cycle.
All Electrician Licenses (Residential Wireman, Journeyman, and Master) and Electrical Contractor Registrations expire on September 30 every 3 years. Active licensees must complete at least 24 hours of continuing education during each 3-year license period from a Board-attested CE provider; electricians who received their initial license by examination during the current period are not required to complete CE until their first renewal. Renewals open approximately 4-5 weeks before the expiration date.
Reciprocity
Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.
Colorado offers two out-of-state pathways for Journeyman Electrician, both without a written exam: (1) Endorsement — any active, unrestricted out-of-state license gained by testing on the National Electrical Code currently in use in Colorado can be endorsed, supported by a Verification of Licensure form from the issuing state board; (2) Reciprocity via the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) — Colorado has journeyman reciprocal agreements with Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, requiring the applicant to have held a current, active, good-standing Journeyman or Master certificate gained via a state-administered exam for at least 1 year in the licensing state. compacts is left empty because NERA is a set of board-to-board reciprocal agreements administered directly by the state boards, not a formal interstate compact with its own compact-commission member registry (unlike e.g. the Nurse Licensure Compact).
3 state-approved training providers in Colorado — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.
Cost calculator
- $120
- $78
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of experience does Colorado require for a Journeyman Electrician license?
8,000 hours of electrical construction experience earned in no less than 4 years, including 2,000 hours of commercial and/or industrial work, plus 288 hours of classroom electrical education (required for all applicants, with no grandfathering).
Who administers Colorado's Journeyman Wireman exam, and what does it cost?
PSI Services LLC, under contract with the Colorado State Electrical Board. The exam fee is $78 ($73 to retest); it's a 90-scored-item, 240-minute, open-book computer exam requiring a 70% passing score.
How much does the Colorado Journeyman Electrician license itself cost, beyond the exam?
$120 for the Board's Original Application (filed after you pass the exam) or for the Endorsement/Reciprocity application. Colorado does not publish the renewal fee publicly — it appears in the online portal at renewal time.
Does Colorado have reciprocity for electricians licensed in other states?
Yes, two ways: Endorsement (any active out-of-state license tested on the current NEC) or Reciprocity through the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) with Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Both avoid a written retest if the license was originally earned by exam.
How often do Colorado electricians renew, and is continuing education required?
Every 3 years (all Colorado electrician licenses expire September 30). Active licensees must complete 24 hours of continuing education per 3-year cycle, except that electricians who were initially licensed by exam during the current period don't need CE until their first renewal.
Sources
- [1] dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical/Applications — accessed 2026-07-11
- [2] test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/3399 — accessed 2026-07-11
- [3] drive.google.com/file/d/1P-s0scsFrg8RYFcrtW59RHyfp1Delg7e/view — accessed 2026-07-11
- [4] dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical — accessed 2026-07-11