StateLicensed

Electrician License Requirements in Iowa

Verified · July 2026
Training hours
8000 hrs
Upfront cost
$75
Exam
Iowa Class A Journeyman Electrician Examination
Renewal cycle
Every 3 years
Issuing board
Iowa Electrical Examining Board (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - DIAL)

How to get licensed

  1. 1

    Meet the prerequisites

    Pass a criminal background check. Iowa Admin. Code 661-502.2(6) requires that the applicant 'is not disqualified from holding a license' under rule 661-502.4(103), and rule 661-502.8(272C) requires applicants to disclose all criminal convictions on the license application (with a personal statement on relevance to the profession) and requires U.S. citizenship or verified lawful presence via the SAVE system; a 'yes' to any conviction question requires submission of the complete criminal record. No specific minimum age was confirmed on an official page during this research (widely cited third-party figure is 18, alongside a high school diploma/GED, but that could not be verified against the codified rule), so minAge is recorded as null. [4]

  2. 2

    Complete approved training

    Complete 8000 hours of training at a state-approved program. Per Iowa Admin. Code 661-502.2(6)(a), a Class A Journeyman license requires successful completion of a registered apprenticeship program, a passing exam score of 75 or higher, and four years of experience as an apprentice electrician. The Board's own 'State of Iowa Testing Sponsorship Requirements' bulletin quantifies the standard DOL-registered apprenticeship pathway as at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training plus at least 576 hours of classroom training. Alternate qualifying pathways exist for those without a completed apprenticeship (e.g. a Board-Approved Post-Secondary Electrical Program plus 6,000 OJT hours, or documented pre-1998 journeyman experience) -- see 661-502.2(6)(b)-(f) for the full list. [1]

  3. 3

    Iowa Class A Journeyman Electrician Examination

    Pass the Iowa Class A Journeyman Electrician Examination. Supervised written examination administered by PSI after Board sponsorship approval Iowa Admin. Code 661-502.2(6)(a) sets the current passing score at 75 or higher (the Board's own testing-sponsorship bulletin cites a 70% threshold in its general summary, so both figures are noted here; the codified rule is treated as authoritative per the source hierarchy). PSI's exam fee is not published on an official Iowa state page -- candidates register and pay directly through psiexams.com or by calling PSI at 1-855-746-8173 -- so fee is recorded as null rather than the ~$87 figure reported by third-party licensing sites. [1]

  4. 4

    Submit your application

    Submit your application to Iowa Electrical Examining Board (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - DIAL). [2]

  5. 5

    Receive your license

    Once your application is approved, Iowa Electrical Examining Board (Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing - DIAL) issues your Class A Journeyman Electrician License for Iowa.

Fees

Fee Amount
Application fee [2] None specified
License fee [2] $75
Renewal fee [2] $75
Iowa Class A Journeyman Electrician Examination [1] None specified

The Board's official 2026-2028 License Fees schedule lists the Class A Journeyman (or Residential Electrician / Special Electrician) full 3-year license fee as $75.00 if applied for in January of the cycle's first year, prorating down for later months/years (e.g. $9.96 in July 2026, $52.08 in December 2028). Renewal for the following full 3-year cycle is the same $75 base rate. The schedule does not separately break out an 'application' fee distinct from the license fee, so application is recorded as null.

Renewal & continuing education

Renew every 3 years.

Class A Journeyman licenses are issued/renewed on a 3-year cycle (the current fee schedule covers the 2026-2028 cycle, with renewal for the next cycle beginning Oct. 1 of the prior year). DIAL's electrical licensing page references continuing-education forms but the specific hour requirement was not confirmed on an official static page during this research, so ceHours is recorded as null; consult the Board's CE requirements page directly at renewal time.

Reciprocity

Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.

The Board's own 'Reciprocal Licensing Agreements with Other States' bulletin (dated 1/29/2026) lists journeyman-level reciprocity with: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The applicant must have passed an approved state-sponsored exam with a 70%+ score, held the qualifying license at least 1 year without lapse/suspension/revocation, and not have previously failed the Iowa exam. Separately, 661-502.2(6)(c) allows any current out-of-state electrician license holder to qualify for the Iowa exam after 18 hours of Board-approved continuing education and 1,000 hours of work in Iowa as an unclassified person, even without a named reciprocal state. This is a state-by-state endorsement framework, not a formal multi-state compact, so compacts is recorded as an empty array.

8 state-approved training providers in Iowa — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.

Cost calculator

  • $75
Total$75

Frequently asked questions

How many hours does Iowa require for a Class A Journeyman electrician license?

The standard DOL-registered apprenticeship pathway requires at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 576 hours of classroom training over a 4-year apprenticeship, followed by a passing exam score of 75 or higher.

Who administers the Iowa Journeyman electrician exam?

PSI Services, after the Iowa Electrical Examining Board issues a Sponsorship Approval Letter with a registration code for the exam.

How much does an Iowa Class A Journeyman license cost?

The Board's fee schedule sets a full 3-year license fee of $75, prorated down depending on the month and year in which you apply within the current licensing cycle.

Does Iowa have reciprocity with other states for electricians?

Yes. Iowa has journeyman-level reciprocal agreements with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, provided the applicant passed a state-sponsored exam with 70%+ and has held the license at least a year without lapse.

What if my state isn't on Iowa's reciprocity list?

You can still qualify to sit for the Iowa exam by holding a current out-of-state electrician license, completing 18 hours of Board-approved continuing education, and completing 1,000 hours of work in Iowa as an unclassified person.

Sources

  1. [1] dial.iowa.gov/media/7482/download — accessed 2026-07-11
  2. [2] dial.iowa.gov/media/7431/download — accessed 2026-07-11
  3. [3] dial.iowa.gov/licenses/building/electrical-licensing — accessed 2026-07-11
  4. [4] legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/rule/07-18-2018.661.502.2.pdf — accessed 2026-07-11
  5. [5] dial.iowa.gov/media/7486/download — accessed 2026-07-11