Electrician License Requirements in Montana
- Training hours
- 8000 hrs
- Upfront cost
- $265
- Exam
- Journeyman Electrician Examination
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- Issuing board
- Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division)
How to get licensed
- 1
Meet the prerequisites
Pass a criminal background check. No minimum age is published in the Board's Journeyman Electrician Checklist. Applicants must disclose disciplinary actions against any professional license and any criminal convictions as part of the personal history questions on the application, with supporting documentation required if applicable. [1]
- 2
Complete approved training
Complete 8000 hours of training. 8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience in wiring, installing, and repairing electrical apparatus and equipment, OR completion of an approved inside-wireman apprenticeship program (or a bona fide union/trade-association training program), OR 20,000 hours in the electrical maintenance field (minimum 8,000 of which must be practical experience) with written employer certification. Confirmed in the Board's Journeyman Electrician Checklist (Rev. 07/22/2024), citing 37-68-305, MCA. [1]
- 3
Journeyman Electrician Examination
Pass the Journeyman Electrician Examination (fee: $75). 60 questions, open-book (2020 NEC edition + Montana Building Codes Amendments only), 180 minutes, 75% correct required to pass; computer-administered Exam fee confirmed directly from PSI's Montana State Electrical Board Electrician Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 6/21/2022): $75.00 for Journeyman Electrician, non-refundable/non-transferable, valid 1 year from payment date. [2]
- 4
Submit your application
Submit your application to Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) with the $190 application fee. [3]
- 5
Receive your license
Once your application is approved, Montana State Electrical Board (Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division) issues your Journeyman Electrician License for Montana.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee [3] | $190 |
| License fee [3] | None specified |
| Renewal fee [3] | $200 |
| Journeyman Electrician Examination [2] | $75 |
| Temporary work permit for exam candidates [3] | $50 |
| Late renewal penalty (postmarked after July 15) [3] | $200 |
| Lapsed license (unrenewed 1+ year) — retake exam and pay original-license fee [3] | $240 |
Application fee ($190, per the Board's official Journeyman Electrician Checklist, Rev. 07/22/2024) is submitted with the application regardless of exam-required or substantial-equivalency path; a separate line-item 'license issuance' fee beyond the application fee was not found in the Board's checklist. The $75 exam fee is paid separately to PSI (see exams[]). Renewal fee confirmed as $200.00 directly from the Board's official Renewal Application form (payable to the State Electrical Board); a late renewal postmarked after July 15 adds a $200 penalty (total $400).
Renewal & continuing education
Renew every 2 years. 8 continuing education hours required per cycle.
All Montana electrician and electrical contractor licenses expire July 15 of even-numbered years (a fixed biennial cycle, not an anniversary-date cycle). Per the Board's official Renewal Application form, the CE requirement is tiered by original licensure date: 16 hours (at least 8 code-related) for licenses originally issued before July 15, 2015; 8 hours (at least 4 code-related) for licenses originally issued after July 15, 2015 — 8 hours is therefore the current standard for newly-licensed journeymen. Licensees who completed an apprenticeship program and were licensed after July 15, 2014 are exempt from CE for that first renewal only (not exempt on upgrade to a higher license level).
Reciprocity
Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.
Montana uses a Substantial Equivalency (SE) review rather than a fixed list of reciprocal states: an applicant with an active, unrestricted, in-good-standing license from ANY other state qualifies for SE review if that state required passage of an electrical exam AND one of (approved apprenticeship completion, a bona fide union/trade-association training program, 8,000 hours of practical experience, or 20,000 hours in electrical maintenance with 8,000 practical). SE-qualified applicants pay the $190 application fee without retaking Montana's exam; non-SE applicants must take Montana's exam. The Board also accepts continuing education completed in any reciprocal state. No multistate electrician licensure compact exists for this occupation, so compacts is empty.
1 state-approved training provider in Montana — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.
Cost calculator
- $190
- $75
Frequently asked questions
How much experience do I need before I can get a journeyman electrician license?
8,000 hours of legally obtained practical electrical experience, or completion of an approved apprenticeship/union training program, or 20,000 hours in the electrical maintenance field (with at least 8,000 hours practical) certified by your employer.
Who administers the journeyman exam and what does it cost?
PSI Services LLC, under Board contract. The exam fee is $75, separate from the Board's $190 application fee. The exam is 60 open-book questions in 180 minutes, requiring 75% correct to pass, based on the 2020 NEC and Montana Building Codes Amendments.
If I'm already licensed as an electrician in another state, do I have to retake Montana's exam?
Not necessarily. Montana reviews out-of-state licenses for Substantial Equivalency (SE) — if your license is active, unrestricted, in good standing, and your state required an exam plus qualifying training/experience, you can apply without retaking Montana's exam.
How often do I need to renew my journeyman license, and is continuing education required?
All Montana electrician licenses expire July 15 of even-numbered years (a 2-year cycle) for a $200 renewal fee. Continuing education is required and is tiered by original licensure date: 8 hours (at least 4 code-related) for licenses issued after July 15, 2015 — the current standard for newly-licensed journeymen — or 16 hours (at least 8 code-related) for licenses issued before that date.
Can I work while I'm waiting to take the exam?
Yes — a temporary practice permit ($50 fee, in addition to the application fee) lets an applicant work under a licensed electrical contractor for up to 90 days or until exam results are received, provided the applicant hasn't failed the exam with a score of 65% or lower.
Sources
- [1] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/ele/ej-app-checklist.pdf — accessed 2026-07-11
- [2] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/electrical/license-information/exam-information — accessed 2026-07-11
- [3] boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/Portals/133/Documents/ele/electrician_renewal_new1_fillable_email.pdf — accessed 2026-07-11