Electrician License Requirements in Ohio
- Training hours
- —
- Upfront cost
- $75
- Exam
- OCILB Electrical Contractor Examination
- Renewal cycle
- —
- Issuing board
- No statewide journeyman licensing authority — contact your local city/county building department for journeyman licensing. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce, separately licenses commercial Electrical Contractors statewide (a business/qualifier-level license, not a journeyman credential)
How to get licensed
- 1
Meet the prerequisites
Be at least 18 years old, pass a criminal background check. Applicants for the OCILB Electrical Contractor license must be at least 18, be a U.S. citizen or legal alien, and never have been convicted of a disqualifying offense (per Ohio's occupational-license restriction reform, S.B./H.B. 263). After Board approval (valid 1 year), applicants must complete both a state (BCI) and federal (FBI) background check before sitting for the exam. [2]
- 2
Complete approved training
Complete the required training. Ohio has no statewide hour requirement for journeyman electricians because there is no statewide journeyman license; local jurisdictions set their own journeyman requirements. The only statewide electrical credential, the OCILB Electrical Contractor License, requires the applicant to have been a tradesperson in the electrical trade for at least 5 years immediately before applying (alternatively: a registered PE with 3 years of relevant construction-industry business experience, or 5 years as an Ohio government trade inspector) — evidenced by 5 years of tax records plus one of: annual permits pulled under a licensed contractor, an active Journeyman's card (implying journeyman cards themselves are issued locally, not by OCILB), a state/DOL-approved apprenticeship completion certificate, or 40 hours of live/virtual (not self-paced) code CE. Note: com.ohio.gov blocks plain automated HTTP requests (returns 404 to non-browser fetches, similar to other Incapsula-style bot-defended state sites); this page was verified via a browser-emulating fetch of the live current page on the accessedDate below, not an archived snapshot. [1]
- 3
OCILB Electrical Contractor Examination
Pass the OCILB Electrical Contractor Examination (fee: $25). This is the exam for the statewide Electrical Contractor license (business/qualifier level), not a journeyman exam — Ohio has no statewide journeyman exam. The $25 fee is the application fee to sit for the exam (check payable to 'Treasurer, State of Ohio'); a further $25 is due upon passing to receive the license (see fees.value.license). Approved candidates receive a PSI Candidate Information Bulletin and test via computer-based testing at PSI sites. [2]
- 4
Submit your application
Submit your application to No statewide journeyman licensing authority — contact your local city/county building department for journeyman licensing. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce, separately licenses commercial Electrical Contractors statewide (a business/qualifier-level license, not a journeyman credential) with the $25 application fee. [1]
- 5
Receive your license
Once your application is approved, No statewide journeyman licensing authority — contact your local city/county building department for journeyman licensing. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce, separately licenses commercial Electrical Contractors statewide (a business/qualifier-level license, not a journeyman credential) issues your No statewide journeyman electrician license — journeyman electricians are licensed locally by city/county building departments for Ohio.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee [1] | $25 |
| License fee [1] | $25 |
| Renewal fee [1] | None specified |
| OCILB Electrical Contractor Examination [2] | $25 |
| Inactive (escrow) status annual fee [1] | $60 |
$25 application fee to sit for the Electrical Contractor exam, plus a further $25 due on passing (along with proof of $500,000 contractor liability insurance) to receive the license. No dollar figure for the standard active-license renewal fee was found on OCILB's own page; the only renewal-adjacent figure published there is the $60/year fee to keep a license in inactive (escrow) status. Third-party sites cite renewal figures in the $50-$150 range but disagree with each other and are not official sources, so renewal is left null rather than guessed. Note: com.ohio.gov blocks plain automated fetches (404s); verified via browser-emulating fetch of the live page.
Renewal & continuing education
Renewal cycle not specified. 24 continuing education hours required per cycle.
OCILB licensees can choose either a 1-year or a 3-year renewal cycle (the official page describes CE limits for both 'one-year renewals' and 'three-year renewals'), so cycleYears is left null rather than picking one. CE requirement is 8 hours per year for 1-year renewals or 24 hours per 3-year cycle (the figure recorded here), with the Electrical trade required to have at least half of those hours in code courses. Online/self-guided CE is capped (4 hrs/year on a 1-year cycle, 12 hrs total on a 3-year cycle). Note: com.ohio.gov blocks plain automated fetches (404s); verified via browser-emulating fetch of the live page.
Reciprocity
Endorsement/reciprocity from another state is available.
For the Electrical trade specifically, Ohio's OCILB offers reciprocity (to applicants who tested in the other state; bilateral agreements, not a compact-commission compact, so compacts is left []) with: Kentucky, Louisiana (Business & Law exam also required), Mississippi (B&L required), North Carolina, South Carolina (B&L required), Tennessee (B&L required; Tennessee also accepts Ohio-grandfathered licensees), West Virginia, Virginia, and Texas ('coming soon' per the Board's page). This reciprocity is for the statewide Electrical Contractor license only — there is no statewide journeyman credential to reciprocate into. Note: com.ohio.gov blocks plain automated fetches (404s); verified via browser-emulating fetch of the live page.
11 state-approved training providers in Ohio — browse programs and compare schools on tradecolleges.org.
Cost calculator
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Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio have a statewide journeyman electrician license?
No. Ohio's only statewide electrical credential is the OCILB Electrical Contractor license, which is a commercial contractor/business-qualifier license, not a journeyman license. Journeyman electricians are licensed at the city or county level, and local building departments may also require the OCILB contractor license for residential work performed by a business.
What does it take to get the statewide Electrical Contractor license?
At least 18 years old, U.S. citizen or legal alien, at least 5 years as a tradesperson in the trade (or 3 years as an Ohio PE with relevant experience, or 5 years as a government trade inspector), no disqualifying criminal conviction, a passing exam score, and $500,000 in contractor liability insurance.
Is a background check required?
Yes. After the Board approves an application (valid for 1 year), the applicant must complete both a state (BCI) and federal (FBI) background check before being allowed to sit for the exam.
How much does the Electrical Contractor exam and license cost?
A $25 application fee to sit for the exam, plus a further $25 due upon passing to receive the license, along with proof of $500,000 liability insurance.
Does Ohio have reciprocity for the Electrical trade?
Yes, with Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, and (coming soon) Texas — some require passing Ohio's Business & Law exam in addition to holding the out-of-state license.