To work as an electrician in Louisiana, you may need a license from the city or parish where you work. Louisiana doesn't issue a statewide license to individual electricians, and only some cities and parishes license them.
If you work for an electrical contractor licensed by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC), a city or parish can't require its own exam or certification for you to work for that contractor.
1
Step 1, Start here
Start as an apprentice
An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. Louisiana has 19 registered electrician apprenticeship programs. The median wage is $16.12 an hour at the start and $28.00 an hour at the end.
Find the office that licenses electricians where you will work
Only some cities and parishes license electricians, and each one sets its own rules. Ask the building department in the city or parish where you will work.
3
Step 3,
Check what that license requires
Each office sets the experience you need and the exam you must pass.
Class "E" Electrician Trainee License
City of New Orleans
The City of New Orleans, Department of Safety and Permits issues the Class "E" Electrician Trainee License.
How to apply: “Apply online through the city's One Stop App; after review you are given an appointment to finish the license in person.”
The Class "E" Electrician Trainee License costs $30.
You renew the Class "E" Electrician Trainee License every year. The renewal costs $30.
The official wording of the requirement
Class "E" Electrician Trainee License (City of New Orleans)“You need a signed letter, on company letterhead, from a current Class A master electrical license holder or your local union representative, addressed to the city's Trade License Division, stating that you work under them as a Class E helper or trainee. You must be 18 or older.”
Class "D" Journeyman Electrical License
City of New Orleans
The City of New Orleans, Department of Safety and Permits issues the Class "D" Journeyman Electrical License.
What this license lets you do: “You must be employed by, and work under the supervision of, a Class A electrical contractor. Only Class A masters can pull permits.”
How to apply: “Apply online through the city's One Stop App with your official ICC score report and the Journeyman Acknowledgement form; after review you are given an appointment to finish the license in person.”
The Class "D" Journeyman Electrical License costs $60.
You must pass the exam named "ICC F17 - National Standard Journeyman Electrician".
You renew the Class "D" Journeyman Electrical License every year. The renewal costs $60.
4
Step 4,
Apply to that office
Apply to the office that issues the license, and pay its fees when you apply.
To run an electrical business
These are the licenses for running an electrical business.
Class "A" Master Electrical License (City of New Orleans)
The City of New Orleans, Department of Safety and Permits issues the Class "A" Master Electrical License.
What this license lets you do: “Only one Class A license holder is allowed per company, and only Class A masters can pull permits in New Orleans.”
The Class "A" Master Electrical License costs $125.
You must pass the ICC F49 - Electrical Contractor, or the LSLBC Electrical (statewide) examination.
The renewal for the Class "A" Master Electrical License depends on who holds it.
Every year
$125For Active license.
Every year
$30For Inactive license.
Electrical (major classification 5)
What this license lets you do: “Your company needs this classification to bid or do electrical work on any residential, commercial or other project worth $10,000 or more, counting labor and materials. Low-voltage work that penetrates walls, ceilings, floors or the building envelope counts as electrical work.”
How to apply: “Apply online through LSLBC's portal. Once approved, PSI emails you an eligibility letter, valid one year, to schedule and pay for the trade exam.”
About the exam: “A computer-based exam at a PSI test center. You bring your own reference books, which may be highlighted, tabbed and annotated beforehand but not written in during the exam. Your score is shown on screen at the end.”
You must pass the exam named "LA Electrical Statewide". The exam costs $140.
Ask LSLBC what the Electrical (major classification 5) license costs.
The renewal for the Electrical (major classification 5) license depends on who holds it.
Every year
For any license holder. You don't need continuing education to renew.
Every 2 years
For any license holder. You don't need continuing education to renew.
Every 3 years
For any license holder. You don't need continuing education to renew.
The official wording of the requirement
Electrical (major classification 5)“LSLBC sets no experience requirement. Your company names you as its qualifying party for the Electrical classification (you must be an owner, officer, partner, member or full-time employee), you pass a background check and the Electrical Statewide trade exam, someone at the company completes LSLBC's online Business and Law course, and the company files a financial statement showing a net worth of at least $50,000.”
Take the exam
License
Exam
Class "D" Journeyman Electrical License (City of New Orleans)
ICC F17 - National Standard Journeyman ElectricianThe International Code Council gives the exam.
Class "A" Master Electrical License (City of New Orleans)
ICC F49 - Electrical Contractor, or the LSLBC Electrical (statewide) examinationThe International Code Council or the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) gives the exam.
Electrical (major classification 5)
LA Electrical StatewidePSI Services LLC gives the exam.
You take the exam for the license you apply for.
What electricians earn in Louisiana
$29.59an hour
$61,540 a year, full time
Half of the electricians on a payroll in Louisiana earn more than $29.59 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $61,540.
These figures cover everyone on a payroll as an electrician in Louisiana, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 10,550 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed electricians.
The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.
Class "D" Journeyman Electrical License and Class "A" Master Electrical License: If you hold an active license from another city or state, you can ask the City of New Orleans to license you with no exam. The Division Chief decides if you qualify.
Electrical (major classification 5) license: If you passed an equivalent trade exam in another state, LSLBC accepts it in place of its own exam. You must have passed it with no waiver, exemption or grandfathering. A passing score on the NASCLA Electrical exam also counts. You must still meet all of LSLBC's other licensing requirements.
If you hold a license from another state, ask the office that issues the license where you will work whether it recognizes your license.
Questions
Can you become an electrician with no experience?
Yes. You can start as an apprentice and learn the trade on the job.
Half of the electricians on a payroll in Louisiana earn between $23.51 and $35.02 an hour. These figures don't include overtime pay.
Can an electrician earn $100,000 a year in Louisiana?
The highest-paid 10% of electricians on a payroll in Louisiana earn more than $81,810 a year before overtime, so most electricians earn less than $100,000 a year from regular hours.
Can you take the classroom hours online?
LSLBC says this about the Electrical (major classification 5) license: "Business and Law is an online, (1) hour course, with an Exam on the course’s contents at its conclusion."
