An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. New Jersey has 644 registered electrician apprenticeship programs. The median wage is $18.47 an hour at the start and $52.19 an hour at the end.
Apply to the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors for the Class A Electrical Apprentice license.
How to apply: “Application for Class A Electrical Apprentice (Online Application)”
The application fee is $100. The Class A Electrical Apprentice license costs $150.
You renew the Class A Electrical Apprentice license every 3 years. The renewal costs $150.
The $150 fee covers the full 3-year license. If you pay it in the second year of the cycle, it costs $100, and in the third year, $50.
The official wording of the requirement
Class A Electrical Apprentice“Any person enrolled and in good standing in a four-year electrical apprenticeship program accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor who seeks to perform electrical work within the scope of the apprenticeship under the supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class A journeyman electrician shall be licensed as a Class A electrical apprentice.”
3
Step 3,
Complete 8,000 hours on the job
To qualify for the Class A Journeyman Electrician license, you need 8,000 hours on the job and 576 classroom hours.
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Step 4,
Apply for your Class A Journeyman Electrician license
Apply to the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors for the Class A Journeyman Electrician license.
Hours on the job
8,000
Fee
$100
The Class A Journeyman Electrician license requires 8,000 hours on the job. You also need 576 classroom hours.
What this license lets you do: “A person shall be licensed as a Class A journeyman electrician in order to engage in the activities set forth at N.J.S.A. 45:5A-18(k), and, if the person is not a licensed electrical contractor, in order to supervise the performance of electrical work pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.4.”
How to apply: “Application for a Class A Journeyman License (Online Application)”
The application fee is $100. The Class A Journeyman Electrician license costs $150.
You renew the Class A Journeyman Electrician license every 3 years. The renewal costs $150. You need 15 hours of continuing education for each renewal.
The 8,000 hours are one of 3 ways to qualify. You can also qualify with a New Jersey electrical contractor license, or by showing the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors that you gained the experience another way. On the 8,000-hour route, at least 4,000 of the hours must be from the 5 years before you apply.
The 576 classroom hours go with the 8,000-hour route.
The $150 fee covers the full 3-year license. If you pay it in the second year of the cycle, it costs $100, and in the third year, $50.
The official wording of the requirement
Class A Journeyman Electrician“Holds a current valid active license to practice electrical contracting issued by the Board; Has acquired 8,000 hours of practical experience working with tools in the installation, alteration or repair of wiring for electric light, heat or power, which work shall have been done in compliance with the National Electrical Code, and who has had a minimum of 576 classroom hours of related instruction. ... At least 4,000 hours of the practical experience shall have been obtained within five years of the date of application; or Can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Board that he or she has gathered the required experience through alternative means.”
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Step 5,
Renew your license
You renew the Class A Journeyman Electrician license every 3 years.
1
Step 1, Start here
Check what your hours count toward
For the Class A Journeyman Electrician license, you need 8,000 hours on the job and 576 classroom hours.
2
Step 2,
Apply for your Class A Journeyman Electrician license
Apply to the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors for the Class A Journeyman Electrician license.
Other electrician licenses
Class B Wireman
What this license lets you do: “A licensed Class B wireman shall perform electrical work corresponding to the wireman's training and experience under the supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class A journeyman electrician and shall not supervise any other employees.”
How to apply: “Application for Class B Wireman (Online Application)”
The application fee is $100. The Class B Wireman license costs $75.
You renew the Class B Wireman license every 3 years. The renewal costs $75. You need 15 hours of continuing education for each renewal.
The $75 fee covers the full 3-year license. If you pay it in the second year of the cycle, it costs $50, and in the third year, $25.
The official wording of the requirement
Class B Wireman“Any person employed to engage in electrical work in the State who is not licensed as an electrical contractor, Class A journeyman electrician, or Class A electrical apprentice must be licensed as a Class B wireman. ... Proof of current employment by an electrical contractor business permit holder; and Certification from the electrical contractor business permit holder that the applicant will perform electrical work corresponding to the wireman's training and experience under the supervision of a licensed electrical contractor or Class A journeyman electrician. ... (Please note an employee CAN NOT be a 1099 employee to apply for this license.)”
To run an electrical business
These are the licenses for running an electrical business.
Electrical Contractor
Hours on the job
10,000
Exam
$180
Fee
$100
The Electrical Contractor license requires 10,000 hours on the job.
What this license lets you do: “An Electrical Contractor may engage in the business of contracting to install, erect, repair or alter electrical equipment for the generation, transmission or utilization of electrical energy.”
How to apply: “Application for Examination (Online Application)”
About the exam: “If you are taking an examination for the first time, you will be required to take all three examinations on the same day. ... Electrical Contracting $84 ... Business and Law $47 ... Alarm Systems $49 ... The examination will be administered via computer. ... Electrical Contractor: 100 questions, 70% (70 correct), 255 minutes; This examination is OPEN BOOK. ... Business and Law: 50 questions, 70% (35 correct), 130 Minutes; This examination is OPEN BOOK. ... Alarm Systems: 50 questions, 70% (35 correct), 165 Minutes; This examination is OPEN BOOK.”
The application fee is $100. The Electrical Contractor license costs $225.
You must pass the Electrical Contractor Licensure Examination: Electrical Contractor, Alarm Systems Electrical Contractor, and Business and Law examinations. The exam costs $180.
You renew the Electrical Contractor license every 3 years. The renewal costs $225. You need 34 hours of continuing education for each renewal.
You need a completed 4-year apprenticeship and then at least 1 year as a journeyman electrician, which the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors counts as 2,000 hours. The 10,000 hours are the sum, with each apprenticeship year counted as 2,000 hours too.
The $225 fee covers the full 3-year license. If you pay it in the second year of the cycle, it costs $150, and in the third year, $75.
You pay PSI for 3 exams: $84 for the Electrical Contractor exam, $47 for the Business and Law exam and $49 for the Alarm Systems Electrical Contractor exam. The first time, you take all 3 on the same day. If you retake, you pay only for the exams you failed.
The official wording of the requirement
Electrical Contractor“An applicant for examination must show proof that he/she has completed the 4 year approved apprentice program through the US Department of Labor followed by 1 additional Journeyman year. ... Has been, for a period of at least five years immediately preceding the submission of the application, employed or engaged in the business of electrical construction and installation. During that period, the applicant shall have: i. Successfully completed a four-year electrical apprenticeship program accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor while actively engaged or employed as an electrical apprentice. ... ii. Obtained at least one year of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman electrician.”
Electrical Contractor Business Permit
The Electrical Contractor Business Permit costs $150.
You renew the Electrical Contractor Business Permit every 3 years. The renewal costs $150.
The $150 fee covers the full 3-year permit. If you pay it in the second year of the cycle, it costs $100, and in the third year, $50.
The official wording of the requirement
Electrical Contractor Business Permit“Name and license number of the Electrical Contractor who is seeking this permit ... A licensed New Jersey electrical contractor may only be the license qualifier for one electrical contracting entity.”
Take the exam
License
Exam
Electrical Contractor
Electrical Contractor Licensure Examination: Electrical Contractor, Alarm Systems Electrical Contractor, and Business and Law examinationsPSI gives the exam.
You take this exam for the Electrical Contractor license.
What electricians earn in New Jersey
$37.14an hour
$77,250 a year, full time
Half of the electricians on a payroll in New Jersey earn more than $37.14 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $77,250.
These figures cover everyone on a payroll as an electrician in New Jersey, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 13,520 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed electricians.
The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.
The Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors doesn't recognize licenses from other states.
Class A Electrical Apprentice license: If you hold an electrical apprentice license from another state, you may be able to use it. It may get you the Class A Electrical Apprentice license. Your license must be in good standing. You get it from the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. Your state must do the same for New Jersey Class A electrical apprentices.
Class B Wireman license: If you hold a license from another state that matches the Class B Wireman license, you may be able to get the Class B Wireman license. Your license must be in good standing. You get the New Jersey license from the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. Your state must give the same treatment to New Jersey Class B wiremen.
Class A Journeyman Electrician license: If you hold a journeyman electrician license from another state, you may be able to get the Class A Journeyman Electrician license. Your license must be in good standing. You get it from the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. Your state must treat New Jersey journeymen the same way. Its rules for the license must also closely match New Jersey's. You must also take a 15-hour course on the latest National Electrical Code.
Electrical Contractor license: If you hold an electrical contractor license from another state, you may be able to get the New Jersey Electrical Contractor license. If so, you won't take the exam. Your license must be in good standing. Your state must treat New Jersey electrical contractors the same way. You must have worked as an electrical contractor for at least 2 of the last 5 years. You must also take an 8-hour course in New Jersey business law and electrical contractor rules.
Questions
How long does it take to become an electrician in New Jersey?
If you work full time, you reach the 8,000 hours for the Class A Journeyman Electrician license in about 4 years.
Can you become an electrician with no experience?
Yes. You can start as an apprentice and learn the trade on the job.
