To work as an electrician in Ohio, you may need a license from the city where you work. Ohio doesn't issue a statewide license to individual electricians, and only some cities license them. Ohio doesn't issue a statewide license to individual electricians.
Starting Nov 2026.
To work as an electrician, the City of Middletown issues the Journeyman Electrician license.
Ask the building department in the city or county where you will work which license you need.
To run a business, you need the Electrical Contractor license from the state board, OCILB. What the business needs
Dates are estimates. Each city or county sets its own rules.
Some cities license the electrician, and the state licenses the business.
An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. Ohio has 100 registered electrician apprenticeship programs. The median wage is $17.20 an hour at the start and $31.30 an hour at the end.
The programs with the most active apprentices
Only some cities license electricians, and each one sets its own rules. Ask the building department in the city or county where you will work.
Each office sets the experience you need and the exam you must pass.
City of Middletown
Journeyman Electrician (City of Middletown)“Applicants for the Journeyman Electrician Exam are required to have not less than 3 years experience, which must have occurred within the last 5 years.”
Apply to the office that issues the license, and pay its fees when you apply.
If you take electrical work in your own name, the business needs the Electrical Contractor license from OCILB.
The renewal depends on who holds the license. Members of the compliant contractor program can choose a 1-year or a 3-year renewal.
Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board
Electrical Contractor (Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board)“Either have been a tradesperson in the type of licensed trade for which the application is filed for not less than five (5) years immediately prior to the date the application is filed”
$31.11an hour
$64,700 a year, full time
Half of the electricians on a payroll in Ohio earn more than $31.11 an hour, and half earn less. The middle half earn $24.10 to $38.70. The lowest-paid 10% earn $19.59 or less, and the highest-paid 10% earn $47.73 or more.
These figures cover everyone on a payroll as an electrician in Ohio, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 28,950 jobs and doesn't include self-employed electricians. The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.
If you hold a license from one of the states listed for a license, you may be able to use your license to qualify in Ohio.
For a city or county license, ask the office that issues it where you will work.
| Electrical Contractor license | States |
|---|---|
| Ohio recognizes a license from | Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia |
| These states recognize a license from Ohio | Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee |
Yes. You can start as an apprentice and learn the trade on the job.
Half of the electricians on a payroll in Ohio earn between $24.10 and $38.70 an hour. These figures don't include overtime pay.
The highest-paid 10% of electricians on a payroll in Ohio earn more than $99,280 a year before overtime, so most electricians earn less than $100,000 a year from regular hours.
OCILB says this about the Electrical Contractor license: "Unlicensed Contractor applying for testing: You may take 40 hours of live (in person) or virtual (webinar) non-duplicated code courses in one year for the trade applying for."
The dates in Your license are worked out from the years of experience the city requires.
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Alerts for: Electrician in Ohio
