Home
Electrician
Pennsylvania

How to become an electrician in Pennsylvania

To work as an electrician in Pennsylvania, you may need a license from the city or county where you work. Pennsylvania doesn't issue a statewide license to individual electricians, and only some cities and counties license them.

See your steps Find an apprenticeship

Your license

I'll work in

To work as an electrician, the City of Pittsburgh issues the Electrical Trade License.

Exam: National Standard Master Electrician Exam (ICC codes T16, G16 or F16)
License: $92
Renewal: Every year, for $92

Go to the City of Pittsburgh

To run a business, you need the Electrical Contractor License (City of Philadelphia) license from the City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspections. What the business needs

Each city or county sets its own rules.

Your steps

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. Pennsylvania has 183 registered electrician apprenticeship programs. The median wage is $18.00 an hour at the start and $39.81 an hour at the end.
The programs with the most active apprentices
See all 183 programs
Step 2,
Find the office that licenses electricians where you will work
Only some cities and counties license electricians, and each one sets its own rules. Ask the building department in the city or county where you will work.
Step 3,
Check what that license requires
Each office sets the experience you need and the exam you must pass.
Electrical Trade License
City of Pittsburgh
The City of Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections issues the Electrical Trade License.
The Electrical Trade License costs $92.
You must pass the National Standard Master Electrician Exam (ICC codes T16, G16 or F16).
You renew the Electrical Trade License every year. The renewal costs $92. You need 8 hours of continuing education for each renewal.
The fee schedule from the City of Pittsburgh lists $90 for this license, and the city adds a $2 technology fee. You pay $92 when you apply and $92 each year when you renew. Permit fees are separate.
The official wording of the requirement
Electrical Trade License (City of Pittsburgh)“A resume or documentation establishing a minimum of six (6) years of a combination of experience and education.”
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

This is the license for running an electrical business.

Electrical Contractor License (City of Philadelphia)

The City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspections issues the Electrical Contractor License. The Electrical Contractor License requires 8 classroom hours.

The application fee is $60. The Electrical Contractor License costs $262.

You must pass the Philadelphia Electrical Contractor Examination.

You renew the Electrical Contractor License every year. The renewal costs $202. You need 8 hours of continuing education for each renewal.

You need 8 hours of courses before your first application and 8 more hours before each renewal. You must take the courses in the year before you apply.

The $60 application fee is part of the $262 license fee and not an extra charge. The City of Philadelphia doesn't refund the $60.

The $262 is the full cost of your first license.

The official wording of the requirement

Electrical Contractor License (City of Philadelphia)“To qualify, you must have a minimum of four years employment doing electrical work for a company licensed through a local or state jurisdiction.”

Take the exam

License	Exam
Electrical Contractor License (City of Philadelphia)	Philadelphia Electrical Contractor ExaminationThe International Code Council gives the exam.
Electrical Trade License (City of Pittsburgh)	National Standard Master Electrician Exam (ICC codes T16, G16 or F16)The International Code Council gives the exam, and Pearson VUE proctors it.

You take the exam for the license you apply for.

What electricians earn in Pennsylvania

$32.50an hour

$67,600 a year, full time

Half of the electricians on a payroll in Pennsylvania earn more than $32.50 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $67,600.

These figures cover everyone on a payroll as an electrician in Pennsylvania, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 22,730 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed electricians.

The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.

Median$21.92Lowest 10%$26.51Lowest 25%$45.92Highest 25%$58.95Highest 10%

Use a license from another state

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.

Pennsylvania electrician apprenticeships

How much do most electricians earn in Pennsylvania?

Half of the electricians on a payroll in Pennsylvania earn between $26.51 and $45.92 an hour. These figures don't include overtime pay.

Can an electrician earn $100,000 a year in Pennsylvania?

Yes. The highest-paid 10% of electricians on a payroll in Pennsylvania earn more than $122,620 a year before overtime.

Contact the licensing office

City of Philadelphia, Department of Licenses and Inspectionsphila.gov/departments/department-of-licenses-and-inspections/licenses/trade-licenses

City of Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspectionspittsburghpa.gov/Business-Development/Permits-Licenses-and-Inspections/Licenses/Trade-Licenses

Words to know

Apprentice: Someone who learns the trade on the job, working under a licensed worker.
Master: A higher license level, for a worker with more years in the trade. It often lets you supervise others.
JATC: A Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, an apprenticeship program run together by a union and contractors.
Continuing education: Classes you take to keep your license.
Pearson VUE: A company that runs licensing exams at its own test centers.
ICC: The International Code Council, which writes building codes and gives code exams.
Median: The middle figure. Half of the workers earn more, and half earn less.

Sources

Get an email when it matters

Pick what you want to hear about. You get one short email when it happens.

Alerts for: Electrician in Pennsylvania