Who licenses electricians in Colorado?
The Colorado State Electrical Board sits inside the Division of Professions and Occupations, part of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). It licenses residential wiremen, journeyman electricians and master electricians, and it registers apprentices and electrical contractors. You apply for all of these through DPO Online Services.
There are three ways to get a license: sit the exam, transfer an existing state license by endorsement, or use reciprocity. Most people starting out go the exam route, which means building up documented hours first. Your supervising electrical contractor records that experience on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form.
Starting as an apprentice
You can't work in the trade unregistered. When you start with an electrical contractor, the contractor has 30 days to register you with the Board. Signup has two parts: you open an account and register as an apprentice, and the contractor links you to its registration. You get a card with a number that stays the same if you change employers. Carry it on every job.
A licensed Colorado electrician has to supervise you directly. Each January 1, contractors report your practical hours to the Board, and apprenticeship programs report your classroom hours. Keep your own records too. When you apply for a license, those hours are your proof.
Residential wireman, journeyman and master
Residential wireman needs 4,000 hours of residential-only experience over at least 2 years. With this license you can work without supervision on one- to four-family dwellings. On commercial or industrial work, or on apartment buildings over four units, you still have to be registered as an apprentice and work under a journeyman or master.
Journeyman needs 8,000 hours over at least 4 years. At least 2,000 of those hours must be commercial or industrial, and every applicant needs 288 classroom hours backed by a transcript. Under Senate Bill 25-165, those training hours now count if earned within eight years of licensure. The old window was four years.
Master has several routes. You can log 10,000 hours over 5 years. You can combine an accredited electrical engineering degree with 2,000 construction hours over a year. You can graduate from a trade school or community college and add 8,000 hours over 4 years. Or you can meet the journeyman requirements and add 2,000 hours in a year, part in planning and layout and part supervising while you hold a journeyman license. If you qualify on experience, you have to pass through journeyman first. Apprentices and residential wiremen can't go straight to master.
Renewal, transfers and local inspection areas
Licenses run on a three-year cycle. The current period ended September 30, 2026, and renewals were accepted through November 30, 2026. Every renewal needs 24 hours of continuing education from a Board-attested provider. At least 4 hours must cover NEC changes, and no more than 4 can be safety. If you got your license by exam during the period, your first renewal is exempt.
Colorado has journeyman reciprocity with 14 NERA states. You must have held a journeyman or master license for at least a year, earned by passing a state exam. Some counties and cities run their own electrical inspection programs, including Denver, Boulder, El Paso, Jefferson and Larimer. The state doesn't inspect in those areas, so you pull permits from the local office.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data for May 2025, moved to 2026 with a wage index. State figures are modeled estimates. Pay moves with license level, union or open-shop employer, location within the state, and commercial versus residential work. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Apprentice registrationYour employing contractor registers you with the Board within 30 days of hire. A licensed Colorado electrician must supervise you directly.
- Residential wireman experience4,000 hours of residential-only work, earned over at least 2 years.
- Journeyman experience8,000 hours over at least 4 years, including at least 2,000 hours of commercial or industrial work.
- Journeyman classroom hours288 hours of classroom education for every applicant, documented with a transcript. Since SB25-165, hours earned within eight years before licensure count.
- Master experience10,000 hours over 5 years, or one of the degree, trade school, or journeyman-plus-2,000-hour routes. The last route requires planning and layout hours and supervision hours as a journeyman.
- DocumentationYour supervising electrical contractor records all practical experience on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form.
- Continuing education24 hours every three-year period, including at least 4 hours on NEC changes and no more than 4 hours of safety.
State by state
| Denver | Denver runs its own electrical inspection program, so the state does not inspect there. Get permits and inspections from the local office. |
|---|---|
| Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas, Jefferson counties | Each runs its own electrical inspection program. Permits go through the local jurisdiction instead of the state system. |
| El Paso, Larimer, Weld, Mesa counties | Each handles its own electrical inspections. The state does not inspect jobs in these counties. |
| Adams and Arapahoe counties | Both inspect locally, with exceptions. Federal Heights in Adams, and Bow Mar, Deer Trail and Sheridan in Arapahoe, fall outside the county programs. |
| City of Pueblo, Pueblo County, Town of Boone | These areas run local electrical inspection. Use the local permit office. |
| Mountain areas | Chaffee, Pitkin, Routt, Summit and Teller counties inspect locally. So do Eagle County (except Minturn and Avon), Telluride and Mountain Village, and the City of Delta. |
| Rest of Colorado | The state handles electrical permits and inspections, and permits are bought through the DPO Online Permitting System. |
How to get there
- Month 1Get hired and registeredStart with an electrical contractor, open an apprentice account, and have the contractor register you within 30 days.
- Years 1-4Build hours and classroom timeWork under direct supervision and complete the 288 classroom hours. Make sure commercial or industrial work is part of your mix.
- Year 2+Optional: residential wiremanAfter 4,000 residential hours over at least 2 years, apply to test for residential wireman.
- Year 4+Journeyman licenseWith 8,000 hours over at least 4 years, including 2,000 commercial or industrial, apply by exam.
- Year 5+Master licenseAdd 2,000 hours in a year beyond the journeyman requirements, including planning and layout and supervision as a journeyman, or qualify through 10,000 total hours.
- Every 3 yearsRenewRenew every three years with 24 CE hours. The first renewal after an exam license is exempt.
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Questions people ask
How many hours do you need for a journeyman license in Colorado?
You need 8,000 hours of experience earned over at least 4 years. At least 2,000 of those hours must be commercial or industrial work. You also need 288 hours of classroom education.
What can a Colorado residential wireman do?
A residential wireman can work without supervision on one-, two-, three- and four-family dwellings. Commercial or industrial work, or apartment buildings over four units, requires apprentice registration and supervision by a journeyman or master. The license takes 4,000 residential hours over at least 2 years.
Can I go straight from apprentice to master electrician in Colorado?
Not if you are qualifying on experience. The Board says an apprentice or residential wireman can't move straight to master on experience alone. Get your journeyman license first.
Does Colorado accept electrician licenses from other states?
Colorado has journeyman reciprocity with Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. You must have held the license for at least a year and earned it by passing a state exam. Other state licenses can come in by endorsement if they were earned by testing on the NEC edition Colorado currently uses.
How often do Colorado electrical licenses renew?
Licenses run on a three-year period, and you need 24 continuing education hours each cycle. At least 4 hours must cover NEC changes, and no more than 4 can be safety. The period that ended September 30, 2026 had a renewal window open through November 30, 2026.
Do Denver and other cities have their own electrical rules?
Denver, Boulder, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer and several other counties and towns run their own electrical inspection programs. The state does not inspect in those areas, so permits and inspections go through the local office.
Sources
- Colorado DPO: Electrical applications and licensure requirements
- Colorado DPO: Electrical apprentice information
- Colorado DPO: Apprentice annual reporting
- Colorado DPO: Electrical continuing education
- Colorado DPO: Electrical homepage and renewal notice
- Colorado DPO: Electrical news, SB25-165 training changes
- Colorado DPO: Electrical and plumbing permits, local inspection areas
