Electrician license in Utah: DOPL levels, hours and exams

How Utah's electrician licenses are structured

The Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) issues five electrician licenses: apprentice, journeyman, master, residential journeyman and residential master. The residential licenses take fewer hours, and they limit you to residential work. If you expect to work on commercial or industrial jobs, aim for the full journeyman license from the start.

Everyone starts as a licensed apprentice. Your hours only count toward a higher license if you hold that apprentice license and work under a licensed journeyman or master electrician. To get the apprentice license, your employer fills out and signs a Verification of Supervision form, and you apply through DOPL.

Hours, school and the two routes to journeyman

The school route is the faster one. You finish a 4-year electrical apprenticeship education program with at least 576 classroom hours and log 8,000 hours of licensed, supervised experience. You can sit the exams after 6,000 hours. The experience-only route takes 16,000 hours of licensed experience and no classroom program.

The residential journeyman license follows the same pattern at half the size. You need a 2-year program of 288 classroom hours plus 4,000 hours as a licensed apprentice, or 8,000 hours of experience alone.

Exams and applying

Journeyman and residential journeyman candidates pass the Utah written exam and the Utah practical exam. Master candidates take the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam. State law requires you to meet the work and school hour requirements before you can take the exam.

Since January 19, 2026, first-time candidates attach their Verification of Electrician Experience form when they register with the exam vendor, Prov. Graduates of approved Utah trade programs stay in pending status until their school clears them. DOPL's application form lists a $116 nonrefundable application fee.

Moving up to master and keeping your license

To become a master, the standard route is 8,000 hours as a licensed journeyman. An associate degree in applied science from an electrical trade program cuts that to 4,000 hours. An ABET-accredited electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 hours as a licensed apprentice also qualifies. You skip the practical exam if you already passed it for your journeyman license. A residential master needs 4,000 hours as a licensed residential journeyman.

All electrician licenses renew by November 30 of even-numbered years. Renewal costs $84 and requires 16 hours of continuing education (CE). At least 12 of those hours must be core: 8 on the National Electrical Code (NEC) and 4 on NFPA 70E. If you work after your license expires, Utah treats it as a criminal offense.

Pay

Apprentice (Utah, 25th-75th percentile)

$41,500–48,300

Electrician (Utah, 25th-75th percentile)

$50,100–82,100

Electrician (Utah, median)

$64,200

USD a year, before tax. These are modeled state estimates. They are based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 data and adjusted to 2026 with a wage index. Pay moves with license level, union or open-shop employer, overtime, and commercial versus residential work. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.

What you need

Apprentice licenseYour employer completes and signs a Verification of Supervision form. You need this license before your work hours count toward a higher license.
Journeyman, school routeA 4-year electrical apprenticeship education program (576 classroom hours) plus 8,000 hours of licensed, supervised experience. You can test after 6,000 hours.
Journeyman, experience route16,000 hours of licensed experience under a journeyman or master electrician, with no classroom program required.
Residential journeymanA 2-year program (288 classroom hours) plus 4,000 apprentice hours, or 8,000 hours of experience alone.
Master electrician8,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, or 4,000 hours with an applied science associate degree. You also pass the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam.
ExamsThe Utah written exam and the Utah practical exam for journeyman levels. The Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam for master levels.
RenewalDue November 30 of even years. The fee is $84, and you need 16 CE hours, 12 of them core (8 NEC, 4 NFPA 70E).

How to get there

StartGet hired and licensed as an apprenticeFind an electrical employer or apprenticeship sponsor. Have them sign the Verification of Supervision form, then apply to DOPL.
Years 1-4Enroll in an apprenticeship education programComplete a 4-year electrical apprenticeship education program with 576 classroom hours.
Years 1-4Log supervised hoursWork under a licensed journeyman or master electrician and track your hours on the Verification of Electrician Experience form.
Year 3-4Pass the journeyman examsRegister with Prov and attach your experience form. Sit the Utah written exam and the practical exam once you have 6,000 hours.
Year 4Apply for the journeyman licenseSubmit your transcripts and verification of 8,000 hours to DOPL.
Years 5-8Work toward masterLog 8,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, then pass the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam.

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Questions people ask

Can I get a Utah journeyman license without going to trade school?

Yes. Utah accepts 16,000 hours of licensed electrical experience under a journeyman or master electrician in place of the classroom program. That takes about twice as long as the school route, which needs 8,000 hours.

Do I need DOPL approval before taking the exam?

State law requires you to meet the work and school hour requirements before you can take the exam. Since January 19, 2026, first-time candidates attach their Verification of Electrician Experience form when they register with Prov.

What exams do Utah electricians take?

Journeyman and residential journeyman candidates pass the Utah written exam and the Utah practical exam. Master candidates take the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam.

How often do Utah electrician licenses renew?

Every two years. Licenses renew by November 30 of even-numbered years. The fee is $84, and you need 16 hours of approved CE, including 8 hours on the NEC and 4 hours on NFPA 70E.

Can an engineering degree shorten the path to master electrician?

Yes. With a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering from an EAC/ABET-accredited program, you qualify after 2,000 hours as a licensed apprentice. You still have to pass the master exam.

I am licensed in another state. Can I transfer to Utah?

Possibly, by endorsement. DOPL publishes maps showing which states hold licenses it treats as equivalent. If yours is on the map, you send a verification of licensure from your state. Every master applicant still has to pass the Utah law and rule exam.

How do you get an electrician license in Utah?