Wisconsin has a somewhat confusing mechanism for getting licensed as an electrician or electrical contractor. The Department of Commerce Safety and Buildings Division has a technically voluntary program for electrician licensing. But each city in Wisconsin may have specific licensing requirements that include a state electrician license. Therefore, an applicant for electrical jobs and eventual licensing as an independent electrician should determine and abide by both state and local Wisconsin electrician licensing requirements.
Step 1:
There is no perfect way to begin the process of getting licensed as an electrician in Wisconsin because it can depend heavily on your personal situation. For example, if you are positive that you want to build an electrician career in a particular city, then you should check with the local building department to see the electrician and electrical contractor requirements for that city. But if you are willing to go statewide to get a job or build a career in Wisconsin, then knowing a particular city’s license requirements will not even help you.
So check the local Wisconsin electrician license requirements if that suits your situation. Otherwise, come back to this step later.
Step 2:
Determine the options for Wisconsin state licensing through the Safety and Buildings Division. There are a few relevant options here for a license, which is called “certification” at the state level:
a. beginning electrician certification
b. journeyman electrician certification
c. master electrician certification
d. electrical contractor certification
e. electrical contractor-restricted certification
To find out the certification requirements for each of these classes of electrician and contractor licenses, go here and use the letters at the top to find these certifications. You may also find a link to the application in each listing.
At the state level, you do not necessarily have to be an electrician to be a contractor. Like most states, you would just have to hire someone who is qualified as an electrician. That qualifying person must be a certified master electrician. The rights and duties of a Wisconsin electrical contractor depend on the ordinances and rules of the contractor’s particular city. The fee is $35 for an application and
As the name implies, a beginning electrician in Wisconsin is basically an apprentice and has no extensive qualifications to start work as an employee of a licensed electrician. The fees are $35 for an application and $80 for a certification lasting four years. The scope of work depends on the rules of the municipality.
A journeyman electrician is an experienced electrician who has passed a Wisconsin journeyman electrician exam or completed an electrical construction apprenticeship. The basic requirement is 1000 hours per year for five years. Each semester in an electrical engineering school or accredited college (in an electrical engineering degree program) amounts to 500 hours, for a maximum of 2000 hours and two years. Thus, the absolute minimum work time is three years.
There is a $35 application fee, $30 exam fee and $100 certification fee (four years) for Wisconsin journeyman electricians.
The certification rules are about the same but at an enhanced level for master electricians. Instead of five years, there is a seven-year requirement of at least 1000 hours per year. The 500-hour semester rule still applies, but the applicant can reduce the work requirement by up to three years, which means a minimum of four years of actual work. The fees for a Wisconsin master electrician are $35 for an application, $30 for the electrician test and $200 for a four-year certification.
Each individual listing has exam study references and other information on the Wisconsin electrician exam. There is no exam for Wisconsin electrical contractors.
Now, once you get certified by the state, you will still need to look to local rules and registration policies to make sure you are abiding by the law as far as the work you do as a Wisconsin electrician or electrical contractor.
Resources:
Wisconsin Safety and Buildings Division Certification Directory
