Maryland · electrician licensing · verified July 2026
Maryland electrician license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Maryland requires all electrical work to be performed by a state-licensed master, journeyperson, or apprentice electrician, licensed by the Maryland State Board of Master Electricians (Department of Labor); statewide journeyperson and apprentice licensing began July 1, 2021 under the Maryland Electricians Act. Masters need 7 years of supervised experience (up to 3 years academic credit), journeypersons need 4 years or a completed registered apprenticeship (576 classroom hours + 8,000 work hours), and exams are administered by PSI. Licenses run 2 years, and licensed individuals may still need a local registration to pull permits in some jurisdictions.
Do you need a license to work as an electrician in Maryland?
Maryland licenses electricians statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
Per the board FAQ, reciprocal agreements exist with Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia (DC included though not a state); West Virginia and Virginia licensees may skip Maryland's exam if they passed their state's exam, while Delaware requires at least 5 years of active licensure. Individuals licensed by the board may ALSO need a registration in a local jurisdiction to obtain permits there (local registration assignment ID fee $63). Exam fees are set by and paid directly to PSI. Master license: 'Uninsured' statuses (Authorized/Unauthorized to Work) replaced the old inactive status; uninsured fees $63.
What licenses does Maryland issue?
The Maryland State Board of Master Electricians (State Board of Electricians), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice electrician | not published | not published | No |
| Journeyperson electrician | not published | not published | Yes |
| Master electrician | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Maryland State Board of Master Electricians (State Board of Electricians), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor (labor.maryland.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Maryland require?
Maryland Journeyperson Electrician examination. Administered by PSI Exams (board's test vendor, 1-800-733-9267); fee paid directly to PSI.
Maryland Master Electrician examination. Administered by PSI Exams; fee paid directly to PSI.
How much does a Maryland electrician license cost?
Getting a Journeyperson electrician license in Maryland costs $19 in board fees, before any training. That is the application fee charged once, with renewal charged separately below. No board publishes this total, so it is added up here from the schedule it does publish. An exam is required and its fee is not in that figure, because no amount for it appears in the board material this page is built from. Check the board's current fee schedule before budgeting.
- Application fee$18.5
- Initial license feeincluded
- Renewal fee (recurring)$18.5
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 2 years (license valid two years from date of issuance)
Continuing education: No general CE requirement is published for insured active licensees; uninsured master electricians with 'Authorized to Work' status must complete 10 hours of continuing education per 2-year renewal cycle (subject to random audit)
Source: renewal requirements (labor.maryland.gov). Verified July 2026.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Completion of an electrician apprenticeship program approved by the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council or the Federal Office of Apprenticeship (at least 576 classroom hours and 8,000 hours of work experience) fully waives the 4-year experience requirement for the journeyperson exam. Apprentices hold a state apprentice license ($12) while accumulating hours under supervision.
Which states does Maryland have license reciprocity with?
Maryland appears in 4 published reciprocal licensing agreements for this trade, covering Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia. Boards write these as agreements between two states rather than as a one-way list, and some publish the list while their counterpart does not, so this counts every agreement naming Maryland from either side. Recognition is never automatic: the board you apply to decides, and most require the original license to have been earned by examination and to be in good standing.
How does Maryland compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | not published | Statewide |
| Delaware | 8,000 | Statewide |
| Pennsylvania | not published | City or county |
| Virginia | not published | Statewide |
| West Virginia | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - License Requirements
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Fees (effective July 1, 2025)
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Licensing FAQs (reciprocity, local registration)
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Renew a License (2-year term)
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - Uninsured Master Electrician (10-hour CE)
- Maryland State Board of Electricians - main page (insurance requirements)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to electricians overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Maryland State Board of Master Electricians (State Board of Electricians), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor before making decisions. Not legal advice.