A Michigan electrical license is issued by the Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), a division of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The state offers four credentials — apprentice, journeyman, master, and electrical contractor — each with its own age, experience, exam, and renewal requirements set by the Skilled Trades Regulation Act (Act 407 of 2016). Doing electrical work outside the scope of your credential carries the same penalties as working with no license at all, so picking the right one matters.
Who Issues Electrical Licenses in Michigan
The BCC handles electrical licensing, code enforcement, permits, and inspections statewide, and coordinates with local enforcing agencies. Two laws frame the system. The Skilled Trades Regulation Act sets out who qualifies for each license. The Electrical Administrative Act (Act 217 of 1956) creates the Electrical Administrative Board and lays out the enforcement side, including fines and license discipline.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Electrical Administrative Act (Act 217 of 1956) One law tells you what you need; the other tells you what happens if you cut corners.
The Four License Types
Apprentice Electrician
An apprentice is anyone learning the trade on the job. If you’re employed as an apprentice electrician, you must register with the Electrical Administrative Board within 30 days of starting work, and you must participate in a board-approved training program. Michigan caps the ratio at three apprentices per journeyman or master electrician, and that ratio is enforced per jobsite, not across a company as a whole.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5717 – Apprentice Electrician Registration
Journeyman Electrician
To qualify for a journeyman license, you must be at least 20 years old and have completed at least 8,000 hours of hands-on experience over a minimum of four years.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5715 – Electrical Journeyman’s License The experience has to involve electrical construction, building maintenance, or work on electrical wiring and equipment, performed under the direct supervision of someone already licensed under the same article. A licensed journeyman qualifies as a supervisor — you don’t need a master electrician to sign off on your hours, contrary to a common misconception.
You’ll also sit for the journeyman examination. Fail it twice within two years and you can’t retake it for at least a year, and before retesting you must complete a board-approved course in Michigan electrical code, electrical fundamentals, or electrical theory.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5715 – Electrical Journeyman’s License
Master Electrician
Master electricians must be at least 22 years old and already hold a journeyman license before applying.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5713 – Master Electrician’s License The master exam covers advanced technical material and regulatory knowledge beyond what the journeyman test asks. The same two-failure rule applies: fail twice within two years, wait a year, and complete a board-approved course before retesting.
Electrical Contractor
You can’t operate an electrical contracting business in Michigan without a contractor license from either the Electrical Administrative Board or your local municipality.5Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5737 – Electrical Contracting License The business must employ at least one licensed master electrician and carry appropriate insurance coverage. The exam here focuses on business operations and legal compliance rather than hands-on electrical work. This is the license that lets you pull permits, bid on projects, and supervise other electricians at jobsites.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Journeyman and master licenses expire every year on December 31. Electrical contractor licenses expire on December 31 every third year. As a condition of renewal, you must complete a board-approved course covering any updates or changes to the state construction code within 12 months after those changes take effect.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 339.5715 – Electrical Journeyman’s License
That continuing education requirement only applies in years when the code actually changes. In years without an update, no course is required for renewal. When Michigan adopted the 2023 National Electrical Code effective March 12, 2024, licensees needed board-approved coursework on both the 2023 NEC updates and the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules (Part 8).6Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. 2023 Part 8 Michigan Electrical Final Rules The statute doesn’t prescribe a specific number of hours; the board decides what qualifies. Miss the coursework before your renewal date and your license can’t be renewed until you’ve completed it.
Penalties for Working Without a License
A licensed or registered person who violates Act 217, or an unlicensed person doing regulated electrical work, faces a civil fine of at least $1,000 per day the violation continues, capped at $5,000 per violation. A second or later violation raises the daily minimum to $2,000, with a $10,000 cap per violation.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Electrical Administrative Act (Act 217 of 1956)
After a hearing, the Electrical Administrative Board can also suspend a license or registration, deny a pending application, revoke a license outright, or order restitution to affected parties. The board can hold your license until restitution is paid in full.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Electrical Administrative Act (Act 217 of 1956)
Repeat violations escalate quickly. Two violations within two years lets the board double your fine. Three violations within three years triggers mandatory license revocation and, by the statute’s terms, permanently bars the person from reapplying for that license class.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Electrical Administrative Act (Act 217 of 1956)
Verifying an Electrical License
Before hiring anyone to do electrical work, or if you want to confirm your own record, you can check license status through LARA’s online lookup for Bureau of Construction Codes licensees.7Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Find or Verify a Licensed Professional or Business The searchable database at michigan.gov/bcc shows whether a license is current, expired, or subject to disciplinary action.8Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Bureau of Construction Codes It takes about half a minute. If a contractor can’t produce a license number, or the lookup returns an expired credential, treat that as your answer.