To get a Utah apprentice electrician license, you submit an application to the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), pay the fee, and identify a licensed master, residential master, journeyman, or residential journeyman electrician who will supervise your work. No exam is required at this level. Once licensed, you can perform electrical work under that supervisor while every hour on the job counts toward the experience you need for journeyman licensure.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-55-302 – Qualifications for Licensure
What the License Lets You Do
Utah law defines an apprentice electrician as someone learning the trade under the immediate supervision of a licensed electrician. The license formalizes that training relationship. It does not authorize you to work independently during your first several years in the trade.
It also functions as your clock. Hours worked under a valid apprentice license count toward the journeyman experience threshold. Hours worked without a valid license do not count, and the work itself is unlawful under Utah Code.
Eligibility
Utah Code 58-55-302 sets the requirements: an approved application, the fee, and a proposed supervisor who holds an active Utah master, residential master, journeyman, or residential journeyman electrician license. There is no division-administered exam for apprentices.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-55-302 – Qualifications for Licensure
If you are under 18, note that the federal Fair Labor Standards Act restricts minors from occupations the Secretary of Labor has declared hazardous. Utah Code does not set a specific age floor for the apprentice license, but where federal and state rules both apply, the stricter one controls.2U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
How to Apply
DOPL accepts apprentice applications online through its licensing portal or on paper by mail or in person. The current application form is posted on the DOPL apprentice electrician page.3Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Apprentice Electrician
You will provide your Social Security Number, or follow the application’s instructions if you do not have one. Applicants without an SSN may need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number from the IRS, obtained by filing Form W-7.4Internal Revenue Service. How to Apply for an ITIN
You also submit a Verification of Supervision form, which your employer completes and signs. This document ties your apprenticeship to a specific licensed electrician and contractor.5Utah Department of Commerce. Division of Professional Licensing – Apprentice Electrician Application
The application fee is set by DOPL and adjusted periodically, so check the current apprentice electrician page before submitting. The fee is non-refundable.
Criminal History Disclosure
Applicants with a criminal history must complete a Criminal History Disclosure Statement for each charge, plea, or conviction, with supporting documents such as police reports or sentencing orders.6Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Application for Criminal History Determination A record does not automatically disqualify you; DOPL reviews each situation individually. Providing false or misleading information is classified as unprofessional conduct under Utah Code 58-1-501 and can lead to denial of the license or a class A misdemeanor charge.7Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-1-501 – Unlawful and Unprofessional Conduct
Supervision Rules on the Job
Utah treats supervision differently depending on project type. On nonresidential work, you and your supervising electrician must be physically present on the same project or jobsite. On residential work, the supervisor does not need to be on-site but must remain available to direct, oversee, and inspect the work so the finished product meets code.8Utah Office of Administrative Rules. Utah Code R156-55b – Electricians Licensing Act Rule
Ratios cap how many apprentices one supervisor can oversee: up to two apprentices on a nonresidential project, up to three on a residential project.9Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R156-55b-401 – Conduct of Apprentice and Supervising Electrician
Once you reach your fourth year of training, Utah law allows you to work without your supervisor present for up to eight hours in any 24-hour period. That is a limited allowance, not a general exemption from supervision.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-55-302 – Qualifications for Licensure
Renewal
All Utah electrical licenses, apprentice licenses included, expire on November 30 of every even-numbered year no matter when you first received yours. The renewal cycle is biennial.10Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-55-303 – Term of License, Expiration, Renewal The renewal fee is $84.11Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Renew an Electrical License
Miss the deadline and your license moves to expired status. Any electrical work performed after that date is unlawful. Apprentices are not subject to the six-hour continuing education requirement that applies to licensed contractors, but you must still file on time and remain employed under a properly licensed supervisor.12Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-55-302.5 – Continuing Education Requirements for Contractor Licensees If you change employers mid-cycle, confirm your new position provides the same level of supervision so you do not create a compliance gap.
Advancing to Journeyman
The apprentice license is a stepping stone. Under Utah Code 58-55-302, a journeyman applicant must complete at least four years of full-time training as a licensed apprentice under a master or journeyman electrician, following a planned training program approved by the division.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 58-55-302 – Qualifications for Licensure
Utah Administrative Code R156-55b-302a sets the specifics: at least 8,000 hours of full-time work as a licensed apprentice and a minimum of 576 hours of electrical study in an approved training program. Those 576 classroom hours must be spread over no fewer than 48 months, so you cannot compress the schooling even if you reach 8,000 work hours early.8Utah Office of Administrative Rules. Utah Code R156-55b – Electricians Licensing Act Rule
Unlike the apprentice license, the journeyman license requires a division-administered exam. Track your hours from day one. Employers and training programs should be documenting your time, but your own records prevent disputes when you apply.
Penalties for Unlicensed Work
A person who violates the unlawful conduct provisions in Utah Code 58-55-501 is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. Administrative fines run up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $2,000 for a second, and up to $2,000 per day for any continued violation after that.13Utah Legislature. Utah Code Chapter 55 Part 5 – Unlawful and Unprofessional Conduct, Penalties The division can also issue a cease-and-desist order or immediately suspend an existing license. If you let your apprentice license lapse and keep working, these same penalties apply.
OSHA Training Applies Too
State licensing is one layer; federal safety training is another. OSHA’s electrical safety standards at 29 CFR 1910.332 require employers to train any employee who faces a risk of electric shock. As an apprentice, you fall under OSHA’s “unqualified person” category and must be trained in the safety-related work practices your job involves, plus any additional electrical safety practices needed for your protection.14Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Training
Training can be classroom-based or on-the-job, and it should match the level of risk in your work. Only a “qualified person” trained to identify energized parts, determine nominal voltage, and maintain proper clearance distances may work on or near exposed live components. Until you complete that training and your employer designates you as qualified, exposed energized work is off-limits regardless of your state license status.