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Home / Electricians / Iowa
How to become an electrician in Iowa
Iowa licenses electricians at the state level through DIAL.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.
Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In IA
- 336 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In IA
- 9 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed electrical contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Start as an apprentice or trainee$20 registration
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
- Issued by
- Iowa Electrical Examining Board (DIAL)
- Cost
- $20 registration
residential electrician6,000 hrs3 years $75
6,000 hours as an apprentice (you may sit the exam at 5,000 hours)
- Time
- 6,000 hrs
- Cost
- 3 years $75
journeyman class a4 yrs3 years $75
Registered apprenticeship program and 4 years of experience as an apprentice
- Time
- 4 yrs
- Cost
- 3 years $75
residential master2,000 hrs
2,000 hours as a residential or journeyman electrician
- Time
- 2,000 hrs
master class a1 yr3 years $375
1 year as a licensed journeyman
- Time
- 1 yr
- Cost
- 3 years $375
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need an electrical contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Electrical Examining Board / State Fire Marshal (electrical)
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Iowa license.
$60,860
a year is the median for electricians in Iowa ($29.26 an hour, May 2025).5
Pay by city and percentile- Davenport–Moline$36.99
- Sioux City$35.54
- Waterloo–Cedar Falls$30.49
- Ames$30.44
- Des Moines–West Des Moines$30.21
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in Iowa?
Check the Electrical Examining Board / State Fire Marshal (electrical) before you bid work on your own.3
Are electricians in demand in Iowa?
Projections Central expects about 860 electrician openings a year in Iowa through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4
Find an apprenticeship near you
336 registered programs in Iowa. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for electricians in Iowa
Sources
- Iowa Electrical Examining Board (DIAL) (dial.iowa.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Iowa Electrical Examining Board (DIAL): experience requirements (legis.iowa.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Electrical Examining Board / State Fire Marshal (electrical) (dial.iowa.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Iowa, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)