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Home / Electricians / Kentucky

How to become an electrician in Kentucky

Kentucky licenses electricians at the state level through DHBC.1 You start as an apprentice or trainee and work toward the exam.

82registered apprenticeship programs$28.71median an hour in Kentucky

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In KY
82 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In KY
16 schools with programs
Compare 16 schools
Helper

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
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Start as an apprentice or trainee

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Issued by
    Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Division of Plumbing/Electrical licensing
    Compare the ways in
  2. electrician8,000 hrs

    8,000 hours, with up to 4,000 replaced by a training course, associate degree or teaching

    Time
    8,000 hrs
  3. master electrician16,000 hrs

    16,000 hours, with up to 4,000 replaced by training or teaching and 6,000 by a degree

    Time
    16,000 hrs
  4. Run your own shop

    Electrician: 8,000 hours of electrical work since age 16, with up to 4,000 hours replaced by an approved training course, an associate degree, or two years teaching. Master electrician: 16,000 hours, with up to 4,000 replaced by training or teaching and up to 6,000 by an associate degree or diploma.

    Issued by
    DHBC - Electrical
    Kentucky contractor license
Already logging hours?

Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Kentucky license.

Kentucky electrician license
Pay once you're working

$59,720

a year is the median for electricians in Kentucky ($28.71 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Paducah$35.54
  2. Louisville/Jefferson County$30.02
  3. Lexington–Fayette$27.56
  4. Bowling Green$26.80
  5. Owensboro$26.46
Kentucky median $28.71 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in Kentucky?

Yes. Kentucky licenses electrical contractors through DHBC.3

Are electricians in demand in Kentucky?

Projections Central expects about 1,020 electrician openings a year in Kentucky through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

82 registered programs in Kentucky. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for electricians in Kentucky

Sources

  1. Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Division of Plumbing/Electrical licensing (apps.legislature.ky.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Division of Plumbing/Electrical licensing: experience requirements (apps.legislature.ky.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. DHBC - Electrical contractor licensing (apps.legislature.ky.gov)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Kentucky, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)