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Home / Electricians / Michigan
How to become an electrician in Michigan
8,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.2 Michigan licenses electricians through LARA.1
Pick your way in
Every route ends at the same place: 8,000 logged hours and the state exam.
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In MI
- 129 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In MI
- 14 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
Journeyman license from LARA.
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
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes
Log 8,000 hours8,000 hrs
About 4 years of full-time work under a licensed electrician. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.
- Issued by
- Your employer signs off
- Time
- 8,000 hrs
Pass the journeyman exam
Apply to LARA with your hours, then book the exam with PSI.
- Issued by
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a electrical contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- LARA BCC - Electrical Administrative Board
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Michigan journeyman license.
$76,270
a year is the median for electricians in Michigan ($36.67 an hour, May 2025).5
Pay by city and percentile- Detroit–Warren$39.42
- Ann Arbor$39.16
- Lansing–East Lansing$38.69
- Saginaw$38.39
- Flint$37.63
Questions
How long does it take to become an electrician in Michigan?
About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised experience.2
Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in Michigan?
Check the LARA BCC before you bid work on your own.3
Are electricians in demand in Michigan?
Projections Central expects about 2,450 electrician openings a year in Michigan through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4
Find an apprenticeship near you
129 registered programs in Michigan. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for electricians in Michigan
Sources
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes (legislature.mi.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes: experience requirements (legislature.mi.gov, 2026-10-27)
- LARA BCC - Electrical Administrative Board (michigan.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Michigan, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)