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How to become an electrician in Montana
8,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.2 Montana licenses electricians through the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board.1
How do you start as an electrician in Montana?
There are three ways in: a registered apprenticeship (310 programs in Montana), trade school (2 schools with electrician programs), or a helper or trainee job with a licensed electrical contractor.
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 MT
- 310 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In MT
- 2 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
How do you get an electrician license in Montana?
Log 8,000 hours of supervised work, then apply to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board and pass the journeyman exam given by PSI.
Journeyman license from the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board.
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
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board
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$190 application
Apply to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board with your hours, then book the exam with PSI.
- Issued by
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board
- Cost
- $190 application
Keep it currentEvery 2 years$140 renewal
Renew every 2 years. 16 hours of NEC code education at each two-year renewal, completed by July 15 of even years; new apprenticeship graduates skip it for their first renewal
- Issued by
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board
- Time
- Every 2 years
- Cost
- $140 renewal
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need an electrical contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Montana DLI State Electrical Board
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Montana journeyman license.
$76,760
a year is the median for electricians in Montana ($36.90 an hour, May 2025).4
Pay by city and percentile- Billings$38.93
- Missoula$38.10
- Helena$37.87
- Bozeman$37.61
- Great Falls$37.00
More questions about becoming an electrician in Montana
How long does it take to become an electrician in Montana?
About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised experience.2
Are electricians in demand in Montana?
Projections Central expects about 350 electrician openings a year in Montana through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3
Find an apprenticeship near you
310 registered programs in Montana. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for electricians in Montana
Sources
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry, State Electrical Board: experience requirements (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Montana, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)