North Dakota journeyman electrician license

How many hours do you need for the journeyman license in North Dakota?

8,000 hours of supervised work, about 4 years full time.³ A two-year electrical technology degree or 576 hours of related apprenticeship training.⁴

Class B license

3,000 hrs18 months and 3,000 hours of farmstead or residential wiring

Journeyman license

8,000 hrs8,000 hours as a registered apprentice (not in less than 3 years) under a contracting master, plus completed apprentice training; 2,000 hours credit for a two-year or longer electrical school

Master license

2,000 hrs1 year as a licensed journeyman, with at least 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman under a contracting master or master of record

Keep your own record of hours, employers and pay stubs. North Dakota State Electrical Board can ask for proof when you apply.

What is the North Dakota electrician exam like?

A technical and practical examination for each license class, passing grade 70%. North Dakota State Electrical Board (the board gives its own exam and provides the code books and calculators). Code book: The current edition of the National Electrical Code; the board's 2026 rules reference the NFPA 70 2026 edition. Both: each exam has a 1-hour closed-book part and a 3.5-hour open-book part.¹²

How much does the journeyman license cost?

North Dakota State Electrical Board lists these fees.²

How do you renew it?

1 year. Journeyman licenses expire March 31; master, Class B and power limited licenses expire April 30.⁵ Continuing education: 8 hours of approved continuing education, at least 4 of them on the code, on file with the board before renewal.⁵

Does a license from another state count in North Dakota?

Master: Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota; journeyman: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; requirements: Passed the other state's written exam, a current license held for the past year, and 8,000 hours (journeyman) or 10,000 hours (master) under a contracting master in a similar jurisdiction.⁶

License levels in North Dakota

Master (contracting master, master of record, non-contracting master); journeyman; Class B (farmstead and residential, contracting only, cities of 2,500 or fewer); power limited; apprentice registration.

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