Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / Electricians / Oregon

Hands stripping a wire with pliers at an open junction box on a white wall

Home / Electricians / Oregon

How to become an electrician in Oregon

8,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.2 Oregon licenses electricians through BCD.1

8,000hours of work before the exam
$48.71median an hour in Oregon

Pick your way in

Every route ends at the same place: 8,000 logged hours and the state exam.

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

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

Pay
From day one
In OR
44 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 OR
10 schools with programs
Compare 10 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

Journeyman license from BCD.

  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
    Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), DCBS
    Compare the ways in
  2. Log 8,000 hours8,000 hrs

    About 4 years of full-time work under a licensed electrician. Plus 576 classroom hours. Keep your own log of hours and pay stubs.

    Issued by
    Your employer signs off
    Time
    8,000 hrs
    What counts as hours
  3. Pass the journeyman exam

    Apply to BCD with your hours, then book the exam.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), DCBS
    Exam, fees and code book
  4. Keep it currentEvery 3 years$100 renewal

    Renew every 3 years. 24 hours per renewal: 4 Oregon rule and law, 8 code change and 12 code-related.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), DCBS
    Time
    Every 3 years
    Cost
    $100 renewal
    Renewal and continuing education
  5. Run your own shop

    Supervising electrician S: current Oregon journeyman + additional 8,000 hours on-the-job hours.

    Issued by
    Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical)
    Oregon contractor license
Already logging hours?

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

Oregon electrician license
Pay once you're working

$101,310

a year is the median for electricians in Oregon ($48.71 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Portland–Vancouver$50.53
  2. Albany$48.19
  3. Corvallis$48.02
  4. Bend$47.69
  5. Salem$47.53
Oregon median $48.71 an hour

Questions

How long does it take to become an electrician in Oregon?

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 Oregon?

Yes. Oregon licenses electrical contractors through the Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical).3

Are electricians in demand in Oregon?

Projections Central expects about 1,110 electrician openings a year in Oregon through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for electricians in Oregon

Sources

  1. Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), DCBS (oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), DCBS: experience requirements (oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Oregon Building Codes Division (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) contractor licensing (apps.oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Oregon, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)