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Home / Electricians / Wisconsin
How to become an electrician in Wisconsin
8,000 hours of supervised work, then the state exam.1 Wisconsin licenses electricians through DSPS.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 WI
- 24 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In WI
- 12 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 DSPS.
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
- Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
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 DSPS with your hours, then book the exam with Pearson VUE and DSPS exam locations.
- Issued by
- Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Keep it currentEvery year
Renew every year. 24 hours of approved continuing education per 4-year term for journeyman and master
- Issued by
- Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
- Time
- Every year
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a electrical contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- DSPS - Electrical / Plumbing / HVAC
Exam vendor, code book, fees, renewal and reciprocity for the Wisconsin journeyman license.
$76,540
a year is the median for electricians in Wisconsin ($36.80 an hour, May 2025).4
Pay by city and percentile- Racine–Mount Pleasant$39.67
- Janesville–Beloit$39.51
- Sheboygan$37.92
- Wausau$37.83
- Madison$37.71
Questions
How long does it take to become an electrician in Wisconsin?
About 4 years of full-time work: the journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised experience.1
Do you need a license to work on your own as an electrician in Wisconsin?
Check DSPS before you bid work on your own.2
Are electricians in demand in Wisconsin?
Projections Central expects about 1,470 electrician openings a year in Wisconsin through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.3
Find an apprenticeship near you
24 registered programs in Wisconsin. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for electricians in Wisconsin
Sources
- Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, 2026-10-27)
- DSPS - Electrical / Plumbing / HVAC (dsps.wi.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Wisconsin, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)