New Hampshire Solar License Requirements

New Hampshire has no separate solar-PV contractor license. Electrical installations made for compensation must be performed by a person licensed under RSA 319-C unless an express statutory exception applies. A master electrician may conduct electrical work as a business, and a corporation or partnership doing electrical installations must have a master electrician officer, employee, or partner directly in charge of its electrical business affairs. Solar-PV work also needs the applicable local permits, inspections, structural/building review, and utility interconnection approval.

Regulatory Body

Licensing for this trade is governed by New Hampshire Electricians’ Board / Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC), the agency that issues and regulates the credential under RSA ch. 319-C; Elec 100–500. The Electricians’ Board licenses master and journeyman electricians and electrical business entities statewide. Municipalities retain project permit and inspection authority.

Official portal: https://www.oplc.nh.gov/electricians-board

Eligibility Requirements

This guide does not establish a minimum applicant age; confirm any age requirement with the issuing authority. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. RSA 319-C does not state a New Hampshire residency requirement. Apply through OPLC and, for a business entity, maintain the required master electrician directly in charge.

Good moral character

Rules require good professional character as shown by the application information.

Background investigation

Use the current OPLC application for required disclosures; no separate solar-PV fingerprint requirement is stated in RSA 319-C.

Experience and Education

Rather than a set number of years, the cited materials define eligibility through For journeyman or master licensure, the statute requires 8,000 apprentice hours and at least 600 qualifying education hours. Before taking the master exam, the applicant must pass the journeyman exam and obtain 2,000 field hours as a journeyman..

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

OPLC electrician application
Apprentice, schooling, and field-experience documentation
For an entity: documentation identifying the master electrician directly in charge

Education substitution

The Board may grant credit toward apprentice service for approved schooling or military experience under the statute and rules; confirm current credit rules with OPLC.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: New Hampshire Electricians’ Board or its approved examination entity. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

Journeyman examination followed by Master Electrician examination — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin

Examination fee: $90 for the master examination; the Master application processing and licensing fee is $198 for a two-year license.

Retake policy: An applicant may be reexamined as often as desired at the applicant’s expense, but after one year without passing must submit a new application and fee.

Insurance and Bonds

No statewide contractor license surety bond is required for this credential in the cited sources. Project-specific, permit, or public-works bonds may still apply, so confirm bonding before bidding a given job.

General liability

RSA 319-C and the reviewed Board rules do not state a fixed statewide general-liability or bond amount for solar/electrical businesses. Local authorities, owners, lenders, or utilities may require coverage.

Workers' compensation

New Hampshire Department of Labor guidance says workers’ compensation coverage is required when an employer has one or more full- or part-time employees. Confirm the business structure and any exemption directly with the Department.

Additional financial requirements

No statewide solar contractor financial-statement requirement is identified.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$198
Examination	$90
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 2 years)	$198

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for New Hampshire solar.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The New Hampshire Master Electrician / Electrical Business License for Solar PV must be renewed every 2 years. The fee to renew is presently $198. The Master and electrical business entity licenses are two-year licenses under the current OPLC fee rule.

Continuing education: RSA 319-C requires Board-adopted NFPA 70 update continuing education within 12 months from January 1 following publication of the latest NEC. Follow the current Board renewal instructions for the precise course requirement.

Reciprocity

New Hampshire grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Do not assume a New England reciprocity agreement. Use the current OPLC application and statutory/administrative pathway for an out-of-state electrician or business.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Solar license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Solar Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare New Hampshire's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Maine Solar License Requirements — Maine Solar — No Standalone Solar License (Electrical and Local Approval Path)
Massachusetts Solar License Requirements — Massachusetts Solar Contractor Requirements (Electrical, HIC, CSL, and Local Permits)
Vermont Solar License Requirements — Vermont Solar Electrical and Heating License Guide

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Confirm the electrical scope. Solar-PV electrical installation for compensation falls under RSA 319-C unless a specific statutory exception applies.
Use a master electrician or licensed electrical entity. A business entity must have a master electrician officer, employee, or partner directly in charge of electrical business affairs.
Complete the individual master path if needed. Complete 8,000 apprentice hours and 600 education hours, pass the journeyman examination, then document 2,000 journeyman field hours before the master examination.
Apply and test through OPLC. The current Master application/licensing fee is $198 for two years and the master examination fee is $90.
Obtain entity licensure when operating through a corporation or partnership. The current electrical corporation/partnership processing and licensing fee is $137 for two years; keep the responsible master electrician in place.
Meet code-update continuing education. Complete the Board-required NFPA 70 update training within 12 months from January 1 after a new NEC publication, as required by the Board rules.
Obtain local approvals and utility interconnection. State licensing does not replace local electrical/building permits, inspections, structural review, zoning, or utility approval.

Application Checklist

Ahead of submission to OPLC, confirm every item on this short list:

Licensed master electrician or licensed electrical business entity
8,000 apprentice hours and 600 education hours for individual journey/master path
Journeyman examination and 2,000 journeyman field hours before master exam
$198 Master two-year application/license fee and $90 master exam fee
$137 electrical entity license when applicable
NEC update continuing education when required
Workers’ compensation coverage if the business has employees
Local permits, inspection, and utility interconnection

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the recurring mistakes that most often delay or reject a New Hampshire Solar application, based on the official instructions cited here.

Treating NABCEP as the State license

RSA 319-C requires the applicable electrician credential; it does not list NABCEP as a substitute.

Skipping the journeyman field-hours step

The master examination requires passing the journeyman examination and 2,000 field hours as a journeyman.

Licensing a corporation without a responsible master

The entity license depends on a master electrician directly in charge of electrical business affairs.

Using outdated three-year fees or CE

The current OPLC fee rule lists two-year Master and entity licenses; code-update CE follows the statutory NEC-publication trigger.

Treating State licensure as a permit

Local approvals and utility interconnection remain separate.

Study and Reference Materials

The following references are cited by the regulator, used in the application process, or commonly used to prepare for the trade scope. Listed for reader convenience; CLR receives no compensation for these recommendations.

RSA ch. 319-C — New Hampshire General Court. Electrical-installation scope, individual licenses, and business-entity requirements.
Elec 304.01 — New Hampshire Electricians’ Board. Journeyman and master qualification path.
OPLC Plc 1002.13 and 1004.07 — OPLC. Current licensing and examination fees.
Local electrical/building permit materials — Authority having jurisdiction. Project approvals remain local.

Other New Hampshire Trade Licenses

CLR maintains guides for additional New Hampshire trades; the published ones are listed here:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does New Hampshire have a solar contractor license?

No. Solar-PV electrical installation is regulated through the statewide electrician licensing system, not a separate solar credential.

Can an electrical company install solar?

Yes, if it is licensed under RSA 319-C and has a master electrician officer, employee, or partner directly in charge of its electrical business affairs.

What is the master experience path?

The applicant completes 8,000 apprentice hours and 600 education hours, passes the journeyman exam, and completes 2,000 field hours as a journeyman before the master exam.

What are the current master fees?

The OPLC fee rule lists $198 for a two-year Master application processing and license and $90 for the master examination.

Are permits still required?

Yes. State electrical licensing does not replace local permits, inspection, structural or zoning review, or utility interconnection.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.