North Dakota Electrician License Requirements (2026)

The North Dakota State Electrical Board licenses Master, Journeyman, Class B, and Power Limited electricians statewide. A Journeyman generally works under a contracting Master or Master of Record. A Master, Class B, or Power Limited electrician who will contract must satisfy both the Board’s contracting-status requirements and the Secretary of State contractor-license requirements. Cities may impose more stringent wiring requirements by ordinance, but that does not replace the state electrical licensing framework.

Regulatory Body

North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) is the statutory authority responsible for issuing and enforcing this license under N.D.C.C. ch. 43-09. Licenses electricians, conducts examinations, administers electrical-contracting status, inspections, continuing education, and reciprocity.

• Official portal: https://ndseb.com/

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. The Board’s current licensure materials do not establish a North Dakota residency requirement. Experience for examination or reciprocity must satisfy the Board’s supervision and similar-jurisdiction requirements.

Good moral character

A conviction does not automatically bar licensure unless the Board determines it directly bears on the person’s ability to serve the public as an electrician or finds insufficient rehabilitation under the applicable law.

Background investigation

The Board’s renewal process asks licensees to disclose newly undisclosed felony convictions. The current statute does not establish a universal fingerprinting requirement for electrician licensure.

Experience and Education

At least 3 years of Journeyman applicants need 8,000 hours of electrical installation and repair experience, which may not be obtained in less than three years, plus the required related training for apprentices registered after January 31, 2008. A Master applicant must first complete one year as a licensed Journeyman; the Board’s current qualifications page also specifies at least 2,000 Journeyman hours under a contracting Master or Master of Record. has to be evidenced and confirmed. Retain payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records, since the board may audit the experience claimed.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• Application for Electrician’s License by Exam
• Employment Verification (SFN 11845) showing qualifying work and supervision
• Approved apprenticeship-completion documentation where required
• Board-approved electrical-school documentation when claiming education credit

Education substitution

The Board may grant up to 2,000 hours of credit to a graduate of a Board-accepted two-year-or-longer electrical school. The statutory path for post-January 31, 2008 apprentices also requires approved apprenticeship training or a Board-approved two-year-or-equivalent course of study.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: North Dakota State Electrical Board.. 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:

• Master Electrician examination: closed and open components — question count: confirm with the authority, 270 minutes, passing score 70%
• Journeyman Electrician examination: closed and open components — question count: confirm with the authority, 270 minutes, passing score 70%

Examination fee: Current examination-application fees are $50 for Master, $25 for Journeyman, and $40 for Class B. A separate annual license fee is due after passing.

Retake policy: Reapply and pay the appropriate fee after the waiting period: no waiting period for a 60–69 score, three months for 50–59, and six months for 0–49. The Board states that the exam must be taken within six months after the invitation.

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

A licensee acting as an electrical contractor must provide evidence of public liability insurance with policy limits of at least $500,000. The Board’s contracting materials require the same minimum before contracting status or master-of-record status proceeds.

Workers' compensation

A contracting electrical business must satisfy the separate Secretary of State contractor-license requirements, which include the applicable Workforce Safety & Insurance documentation. Confirm the business’s WSI obligation directly with the Secretary of State and WSI.

Additional financial requirements

No financial-statement requirement is identified for individual electrical licenses or the Board’s current contracting-status instructions. The statute’s former undertaking-fund section is repealed.

Fee Schedule

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 North Dakota electrician.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The North Dakota Master, Journeyman, Class B, and Power Limited Electrician Licenses must be renewed every year. The fee to renew is presently $50. Master and Power Limited renewal is $50; Class B is $40; Journeyman is $25. Renewals open January 1. Calendar the applicable expiration date: March 31 for Journeyman and April 30 for Master, Class B, and Power Limited.

Continuing education: Eight Board-approved continuing-education hours must be on file to renew, with at least four hours code related. The Board’s current CE guidance specifies its current NEC edition for the code-hour requirement; use Board-approved providers and allow time for the provider to submit the roster.

Reciprocity

North Dakota grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

A reciprocal applicant needs a passing written examination from the reciprocating state, an active license in good standing held continuously for at least one year, qualifying supervised experience (8,000 hours Journeyman; 10,000 hours Master), and other Board verification. No written exam is required after reciprocity approval. Applicants from a state without CE may need an ND-approved eight-hour code class.

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

Electrician Licensing in Neighboring States

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

• Minnesota Electrician License Requirements — Minnesota Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor License
• Montana Electrician License Requirements — Montana Master Electrician License
• South Dakota Electrician License Requirements — South Dakota Electrical Contractor, Class B, and Journeyman Electrician

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Register and train as an apprentice where required. Apprentices must register with the Board within the first six months of employment and work only under the personal supervision of a licensed electrician. Follow the Board-approved related-training route applicable to the registration date.
2. Document Journeyman qualifications. Accumulate and document 8,000 qualifying hours over at least three years and the required training. The Board can allow up to 2,000 hours of accepted electrical-school credit.
3. Apply for examination and schedule with NDSEB. Submit the examination application and employment verification. After Board approval, use the invitation to select an available Board examination date within six months.
4. Pass the Board examination. The exams cover fundamental electricity, North Dakota laws, rules and wiring standards, and the current NEC. The passing grade is 70%.
5. Build Master qualifications if you intend to advance. Complete one year as a licensed Journeyman and the Board’s specified 2,000 hours under a contracting Master or Master of Record before applying for Master licensure.
6. Establish contracting status before contracting electrical work. A contracting Master, Class B, or Power Limited electrician may act for only one shop or business. Obtain the Secretary of State business/contractor license, then submit Board contracting and E-Cert applications, $500,000 liability proof, and complete the required orientation.
7. File work and local requirements. Report electrical work to the Board on its form and report licensing or renewals to the city electrical inspector where one exists. Obtain required permits and confirm any stricter local wiring ordinance.
8. Renew annually with continuing education. Journeyman licenses expire March 31; Master, Class B, and Power Limited licenses expire April 30. Ensure the required eight Board-approved CE hours are on file before renewal.

Application Checklist

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

• Board-approved apprentice registration and related training, where applicable
• 8,000 documented Journeyman hours over at least three years
• Employment Verification form and examination application
• Current Board examination application fee
• 70% passing score on the NDSEB examination
• One licensed Journeyman year and Board-required Master experience before Master application
• Annual state license fee and eight approved CE hours for renewal
• For contracting status: Secretary of State contractor license, Board contracting/E-Cert forms, $500,000 liability insurance, and orientation

Progress is saved in this browser, so you can return to this checklist while your application is in flight.

Common Filing Mistakes

The following pitfalls summarize the issues most likely to delay, return, or derail a North Dakota Electrician application based on the published board instructions and source materials cited on this page.

Using the wrong Master-experience calculation

Do not rely on an unsupported “two additional years” rule. The law requires one licensed-Journeyman year, and NDSEB’s current qualifications page specifies 2,000 supervised Journeyman hours.

Treating Class B as a broad residential credential

Class B is contracting-only and narrowly limited to farmstead and qualifying residential work in cities of 2,500 or fewer.

Contracting without both layers of approval

Electrical contracting requires the appropriate contracting electrician status, the Secretary of State contractor license, Board forms and orientation, and the required liability coverage.

Using outdated exam scores or waiting periods

The current passing grade is 70%, with score-based re-examination waiting periods. Follow the Board’s current exam page rather than old 75% or flat-30-day instructions.

Missing the renewal/CE timing

Have the eight approved CE hours on file before renewal and allow the provider up to 15 days to submit the roster. The date differs by license type.

Study and Reference Materials

These materials are drawn from the regulator's own citations and the references applicants commonly use to prepare. CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

• North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-09 — North Dakota Legislative Branch. Primary law for credential types, qualifications, annual licenses, CE, contracting insurance, and local ordinance limits.
• North Dakota Laws, Rules and Wiring Standards and current NEC — North Dakota State Electrical Board. The Board bases examinations on fundamental electricity, state laws/rules/wiring standards, and the current NEC.
• NDSEB examination information — North Dakota State Electrical Board. Current application sequence, passing score, examination duration, and retest waiting periods.

Other North Dakota Trade Licenses

For a different North Dakota credential, see these companion guides published by CLR:

• North Dakota General Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Plumber License Requirements
• North Dakota HVAC Technician License Requirements
• North Dakota Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Painting Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Carpentry Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Solar Installer License Requirements
• North Dakota Low-Voltage Technician License Requirements
• North Dakota Fire Sprinkler Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Home Inspector License Requirements
• North Dakota Pool Contractor License Requirements
• North Dakota Handyman License Requirements
• North Dakota Pest Control License Requirements
• North Dakota Septic Contractor License Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

How much experience is required for a North Dakota Journeyman Electrician?

You need 8,000 hours of qualifying electrical installation and repair experience, earned over at least three years, along with the applicable approved related training. The Board may grant up to 2,000 hours of accepted electrical-school credit.

What does it take to become a North Dakota Master Electrician?

The statute requires one year as a licensed Journeyman. The Board’s current qualifications page also requires at least 2,000 Journeyman hours under a contracting Master or Master of Record.

What is a Class B electrician in North Dakota?

A Class B electrician is a contracting-status license limited to farmstead and qualifying one- or two-family residential wiring in a city with a population of 2,500 or fewer. It is not a general commercial electrical credential.

Do I need a separate business contractor license for electrical contracting?

Yes. A Master, Class B, or Power Limited electrician who contracts must also meet the Secretary of State business and contractor-license requirements, then complete the Electrical Board contracting-status process, including $500,000 liability insurance and orientation.

How often do North Dakota electrician licenses renew?

Every year. Journeyman licenses expire March 31; Master, Class B, and Power Limited licenses expire April 30. The Board requires eight approved CE hours on file, including at least four code hours, to renew.

Which states reciprocate with North Dakota?

North Dakota reciprocates Master and Journeyman licenses with Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. It reciprocates Journeyman licenses with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Utah, and Wyoming as well, subject to Board conditions.

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