How to Renew Your Ohio Electrical License

Maybe you call it your electrical license, your master license, or your contractor license. But whatever you call the license that allows you to legally work as an electrician in the state of Ohio, the odds are that you want to keep it current.

Here’s the good news and bad news: the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) only requires renewal every three years for a lot of electrical licensees. That’s good news because it means you don’t have to fuss with the renewal process too frequently. But it’s bad news because it means that by the time your renewal deadline rolls around, you probably forgot what you did last time.

In fact, even if you’re on a one-year renewal cycle, it can be tricky to remember all of the specifics of the process. We’re here to help. Read on to find out what you need to know to renew your license with the OCILB.

Your deadline

Some electrical contractors need to renew on an annual basis, while others are on a triennial cycle. Check your license to get clear on when, exactly, you need to submit your renewal to the OCILB.

Your continuing education

If you’re on a one-year renewal, you need eight hours of continuing education (CE) in order to renew.

If you’re on a three-year renewal, you need 24 CE hours. Don’t panic — that still breaks down to eight per year, so you’re not doing more work than a contractor on a single-year renewal timeline.

The state has some specific requirements about those eight hours per year.

CE requirements for Ohio electricians

For starters, you need to take your hours from an education provider that the OCILB has approved.

Secondly, half of your hours need to focus on updates to the National Electrical Code (NEC).

Finally, half of your hours need to be in person. Fortunately, the other half — four per year or 12 if you’re on a triennial renewal — can come from an online, on-demand course. If you make sure your online hours focus on the NEC, you can kill two birds with one stone. Then, you just need to find an approved provider to offer the other half of your hours in person.

Your renewal submission

Once you have your CE done, it’s time to submit your renewal. The OCILB uses an online eLicense portal for this.

The renewal process doesn’t require you to submit proof of liability insurance anymore, but you’re not off the hook. State law still requires you to maintain at least $500,000 of general liability coverage in the name of your contracting company.

As the final piece of your renewal process, you need to pay the renewal fee. If you renew annually, it’s $60. For triennial renewals, it’s $180. Again, the breakdown is the same per year so there’s nothing gained or lost by being on either renewal timeline.

Once you submit your renewal, the OCILB should process and mail your license pretty promptly. If you don’t receive it in a few days, contact them to ask what’s holding up the process.