How to Renew a Vermont Electrical License

In Vermont, the Department of Public Safety oversees the Division of Fire Safety, which oversees licensing for electricians through the State Electrical Safety program. That might feel like a lot of roads to navigate to get what you need, but it’s non-negotiable. Do work without the proper licensing and you’re looking at a $500 penalty. Long story short, in order to legally do electrical work in the state, you need to not just get your electrical license, but also to maintain it periodically.

The bad news is that even though there are so many state agencies and initiatives involved in your licensing, there’s no easy-to-use source of information on the state website. To figure out what you need to do to renew your license, you’d need to dig into the state statutes.

To save you that headache, we built this guide. Here's what Vermont master, journeymen, and specialty (type-S) electricians need to know to renew their licenses.

Your renewal timeline

No matter which type of license you hold, your renewal is due every three years. Licenses expire on the last day of the month.

Check your license and mark your calendar. You probably want to put your renewal reminder down for at least a few weeks before your current license will expire because you’ll need to take some specific steps first.

The continuing education requirement

During each three-year renewal cycle, all Vermont journeymen and master electricians need to complete 15 hours of continuing education (CE). Your hours need to focus on the National Electrical Code (NEC).

If you have a specialty (type-S) license, you need eight CE hours that focus on your area of specialty. If you have multiple type-S licenses, don’t panic. The maximum amount of CE the state requires is 15 hours.

Two things you should know here. First, your hours will only count if you take them from a Division-approved provider. Secondly, the state lets electricians take their hours online and on-demand. This gives you the flexibility to work on your hours whenever you have time during the 36 months between renewals.

The cost to renew your license

The amount you’ll need to pay in order to keep your license active depends on your license type. If you’re a master electrician, renewing costs $150. If you’re a journeyman, it’s $115. If you’re a type-S electrician, be ready to pay $115 for every specialty field on your license.

If you’re late in getting your renewal in, you’ll need to pay a $25 late fee, too.

Sending in your renewal

The Division of Fire Safety uses an online form to collect renewal applications. Fortunately, the form itself is pretty straightforward.

If you run into any issues submitting your renewal or you have questions about the renewal process in general, you can call the Division at (802) 479-7564 or email them at DPS.DFSlicensing@vermont.gov.

Get your CE hours done before you start your renewal form. Once you’ve got the hours you need, head to the renewal application form and get it submitted before your expiration date.