Did you know you can complete your electrical continuing education class online?
As an electrical professional, your state probably requires you to take continuing education units (CEUs) — also called professional development hours (PDHs) — to maintain your electrical license, certification, or registration. Fortunately, knocking this to-do off your list is easier than ever before. That's because you have access to online electrical CEU courses and, in many states, you can submit your renewal application online, too.
To make it as easy as possible to renew your license, our state-approved courses are available anytime, anywhere. All you need is a device with an internet connection and an hour of free time to complete one CEU.
Of course, before you get started, it's helpful to know what your state requires. Let's take a quick look at your steps for electrical license renewal, including online continuing education.
Review your electrical license or certification renewal timeline
Know when your electrical continuing education is due
All of the below states require licensed, certified, or registered electrical professionals to take continuing education. When is your electrician CE due? It depends on your home state, but you usually have between one and four years to complete your CE and renew your license.
Know your electrical license continuing education requirements
Again, these requirements vary by state. Some states require as few as four hours, while others require 32 hours of electrical CE for renewal.
To give you a full idea of when your electrical license expires and how many CEUs you need to renew it, find your state on this chart.
| STATE | REQUIRED CE HOURS | RENEWAL PERIOD |
|---|---|---|
| ALABAMA | 14 hours | 2 years |
| ALASKA | 8-16 hours, depending on license type | 2 years |
| ARKANSAS | 8 hours | 1 year |
| CALIFORNIA | 32 hours | 3 years |
| COLORADO | 24 hours | 3 years |
| DELAWARE | 10 hours* | 2 years |
| FLORIDA | 14 hours | 2 years |
| GEORGIA | 8 hours | 2 years |
| IDAHO | 24 hours every 3 years | 3 years |
| ILLINOIS | 30 hours every 2 years | 2 years |
| KANSAS | Varies by local jurisdiction | Varies by local jurisdiction |
| KENTUCKY | 6 hours per license type | 1 year |
| MAINE | 15 hours | 3 year |
| MARYLAND | 10 hours | 2 years |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 21 hours | 3 years |
| MICHIGAN | 15 hours | 1 year |
| MINNESOTA | 16 hours | 2 years |
| MISSISSIPPI | 15 hours | 1 year |
| MONTANA | 16 hours | 2 years |
| NEBRASKA | 12 hours | 2 years |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | 15 hours | 3 years |
| NEW MEXICO | 16 hours | 3 years |
| NEW YORK | Varies by local jurisdiction | Varies by local jurisdiction |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 8 hours | 1 year |
| NORTH DAKOTA | 8 hours | 1 year |
| OKLAHOMA | 6 hours | 3 years |
| OREGON | 4-24 hours, depending on license type | 3 years |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 8-15 hours, depending on license type | 1 year |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | 16 hours | 2 years |
| TEXAS | 4 hours | 1 year |
| UTAH | 16 hours | 2 years |
| VERMONT | 8-15 hours, depending on license type | 3 years |
| VIRGINIA | 3 hours | 1 year |
| WASHINGTON | 24 hours | 3 years |
| WISCONSIN | 18-24 hours, depending on license type | 1-4 years, depending on license type |
| WYOMING | 16 hours | 3 years |
*After the first renewal cycle | ||
Complete Your Electrician License Continuing Education
Now that you know how many hours you need and when they're due, you might be itching to get started. Don't worry. Finding state-approved continuing education is easy. We'll provide you with links to the courses you need shortly.
First, though, we want to point out that some states have specific requirements concerning what you learn in your CEUs. Review the topics required by your state to make sure you fulfill your continuing education obligations.
Get the 2020 NEC CE you need
We heard from many electricians across the country who need CEUs on the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC). Inspired by your customer feedback, we worked to improve your user experience by creating high-quality video-based online 2020 NEC continuing education.
You'll find that education available in the links below in many of the states that require 2020 NEC CEs.
To get your electrical continuing education, find your state below and click the link to start your CEs online.
| STATE | LINK TO ONLINE CE |
|---|---|
| ALABAMA | AL Electrical CE |
| ALASKA | AK Electrical CE |
| ARKANSAS | AR Electrical CE |
| CALIFORNIA | CA Electrical CE |
| COLORADO | CO Electrical CE |
| DELAWARE | DE Electrical CE |
| FLORIDA | FL Electrical CE |
| GEORGIA | GA Electrical CE |
| IDAHO | ID Electrical CE |
| ILLINOIS | IL Electrical CE |
| KANSAS | KS Electrical CE |
| KENTUCKY | KY Electrical CE |
| MAINE | ME Electrical CE |
| MARYLAND | MD Electrical CE |
| MASSACHUSETTS | MA Electrical CE |
| MICHIGAN | MI Electrical CE |
| MINNESOTA | MN Electrical CE |
| MISSISSIPPI | MS Electrical CE |
| MONTANA | MT Electrical CE |
| NEBRASKA | NE Electrical CE |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | NH Electrical CE |
| NEW MEXICO | NM Electrical CEU |
| NEW YORK | NY Electrical CEU |
| NORTH CAROLINA | NC Electrical CEU |
| NORTH DAKOTA | ND Electrical CEU |
| OKLAHOMA | OK Electrical CEU |
| OREGON | OR Electrical CE |
| PENNSYLVANIA | PA Electrical CE |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | SD Electrical CE |
| TEXAS | TX Electrical CE |
| UTAH | UT Electrical CE |
| VERMONT | VT Electrical CE |
| VIRGINIA | VA Electrical CE |
| WASHINGTON | WA Electrical CE |
| WISCONSIN | WI Electrical CE |
| WYOMING | WY Electrical CE |
Finalize your electrical certification, license, or registration renewal
Lastly, you need to submit your renewal application to your state. This should be fairly easy because a lot of states allow you to renew your electrical license online. Be advised that you'll probably need to pay a renewal fee as part of this process.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to renew my electrical license?
It depends on your home state. Fortunately, states that require annual electrical license renewal usually charge less than those that require less frequent renewal. Generally, renewals range from around $30 to $300. (You can read our more in-depth guide on costs of maintaining an electrician license here)
When can I renew my electrical license?
Most states have specific renewal windows, meaning you can't renew your license until a certain number of days before your current license expires. Usually, the renewal window is about 90 days.
That said, you can start your continuing education at any point during your renewal cycle. Getting your CE completed early can ensure you don't have any stress once your renewal window opens.
How to renew your apprentice electrician license?
It varies from state to state and, in some states, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. If you use the renewal link we included for your state above, your state's website (or form, for states without online renewal portals) should walk you through the renewal process, pointing out everything you need.
In most states, though, to renew an apprentice electrician license, you need:
- Completion of the required CEUs
- Payment of the relevant renewal fee
- Submission of the renewal application
How to renew your journeyman electrician license?
Like apprentice licenses, the process for renewing a journeyman electrician license varies from state to state. You can use the renewal link we included above to visit your state's website or review your state's form to find out what the process entails.
Usually, it's a three-step process:
- Complete the required journeyman electrician CE
- Pay the journeyman electrician renewal fee
- Submit the journeyman electrician renewal application to your state
How to renew your master electrician license?
Just like apprentice and journeyman licenses, the master electrician license renewal is different depending on the state in which you live. As a bare minimum, all of the states we listed above require that you:
- Complete the required number of continuing education hours
- Pay your master electrician license renewal fee
- Submit your renewal application to them by your license expiration date