How to Get a Montana Electrician License

Montana licenses Residential, Journeyman, and Master electricians. You apply to the State Electrical Board, wait for your admission letter, then take one PSI exam based on the 2020 NEC.

Choose your license

Residential and Journeyman applicants qualify with an approved apprenticeship, a union or trade association program, or the hours in the table above. Residential hours must be in buildings with fewer than five living units. For either license, 20,000 hours in electrical maintenance also counts if at least 8,000 are practical hours and your employer certifies them.

Master applicants can also qualify with an accredited electrical engineering degree plus 2,000 practical hours.

A business needs a separate electrical contractor license, with a Montana-licensed master as its responsible electrician.

Apply, then book the exam

1. Submit your license application, your experience or apprenticeship records, and the $190 fee to the Board.
2. Wait for the Board's admission letter. Then book your exam through PSI Montana, the state's testing company.
3. On exam day, bring your admission letter, photo ID and allowed books.
4. After you pass, follow the Board's instructions to get your license.

You have one year from Board approval to pass. After that, you must apply again and pay the fees again. If you fail, pay the exam fee and retest with no waiting period. After a second failure, you must finish an approved 8-hour code seminar before your third try.

The exam and your books

Calculations are part of your one exam. There is no separate load calculation or business and law exam.

You don't need to buy the Montana Building Codes Amendments. They're printed in the bulletin.

Under the exam-room rules, your books can have notes, highlighting, underlining and tabs added before exam day. You can't write in them during the exam or bring loose papers. Bring a silent, nonprogrammable calculator. Calculators made for electrical estimating aren't allowed.

Renewal and out-of-state licenses

Licenses expire July 15 of even-numbered years. You need 16 hours of continuing education every two years, with at least 8 hours of code update. See the renewal requirements.

If you hold an active, unrestricted state license in good standing, you may skip the Montana exam through licensure by substantial equivalency. Your state must have required an exam and experience that meets Montana's standard. Send license verifications with your application. A city or county license doesn't qualify.