LicensebyState

Moving to Colorado as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule

Colorado has reciprocity agreements with 14 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Colorado journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)

Colorado issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the State Electrical Board within DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. There are three routes: examination (8,000 hours over at least four years, 288 hours of classroom education, and the PSI-administered Colorado exam), endorsement of an active state-issued license obtained by exam on the NEC edition Colorado currently uses (the 2026 NEC since August 1, 2026), and reciprocity for journeymen from the 14 NERA member states. Endorsement and reciprocity both issue the license without a Colorado exam. Applications are filed through DPO Online Services; licenses expire September 30 every three years.

States Colorado reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 14Endorsement 20No credit 16
Every state's path into Colorado
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-23
AlaskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
CaliforniaEndorsement2026-09-23
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-23
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-23
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-23
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-23
IdahoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IowaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-23
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MaineEndorsement2026-09-23
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-23
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-23
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-23
MinnesotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MontanaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
NebraskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
New HampshireReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-23
New MexicoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
OklahomaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
OregonEndorsement2026-09-23
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-23
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
South DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
TexasEndorsement2026-09-23
UtahReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
VermontEndorsement2026-09-23
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-23
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-23
WyomingReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Colorado from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Colorado issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 7 sources

Journeyman electrician by examination

To earn a Colorado Journeyman Electrician license from scratch, you document 8,000 hours of electrical experience earned over at least four years, including 2,000 hours of commercial or industrial work, and 288 hours of classroom education. You then pass the Colorado Journeyman Electrician exam, which PSI administers for the State Electrical Board. Only after passing do you apply to the Division of Professions and Occupations through DPO Online Services, uploading the passing result, an Affidavit of Experience from each supervising contractor, and transcripts for the 288 hours. There is no separate law or business exam.

The exam has 90 scored multiple-choice questions in 240 minutes, plus up to 10 unscored questions with 30 minutes added for them; 63 correct answers (70%) pass. PSI provides the National Electrical Code book and a formula page at the test center; you may not bring other materials or mark the book. From August 1, 2026 the questions follow the 2026 NEC, and the 2023 book is available on request until November 1, 2026. Up to three years of experience earned outside the United States can count, after at least one year of electrical construction experience in the country. Military education, training or service is credited case by case when the Board finds it substantially equivalent.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
24 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Earned in no less than 4 years; at least 2,000 hours must be commercial, industrial or substantially similar work. Documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience form, signed by the supervising electrical contractor or employer; applicants cannot verify their own experience.
  • Complete at least 288 hours of classroom or related instruction.Required of all applicants and documented with a transcript. Training must cover grounding and bonding, National Electrical Code changes, wiring methods, and theory and calculations, with 10 to 40 hours of OSHA-based safety training. The Board does not pre-approve courses, and these hours cannot also be used for experience credit.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Electrical engineering degree or approved trade school or community college program (one year of experience credit)

A graduate electrical engineer of an accredited college or university, or a graduate of a community college or trade school program the Board approves, receives one year of credit toward the four-year experience requirement. A qualifying trade school program requires at least 165 credit hours of at least 19 classroom hours each, and apprenticeship training programs do not count as trade schools. The 2,000 commercial or industrial hours and the 288 classroom hours still apply, and education credited here cannot also count toward the 288 hours. Other electrical courses that do not qualify as a degree can earn up to one year of experience credit at the rates in Board Rule 1.7(C)(5).

  • Electrical engineering degree from an accredited college or university, or a degree from a Board-approved community college or trade school program in the electrical field
  • You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.The degree is credited as one year of the four-year experience requirement; at least 2,000 hours must still be commercial, industrial or substantially similar work.
  • Complete at least 288 hours of classroom or related instruction.Still required, separate from the education credited as experience.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Colorado Journeyman Electrician exam (PSI), passed before you submit the license application.
  2. 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($78). PSI examination fee, paid when you register for the exam; non-refundable, non-transferable and valid for one year from payment.
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($73) (if applicable). PSI retest fee, charged for each retake if you do not pass.
  4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee paid by credit card in DPO Online Services after you pass the exam. The amount is not published on the Board's public pages (non-refundable and non-transferable); see dpo.colorado.gov/Electrical or call 303-894-7800..
  5. 5Other. Affidavit(s) of Experience completed by each supervising electrical contractor or employer.
  6. 6Other. Official transcript(s) documenting the 288 hours of classroom education.
  7. 7Other. Answer the application's general and criminal history screening questions; criminal convictions must be reported on every application.

Published fees on this path total $78, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 24 hours of continuing education per cycle.

At least 4 of the 24 hours must cover National Electrical Code changes, and no more than 4 hours of safety courses count. The rest may come from grounding and bonding, wiring methods, or theory and calculations. Courses must be taken from a provider on the Board's attesting CE provider list. CE is not required for the first renewal of a license issued by examination.

All Colorado electrician licenses expire on September 30 every three years; a license issued within 120 days before that date is issued with the next expiration date. The renewal fee is charged in DPO Online Services and is not published on the Board's public pages.

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Trade exam

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. 3 CCR 710-1 - State Electrical Board Rules and Regulations · 3 CCR 710-1, Rule 1.7 (Application for Licensure) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. C.R.S. 12-115-110 - License requirements, rules, continuing education (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 12) · C.R.S. § 12-115-110(1), (2), (4) · Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Colorado Electrical Applications and Forms - Licensure Requirements (Examination, Endorsement, Reciprocity) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Colorado Electrical CE · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. DPO Journeyman Electrician (JW) Initial Application Preview · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Electrical Licensing Guide · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Colorado State Electrical Board Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC (for the Colorado State Electrical Board) · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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