Utah · Electrical licensing · official-source guide
Utah licenses both. The Division of Professional Licensing at the Department of Commerce issues five electrician licenses to individuals, from apprentice through journeyman and master, and licenses the business by classification code, E-200 General Electrical or E-201 Residential Electrical. The electrical classifications require the company's qualifier to hold a Utah master electrician license, and the contractor must carry general liability insurance naming DOPL.
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-12. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Utah runs electrical licensing through the Division of Professional Licensing at the Department of Commerce, the same division that licenses plumbers, under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act at Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55. There are two credentials and they are not interchangeable. The person holds one of five electrician licenses. The business holds a contractor license in an electrical classification. Utah Code 58-55-301(2) lists both sides in one statutory list of classifications: apprentice electrician, journeyman electrician, master electrician, residential journeyman electrician and residential master electrician on the individual side, and general electrical contractor and residential electrical contractor on the business side. Section 58-55-301(1)(a) requires a person engaged in a licensed construction trade, or acting as a contractor, to be licensed before engaging in that trade or contracting activity in the state unless specifically exempted. The division is advised by the Electricians and Plumbers Licensing Board, whose members DOPL publishes with appointment and expiry dates, and rules for the trade come from the Construction Services Commission created by Utah Code 58-55-103. Utah is in the middle of a statutory renumbering: the 2026 General Session repealed and re-enacted large parts of Chapter 55, and a second set of section numbers takes effect on January 1, 2027. Section numbers cited here are the ones in force now, with the 2027 number noted where it changes.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1le.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3commerce.utah.gov 4
Utah puts the scope of each grade in statute rather than leaving it to a rule, which makes it easy to check what you can put a person on. Utah Code 58-55-102 defines a journeyman electrician as having the qualifications, training, experience and knowledge to wire, install and repair electrical apparatus and equipment for light, heat, power and other purposes. A master electrician has the qualifications to properly plan, lay out and supervise that wiring, installation and repair. A residential journeyman electrician does the same work as a journeyman on buildings using primarily nonmetallic sheath cable, and a residential master electrician plans, lays out and supervises it on residential projects. An apprentice electrician is defined as a person learning the electrical trade under the immediate supervision of a master electrician, residential master electrician, journeyman electrician or residential journeyman electrician. The word residential is not left vague either. Utah Code 58-55-102 defines a residential project, as it relates to an electrician or electrical contractor, as buildings primarily wired with nonmetallic sheathed cable in accordance with the standard rules governing that work, including the National Electrical Code, and in which the voltage does not exceed 250 volts line to line and 125 volts to ground. That voltage ceiling is the line a residential licensee cannot cross, and it is a cleaner test than a story count.
Utah licenses the contracting business by classification code, and the electrical codes sit beside the plumbing codes on the same DOPL application form. The general classifications are E-100 General Engineering, B-100 General Building, R-100 Residential and Small Commercial, H-100 HVAC, E-200 General Electrical, E-201 Residential Electrical, P-200 General Plumbing and P-201 Residential Plumbing. The form carries a footnote against the four trade codes: electrical and plumbing classifications require the qualifier to hold the trade's Master License. The statute says the same thing in more detail, requiring that for electrical contractor licensure the qualifier hold a master electrician license, and for residential electrical contractor licensure the qualifier hold a master electrician or master residential electrician license. The scopes are also statutory. Utah Code 58-55-102 defines a general electrical contractor as qualified to perform the fabrication, construction and installation of generators, transformers, conduits, raceways, panels, switch gear, electrical wires, fixtures, appliances and apparatus that uses electrical energy. A residential electrical contractor is qualified to perform the fabrication, construction and installation of services, disconnecting means, grounding devices, panels, conductors, load centers, lighting and plug circuits, appliances and fixtures in a residential unit. A separate application and fee is required for each classification, and an applicant may hold more than one.
Two DOPL pages state the journeyman requirement differently, so both are given here. The apply page for the Journeyman Electrician license lists completion of a 4 year electrical apprenticeship education program of 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of licensed electrical experience working under the supervision of a licensed journeyman or master electrician, or as an alternative 16,000 hours of licensed electrical experience under that same supervision, then the Utah Journeyman Electrician Written exam and the Utah Electrician Practical exam. The exam information page states the testing eligibility requirement as completion of a 4 year apprenticeship education program of at least 576 classroom hours or the competency exam equivalence, plus 6,000 hours of electrical experience as a licensed apprentice electrician, or as an alternative 16,000 hours of electrical experience as a licensed apprentice. The 16,000 hour route is identical on both pages. The classroom requirement is identical. The supervised-hours figure is not, and the exam page is describing eligibility to test while the apply page is describing eligibility for the license, so a candidate should plan against the higher figure and confirm with DOPL. One thing DOPL is unambiguous about: its electrician FAQ states that state law requires on-the-job work hours and school hours and grades to be met before a candidate is approved to take the exam, so there is no taking the test first and earning the hours later.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3
The Residential Journeyman Electrician license has the same two-page split. The apply page lists completion of a 2 year electrical apprenticeship education program of 288 classroom hours plus 4,000 hours as a licensed Apprentice Electrician working under the supervision of a licensed journeyman or master electrician, or as an alternative 8,000 hours of licensed electrical experience under that supervision. The exam information page gives the testing eligibility as completion of a 2 year program of at least 288 classroom hours or the competency exam equivalence plus 3,000 hours of residential electrical experience as a licensed apprentice electrician, or as an alternative 8,000 hours of residential electrical experience as a licensed apprentice. The 8,000 hour alternative and the 288 classroom hours match. The supervised-hours figure does not, and again the exam page is describing eligibility to test. The Residential Master Electrician license takes 4,000 hours of work experience as a licensed Residential Journeyman Electrician, or a bachelors or masters degree in an electrical engineering program accredited by EAC/ABET plus 2,000 hours of work experience as a licensed Apprentice Electrician. The Apprentice Electrician license sits at the bottom with the lightest door of all: DOPL lists a single requirement, a Verification of Supervision form completed and signed by the employer, and the exam page confirms there are no exam requirements for the apprentice classification.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3commerce.utah.gov 4
The master license is the one an E-200 depends on, so a contractor watching a hire should know all three routes DOPL publishes. The first is 8,000 hours of experience as a licensed Journeyman. The second is a bachelors or masters degree in an electrical engineering program accredited by EAC/ABET plus 2,000 hours of work experience as a licensed Apprentice Electrician. The third is an associates degree in applied science from an electrical trade school course of study plus 4,000 hours of work experience as a licensed Journeyman Electrician. All three then require the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule exam and the Utah Electrician Practical exam, and DOPL attaches a useful waiver: the practical exam is not required if it was previously passed as a Journeyman. That waiver is worth real money and time to a company moving a journeyman up internally, because the practical is the part that has to be taken in person. The residential version mirrors it, requiring the Utah Residential Master Electrician Law and Rule exam and the Utah Residential Electrician Practical exam, with the same waiver if the residential practical was already passed as a Residential Journeyman. Note that DOPL states on both master pages that all applicants will be required to pass the Utah Master Electrician Law and Rule examination, so the law and rule paper is not waived by any route.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3
Utah tests electricians through Prov, and the structure changed recently. DOPL announced that beginning August 1, 2025 the electrician licensing exams were updated, with Journeyman and Residential Electricians taking a single combined exam covering both Theory and Code, and Master Electricians taking a new Law and Rules exam. Candidates who had already passed either a Theory or Code exam by July 31, 2025 had until October 31, 2025 to complete the other under the old format. DOPL ties the change to the Electricians Licensing Act Rule, R156-55b, which it says went into effect on August 1, 2025. A second procedural change landed on January 19, 2026: DOPL states that all first-time candidates registering to take licensing exams with Prov must submit the Verification of Electrician Experience form directly to Prov by electronically attaching it to their exam registration. Out of state applicants who attended a trade program must also attach official transcripts, and applicants who graduated from an approved Utah trade program have their application held pending until the school authorizes them to proceed. DOPL states that preapproval for testing is not required. The practical exams are module-based, six modules for the Utah Electrician Practical exam and four for the Utah Residential Electrician Practical exam. The written theory exam can be taken remotely from any location in the United States by selecting the Utah jurisdiction and the remote proctoring option, but DOPL states the practical exam requires in-person attendance at an approved Utah Prov testing center.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3
The DOPL contractor application is where the electrical classification is bought, and it asks for more than a fee. Every general classification applicant submits a certificate of completion for the 25-hour pre-licensure course, and the form states that an applicant for an E100, B100, R100, H100, E200, E201, P200 or P201 classification must also complete the 5-hour Business and Law Course. Documentation of meeting the Utah Business and Law exam requirement follows. Utah Code 58-55-302(1)(c) makes the point that for these general classifications the only division-administered examination is the one covering the 25-hour course, plus the five-hour business law course where that course was completed on or after July 1, 2019. The qualifier requirement is the part that catches new companies. Utah Code 58-55-304(4) requires the qualifier to be an owner, officer or manager who exercises material authority in the conduct of the contracting business, makes substantive technical and administrative decisions, and hires, promotes, transfers, lays off, disciplines, directs or discharges employees. The DOPL form puts a number on it, asking the qualifier to select owner of at least 20 percent or W-2 employee in management position. General classification qualifiers must also show at least two years of paid experience in the construction industry, and the form offers a self-certification of at least 4,000 hours of paid construction work experience as one way to prove it.
Utah sets a real general liability minimum and it is higher than many states. The DOPL contractor application states that all contractors are required to maintain active general liability insurance with the Division of Professional Licensing listed as the certificate holder, and that minimum coverage is $1,000,000 for each incident and $3,000,000 in total, covering the whole scope of work for the license for the entire duration of active licensure, in compliance with Utah Administrative Rule R156-55a-302d. The certificate must name DOPL at 160 E 300 S, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 as the certificate holder, and DOPL requires it again at renewal. The bond works differently. Utah Code 58-55-306(1) lets an applicant demonstrate financial responsibility either by completing and signing a division questionnaire or by submitting a bond in an amount and form determined by the commission, so there is no single published bond figure for an electrical contractor. The DOPL application says the same thing: prior to issuing the license, a bond may be required. For an unincorporated entity, Utah Code 58-55-306(5) allows the division to require a bond of 20 percent of the annual gross distributions to owners. On workers compensation, DOPL requires a certificate naming DOPL as certificate holder if you have employees or owner-workers owning less than 8 percent, and a Workers Compensation Coverage Waiver Certificate from the Utah Labor Commission if you have no employees and want no coverage on yourself.
The electrician side is a flat number. The DOPL Electrician Application and the Apprentice Electrician Application both state a $116.00 non-refundable application-processing fee made payable to DOPL, and exam fees are paid separately and directly to the division's exam provider. Renewal on the electrician license is a $84 renewal fee. The contractor side is built from parts. The DOPL contractor application sets the processing fee as the total number of qualifiers multiplied by $50.00, plus the total number of classifications multiplied by $175.00, plus a $1.00 Electronic Reference Library Surcharge that funds web-based access to national, state and local building codes for licensees. An unincorporated applicant with owners holding less than 8 percent pays an additional $20 registration fee for each such owner. Contractor renewal is a $128 renewal fee. There is one more charge that sits on the electrician license and is easy to miss: Utah Code 58-55-104 creates the Electrician Education Fund, funded by a surcharge on initial, renewal and reinstatement licensure fees for every electrician grade, and caps that surcharge at not more than $5. Money in the fund pays for education and training of licensees practicing in the electrical trade, and any balance above $100,000 at the end of a fiscal year goes to the General Fund.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3commerce.utah.gov 4commerce.utah.gov 5le.utah.gov 6
Utah runs both licenses on a two-year cycle under Utah Code 58-55-303(1)(a), but they do not expire in the same year, which trips up owners who assume one renewal date. DOPL states that electrical license renewals are due November 30th of even years, and that contracting licenses expire on November 30th of odd years. The continuing education totals differ too. Utah Code 58-55-302.7(2)(a) requires a licensed electrician to complete 16 hours of continuing education during each two-year renewal cycle, and DOPL breaks that down: 16 hours of approved CE as outlined in Utah Administrative Rule R156-55b-304, of which 12 hours must be core, with 8 hours on the National Electrical Code and 4 hours on NFPA 70E. Utah Code 58-55-302.5(1)(a) requires a contractor licensee to complete six hours of approved continuing education during each two-year renewal cycle, and DOPL adds that three of the six must be taught live, with a webinar counting as live, and that a maximum of three hours may be completed online. Each contractor course applies to all of your contracting licenses. DOPL emails the electrician renewal notice 90 days before expiry and the contractor notice at least 60 days before, and Utah Code 58-1-301.7 requires you to report an address or email change within 10 business days. A contractor license expired more than two years must be reinstated rather than renewed.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3commerce.utah.gov 4le.utah.gov 5
Utah does not publish a plain list of reciprocal states. It publishes maps. DOPL tells an out of state applicant to review the Journeyman Electrician Endorsement to Utah map or the Master Electrician Endorsement to Utah map, and says plainly that if the state you are licensed in shows no equivalent license to Utah, you will need to meet the ordinary Utah licensing requirements instead. Where the map shows an equivalent, you request a Verification of Licensure from your state's licensing authority and upload it as a document during the online application or have it emailed to DOPL. There is a separate endorsement map for the contractor license. The contractor endorsement rules are stricter than the individual ones, because ownership follows the license: DOPL states that if you are currently licensed as a contractor in a jurisdiction determined equivalent to Utah and have a minimum of one year of experience with that license, you may apply by endorsement, but at least 50 percent of the ownership proposed for the Utah license must be the same as the ownership of the license used for endorsement, and no more than 50 percent of the ownership may have changed within the last year. Canada has its own answer. DOPL's electrician FAQ states that the Construction Electrician Red Seal Certification is considered equivalent to the Utah Journeyman Electrician License, applied for through the endorsement pathway and held for at least one year before applying, and that the Industrial Electrician Red Seal Certification is not recognized as equivalent.
Sourcescommerce.utah.gov 1commerce.utah.gov 2commerce.utah.gov 3commerce.utah.gov 4commerce.utah.gov 5commerce.utah.gov 6commerce.utah.gov 7
Utah Code 58-55-501(1) makes it unlawful conduct to engage in a construction trade, act as a contractor, or represent oneself as engaged in a construction trade requiring licensure without being licensed or exempt. Subsection (2) adds acting beyond the scope of the license held, and subsection (3) adds hiring or employing an unlicensed person to perform work on a project. Subsection (4) covers applying for or obtaining a building permit when not licensed, and subsection (8) covers submitting a bid for work requiring a license. Utah Code 58-55-503(2)(a) makes a violation of most of those subsections a class A misdemeanor, and 58-55-503(2)(b) adds that a person who bids unlicensed may not be awarded and may not accept the contract. The division also issues citations. Under 58-55-503(5)(h) the fine is up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $2,000 for a second, and up to $2,000 for each day of continued offense for any subsequent one, with a higher tier of $2,000, $4,000 and $4,000 per day for the violations named in 58-55-501(16)(e) and (28). A citation must be contested in writing within 20 calendar days or it becomes the final order of the division, and the division may not issue one more than one year after the violation was reported. Exemptions exist but are narrow for electrical work: Utah Code 58-55-305(1)(h) exempts alteration, repair, remodeling or improvement under $7,000 including labor and materials, yet expressly requires electrical work on such a project to be performed by a licensed electrical contractor where the project involves an electrical system.
Sourcesle.utah.gov
Utah's display rule is narrower than the vehicle-lettering rules some states impose, and it is easy to comply with once you know where it bites. Utah Code 58-55-304(2) states that the contractor's license number shall be made a part of all permit applications, contracts, agreements, or bids when a license is required. That is the operative requirement, and it reaches the documents a customer actually signs. The renumbered version taking effect January 1, 2027 keeps it, as Utah Code 58-55-107(3), phrased as a duty on the division to require the contractor's license number on permit applications, contracts, agreements or bids that require a license. Two name rules sit alongside it. Utah Code 58-55-501(11) makes it unlawful conduct to do business under a name other than the name appearing on the license, except as permitted by statute or rule, so a trading name that has drifted from the licensed entity name is a violation and not just a marketing inconsistency. Utah Code 58-55-501(10) makes it unlawful conduct to allow one's license to be used by another. Utah Code 58-55-304(1) adds that no license may be issued in a name identical to or so resembling another licensee's that the division determines it may cause confusion or mistake, which is worth checking before you commit to signage. Failure to comply with section 58-55-304 may be treated as unprofessional conduct by the licensee, the qualifier, or both.
Sourcesle.utah.gov
Utah adopts construction codes by statute rather than by agency rule, so the edition is in the code book. Utah Code 15A-2-103(1)(g) incorporates by reference the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Code issued by the National Fire Protection Association, alongside the 2024 International Building Code, the 2021 International Residential Code and the 2024 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. The version of 15A-2-103 that takes effect on January 1, 2027 still names the 2023 edition of the NEC, so an electrical contractor working in Utah is on the 2023 NEC on both sides of that date. What matters just as much is that Utah does not adopt it clean. Utah Code Title 15A, Chapter 3, Part 6 carries the Statewide Amendments to National Electrical Code, and 15A-3-601 opens by adopting the IRC provisions as the residential electrical standards applicable to residential installations under the IRC, with all other installations complying with the adopted NEC. The amendments that follow delete or rewrite specific NEC sections, including changes to 210.8(A) and the deletion of 210.8(F), 210.12, 210.65, 215.18, 225.42 and 230.67, and a rewrite of 230.71 and of 314.27(C). Part 6 was amended by Chapter 532 of the 2025 General Session. Bidding off the unamended NEC is how a Utah electrical contractor loses money on arc-fault and GFCI scope, so read Chapter 3 Part 6 next to the code book.
Sourcesle.utah.gov 1le.utah.gov 2
Utah caps what a city can ask of a licensed contractor, and the cap is in the licensing statute itself. Utah Code 58-55-301(1)(b) states that the license issued under the chapter and the business license issued by the local jurisdiction in which the licensee has its principal place of business shall be the only licenses required for the licensee to engage in a trade licensed by the chapter within the state. Subsection (1)(c) goes further: neither the state nor any of its political subdivisions may require of a licensee any additional business licenses, registrations, certifications, contributions, donations or anything else established for the purpose of qualifying a licensee to do business in that local jurisdiction, or any fee for such a license, registration or certification, with a carve-out only for contract prequalification procedures required by state agencies. Salt Lake City still requires a business license to engage in business within the city limits under its code section 5.02.005, and it still requires permits: the city states that no person or corporation shall make any installation, alteration or improvement to the electrical, plumbing or mechanical system in a building without first obtaining the prescribed permits from the building official. For verification, Utah runs a public license search at secure.utah.gov, and DOPL separately publishes a Disciplinary Actions and Citations Search, so a customer can check both the license and the history behind it.
Sourcesle.utah.gov 1slc.gov 2slc.gov 3slc.gov 4secure.utah.gov 5dopl.utah.gov 6
These are common details other guides publish about Utah, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes. The Division of Professional Licensing at the Utah Department of Commerce licenses electricians and electrical contractors statewide under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act, Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55. Utah Code 58-55-301(1)(a) requires licensure before engaging in the trade or in contracting activity.
Both. Utah Code 58-55-301(2) lists apprentice, journeyman, master, residential journeyman and residential master electrician on the individual side, and general electrical contractor and residential electrical contractor on the business side. A business needs a contractor license in an electrical classification to contract for the work.
E-200 General Electrical and E-201 Residential Electrical, listed on the DOPL contractor application beside P-200 General Plumbing and P-201 Residential Plumbing. The form notes that electrical and plumbing classifications require the qualifier to hold the trade's master license.
Yes. Utah statute requires the qualifier for electrical contractor licensure to hold a master electrician license, and for residential electrical contractor licensure to hold a master electrician or master residential electrician license. The qualifier must also be an owner of at least 20 percent or a W-2 employee in a management position.
DOPL's apply page lists a 4 year apprenticeship education program of 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of supervised licensed electrical experience, or 16,000 hours of experience without the program. DOPL's exam information page states the testing eligibility as the same program plus 6,000 hours, or 16,000 hours. Confirm which figure applies to you before you file.
General liability with minimum coverage of $1,000,000 for each incident and $3,000,000 in total, with DOPL listed as the certificate holder, under Utah Administrative Rule R156-55a-302d. Workers compensation is required if you have employees or owner-workers owning less than 8 percent, otherwise a waiver certificate from the Utah Labor Commission.
Not as a fixed figure. Utah Code 58-55-306(1) lets an applicant show financial responsibility by completing a division questionnaire or by submitting a bond in an amount and form determined by the commission. The DOPL application says a bond may be required before the license is issued.
The DOPL electrician application fee is $116.00 and electrician renewal is $84. The contractor application fee is $50.00 per qualifier plus $175.00 per classification plus a $1.00 electronic reference library surcharge, and contractor renewal is $128.
Electrician licenses are due November 30th of even years and contracting licenses expire November 30th of odd years. Electricians complete 16 hours of continuing education per two-year cycle, 12 of them core, with 8 hours on the NEC and 4 on NFPA 70E. Contractors complete six hours, three of which must be taught live.
The 2023 edition of the National Electrical Code, incorporated by reference at Utah Code 15A-2-103(1)(g). Utah also applies statewide amendments to it in Utah Code Title 15A, Chapter 3, Part 6, which delete or rewrite a number of NEC sections.
Yes. Utah Code 58-55-304(2) requires the contractor's license number on all permit applications, contracts, agreements and bids when a license is required. The renumbered version effective January 1, 2027 carries the same requirement at 58-55-107(3). Doing business under a name other than the one on the license is separately unlawful conduct.
Utah Code 58-55-501(1) makes it unlawful conduct and 58-55-503(2)(a) makes it a class A misdemeanor. DOPL can also cite, with fines of up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $2,000 for a second, and up to $2,000 for each day of a continued subsequent offense. A citation must be contested within 20 calendar days.
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