It’s an excellent time to pursue a career as an electrician in New Hampshire. In 2015, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted a 19% increase in the number of electrician jobs in the state between 2012 and 2022.
In New Hampshire, you’ll receive your electrician’s license through the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification – Electrician’s Board (referred to as the New Hampshire Electricians’ Board (NHEB)). From apprentice to journeyman to master electrician, all of your certifications will be issued by the NHEB.
Follow the steps below to become a licensed electrician in the state of New Hampshire:
Step 1. Gain the Experience and Training Required to Qualify for a Journeyman License
Qualifying for a journeyman license through the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification – Electricians’ Board requires 8,000 hours (4 years) of field experience working as an apprentice under the supervision of a licensed journeyman or master electrician and ONE of the following:
- 600 hours of electrical courses (24 hours or more must be in electrical safety). Electrical courses are to be delivered in blocks of 150 hours per year (6 hours or more per year must be in electrical safety).
OR
- An associate or higher degree from an electrical program, i.e. electrical technology or similar technical program
OR
- 10 or more years of experience working as a licensed journeyman or master electrician in another jurisdiction
Technical College Programs
Earning a certificate or Associate of Applied Science in Electrical Technology or similar degree comes with a number of clear benefits:
- Satisfies all journeyman licensing requirements for classroom based training
- Results in in-depth knowledge of the National Electrical Code
- Candidates with the theory training that comes with earning a degree are much more qualified to begin a paid apprenticeship
- Able to use electrical equipment in a safe and competent manner
- Qualifies candidates for entry-level jobs as maintenance technicians, industrial electrical technicians or field service technicians
Courses you would encounter as part of your program include
- Electrical fundamentals
- Power, transformers and rotating machinery
- Residential/commercial/industrial wiring
- Electrical motor controls
- Low voltage (communications) systems
- Advanced control systems
After completing your program, you’ll be able to pursue an apprenticeship opportunity with licensed electricians in the state. Licensed electricians throughout the state have agreements with the sanctioned trade programs in order to offer students like you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field under the supervision of a licensed electrician.
Apprenticeship Programs
Completing an apprenticeship is one of the most popular ways to gain hands-on experience in the field and earn enough hours to apply for a journeyman electrician license.
You may pursue a union apprenticeship through the New Hampshire Joint Apprentice and Training Committee, offered in partnership with the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) under the Electrical Training Alliance. Participating in a union apprenticeship would involve becoming a member of the IBEW.
However, if you’d rather complete an apprenticeship through a non-union shop, you may do so through the New Hampshire Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., a trade association that helps align aspiring apprentices with non-unionized electrical contracting companies interested in hiring on apprentices.
Apprentice Registration
In order to become a registered apprentice electrician in New Hampshire, you will need to possess a high school diploma/GED or be registered in a youth apprenticeship program for high school students under the instruction of a New Hampshire licensed electrician.
You’ll also need to be registered in an electrician training program. During each 12-month period of apprenticeship, you will be required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of electrical schooling in an approved training course.
As a registered apprentice, getting the technical training you need to work toward your journeyman license can be accomplished by taking advantage of electrical training programs approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education, which include evening courses located at area high schools and technical colleges, community college programs, IBEW union programs, and even convenient home study programs.
After enrolling in an educational program, you’ll need to apply for your apprentice license through the board. You’ll need to print out the online Apprentice Application Form and enclose a $30.00 fee. Applications may be mailed to:
NH Electrician’s Board
121 South Fruit Street
Concord, NH 03301
The application will require you to include the following information:
- Your present employer through which you are apprenticing, the nature of employer’s business, and the date your employment started
- Names and addresses of 3 references of persons unrelated to you and who have knowledge of your character
- If you have been licensed as an electrician in another state and the name of that state
- Signature of your supervising master electrician and his/her master electrician’s license number
Your apprentice license will expire yearly and require renewal. You’ll need to print out the apprentice renewal form and mail it to the NH Electrician’s Board with a $30.00 renewal fee each year.
You won’t be required to submit Continuing Education Requirements with renewal unless you’ve renewed your apprentice license five times. In that case, you’ll need to complete 30 hours of classroom instruction each year before being allowed to renew it.
Step 2. Take the Examination Required to Become a Journeyman Electrician
The next step is to become a journeyman electrician. In New Hampshire, you’ll be required to provide documentation of at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training before you’re allowed to take the journeyman exam.
You’ll need to fill out the following application and mail it with a 50.00 fee to the NH board.
Next, you’ll need to take an exam hosted through the International Code Council. The ICC publishes an electrical trades examination bulletin to clarify requirements. Testing is hosted online through Pearson VUE.
The New Hampshire Journeyman Electrician Exam will cover the following:
- General Knowledge—19%
- Services and Service Equipment—11%
- Feeders—8%
- Branch Circuits and Conductors—5%
- Wiring Methods and Materials—13%
- Equipment and Devices—8%
- Control Devices—5%
- Motors and Generators—17%
- Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions—5%
- Administrative—9%
The exam questions are based off of the National Electric Code, The American Electrician’s Handbook, 13th edition or newer, Ugly’s Electrical Reference, and RSA 319-C and Elec 300 and Elec 400.
Once you’ve passed the exam and received approval for licensing, you’ll be able to begin work as a journeyman electrician.
Journeyman electrician licenses are renewed every three years, and you will need to submit proof of completion of 15 continuing education units (CEUs) during that time. The NHEB only recognizes qualified organizations to provide CEUs, listed here. In addition, you’ll need to mail a renewal application to the NHEB.
Step 3. Consider Becoming Licensed as a High/Medium Voltage Electrician or Master Electrician
Depending on your career goals, you may choose to become licensed as a high/medium voltage electrician. In order to earn a high/medium voltage electrician license in New Hampshire, you’ll need to:
- Submit a completed application form to the NHEB
- Submit a fee of $90.00
- Submit documentation proving the completion of an electrical education program.
As a high/medium voltage electrician, you will be required to renew your license every three years through the NHEB. You can either renew it online or print and mail the application.
You will also need to complete 15 continuing education hours and submit proof of them every three years as a condition of renewal. The hours must include 14 hours of code changes and one hour of NH deficiencies.
Becoming a Master Electrician
You may also choose to become licensed as a master electrician once you have completed 2,000 of field experience as a journeyman, provided that you pass the master electrician exam.
First, you’ll need to fill out a master electrician application form and mail it to the NHEB.
Next, you’ll take the master’s electrician exam, which is made up of three parts with 125 questions total. 50 questions are about current electrical code, 50 deal with design and installation, and 25 are about electrical law.
You will be allowed to use the following resources during the exam:
- National Electrical Code, Current Edition
- RSA 319-C (Law, for Master license, included in application)
- American Electricians Handbook
Once you’ve passed the exam and become licensed as a master electrician, you’ll need to complete 15 hours of approved continuing education every three years and submit proof of CEUs each time you renew your license. Renewal is available online, or you can print and mail the application form to the NHEB.