Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Maryland's official board.
Statewide licensing. Board recently reorganized from the former DLLR into the Dept. of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
| Requirements | Master: at least 7 years regular employment under a licensed master (up to 3 years credit for formal training), pass exam. Journeyperson: at least 4 years supervised employment, OR completion of approved apprenticeship (>=576 classroom hours + 8,000 work hours) obtained within 2 years of application. Exam via PSI. |
| Reciprocity | Yes. The Maryland State Board of Electricians states that the board currently has reciprocal agreements with Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Conditions differ by jurisdiction: an individual licensed by the West Virginia State Fire Marshal may apply without taking the Maryland written licensure exam provided the applicant passed the West Virginia licensure exam and has held that license for at least two years in good standing; individuals holding a license in good standing in Virginia or the District of Columbia who passed the written examination may apply for Maryland licensure without taking the Maryland written exam; individuals holding a Delaware license in good standing for at least five years who passed the exam in Delaware may apply without taking the Maryland written exam. Applicants must request a letter of verification of licensure and obtain a certificate of insurance. There is an onward-reciprocity restriction: if you take a license examination in a local jurisdiction and reciprocate that local registration to obtain a State license, you cannot use the State license to obtain a reciprocal license in another state or the District of Columbia. |
| Renewal | Biennial. Md. Business Occupations and Professions Article § 6-310 provides that a State electrician license runs a two-year term, expires on the first June 30 that comes after the effective date of the State license, and may be renewed for an additional two-year term; the Secretary may implement staggered expiration dates, and the Board's own renewal page confirms that expirations are staggered, that a license is valid for two years from the date it was issued, and that renewal instructions are mailed roughly 60 days before expiration. Continuing education: COMAR 09.09.02.01 requires 10 hours of qualifying continuing education to renew a master license and 5 hours to renew a journeyperson license, obtained during the 24 months immediately preceding renewal with no carryover; no continuing education is stated for the apprentice class. COMAR 09.09.02.03 requires at least 5 of the master's 10 hours to be completed in a classroom setting, in person or live virtual. COMAR 09.09.02.02 defines qualifying subject matter as any article of or update to the National Electrical Code or local variants, any NFPA code or standard relating to electrical services, or courses meeting § 6-205(b), it sets no minimum number of NEC-only hours, so Maryland publishes no fixed code-update hours figure. Separately, the Board publishes a 10-hour, two-year continuing education requirement attached to the uninsured master electrician designation: a master holding the 'Authorized to Work' designation must complete 10 hours on a two-year cycle, while a holder of the 'Unauthorized to Work' designation is exempt while inactive but must complete the 10 hours before returning to work. Renewal fees under COMAR 09.09.01.03, mirrored on the Board's fee page, are $31.50 for master, $18.50 for journeyperson and $12.00 for apprentice; the regulation ties these to a cost-recovery formula that escalates on a schedule (the immediately prior schedule was $28.00, $16.50 and $11.00), so the current-year figure should be confirmed before relying on it. |
| Notes | Statewide licensing. Board recently reorganized from the former DLLR into the Dept. of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. |
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Sources: www.labor.maryland.gov, labor.maryland.gov, www.labor.maryland.gov, www.labor.maryland.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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