Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Michigan's official board.
Michigan licenses electrical sign work at both levels: the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes issues an individual Sign Specialist license and a Sign Specialty Contractor license for the business. Two official LARA sources disagree on the qualifying credential for the contractor license, because the bureau's electrical licensing page says a Sign Specialty Contractor must hold or hire a FAST (fire alarm) license holder while LARA's own Sign Specialty Contractor requirements sheet says the qualifier is a Sign Specialist, which is what the rest of both pages and the renewal page describe.
| Requirements | For the Sign Specialist license the applicant must be at least 18 years old, must have 4,000 hours of experience and at least 2 years under a Sign Specialist in the manufacturing, installation, maintenance, connection or repair of electric signs and related wiring, must provide a signed affidavit of experience from employers and proof of completing an approved training course in the installation, maintenance, connection or repair of electric signs and related wiring, and must take and pass the Sign Specialist exam by scoring at least 75 percent. Examinations are conducted by PSI and scheduled directly with PSI after the Licensing Section approves the applicant to test. A military route exists for an applicant who served as an electrician or equivalent for at least 4,000 hours, was honorably discharged one year prior to application, and has a signed affidavit from a commanding officer attesting to electrical experience. The Sign Specialty Contractor license is required to do business as a Sign Specialist. The applicant must hold and maintain a Sign Specialist license or employ at least one full-time employee who is a licensed sign specialist designated as the sign specialist of record, and must provide evidence of public liability insurance coverage. There is no test required to be a Sign Specialty Contractor. A Sign Specialist can associate with only one Sign Specialty Contractor at a time, and without a Sign Specialist the contractor license is put on hold. The City of Detroit issues its own licenses and registrations locally, and applicants working there are directed to contact the city directly. |
| Reciprocity | The bureau states that Michigan does not hold reciprocity with any other state or country. To be considered for licensure an out-of-state applicant must submit a copy of the out-of-state or out-of-country license held and a copy of that jurisdiction's licensing requirements, which must describe in detail the hours, schooling and requirements that had to be met to obtain that license. |
| Renewal | The Sign Specialist license must be renewed every year by December 31, at $40 to renew, with a $50 late fee if it is not renewed before it expires. The Electrical, Fire Alarm and Sign Specialty Contractor license must be renewed every three years by December 31, at $300 to renew, with a $50 late fee, and the contractor must have a qualifying Sign Specialist in place or the contractor license is placed on hold. A code update course is required only within one year of a new code being adopted, which does not happen every year, and proof does not have to be submitted unless the licensee is audited. Contractors are not required to do a code update to renew. |
| Notes | Michigan licenses electrical sign work at both levels: the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes issues an individual Sign Specialist license and a Sign Specialty Contractor license for the business. Two official LARA sources disagree on the qualifying credential for the contractor license, because the bureau's electrical licensing page says a Sign Specialty Contractor must hold or hire a FAST (fire alarm) license holder while LARA's own Sign Specialty Contractor requirements sheet says the qualifier is a Sign Specialist, which is what the rest of both pages and the renewal page describe. |
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Sources: www.michigan.gov, www.michigan.gov, www.michigan.gov, www.michigan.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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