What New Hampshire requires
No electrical installation may be made for compensation unless it is performed by a person licensed by the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, subject to the exceptions in Chapter 319-C. New Hampshire RSA 319-C
The law defines apprentice electrician, journeyman electrician, master electrician, and high/medium-voltage electrician roles. It also requires apprentice electricians to register with the office. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:2 and 319-C:7
The direct path is therefore: register as an apprentice, build documented service and education, submit the application and fee, pass the approved examination, then maintain the credential through continuing education. The current statute matters more than old exam summaries because several provisions were amended in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
For the general shape of apprenticeship and licensing systems outside New Hampshire, use our electrician licensing path guide.
The license roles are not interchangeable
An apprentice learns and assists with electrical installations under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman electrician. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:2
A journeyman performs installation work but must be employed by a New Hampshire licensed master electrician or a licensed entity. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:2
A master electrician may work for another master or may make electrical installations as a business, including hiring others. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:2
High/medium-voltage work is a separate category covering distribution systems operating over 600 volts, including specified associated controls, metering, and conductors. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:2
The practical dividing line is employment and business responsibility. A journeyman is a licensed installer working for a master or licensed entity. A master can be the qualifying person behind the electrical business.
The journeyman path: hours, education and exam
A journeyman applicant must complete 8,000 hours of service as an apprentice electrician. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:7 The board may award credit for a recognized course of instruction or qualifying military experience under its rules.
The applicant must also complete at least 600 hours of education meeting board criteria and pass a board-approved examination. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:7 The examination may be written, oral, a combination, or computerized, and it includes National Electrical Code provisions the board considers appropriate. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:8
Do not rely on the old claim that the test always has a fixed question count and duration. The statute delegates examination procedure to the board and approved examination provider. Use the application packet and exam authorization issued for your attempt.
Register before treating work time as apprentice service, and keep employer, supervisor, school, and military records organized around the exact dates claimed.
The master path adds 2,000 documented hours at the board layer
Chapter 319-C supplies the statutory floor for a master or journeyman license: 8,000 apprentice-service hours, at least 600 education hours, and satisfactory passage of an approved examination. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:7 The chapter also authorizes the board to set additional applicant qualifications.
Elec 304.01(f) controls the sequence for a master applicant. A master applicant must pass the journeyman examination and obtain 2,000 hours of field experience as a journeyman performing electrical installations before being allowed to take the master examination. New Hampshire Electricians’ Board rule Elec 304.01(f)
The application record must support that sequence. Elec 302.02 requires employment certifications showing dates, work type, and a licensed electrician’s signature, with at least 8,000 total on-the-job hours for journeyman and an additional 2,000 for master. That form rule documents the hours; it does not replace Elec 304.01(f)’s requirement that the additional field experience be earned as a journeyman after passing the journeyman examination.
The master license also has a business consequence. A corporation or partnership may receive an electrical-business license when an officer, employee, or partner directly in charge of its business affairs is a licensed master electrician. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:10
Application, examination and renewal checkpoints
Use the board’s prescribed application for the credential sought. The current rules direct applicants to the OPLC electricians application page. Before filing, prepare the employer, duty, education, reference, photograph, and certified-hour details listed on the prescribed form. New Hampshire Electricians’ Board rules, Elec 302.02
The centralized fee table effective July 1, 2025 lists a 12-month apprentice registration at $33, a two-year journeyman license at $110, and a two-year master license at $198 for initial licensing, renewal, or reinstatement after expiration. New Hampshire OPLC fee rules, Plc 1002.13 Check the current table when filing rather than relying on an old downloaded form.
The current examination rules set 110 questions for journeyman and 125 for master. Both exams combine National Electrical Code, practical-installation, and state-law/rule content. A score of 70% passes. Approved candidates schedule by appointment with the testing entity after the board mails authorization. New Hampshire Electricians’ Board rules, Elec 305
If an applicant does not pass within one year after the office receives the application, the applicant must submit a new application and fees before testing again. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:8
For continuing education, the current board rule requires journeyman and master electricians to complete 15 hours covering the latest NFPA 70 changes and at least one hour on changes to RSA 319-C, the board rules, and installation concerns. The work is due within 12 months from January 1 following publication of the latest NFPA 70. New Hampshire Electricians’ Board rules, Elec 403.01 Track the code-cycle deadline and provider record alongside the broader contractor license renewal process.
Treat reciprocity as an application route, not permission to work
An out-of-state license is an application credential, not permission to start New Hampshire work. Chapter 319-C still requires a New Hampshire license for compensated installations unless a statutory exception applies. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:1
New Hampshire’s general reciprocity statute requires a board to grant a license when it determines that the other state’s certification or licensing requirements are equivalent to or greater than New Hampshire’s. It also requires boards to post the states they find equal or greater and explain any reciprocity agreement, compact, or endorsement criteria. New Hampshire RSA 332-G:12 Use that current board posting and the current OPLC application rather than a static third-party list.
This article does not present RSA 332-G:14’s general temporary-license provision as a current electrician route. Paragraph I says a board with a compact or another statutory or rule procedure for reciprocity or temporary licensure need not follow that general section. Paragraph II bars temporary or reciprocal licensing when a board has posted that another state’s license is not comparable. The available official evidence did not establish a current Electricians’ Board-specific temporary path under Plc 305, so confirm the route with the Board before relying on temporary authority.
If you work across the southern border, our Massachusetts electrician license guide explains that state’s separate ladder, but it does not replace New Hampshire authorization.
New Hampshire electrician-license FAQ
Must a New Hampshire apprentice electrician register?
Yes. Chapter 319-C requires apprentice electricians to register with the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:7
What is the statutory journeyman baseline?
Complete 8,000 apprentice-service hours, at least 600 education hours, and pass a board-approved examination. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:7
What is the New Hampshire master-electrician sequence?
Pass the journeyman examination, then obtain 2,000 hours of field experience as a journeyman performing electrical installations before taking the master examination. New Hampshire Electricians’ Board rule Elec 304.01(f)
What qualifies a corporation or partnership for electrical work?
The office may license it when a licensed master electrician who is an officer, employee, or partner is directly in charge of its business affairs. New Hampshire RSA 319-C:10