Which electrical licenses does New Jersey issue?
New Jersey’s current Chapter 31 lists four electrical license categories: electrical contractor, Class A journeyman electrician, Class B wireman, and Class A electrical apprentice. The electrical contracting entity uses a separate business permit. (current Chapter 31; direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy)
For source control, the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law says LexisNexis provides public access to the semi-monthly updated New Jersey Administrative Code. The Board FAQ still says the contractor license is the only category, but that page was last modified April 15, 2024. The current category and reciprocity rules took effect June 2, 2025, so use the current code rather than that older FAQ for those two questions. (current fee rule)
The person and business have different compliance jobs. The electrical contractor license can qualify the contracting operation; the worker classes follow their own Chapter 31 subchapters; and the entity needs its business permit. If you need the national trade ladder first, read how to get an electrician license.
Current licenses, fees, and the entity permit
| Credential or permit | Holder | Initial fee by triennial year | Triennial renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical contractor license | Individual contractor/qualifier | $225 / $150 / $75 | $225 |
| Class A journeyman electrician license | Individual worker | $150 / $100 / $50 | $150 |
| Class B wireman license | Individual worker | $75 / $50 / $25 | $75 |
| Class A electrical apprentice license | Individual apprentice | $150 / $100 / $50 | $150 |
| Business permit | Electrical contracting entity | $150 / $100 / $50 | $150 |
The current fee rule lists the electrical contractor, Class A journeyman electrician, Class B wireman, and Class A electrical apprentice license fees separately. Initial amounts depend on whether payment occurs in the first, second, or third year of the triennial period. (N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6; direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy)
A licensed New Jersey electrical contractor may only be the license qualifier for one electrical contracting entity. The Board FAQ states the one-entity limit. Set the ownership and employment arrangement before filing the entity permit.
How much experience and which exams are required?
The standard examination route requires proof of a four-year approved apprentice program through the U.S. Department of Labor followed by one additional journeyman year. The Board describes that route in its FAQ. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 defines one year of employment as 2,000 hours of practical hands-on experience. The rule requires at least five years of electrical construction and installation experience immediately preceding the application, including the four-year apprenticeship followed by the 2,000-hour journeyman year. See the current experience rule. Current rules also require an exam applicant to be over 21, hold a high school diploma or equivalency certificate, meet the experience rule, and pay the application fee. See N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.1.
The licensing examination has three written sections: electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems. A first-time candidate takes all three and must pass every section. See N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.2. The current experience rule establishes the 2,000-hour conversion; this article does not state a percentage passing score because the cited examination rule does not provide one.
Application sequence from exam approval to business operation
- Document eligibility. Assemble age, education, apprenticeship, and journeyman evidence for Board review.
- Submit the exam application and fee. The current fee schedule lists a nonrefundable $100 application fee.
- Pass all three examination sections. The first attempt covers electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems.
- Pay the initial license fee. The amount is prorated by the year of the triennial cycle.
- Set up the entity permit. Tie the licensed qualifier to one electrical contracting entity and pay the applicable business-permit fee.
- Maintain the workers’ compensation record. A business-permit holder must obtain the coverage required by state law and keep a certificate on file.
- Use the Board pressure seal. The licensee signs and seals electrical permit and inspection applications.
- Secure permits and inspections when required. The practice rule makes the licensed contractor responsible for those steps.
This sequence separates the person’s license from the company’s permit instead of treating exam passage as the end of setup.
Current business-permit fees and prerequisites
The current fee schedule sets the initial business-permit fee at $150 in the first year of a triennial period, $100 in the second, and $50 in the third; triennial business-permit renewal is $150. The same schedule lists a $25 initial or replacement pressure seal. See N.J.A.C. 13:31-1.6.
Business permit holders must obtain the workers’ compensation insurance required by New Jersey law for covered employees and maintain a certificate of insurance on file. See N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.1. The fetched current rules used here do not establish the old article’s $3,000 bond or a specific general-liability limit, so this revision does not present those figures as current prerequisites.
The Board furnishes a pressure seal to each licensed electrical contractor, and the contractor must sign and seal electrical permit and inspection applications. See N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.3.
Permits, inspections, and responsibility for code violations
A licensed electrical contractor must secure permits when required and obtain inspection of completed work when required. N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.2 sets that duty. The same rule makes the licensee responsible for correcting a code violation found in work the licensee performed or supervised, within a reasonable time and at no extra charge to the customer.
That is why the entity setup is more than paperwork. The qualifier’s seal, permits, inspections, supervision, and correction duties remain connected to the licensed individual.
Renewal and continuing education
Electrical contractor licenses and business permits have a triennial March 31 expiration date and should be renewed by that date in the applicable renewal year. The Board FAQ gives the shared timing. The rule requires a license renewal application and renewal fee before expiration, and it describes a 30-day late-renewal window. See N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.4.
For ordinary renewal cycles, the licensee must complete 34 continuing-education hours, including nine code hours and one hour of New Jersey laws, rules, and regulations. The nine code hours plus one New Jersey statutes-and-rules hour must be a minimum 10-hour in-person course; webinars and electronic media distance-learning courses do not satisfy that component. (direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy) A licensee is exempt from that continuing-education requirement during the triennial registration period in which the license was initially issued. The Board FAQ states both the requirement and first-cycle exception.
Does New Jersey offer electrical-contractor reciprocity?
For electrical contractors, New Jersey has a conditional reciprocity rule effective June 2, 2025. The worker-license classes use separate reciprocity rules, so this section is limited to the contractor credential. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 allows the Board to grant an electrical contractor license without examination when the applicant holds an electrical-contractor license in good standing in another jurisdiction, that jurisdiction gives equal reciprocity to New Jersey contractors, and its qualifications and examination are substantially equivalent. For the equivalence analysis, 2,000 hours under the direct supervision of a licensed electrical contractor count as one year of an approved apprenticeship program. (N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9; direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy)
The applicant also must satisfy the rule’s individual conditions:
- active electrical-contractor practice for at least two of the five years immediately before applying;
- no disqualifying act, discipline, unresolved complaint, review, or pending disciplinary proceeding described by the rule;
- required continuing education and any additional hours the Board requires;
- an eight-hour New Jersey business-law and electrical-contracting statutes-and-rules course from a Board-approved provider; and
- the application, nonrefundable application fee, license fee, direct license-status verification, list of every jurisdiction where the applicant has held a credential, and proof of the required recent practice.
The Board FAQ says New Jersey has no reciprocity, but it was last modified April 15, 2024. Because N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 was adopted effective June 2, 2025, the FAQ predates the controlling reciprocity rule. This is not automatic transfer: ask the Board to confirm jurisdiction reciprocity and equivalence before planning around a no-exam license. The contractor license reciprocity guide explains the difference between reciprocity, endorsement, and a fresh application.
New Jersey electrician license questions
What electrical license categories does New Jersey issue?
Current Chapter 31 lists the electrical contractor, Class A journeyman electrician, Class B wireman, and Class A electrical apprentice licenses; an electrical contracting entity uses a separate business permit. (current Chapter 31; direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy)
What experience does the standard electrical contractor exam route require?
The standard route requires a four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship followed by one journeyman year. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.3 defines that year as 2,000 hours of practical hands-on experience and requires at least five years of electrical construction and installation experience immediately preceding the application. (Board FAQ; current experience rule)
What are the three examination sections?
Electrical contractor, business and law, and alarm systems. A first-time applicant takes all three and must pass every section. (N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.2)
Does the company need a business permit?
Yes. Current Chapter 31 contains a subchapter for electrical-contractor licensure and business-permit requirements. The fee schedule lists a business-permit fee.
How much continuing education is required?
The ordinary renewal rule is 34 hours per triennial cycle, including nine code hours and one New Jersey laws-and-rules hour. Those 10 hours must be an in-person course; webinars and electronic media distance learning do not satisfy that component. The triennial period in which the license was first issued is exempt. (Board FAQ; direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy)
Does New Jersey offer electrical-contractor reciprocity?
Yes, conditionally. N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9 allows the Board to grant an electrical contractor license without examination when the other jurisdiction offers equal reciprocity and the applicant satisfies equivalence, recent-practice, standing, education, course, fee, verification, and documentation conditions. The worker-license classes use separate reciprocity provisions. (N.J.A.C. 13:31-2.9; direct New Jersey adoption PDF; accessible text proxy)