How to Become an Electrician in Maine

Maine Electrician Pathways

There are three major steps to becoming an electrician in Maine: undergoing the required education, gathering the required hours of experience, and taking the state required license exams. The required hours vary depending on which tier of licensure you are looking for: House Wiring, Journeyperson, and Master Electrician. Don't worry, we'll cover all of them on this page.

Read on or navigate to a section below:

 

House Wiring License

electrician fixing inverter.jpegAllowed Work:

Maine has a limited license specific to working on one- and two-family dwellings. This license is commonly referred to as a House Wiring license. Individuals with a House Wiring license are allowed to pull permits and supervise work for residential applications. 

Required Education:

The state of Maine requires the following education to be able to take the House Wiring (Limited Masters) exam:  

  • Basic Electricity I (45 hours) 
  • Basic Electricity II (45 hours) 
  • Blueprint Reading (45 hours) 
  • Controls I - Residential House wiring methods and materials (45 hours) 
  • National Electrical Code (45 hours) 
 
Required Hours of Experience:

To take the state exam, the state of Maine requires 4,000 hours of experience (about 2 years) under the employment/apprenticeship of a master electrician. 

Journeyperson Electrical License

journeyperson electrician installing solar .jpegAllowed Work:

A Journeyperson License allows individuals to work on a project under the indirect supervision of a Master Electrician, meaning the supervising Master Electrician does not need to be present on site. All work done as a Journeyperson must be conducted under the employment of a Master Electrician. Journeyperson can work on residential, commercial, and industrial projects. 

We have outlined 3 potential pathways to Journeyperson licensure below:

Pathway 1 – Complete an approved electrical program:

 
  1. Required Education:
    The state of Maine requires satisfactory completion of an electrical program approved by the Electricians’ Examining Board. Approved programs are comprised of 576 hours of courses, including: 
  • Basic Electricity I (45 hours) 
  • Basic Electricity II (45 hours) 
  • Math I (45 hours) 
  • Controls I - Residential House wiring methods and materials (45 hours) 
  • National Electrical Code (45 hours) 
  • Trade-related elective courses (351 hours)  
  1. Required Hours of Experience:
    To take the state exam, the state of Maine requires 8,000 hours of experience as a licensed helper or licensed apprentice under the employment or apprenticeship of a Master Electrician. A licensed apprentice who completes an approved apprenticeship program of study can take the sate exam after 4,000 hours of experience as a licensed apprentice. 
 

Pathway 2 – Complete an applied technical high school electrical program:

 
  1. Required Education:
    The state of Maine requires satisfactory completion of an accredited applied technology high school 2 year electrical program. It also requires completion of a National Electrical Code course that is at least 45 hours.  
  2. Required Hours of Experience:
    To take the state exam, Maine requires 7,000 hours of experience in the field of under the supervision of a Master Electrician. 
 

Pathway 3 – Complete a Community College electrical program:

 
  1. Required Education:
    The state of Maine requires graduation from a Maine Community College electrical program or a vocational-electrical program of the Department of Corrections. It also requires completion of a National Electrical Code course that is at least 45 hours. 
  2. Required Hours of Experience:
    To take the state exam, Maine requires 4,000 hours of experience in the field of under the supervision of a Master Electrician. 
 

For more information, visit the Electricians’ Examining Board Journeyperson page. 

Master Electrician License

good-shpherd-1-1.jpegAllowed Work:

The Master Electrician license is unlimited in scope. Individuals are permitted to work on all electrical installations and have employees under their employment. 

Required Education:

The state of Maine requires completion of an electrical program comprised of 576 hours of courses including: 

  • Basic Electricity I (45 hours) 
  • Basic Electricity II (45 hours) 
  • Electronics (45 hours) 
  • Math I (45 hours) 
  • Controls I - Residential House wiring methods and materials (45 hours) 
  • Control II (45 hours) 
  • Motors (45 hours) 
  • Blueprint Reading/Drafting (45 hours) 
  • Transformers (45 hours) 
  • National Electrical Code (45 hours) 
  • Degree-related courses approved by the Electricians’ Examining Board (126 hours) 
 
Required Hours of Experience:

To take the state exam, the state of Maine requires an individual to first obtain their Journeyperson license and then continue to work under a Master Electrician for an additional 4,000 hours in this role or 12,000 hours of experience in electrical installations. 

For more information, visit the Electricians’ Examining Board Master Electrician page. 

State Approved Electrical Training Programs

Community College Electrical Programs

In Maine, the public school coursework that prepares aspiring professionals for electrical licensure is primarily offered through the Maine Community College System. The community colleges listed below have programs that will qualify students to take an electrical licensing exam. 

 

Additional Electrical Programs

For options outside of the community college system, the Maine Electricians’ Examining Board reviews and approves training programs and courses that can qualify aspiring professionals for their electrical licensing exam. The ReVision Energy's Electrical Apprenticeship Program is one such option.

Additional providers to the ones listed above can be found using the Examining Board’s database, which also include programs for license renewal: Board Approved Training Provider Database.

You can also use our map to find the closest programs near you in ME and NH: