Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

The order matters

How to Become an Electrician in Colorado: Step by Step

Colorado's route has a fixed order and one step people get backwards. You sit the exam before you file the license application, not after. Here is the whole path with the source behind each step.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

Step one: get hired

Everything else hangs off employment. C.R.S. 12-115-103 defines an apprentice as somebody working at the trade in the employment of a registered electrical contractor under direct supervision, and the registration itself is filed by that employer.

Check the company before you sign. DORA's public license lookup shows whether an electrical contractor registration is active, and 321 registrations sat in the status Need Master Hire, Cannot Practice in the September 2026 data.

There is no published age requirement, diploma requirement or entry exam for the state registration. Individual training programs set their own, and those are on the city pages.

Step two: the employer registers you within 30 days

The Board's apprentice page says the employer must complete an application to register the apprentice with the Board within 30 days of the apprentice beginning work, and must notify the Board within 30 days when the apprentice leaves.

You do file something. The Board's apprentice application preview asks for contact details, name history and screening disclosures, and produces the APE number the employer then uses.

From that point you work under direct supervision, which the statute defines as the licensed supervisor being physically present at the same physical address. No more than three apprentices per licensed electrician at a job site.

Step three: bank hours of the right kind

For journeyman, the target is 8,000 hours in no less than 4 years with 2,000 of them commercial or industrial over at least 2 years. For residential wireman it is 4,000 residential hours in no less than 2 years.

Type matters as much as total. Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.6.B makes your employer record residential hours separately from commercial, industrial or substantially similar hours, and rule 1.7 asks for a breakdown with supervisor signatures when you apply.

If you hold a residential wireman license and want commercial hours, you register as an apprentice again for that work. The hours page has every route.

Step four: 288 classroom hours

The Board says 288 hours of classroom education is required for all applicants, with no grandfathering of any apprentice registration. The statute wants that training to cover safety, the national electrical code and its applications, and anything else the Board requires, delivered by an accredited college or university, an established industry training program, or a provider whose training complies with Board rules.

Do not leave it to the end. The rule says the 288 hours are in addition to the on the job requirement and cannot be counted for any other education, training or experience credit.

The window is where the sources disagree. The statute says the last eight years, the rule says the last four years of apprenticeship. We print both and tell you to ask.

Step five: pass the PSI exam

The exam comes before the application. The Board's journeyman preview says to have achieved a passing score on the Colorado Journeyman Electrician examination administered by PSI Testing, and the master preview says you must have taken and passed the examination before submitting the application.

Each paper is 90 scored items in 240 minutes with 63 correct to pass, plus 30 more minutes for unscored items, up to 7 of them on the residential wireman paper and up to 10 on the other three. The fee is $78, a retest is $73, and the fee is valid for one year from the date of payment.

The room supplies the book. Since August 1, 2026 that book is the 2026 National Electrical Code, and you may not write, highlight, underline or index on it. The book rules page explains what to practice instead.

Step six: file the application

The journeyman application preview adds an employment condition. You must be employed with a Colorado electrical contractor and registered as a Colorado apprentice electrician with that company to perform electrical work in Colorado, or qualify for an exemption. The exemptions listed are not currently employed, employed but not performing electrical work, employed by the federal government on federal property only, or not residing in Colorado.

Bring the experience affidavit with exact dates, the work breakdown and supervisor signatures, and the documentation of the 288 hours.

No state application fee is published anywhere we could reach, so read the amount on the application screen rather than trusting a third party figure.

Step seven: keep it

Licenses expire September 30 every three years. The current cycle expires 9/30/2026 and can be renewed through 11/30/2026.

Continuing education is 24 hours per three year period, with at least four hours in the National Electrical Code changes competency and no more than four in safety. Your first renewal after passing a licensing examination is exempt, and you keep your own CE records for at least seven years.

After that the ladder continues. Master asks for 2,000 more hours on top of journeyman including planning, layout and supervision, and the contractor registration is what lets a business sign for work.

Questions people ask

How do I start as an electrician in Colorado with no experience?

Get hired by a registered electrical contractor first. The employer registers you as an electrical apprentice with the Board within 30 days, and your hours start counting from there under direct supervision.

How long does the whole path take?

Four years at the earliest for journeyman, because the Board asks for 8,000 hours earned in no less than 4 years. Residential wireman can be done in two years at 4,000 hours, and master adds at least one more year on top of journeyman.

Do I need school to become an electrician in Colorado?

You need 288 hours of classroom education for the journeyman license, required for all applicants with no grandfathering. The statute names accredited colleges, established industry training programs and providers complying with Board rules.

Do I apply for the license first or take the exam first?

Exam first. The Board's own application previews say you must have passed the PSI examination before submitting the application.

Can I work in Colorado while my application is pending?

The journeyman application preview says you must be employed with a Colorado electrical contractor and registered as an apprentice with that company to perform electrical work, unless one of the four listed exemptions applies to you.

Is there an age limit or a diploma requirement?

Not in anything the state publishes for apprentice registration. The Board's apprentice application preview asks only for contact details, name history and screening disclosures. Individual training programs set their own entry rules.

What this page cites

• State Electrical Board apprentice information The employer registration duty inside 30 days and the termination notice. Read 7 September 2026. source
• State Electrical Board applications page The hour figures, the 288 classroom hours, the renewal cycle and the reciprocity conditions. Read 7 September 2026. source
• Board journeyman application preview The order of exam then application, the employment condition and the four exemptions. Read 7 September 2026. source
• PSI candidate information bulletin 3395 The 90 item format, the 240 minutes, the 70 percent pass mark, the $78 and $73 fees and the code book rules. Bulletin updated 6/18/2026. source
• State Electrical Board continuing education page The 24 hour requirement, the four hour code changes minimum, the safety cap and the first renewal exemption. Read 7 September 2026. source