Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

One fee we can prove

Colorado Electrician License Fees and Renewal Dates

Colorado publishes the exam fee and almost nothing else. Rather than repeat numbers from sites that contradict each other, this page prints what the state actually publishes, lists the pages we checked, and gives you the dates that matter this autumn.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The dates, first

All electrician licenses and electrical contractor registrations expire on September 30 every 3 years, on the Board's own applications page.

The Board's homepage carries the current cycle: electrical renewal is now open, licenses expire on 9/30/2026 and can be renewed through 11/30/2026.

Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.13.A adds that the three year cycle is aligned with the National Electrical Code adoption cycle, that there is a 60 day grace period during which renewal is possible without disciplinary sanction, and that a delinquency fee shall be charged for late renewal. Practising on an expired license past that period can be disciplined.

The fees that are published

Two, and both are PSI's.

Examination Fee $78. Retest Fee $73.

PSI also prints, in capitals, that examination fees are not refundable or transferable and that the examination fee is valid for one year from the date of payment. So a fee paid and unused expires, and paying early to lock a price does not help you past twelve months.

The fees that are not published

State application fees, initial license fees, renewal fees, the delinquency fee for late renewal, the apprentice registration fee, the electrical contractor registration fee and the photovoltaic installer registration fee. None of them appears on any reachable state page.

C.R.S. 12-115-117(1) lists thirteen fee categories and delegates the amounts to section 12-20-105 without setting a single figure. The categories cover every license, every renewal, the three examinations, contractor registration, apprentice registration and photovoltaic installer registration.

Here are the pages we checked and what they returned, so nobody has to check them twice. The Board's fees page returned a 404. A general DORA fees page returned a 404. The Board's licensing services page returned a 403. The DORA apply and renew portal returned a 403. All five Board application previews carry no fee amounts, and the Board's Electrical Licensing Guide and Apprentice Info Guide are Drive PDFs whose download URLs are disallowed to automated readers.

Why we do not repeat the numbers you have seen elsewhere

Several trade sites publish Colorado fee tables. They disagree with each other and one of them disagrees with PSI.

One publishes an apprentice fee of $30, license fees of $100 and a contractor fee of $150 with an exam at $78. Another publishes an apprentice fee of $30, a journeyman application at $100, an exam at $75 and a contractor renewal at $120. A third says there is no separate state fee at all and tells readers to use DORA's current fee schedule. A fourth publishes a $75 exam fee alongside a claim that Colorado tests on the 2014 NEC.

The $75 figure is wrong against PSI's own bulletin, which says $78. Once one number in a table is wrong, the table is not a source. Read the amount on the DORA application screen, or call the Board at 303-894-7800.

Reinstatement, if you are late

Rule 3 CCR 710-1.13.B sets out what happens by how late you are.

Expired more than 60 days but less than 2 years: complete twenty-four hours of continuing education.

Expired more than 2 years: pass the state examination, or verify an active license in a reciprocal state, or verify an active license in a non-reciprocal state plus 24 hours of CE, or use a Board approved alternative.

The Board publishes reinstatement checklists for journeyman and for master and residential wireman on its applications page. Rule 1.13.D lets a licensee go inactive without CE, with no practicing allowed, and reactivation follows the same timelines.

The fines, which are published

Rule 3 CCR 710-1.10 sets a schedule, and these figures are the clearest money in the whole Colorado system.

Unlicensed journeyman work: $225 first offense, $600 second, up to $2,000 per day for subsequent offenses. Unlicensed master electrician work: $300, then $600, then up to $2,000 per day. Supervisory ratio violation: $375, then $600, then up to $2,000 per day.

The rule also says paying a fine assessed from a citation does not relieve the receiver of the citation from correcting the situation, installation, statute or code violation noted in the citation. Licensees have ten working days to respond to a citation, and 30 days to report a felony conviction.

Local fees we could confirm

City registration fees are published more often than state fees, which is an odd inversion.

Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, covering Colorado Springs and El Paso County, charges a non-refundable $50 application and processing fee. Thornton prints NO FEE against its electrical line for a two year term. Adams County says there is no fee to be registered with Adams County Building Safety. Denver's Pearson VUE electrical signal exams are $115 each.

Fort Collins tells master electricians to pay the registration fee but prints no master electrician line in its fee table, so that one is unconfirmed. Lakewood and Arvada publish no fee we could find.

Questions people ask

When do Colorado electrician licenses expire?

September 30, every three years. The current cycle expires 9/30/2026 and the Board says licenses can be renewed through 11/30/2026.

What does the Colorado electrician exam cost?

$78 for the examination and $73 for a retest, both from PSI's bulletin. The fee is not refundable or transferable and is valid for one year from the date of payment.

What is the Colorado journeyman license application fee?

No figure is published by the state. C.R.S. 12-115-117 authorizes the fee and sets no amount, the Board's fee page returns a 404 and third party figures contradict each other. Read the amount on the DORA application screen.

What happens if I renew late in Colorado?

There is a 60 day grace period during which renewal is possible without disciplinary sanction, with a delinquency fee whose amount is not published. Past that, reinstatement rules apply and practicing on an expired license can be disciplined.

How do I reinstate a Colorado license expired more than two years?

Rule 3 CCR 710-1.13.B gives four options: pass the state examination, verify an active license in a reciprocal state, verify an active license in a non-reciprocal state plus 24 hours of continuing education, or use a Board approved alternative.

What is the fine for unlicensed electrical work in Colorado?

The Board's rule sets $225 for a first unlicensed journeyman offense and $300 for a first unlicensed master offense, $600 for a second in either case, and up to $2,000 per day for subsequent offenses.

What this page cites

• State Electrical Board homepage Carries the current renewal window: licenses expire 9/30/2026 and can be renewed through 11/30/2026. Read 7 September 2026. source
• PSI candidate information bulletin 3395 The $78 examination fee, the $73 retest fee and the one year validity of a paid fee. Bulletin updated 6/18/2026. source
• C.R.S. 12-115-117, fees Lists thirteen fee categories and delegates the amounts to section 12-20-105 without setting one. source
• 3 CCR 710-1.13, renewal and reinstatement The three year cycle, the 60 day grace period, the delinquency fee and the reinstatement options. Text current through Register Vol. 48, No. 11, June 10, 2025. source
• 3 CCR 710-1.10, enforcement The fine schedule for unlicensed work and supervisory ratio violations, and the citation response duties. source