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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Nine codes, six credentials

Colorado Electrician License Types: Codes and Scope

DORA's roster tool prints nine license type codes for electrical work, and they are not nine different careers. Three are licenses, two are registrations, three are work permits and one is an emergency permit. Here is what each letter means.

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On this page
  1. The codes, as DORA prints them
  2. Electrical apprentice (APE)
  3. Residential wireman (RW)
  4. Journeyman electrician (JW)
  5. Master electrician (ME)
  6. Electrical contractor (EC)
  7. Photovoltaic installer, the new one
  8. Which one you actually want
  9. Questions people ask
  10. What this page cites

The codes, as DORA prints them

DORA's roster generator lists the internal license type codes in one place. They are worth knowing because they are what you see in a lookup result.

The work permits and the emergency permit are authorized by C.R.S. 12-115-114, Temporary permits. The photovoltaic installer registration created by Senate Bill 25-165 does not appear in that code list yet, because its applications are not open.

Electrical apprentice (APE)

A registration rather than a license, and the employer files it. C.R.S. 12-115-103 defines an apprentice as a person required to be registered under 12-115-115(3)(a) who is working at the trade in the employment of a registered electrical contractor and is under the direct supervision of a licensed master electrician, journeyman electrician, or residential wireman.

There is no exam to register and no published experience or schooling requirement to get an APE number. There is also no published fee, although C.R.S. 12-115-117(1)(l) authorizes one.

15,520 apprentice registrations were active in the September 2026 data pull. The apprentice page covers supervision, reporting and the six year exam rule.

Residential wireman (RW)

C.R.S. 12-115-103 describes a residential wireman as a person having the necessary qualifications, training, experience, and technical knowledge to wire for, and install, electrical apparatus and equipment for wiring one-, two-, three-, and four-family dwellings.

The scope is a ceiling. C.R.S. 12-115-109(2) says a residential wireman shall not perform electrical work of a type that is beyond the authorization of the license held, and Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.6.A.2 adds that an individual holding an active residential license who is working on a commercial job site must be registered as an apprentice.

So a residential wireman on a commercial job is an apprentice that day, supervised by a journeyman or master. 2,032 were active in September 2026.

Journeyman electrician (JW)

C.R.S. 12-115-103 describes a journeyman as a person having the necessary qualifications, training, experience, and technical knowledge to wire for, install, and repair electrical apparatus and equipment for electric light, heat, and power.

Read the definition against the two beside it and the boundaries appear. There is no dwelling size limit, which is what separates it from residential wireman. There is no planning or layout authority, which is what separates it from master.

12,549 were active in September 2026, the largest of the three grades. The journeyman page has the hours and the application conditions.

Master electrician (ME)

C.R.S. 12-115-103 describes a master electrician as a person having the necessary qualifications, training, experience, and technical knowledge to properly plan, lay out, and supervise the installation and repair of wiring apparatus and equipment for electric light, heat, and power.

Planning, laying out and supervising are the additions. The master license is also the gateway to contracting, because an electrical contractor registration has to hold or employ one.

7,441 were active in September 2026. The master page sets out the four experience routes.

Electrical contractor (EC)

A business registration, not a personal license. C.R.S. 12-115-110(5) says no person, firm, copartnership, association, or combination thereof shall engage in the business of an electrical contractor without having first registered with the board.

There is no contractor examination. The qualification is carried by the master electrician who serves as the responsible individual for the company, named on an Acknowledgment of Responsibility form signed by the owner and that master.

4,789 registrations were active in September 2026, with another 321 sitting in the status Need Master Hire, Cannot Practice.

Photovoltaic installer, the new one

Senate Bill 25-165 requires photovoltaic installers to register with the State Electrical Board no later than December 31, 2026. The Board says applications will be available in late 2026 and tells people to apply as soon as they open.

It is a company level registration, not a personal one. C.R.S. 12-115-110(7) puts the duty on a contractor operating as of September 1, 2025 that performs photovoltaic installer work with at least one NABCEP-certified employee.

It also feeds the other licenses. C.R.S. 12-115-110(6)(a)(I) lets an applicant earn practical experience by working two thousand hours as a NABCEP PV installation professional, and those hours count toward the journeyman 8,000 and the residential wireman 4,000. The photovoltaic page has the five conditions.

Which one you actually want

If you want to run wire for a living and never own the company, journeyman is the target and residential wireman is the shorter road to a card that pays.

If you want to sign for work, you need master and then the contractor registration behind it. If you install solar and employ a NABCEP certified person, the photovoltaic registration is a deadline this year regardless of what else you hold.

Questions people ask

What electrician licenses does Colorado issue?

Residential wireman, journeyman electrician and master electrician are the three individual licenses. On top of those the Board registers electrical apprentices, registers electrical contractor businesses, and from Senate Bill 25-165 will register photovoltaic installers.

What is the difference between a journeyman and a master in Colorado?

The statutory definitions. A journeyman wires, installs and repairs. A master plans, lays out and supervises the installation and repair, and a master is the person an electrical contractor registration has to hold or employ.

Can a residential wireman work on a commercial job in Colorado?

Only as a registered apprentice under supervision. Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.6.A.2 says an individual holding an active residential license who works on a commercial job site must be registered as an apprentice, and the Board's page says the supervisor has to be a journeyman or master.

What does JEWP or MEWP mean on a Colorado license record?

They are work permits. JEWP is a journeyman electrician work permit, MEWP a master electrician work permit and RWWP a residential wireman work permit. METPE is a master electrician temporary permit for emergency situations. All are authorized by C.R.S. 12-115-114.

Is the electrical contractor registration a license?

It is a registration held by a business. There is no contractor exam. The company registers with the Board and holds or employs a licensed master electrician as the responsible individual for all electrical work performed.

Do I need the new photovoltaic installer registration?

The statute aims it at a contractor operating as of September 1, 2025 that performs photovoltaic installer work with at least one NABCEP-certified employee. The Board's deadline is December 31, 2026 and applications are not open yet.

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Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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