Michigan electrical license requirements and insurance
To work for yourself as an electrician in Michigan, you need the Master Electrician License license. Michigan has 5 electrical license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. Workers' comp is required once you meet Michigan's employee thresholds. The state does not ask for a bond.
1Who needs an electrical license in Michigan? What is this?
Electrical Contractor License: the business license. Anyone who contracts for electrical work in their own name
| License | Who needs it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Apprentice registration | Anyone learning the trade. You cannot be on a job site without an active registration, and the state says working without one is against the law | Electrical work while employed by a master electrician and an electrical contractor. Sometimes one person holds both licenses |
| Electrical Journeyman License | The working electrician's license, for someone who has finished an apprenticeship | Electrical work for a licensed electrical contractor |
| Master Electrician License | The license a business needs behind it. You must hold this, or employ someone who does, before you can hold an electrical contractor license | Electrical work, and being the master electrician of record for one electrical contractor |
| Electrical Contractor License | The business license. Anyone who contracts for electrical work in their own name | Taking electrical work and pulling permits |
| Fire Alarm Specialty Technician (FAST) | Anyone installing or repairing fire alarm systems. It is a separate license from the electrical ones | Fire alarm installation and repair |
2Who issues electrician licenses in Michigan? What is this?
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Electrical Division (LARA BCC) issues electrical licenses in Michigan.
See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state
| Name | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Electrical Division (LARA BCC) |
|---|---|
| Website | michigan.gov |
| Look up a license | aca-prod.accela.com |
| The law | Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407, and 1972 PA 230 |
| The rulebook | Michigan Electrical Code Rules, Part 8 |
| Who runs the exam | PSI |
Exams are based on the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. You apply to LARA first, and once approved you book with PSI and pay PSI directly.
3How to become an electrician in Michigan What is this?
Michigan has 5 licenses that matter to an electrician: Electrical Apprentice registration, Electrical Journeyman License, Master Electrician License, Electrical Contractor License, Fire Alarm Specialty Technician (FAST). Each is below, with what you need before you apply.
| License | Experience required | Training required | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Apprentice registration | None to register. This is where the hours start counting | You must be enrolled in, or have completed, an approved apprenticeship training program, and you keep taking coursework throughout. The state asks about your coursework and employers at every renewal | No |
| Electrical Journeyman License | 8,000 hours and four years as an electrical apprentice, on electrical construction or maintenance of buildings, or on electrical wiring or equipment. It must have been supervised by someone holding a Michigan journeyman or master electrician license | The apprenticeship coursework | Yes, the electrical journey exam, run by PSI. You need at least 75 percent |
| Master Electrician License | 4,000 hours as an electrical journeyman, and you must have held that license for at least two years. In total that means at least 12,000 hours over at least six years. If you already hold a Michigan journey electrician license you do not have to prove anything from before it was issued | — | Yes, the master electrician exam, run by PSI. You need at least 75 percent |
| Electrical Contractor License | None for the business itself | — | No. There is no test for the contractor license itself, but you still have to apply |
| Fire Alarm Specialty Technician (FAST) | A NICET certification in installation and repair at level II or higher, or an ESA Certified Fire Alarm Technician certification at level II or higher | — | Yes, the FAST exam. You need at least 75 percent |
4How much does an electrical license cost in Michigan? What is this?
The government fees on this page add up to about $355 in Michigan. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.
| License | Exam | Renewal | Late renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Apprentice registration | — | $15 | $100 |
| Electrical Journeyman License | null | $40 | $50 |
| Master Electrician License | null | $50 | $50 |
| Electrical Contractor License | — | $300 | $50 |
| Fire Alarm Specialty Technician (FAST) | — | $50 | $50 |
Added up
| Government fees, added up | $355 |
|---|
Government fees only, and these are the renewal figures LARA publishes. PSI charges its own exam fee on top. Does not include insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or city permits.
5How much electrical contractor insurance do you need in Michigan? What is this?
What Michigan requires you to carry before you work.
| Minimum liability insurance | Not listed yet |
|---|---|
| Type of policy | The state sets none to hold the license |
| Who this applies to | Not applicable at state level. Cities may ask for a certificate before they issue permits, and customers and builders will ask for one |
| Workers' comp required? | Yes, once you meet Michigan's employee thresholds |
6Does Michigan check your credit for an electrician license? What is this?
Michigan does not check your credit for this license.
| Credit score you need | None found |
|---|
7Does an electrician need a bond in Michigan? What is this?
Michigan does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.
| Does the state require a bond? | No |
|---|---|
| Amount | Not listed yet |
No bond was found on the state licensing pages. Cities may ask for one before they let you pull permits
8Federal rules that also apply What is this?
Rules from the US government that apply to an electrician in Michigan on top of the state's own.
| Federal license | None. There is no federal license or card for electrical work |
|---|---|
| Lead-safe certification |
|
9Where must a Michigan electrician show the license number? What is this?
In Michigan: the plumbing side of the same law has a business sign rule. The electrical side does not spell one out, so ask the bureau before you letter a van.
| The rule | The plumbing side of the same law has a business sign rule. The electrical side does not spell one out, so ask the bureau before you letter a van |
|---|
10Does an electrician charge sales tax on labor in Michigan? What is this?
In Michigan, no sales tax on your labor. The rest of the rules are below.
See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states
| Labor on homes (repairs and remodels) | No sales tax on your labor |
|---|---|
| Repairs and remodels on businesses | No sales tax on your labor. Michigan treats a house and a business the same. |
| Labor on new buildings | No sales tax on your labor. Michigan treats new work and repairs the same. |
| Materials, when you quote one total price | You pay 6 percent sales or use tax when you buy pipe, fittings, fixtures, and supplies, and you charge the customer no tax. You are the final consumer of what you install. |
| Materials, when you list them separately |
|
| Sales tax license | Not needed unless you also sell goods over the counter. You register for use tax instead if you buy materials without paying tax. |
| Tax rate | 6 percent state rate |
11Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Michigan electrician What is this?
If you are not paid in Michigan, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: send a Notice of Furnishing (the form that tells the owner you are on the job) within 20 days of your first day supplying labor or material (first day on the job on March 1 means notice by March 21). It goes to the designee and the general contractor named in the Notice of Commencement, or to the owner if no designee is named.
- Day 0Your first day on the job
The clock starts here.
- Day 20Send your notice
Send a Notice of Furnishing (the form that tells the owner you are on the job) within 20 days of your first day supplying labor or material (first day on the job on March 1 means notice by March 21). It goes to the designee and the general contractor named in the Notice of Commencement, or to the owner if no designee is named.
- Day 90File your lien
Record the claim of lien with the register of deeds in the county where the property is within 90 days of your last day supplying labor or material (last day on March 1 means record by May 30). Serve a copy on the designee within 15 days of recording.
Each day count is counted from the day the rule beside it names, which is not always the same day. Read the sentence under each one.
| Who has to send a notice | A subcontractor or supplier hired by the contractor, not by the property owner. A contractor working straight for the owner does not need to send it. |
|---|---|
| Send your notice by | Send a Notice of Furnishing (the form that tells the owner you are on the job) within 20 days of your first day supplying labor or material (first day on the job on March 1 means notice by March 21). It goes to the designee and the general contractor named in the Notice of Commencement, or to the owner if no designee is named. |
| File your lien by | Record the claim of lien with the register of deeds in the county where the property is within 90 days of your last day supplying labor or material (last day on March 1 means record by May 30). Serve a copy on the designee within 15 days of recording. |
12How do you renew an electrical license in Michigan? What is this?
The Electrical Contractor License renews every three years, by 31 December. You can start renewing 90 days early. No training hours are required.
| License | Renewal | Training hours each year |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Apprentice registration | Every year | — |
| Electrical Journeyman License | Every year, by 31 December. You can start renewing 90 days early | — |
| Master Electrician License | Every year, by 31 December | — |
| Electrical Contractor License | Every three years, by 31 December. You can start renewing 90 days early | — |
| Fire Alarm Specialty Technician (FAST) | Every year, by 31 December | — |
Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.
13What catches people out in Michigan What is this?
The things people get wrong or do not expect about Michigan, in a few sentences.
- There is no exam for the contractor license itself. You pass the master electrician exam, then apply for the contractor license separately, and the state tests you only once.
- An electrical contractor must have a master electrician attached to it. If that person's license lapses, the contractor license goes on hold until they renew and you tell the state.
- A master electrician can be attached to only one electrical contractor at a time. Changing employer means changing that link.
- Michigan has no reciprocity with any state or country. A license from anywhere else does not shorten the path, though you must send in a copy of it and of that place's requirements.
- The licenses renew on different clocks. Journeyman and master renew every year by 31 December. The contractor license runs three years, also to 31 December.
- Continuing education is not yearly. You take a code update course only within a year of a new code being adopted, which does not happen every year.
14Where these numbers come from
The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.
- michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bcc/sections/licensing-section/exam-lic/electrical-examination-licensing-registration-application-information
- michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bcc/sections/licensing-section/license-registration-renewals
- epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-contractors
- michigan.gov/taxes/business-taxes/sales-use-tax/information/sales-tax-license-faq
- michigan.gov/taxes/-/media/Project/Websites/taxes/Audit/Contractor-Manual.pdf
- legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-570-1109
- legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-570-1111
- codes.findlaw.com/mi/chapter-570-liens/mi-comp-laws-570-1109/