Montana Department of Labor and Industry · checked 2026-10-21

Montana Electrician License Requirements

Statewide master, journeyman and residential electrician licenses issued for the State Electrical Board under Title 37, chapter 68 of the Montana Code. Master electrician: 8 years of experience at minimum, plus an exam.

1J · Journeyman electrician 4 years
2M · Master electrician 8 years

Issued by

Montana Department of Labor and Industry

Top credential

Master electrician

Time to top

8 years

Exams

2 of 2 levels

Reciprocity

none named

License levels in Montana

The Montana path has 2 steps on this page: Journeyman electrician and Master electrician. The source counts experience in hours; the "time from start" column turns those hours into full-time years at 2,000 hours a year.

Level	Experience	Classroom	Time from start	Exam	Fees
J Journeyman electrician	8,000 hours	—	4 years	Yes	Not printed
M Master electrician	8,000 hours at the prior level	—	8 years	Yes	Not printed

Years from the start of the trade to each Montana electrician level, from the hours and years in the source (2,000 hours counted as one full-time year). Bars are to scale.

Journeyman electrician (J)

8,000 hours of legally obtained practical experience (or at least 20,000 hours of employer-certified electrical maintenance work including at least 8,000 hours of practical experience), then an exam of at least 60 questions. Source: MCA 37-68-305, Journeyman and residential electricians.

Master electrician (M)

At least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience planning, laying out or supervising electrical installation and repair (a graduate electrical engineer needs 2,000 hours of practical electrical experience instead), then an exam of at least 80 questions on the National Electrical Code and Montana law. Source: MCA 37-68-304, Master electricians.

Montana also issues narrower classes on the same page: Residential electrician (4,000 hours on structures of fewer than five living units; exam of at least 50 questions).

Exam

2 of the 2 levels listed here require an exam: Journeyman electrician and Master electrician. The source does not print a pass mark.

Fees

The Montana source read prints no dollar amounts for this license. The sections read print no fee amounts.

Reciprocity

The Montana sources read for this trade name no reciprocity agreement and no route for out-of-state licensees.

Seen from the other side: New Hampshire and Arkansas list Montana among their partners on their own board pages (New Hampshire, Arkansas). Each state applies its own conditions, so read both pages.

How Montana compares

Among the 24 states on this site that state a minimum time to the top electrician credential, Montana ranks 22 of 24 from shortest (2 years) to longest (9 years). Kentucky and Oregon set the same 8 years.

Minimum years to the top electrician credential in each state that states one; Montana highlighted. Bars are to scale; states whose source gives no floor are not drawn.

Same trade elsewhere: California · Texas · Florida · Ohio · Georgia. All states side by side: Electrician license requirements by state.

Other trades in Montana

Plumber: Master plumber: 9 years of experience at minimum, plus an exam.

All covered trades on one page: Montana trade licenses.

Background reading: From apprentice to master: how long each state takes · How trade license exams work.

Questions

Who issues the electrician license in Montana?

Montana Department of Labor and Industry, State Electrical Board. Statewide master, journeyman and residential electrician licenses issued for the State Electrical Board under Title 37, chapter 68 of the Montana Code.

How long does it take to qualify for the Master electrician in Montana?

8 years by this site's count. At least 8,000 hours of legally obtained journeyman-level experience planning, laying out or supervising electrical installation and repair (a graduate electrical engineer needs 2,000 hours of practical electrical experience instead), then an exam of at least 80 questions on the National Electrical Code and Montana law.

Does Montana have electrician license reciprocity?

The Montana sources read name no reciprocity agreement for this trade.

Sources and last checked

What	Source	Checked
Issuing authority	Montana Department of Labor and Industry, State Electrical Board	2026-10-21
J requirements	MCA 37-68-305, Journeyman and residential electricians	2026-10-21
M requirements	MCA 37-68-304, Master electricians	2026-10-21
Law cited	MCA 37-68-304, 37-68-305	2026-10-21

This page summarises what the Montana source said on 2026-10-21. It is general information, not legal advice; the board's own page and the statute are the authority and can change. Confirm with Montana Department of Labor and Industry before applying. The free official route is the board itself: its page, application forms and staff answer eligibility questions.