How to Become an Electrician in Michigan

Step 1. Get hired and register with LARA

Everything in Michigan runs through the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) and its Bureau of Construction Codes, Electrical Administrative Board. Your hours only count when they are supervised by a Michigan-licensed journeyman or master, so the first real move is getting on a crew with a licensed contractor. Apprentice registration is handled through LARA. The current forms, fees, and registration details are on the LARA electrical licensing and registration page.

Step 2. Work 8,000 supervised hours

At least 8,000 hours of supervised electrical work earned over a minimum of 4 years, under a Michigan-licensed journeyman or master. That minimum of 4 years is a floor, not a ceiling. Slow winters and layoffs stretch it for plenty of guys. Keep your own record of hours and employers from day one, because you will need to document all of it when you apply. You must also be at least 20 years old before you can test.

Step 3. Apply for the journeyman exam

When the hours are in, you apply through LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes. Once your experience is approved, you schedule with PSI Services and pay the $100 exam fee. The full requirements breakdown covers eligibility, fees, and retake rules in checklist form.

Step 4. Prep for the open-book exam

The exam is 80 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, and you need 75% to pass. It is open book on the 2023 NEC, which changes what prep means. Nobody expects you to memorize the code. The exam tests whether you can find the right article fast and run the calculation clean under a clock.

• Start with the free Michigan diagnostic to find your weak NEC chapters before you spend a night studying the wrong thing.
• Work through the Michigan study guide for the chapter-by-chapter plan.
• Drill under exam conditions with the Michigan practice test.
• Know the open-book rules early. Factory tabs and markings only, no handwritten notes, and no NEC Handbook.

Step 5. Pass and get your license

Pass the PSI exam and pay the $40 journeyman license fee to the Bureau of Construction Codes. If the first attempt goes sideways, the rules are strict: Two attempts allowed within one year of eligibility. Fail twice inside a two-year period and you must wait one year from the second failure before testing again. The recovery plan shows how to use that window instead of repeating the same prep.

Step 6. Renew every year

Annual (expires December 31). No annual continuing education. A board-approved code-update course is required within 12 months only when the state adopts a new code edition. From here the next rung is the master license, which requires more experience and a separate exam.

How long does it take?

At least 4 years, because the 8,000 hours must be earned over a minimum of 4 years no matter how much overtime you work. Add the application review and exam scheduling on the back end. The one part of the timeline you control is how many exam attempts you need, which is why prep matters more than most first-timers expect.

What it costs

• Exam fee: $100 to PSI Services, paid each attempt.
• Journeyman license fee: $40 to the Bureau of Construction Codes after you pass.
• Registration and renewal fees: published on the LARA licensing page. We only list numbers we can verify.

Months out from testing? Bookmark this page and keep logging hours. Weeks out? Find out where you actually stand. Take the free Michigan diagnostic and see which NEC chapters need work before you book the exam.