How to Become an Electrician in Nebraska, NE


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From state to state, the prerequisites in order to become a licensed electrician differ. In general, each of the states has its own body that regulates the electrician licensing. In most states, including Nebraska, in order to work as an electrician you need to have the respective license. There are multiple licenses for an electrician in Nebraska:

Before applying for a license, you have to meet some minimum requirements. You must be at least 18 years of age, provide proof of identity and have a high school diploma or GED to be eligible for electrician training. Below are the additional requirements per specific license.

Nebraska State Electrical Board

The Nebraska State Electrical Board regulates the electricians licensing and controls all the aspects of the process. Here is the contact information:

State of Nebraska
State Electrical Division
800 South 13th Street, Suite 109
P.O. Box 95066
Lincoln, NE 68509-5066
(402) 471-3550
Fax: (402) 471-4297
http://www.electrical.nebraska.gov/

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Nebraska Electrical Contractor License

In order to be able to apply for the electrical contractor license you shall have to:

– Have graduated from a four-year electrical course in an accredited college or university, and have at least one year of relevant experience as a licensed journeyman electrician. This experience will have to be accepted by the board in order to be eligible.

or

– Have at least five years of relevant experience in planning for, laying out, supervising and installing wiring apparatus, or equipment for electrical light, heat and power. This experience will have to be accepted by the board in order to be eligible.

The examination fee for applying for the electrical contractor license is $125.00.

Fees for a license issued in:

  • Even numbered year – $125.00
  • Odd numbered year – $250.00

The Nebraska State Electrical Board currently shares a reciprocal licensing agreement for the Electrical Contractor license with Minnesota and South Dakota.

For information on the exams check here, for information about license renewal here, about the continuing education here and the pre-exam course codes here.

The application for license examination can be found here.

Finally, don’t forget to check Electrician Jobs in Nebraska.

Nebraska Journeyman Electrician License

In order to be able to apply for the journeyman electrician license you shall have to:

– Have at least four years experience in the electrical trade. This experience will have to be accepted by the board in order to be eligible. Registration as an apprentice electrician for those years shall constitute evidence of such experience (provided that it gets approved by the board). For further requirements, please refer to 81-2113 of the Nebraska State Electrical Act.

or

– In case you have completed a two-year post-high school electrical course with a degree in electrical technology, one year work experience credit will be provided. In case of military service, one year work experience credit may be provided for qualified electrical experience gained.

For information on the exams check here, for information about license renewal here, about the continuing education here and the pre-exam course codes here.

The examination fee for applying for the electrical contractor license is $125.00.

Fees for a license issued in:

  • Even numbered year – $125.00
  • Odd numbered year – $250.00

The application for license examination can be found here.

Finally, don’t forget to check Electrician Jobs in Nebraska.

Nebraska Fire Alarm Installer License

In order to be able to apply for the fire alarm installer license you shall have to:

– Have at least two years experience in planning, laying out, and installing fire alarm systems. This experience will have to be accepted by the board in order to be eligible.

For information on the exams check here, for information about license renewal here, about the continuing education here and the pre-exam course codes here.

The examination fee for applying for the fire alarm installer license is $60.00.

Fees for a license issued in:

  • Even numbered year – $25.00
  • Odd numbered year – $50.00

The application for license examination can be found here.

Finally, don’t forget to check Electrician Jobs in Nebraska.

Nebraska Residential Journeyman Wireman License

A residential installation is defined as:

“An installation intended for a single-family or two-family residential dwelling or a multi-family residential dwelling not larger than three stories in height.”

Note that Type JA journeymen are licensed to wire Clubhouses at multi-family complexes.

In order to be able to apply for the residential journeyman wireman license you shall have to:

– Have at least three years experience in the electrical trade. This experience will have to be accepted by the board in order to be eligible.

– Registration as an apprentice electrician for those years shall constitute evidence of such experience (provided that it gets approved by the board). For further requirements, please refer to 81-2113 of the Nebraska State Electrical Act. If you have successfully completed a two-year post-high school electrical course, the board may provide for the allowance of one year of experience credit (provided of course that the course is approved by the board).

– A residential journeyman electrician license shall be valid only for residential installations, as defined above.

For information on the exams check here, for information about license renewal here, about the continuing education here and the pre-exam course codes here.

The examination fee for applying for the residential journeyman wireman license is $60.00.

Fees for a license issued in:

  • Even numbered year – $25.00
  • Odd numbered year – $50.00

Finally, don’t forget to check Electrician Jobs in Nebraska.

Exams Information

The exam will cover the following topics among others:

  • National Electrical Code (NEC)
  • Basic Electricity
  • Nebraska State Electrical Act
  • Blueprint Reading
  • Emergency Circuits – Including Fire Alarm Circuits

As in most states, the most important aspect is an excellent knowledge of the National Electrical Code.

Regarding the location of the exams center, you should notice that there are different locations depending on the time of the year that the exam takes place. The locations are presented below:

  • March: 920 South St, Norfolk
  • April: 1050 M St, Gering
  • May: 241 Victory Lane, Lincoln
  • June: 2503 South Locust, Grand Island
  • July: 300 Holiday Frontage Road, North Platte
  • August: 909 South 107th Ave, Omaha
  • September: 920 South St, Norfolk
  • October: 1050 M St, Gering
  • November: 241 Victory Lane, Lincoln

You may also find driving directions to the exam locations here.

Exams and training sessions rotate to each of the above locations every six months. Everyone may attend the training sessions, which require pre-paid registration. In this case, the name, address and telephone number of the participant have to be submitted to the state electrical division, while there is a also a $40 fee.

Note that the registration and the accompanied fee have to be provided before the training session date. In order to take an exam, you will have to submit a separate application and receive an approval letter for a specified date.

You may find the examinations schedule here.

Regarding the examination itself, you may only have the National Electrical Code Book or National Electrical Code Handbook published by NFP. No notes are allowed in the books. You may also have a mathematical calculator with you, but code calculators or programmable computers are not permitted. You may use either pen or pencil.

The exams lasts 3 hours and has 50 questions (giving you 3.6 minutes per question). Each question is of 2 points and a 76% score is required in order to pass (note that 74% is a failing score).

The examination results will be provided to the participants within 7 days. If an applicant fails the exam, a new application has to be submitted in order to retake the examination. The applicant has the opportunity to review the failed examination questions for 30-minutes with the Chief Electrical Inspector, within 14 days after the exam date.

You may find additional information on the exams here.

Nebraska Electrician Apprenticeship

A person wishing to enter the electrician field may register with the board in order to work as an apprentice electrician. In that case, he shall be entitled to act as an apprentice electrician to an existing license holder.

An apprentice electrician will not perform electrical wiring except under the direct supervision and control and in the immediate presence of a licensed electrician. The apprentice will receive both on-the-job training (under supervision) and related classroom training as approved by the board.

Direct on-the-job supervision means that the licensee and the apprentice electrician shall be working at the same project location but does not require that the licensee and the apprentice electrician are within sight of one another at all times.

The apprentice electrician shall not install, alter, or repair electrical equipment except as explained above, and the licensee of an apprentice electrician shall not authorize or permit such actions by the apprentice electrician.

Registration fees issued in:

  • Even numbered year – $20.00
  • Odd numbered year – $40.00

You may register as an electrician apprentice online here.

The apprentice registration form can be found here.

Nebraska Reciprocal Electrician License Agreements

The Nebraska State Electrical Board has a reciprocal licensing agreement for the Journeyman Electrician license with the following states.

  • Alaska
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Texas
  • Wyoming

In order for the license to reciprocate to another state, the applicant must have passed a state examination.

For State reciprocity, you must have received a 75% or greater on the exam for the license you wish to reciprocate and you must have held the license in good standing for a period of at least one year. Note that if the issuing state has no record of your exam, it will be rejected, so be sure you qualify before you send the application and fees (no refunds will be made for processed applications). You may find the form for reciprocity license Application by state here.

For municipal reciprocity, you must have received a 75% or greater on the exam from the approved Nebraska program you wish to reciprocate. Note that if the issuing municipality has no record of your exam, it will be rejected, so be sure you qualify before you send the application and fees (no refunds will be made for processed applications). You may find the form for reciprocity license Application by municipal here.

Nebraska Municipal License Examinations

There are three Nebraska municipality examination programs, Fremont, Hastings and Lincoln. Applicants who have successfully passed one of these examinations and who hold a current license issued by the municipality, will be issued a state electrical license. Note that a State license received by reciprocity with one of these municipalities is not eligible for reciprocity with another State.

Nebraska Electrician License Renewal Information

Regarding license renewal, you will have to periodically renew your license, as happens in all other states. In particular, all electrical licenses and apprentice registrations issued by the State Electrical Board expire on the last day (31 Dec) of even numbered years.

If you wish to renew your license, you shall have to provide a certificate for proof of attendance of at least 12-hours of continuing education approved by the State Electrical Board. This education should include at least six hours on the National Electrical Code. For renewal of an apprentice registration, these hours are not required.

The Board will send license renewal application via mail on October 15 of even numbered years. The last known address of the license and registration holder will be used for this, so make sure you keep your information up to date.

You should make sure to renew your license on time because if the license expires, the renewal can be performed only for a period of three months from the expiration date upon payment of the license fee. Additionally, you will have to pay 10% of the renewal fee for each month thereof past the expiration date. If the three months pass, holders of expired licenses will have to apply for a new license.

Working in the State of Nebraska without a proper license is illegal (Class I misdemeanor) with a penalty of one year in prison and $1,000 fine.

Nebraska Continuing Education for Electricians

For Nebraska, the State Electrical Act states that a licensee shall be required to complete 12 contact hours of continuing education by January 1 of each odd numbered year In order to renew his license.

The State Electrical Board shall approve the continuing education courses. The courses may consist of training programs and seminars by the State Electrical Division or public or private schools, organizations, or associations.

A minimum of six contact hours studying the NEC is required and the remaining contact hours may include study of electrical circuit theory, blueprint reading, transformer and motor theory, electrical circuits and devices, programmable controllers or any other study of electrical-related material approved by the board. Any additional hours studying the National Electrical Code shall be acceptable.

You may find the application for Continuing Education Instructor & Course for Pre-Approved Courses here and the Continuing Education Instructor & Course Application here.

Pre-Exam Course Codes

Before the examination takes place, there will be a 4 hour code class given (from 8AM to 12PM). This class intends to refresh the memory of the participants regarding the use of the National Electrical Code book along with applicable sections of State Law, electrical theory, and fire alarm installations.

A certificate for 4 hours of continuing education toward license renewal will be awarded to those who attend.

The registration fee for each course is $40.00.

Make sure that you have pre-registered with the course and have provided the fee before attending. You may find the code class registration form here. The form and the fee should be sent to the State Electrical Division.