How to Become an Electrician in Ohio, OH


Electricians who wish to perform electrical work in the state of Ohio have to get proper license. The licensing process for Commercial Contractors is governed by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB).

Regarding individualized local Ohio licensing and registration requirements, you should also check with your local building department. A local building department typically has similar requirements for licensing. These may include electrical engineering college or technical school classes, experience working under the supervision of a licensed electrician and possibly taking an electrician exam.

Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB)

The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) is responsible for licensing Commercial Contractors for the electrical trade. Note that the board does not license Residential Contractors nor General Contractors. The board is part of the Department of Commerce’s Division of Industrial Compliance and Labor.

The contact info for the board is as follows:

Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board
6606 Tussing Road
Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068
FAX: 614-728-1200
http://www.com.ohio.gov/dico/ocilb.aspx

Search Electrician Programs

Get information on Electrician programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information.

Sponsored Listings

Ohio Electrician License Requirements

In order to be able to apply for a license, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Be a United States citizen (if no, you must provide proof of being a legal alien)
  • Either have been a tradesperson in the electrical trade for not less than five (5) years immediately prior to the date the application is filed, currently be a registered engineer in this state with three (3) years of business experience in the construction industry in the electrical trade, or have other experience acceptable to the appropriate section of the board
  • Never have been convicted of a disqualifying offense
  • Pass the examination in the trade
  • Carry minimum $500,000 contractor liability coverage
  • Pay the applicable fees

Ohio Electrician License Application Process

You may find the license application form here (the application has to be notarized).

After you have completed the application, mail it to OCILB along with a $25 non-refundable check or money order made payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio” to the following address:

Ohio Department of Commerce
Division of Industrial Compliance and Labor
Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB)
6606 Tussing Road
P.O. Box 4009
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-9009
Phone (614) 644-3493

The Board will review your application in order to determine your eligibility to sit for the examination. You will be notified by mail of the results of the Board’s review. In case of approval, this will be good for one year.

Make sure to properly complete the application in order to avoid delaying your application process. It would be helpful to include your email address (if applicable) so you may be contact via email by the Board.

Also, attach copies of documentation that would support your credentials such as: any local licenses or registrations, permits that have been obtained, union card, pay stubs, W-2’s, signed contracts, invoices, and letters of recommendation or verification of employment on company letterhead. Please note that you will have to remove and redact ALL Social Security Numbers.

Additionally, after you are approved by the Board, you will be required to complete a State and Federal Background Check before participating in the examination. Results from the background agency must be submitted directly to the address mentioned above. For general information regarding the Background Checks, see here.

After approval, you will be provided with a Candidate Information Bulletin which contains detailed instructions on how to schedule to take the exam.

All the examinations are computer based testing by appointment at various locations in Ohio & the U.S. If you take the examination, you will receive a notice informing you whether you passed or failed at the completion of their exam.

You may find more information regarding the exams here.

If you pass the examinations, you will receive a state license by sending the following information to OCILB:

  1. a copy of the examination results
  2. a $25 check made payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio”
  3. proof of $500,000 minimum contractor liability insurance “CERTIFICATE OF LIABILITY INSURANCE” (with the actual policy number listed).

The required information must be submitted to OCILB at the address mentioned above.

After receiving your Electrical Contractor license, you will be able to engage in the business of contracting to install, erect, repair or alter electrical equipment for the generation, transmission or utilization of electrical energy.

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

Ohio Electrical Contractor License Exams

As mentioned before, you will have to pass the relevant examinations in order to acquire your license. The testing is performed by PSI and you must be preapproved by the Board before you are allowed to test.

For questions regarding book materials and schedules, please visit the PSI web page or contact them by phone at 1-800-733-9267. Reference materials are allowed to be highlighted, underlined, and indexed prior to the examinations, and will be checked before taking the tests. However, the books cannot be written in.

You may find the Candidate Information Bulletin here.

The Ohio Electrical Contractor Exam contains two portions. The first section examines your knowledge of electrical construction, while the second section examines your knowledge of business and law.

For the Electrical Trade section, there 100 questions and a time limit of 5 hours, while for the Business and Law section, there are 50 questions and a time limit of 2 hours.

For each section you will need a score of at least 70% in order to pass.

The Testing Materials are as follows:

Business and Law
Contractor’s Guide to Business, Law, and Project Management, Ohio

Electrical Trade
Ugly’s Electrical References, George V. Hart, 2008
NFPA70 – National Electrical Code, 2008 or 2011 Edition
IBEW – NECA Field Reference Book

Ohio Electrical License Renewal

Licenses are renewed each year and there are continuing education requirements for renewing your license. It will cost $60 to renew and you must show proof of insurance ($500,000 liability minimum) and have completed continued education requirements.

You may renew your application online here.

Please note that when renewing your license, you will have to submit your Certificate of Liability Insurance Form with your Renewal Application, otherwise the application will be returned to you. Certificate of Liability Insurance Forms from the insurance agencies are not accepted any more, they must come directly from the licensee accompanying the Renewal Application.

If you are renewing online and need to submit proof of your insurance, you may fax the Certificate of Liability Insurance to 614-728-1200. However, the insurance form must have your State License Number clearly identified on the form. For questions regarding this matter, you may email the board here.

You will have to attain continuing education, 10 hours in total. 5 of which must be in code. You may view your continuing education hours online here.

Ohio Reciprocal Electrical License Agreements

Regarding license reciprocity, the state of Ohio has reciprocity agreements with the following states:

Follow the link above for the state you are interested in order to download the corresponding reciprocity application. There might be additional requirements for each state, so make sure to thoroughly read each application.

There is a non-refundable fee of $25 for every license payable to the Treasurer State of Ohio.

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