Checked against primary sources 2026-09-04

Starting from nothing

How to Become an Electrician in Michigan: Step by Step

The order surprises people. In Michigan the job comes first, the registration follows it inside 30 days, and the classroom runs alongside both. Every step below carries the fee, the deadline and the section that sets it.

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Step one: get hired

LARA puts two conditions on an apprentice: employment by a master electrician and an electrical contractor, and enrollment in an approved related technical instruction program.

That first condition is why nothing else can come first. Form BCC-0704 needs your employer's company name, contractor license number and signature, so there is no version of the form you can file alone.

MCL 339.5711 explains what the employer has to be. An electrical contractor either holds a master electrician's license or employs a full time master who lives in Michigan and is actively in charge of code compliance on all installations.

Apprenticeship programs are one route to that job. IBEW Michigan says applications are taken directly by the training center and each has its own requirements, and its programs pay from week one.

Step two: line up the related technical instruction

This runs alongside the job rather than before it. LARA asks for enrollment in an approved program and for coursework to continue throughout the apprenticeship.

BCC-0704 says the instruction comes through a school, a labor organization or your employer, and that the RTI provider certifies and signs your application. Those are the three shapes it takes.

MCL 339.5717 sets the bar for the program: the board approves programs that meet or exceed the requirements imposed by the Office of Apprenticeship in the United States Department of Labor, subject to Michigan's own jobsite ratio.

Ask any provider one question before you enroll. Will you certify and sign my BCC-0704.

Step three: register within 30 days

Form BCC-0704 and MCL 339.5717 both give you 30 days from the day you are employed as an electrical apprentice to file the registration.

The fee is $15.00 and it is not refundable. LARA's licensing section says processing may run up to three to five weeks, in the order applications arrive.

There is no examination. There is nothing on LARA's pages describing a temporary apprentice credential either, so the 30 day window is the protection you have.

Step four: work the hours, and record them

MCL 339.5715 asks for at least 8,000 hours of experience obtained over a period of at least 4 years, under the direct supervision of a licensed electrician. LARA names that supervision as a Michigan licensed journeyman or master.

Both conditions have to be true, so the earliest possible date is four years out no matter how many hours you work.

Renew the registration every August 31 at $15.00 while this is happening. Miss it and the late fee is $100.00, and LARA says you should not be on a job site with an expired registration.

Keep a dated record from week one. Form BCC-341 asks for notarized employer documentation of dates, hours and the type of work, and form BCC-3923 is LARA's experience statement.

Step five: apply to sit the journeyman exam

The form is BCC-341 and the journeyman fee on it is $40.00. It travels with the experience statement and the notarized employer documentation.

You have to be at least 20 years old. In practice the hours and years arrive later than the birthday for most people.

Once LARA approves the application, PSI notifies you with instructions on how to schedule the examination.

Step six: sit the exam

The journeyman electrician examination is 80 questions in 150 minutes with a passing score of 75 percent, and PSI charges $100 per attempt. The fee is not refundable or transferable.

It is open book. You may bring the National Electrical Code with factory markings or highlights and factory tabs only, plus 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230 and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. The NEC Handbook is not allowed and neither is anything you marked yourself.

Michigan tests on the 2023 NEC, adopted by the Part 8 rules effective 12 March 2024.

PSI allows two attempts within one year. MCL 339.5715 adds that two failures within two years puts you out for at least a year, after which you show proof of a board approved course to sit again.

Step seven: hold the license, then decide

The journeyman license renews every year by 12/31 at $40.00, with a $50.00 late fee. There is no annual hour count, only a code update course within one year of a new code being adopted.

From there the master license is 12,000 hours over six years or more, with two years holding the journeyman license and 4,000 hours worked as one, and an exam of 76 questions in 180 minutes at 75 percent.

Contracting is a separate license again. MCL 339.5711 gives it to a master, or to a business employing a full time Michigan resident master in charge of code compliance.

What the paperwork costs across four years

Registration is $15.00, and four annual renewals at $15.00 each come to $60.00 more if you go the full four years.

The journeyman application is $40.00 and the examination is $100 per attempt.

That is the LARA and PSI side. Related technical instruction, books and tools sit outside it, and this page does not price them because the providers do.

Questions people ask

Do I need a degree or a trade school certificate to be an electrician in Michigan?

No degree. What LARA requires is employment by a master electrician and an electrical contractor plus enrollment in an approved related technical instruction program, and form BCC-0704 says that instruction can come through a school, a labor organization or your employer. So a school is one of three routes rather than a requirement.

How long does it take to become an electrician in Michigan?

At least four years to the journeyman license. MCL 339.5715 requires at least 8,000 hours obtained over at least 4 years, and both conditions have to be met, so extra hours do not shorten the four years. The master license adds at least two more, since it needs 12,000 hours over six years or more.

Do I register with LARA before I start working?

No, the job comes first. Form BCC-0704 and MCL 339.5717 give you 30 days from the day you are employed as an electrical apprentice to file, and the form needs your employer's contractor license number and signature. There is no way to file it before you are hired.

How much does it cost to start as an apprentice in Michigan?

Fifteen dollars for the registration, and the same $15.00 each year to renew by August 31. The fee is not refundable, and a late renewal adds $100.00. Related technical instruction is charged by the provider rather than by LARA.

How old do you have to be to start?

Neither MCL 339.5717 nor LARA's apprentice pages state a minimum age for the apprentice registration, so this page does not state one. The journeyman license requires you to be at least 20 and the master at least 22. Ask the Licensing Section about the apprentice side rather than relying on a number from another state.

Are Michigan electrical apprenticeships paid?

The programs cited on this site are. IBEW Michigan says apprentices get paid in week one, accrue wages and benefits, are paid a percentage of the journeyman wage rate with periodic increases, and graduate debt free. Terms are set by the program and the employer rather than by LARA.

What is the first exam I have to pass?

The journeyman electrician examination, and it comes after four years rather than at the start. There is no apprentice examination in Michigan, which is why the registration costs $15.00 and takes a form rather than a test. The journeyman exam is 80 questions in 150 minutes at 75 percent, $100 per attempt.

What this page cites

• MCL 339.5717 The 30 day registration window, the certificate of registration, the approved program requirement and the one to three jobsite ratio. source
• MCL 339.5715 The journeyman requirement of at least 20 years old and at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years, and the retake rule after two failures. source
• MCL 339.5711 Defines what an electrical contractor employer has to be: a master, or a business with a full time Michigan resident master in charge of code compliance. source
• LARA, electrical examination and licensing information The apprentice conditions, the supervision requirement, the 75 percent pass mark and the application form names. source
• LARA, license and registration renewals The $15.00 apprentice renewal by 8/31 with a $100.00 late fee, and the $40.00 journeyman renewal by 12/31 with a $50.00 late fee. source
• Form BCC-0704 The 30 day filing window, the $15.00 non refundable fee, the employer block and the RTI provider certification. source
• PSI candidate information bulletin 4375 Effective 20 August 2026. Journeyman exam of 80 questions in 150 minutes at 75 percent, $100 per attempt, and the book rules. source
• IBEW Michigan apprenticeships Describes the five year inside wireman and three year residential and sound programs, says apprentices get paid in week one at a percentage of the journeyman rate and graduate debt free. Read 4 September 2026. source