Checked against primary sources 2026-09-04

Every amount, every deadline

Michigan Electrician License Fees and Renewal Dates

Michigan runs two renewal dates and three renewal cycles, and mixing them up is what the late fees are for. Every figure here comes from LARA's renewal page, the application forms or the PSI bulletin, each named at the bottom.

Get my exam date, free

Two dates, not one

Apprentice registrations renew by August 31. Everything else renews by December 31. That is the whole calendar and it is the thing to memorize.

Both are fixed calendar dates rather than anniversaries of your own issue date. It does not matter what month you registered in, the deadline is shared.

The August 31 date covers the electrical apprentice and the fire alarm specialty apprentice technician. The December 31 date covers the journeyman, the master, the fire alarm specialty technician and the contractor licenses.

What each one costs to renew

The electrical apprentice registration is $15.00 a year, due by 8/31. The fire alarm specialty apprentice technician registration is also $15.00 a year on the same date.

The journeyman electrician license is $40.00 a year, due by 12/31.

The master electrician license is $50.00 a year, due by 12/31. So is the fire alarm specialty technician license.

The electrical, fire alarm and sign specialty contractor license is $300.00 every three years, due by 12/31.

The late fees, and the one that is out of proportion

Apprentices pay $100.00 late. That is on a $15.00 renewal, so the penalty is more than six times the fee, and it is the same $100.00 for the fire alarm specialty apprentice technician.

Every other electrical license pays $50.00 late. Journeyman, master, fire alarm specialty technician and the three year contractor license all sit at $50.00.

Against a $300.00 contractor renewal, a $50.00 late fee is mild. Against a $15.00 apprentice registration, $100.00 is a penalty of a different order, and it lands on the people earning the least.

The fee is not the real cost either way. LARA says you are not allowed to be on the job site without an active license, and that an apprentice should not be on a job site with an expired registration.

What each one costs to apply

Form BCC-0704 charges $15.00 to register as an electrical apprentice or a fire alarm specialty technician apprentice, and says the fee is not refundable.

Form BCC-341 carries four application fees: $40.00 for the journeyman electrician, $50.00 for the master electrician, $50.00 for the fire alarm specialty technician and $40.00 for the sign specialist.

So for the individual licenses the application fee and the annual renewal fee are the same amount. What you paid to get in is what you pay to stay in.

The contractor application fee is not printed on the LARA pages cited here. Ask the Licensing Section for the current amount rather than assuming it matches the $300.00 renewal.

The exam fee is separate, and it is not refundable

PSI charges $100 per attempt for every Michigan electrical examination: journeyman, master, fire alarm specialty technician and sign specialist. That is on top of the LARA application fee, not instead of it.

The bulletin says examination fees are not refundable or transferable, and that a fee is valid for one year from the date of payment.

You also forfeit it by not showing up. PSI forfeits the fee if you fail to cancel two days before the appointment, no show, arrive late, or turn up without acceptable identification.

What the code update course costs you in time

There is no annual continuing education hour count in Michigan. LARA's renewal page says you are only required to take a code update course within one year of new code being adopted.

MCL 339.5715 and MCL 339.5713 make that course a condition of renewal for journeymen and masters within 12 months after an update or change to the state construction code.

LARA's renewal page marks the course as not required for the apprentice registration and for the contractor license. LARA points people to CE Broker at cebroker.com or (877) 434-6323 for code update courses.

Where the renewal actually happens

Renewals run through Accela. LARA points licensees to www.michigan.gov/bccrenewals and says all renewals need to be processed through the website before the expiration date to stay active and avoid late fees.

Apprentices have one extra step. LARA tells them to log into the Accela account and give the master and contractor license numbers for the employer, and to confirm participation in or completion of a board approved apprenticeship training program.

The apprentice renewal instructions add a detail worth knowing: your apprentice registration number never expires, so you always renew rather than filing a new application.

Keep your address current. LARA lists form BCC-3911 for a change of address, a personal or company name change, or a change in company representation.

What is not on this page, and why

The sign specialist renewal fee and date are not published on the LARA renewal page cited here, so they are not stated above. The application fee for a sign specialist is on form BCC-341 at $40.00.

The initial application fee for the contractor licenses is likewise not on the pages cited here.

Where a number is missing from this page it is because LARA has not published it where we could read it, not because it does not exist. Call the Licensing Section at 517-241-9316 and ask.

Questions people ask

When do Michigan electrician licenses expire?

Apprentice registrations expire August 31 every year. Journeyman, master, fire alarm specialty technician and contractor licenses expire December 31, with the contractor on a three year cycle rather than a one year cycle. Both dates are fixed on the calendar rather than tied to when you were first issued.

How much is it to renew a Michigan journeyman electrician license?

Forty dollars a year, due by 12/31. Renewing after the expiration date adds a $50.00 late fee. LARA's renewal page carries both figures.

How much is the Michigan master electrician renewal?

Fifty dollars a year, due by 12/31, with a $50.00 late fee after expiration. That is ten dollars more than the journeyman renewal, which is a common thing to get wrong from memory. The fire alarm specialty technician license renews at the same $50.00 on the same date.

What is the late fee for a Michigan apprentice registration?

One hundred dollars, on a registration that costs $15.00 to renew. No other electrical credential in Michigan carries a late fee worth more than six times its renewal. LARA also says an apprentice should not be on a job site once the registration has expired.

How often does a Michigan electrical contractor license renew?

Every three years, by December 31, at $300.00. It is the only electrical credential in Michigan that is not on a yearly cycle, which is exactly why it gets missed. The late fee is $50.00.

Does the PSI exam fee come out of the LARA application fee?

No, they are separate. LARA charges the application fee on form BCC-341, and PSI charges $100 per examination attempt. The PSI fee is not refundable or transferable and is valid for one year from the date of payment.

Do I owe continuing education hours every year in Michigan?

No. LARA's renewal page says a code update course is required only within one year of a new code being adopted, and MCL 339.5713 and MCL 339.5715 attach that course to renewal within 12 months of a code change. There is no annual hour count for electrical licensees.

What this page cites

• LARA, license and registration renewals The renewal dates, cycles, fees and late fees for the apprentice, journeyman, master, fire alarm and contractor licenses, and the code update course rule. source
• Form BCC-341 The application fees: $40.00 journeyman, $50.00 master, $50.00 fire alarm specialty technician, $40.00 sign specialist. source
• Form BCC-0704 The $15.00 non refundable apprentice registration fee and the 30 day filing window. source
• LARA apprentice renewal instructions Renewals through michigan.gov/bccrenewals, the $100 late fee, the employer license numbers, and that the registration number never expires. source
• PSI candidate information bulletin 4375 Effective 20 August 2026. The $100 fee per attempt, the no refund and no transfer rule, one year validity, and the forfeiture conditions. source
• MCL 339.5715 and MCL 339.5713 Make a code update course a condition of renewal within 12 months after a change to the state construction code. source