Maryland electrician license: levels, hours, reciprocity, pay

A Maryland journeyperson electrician license takes at least 4 years of work under a master electrician, then a $65 PSI exam. Maryland has issued statewide journeyperson licenses since July 1, 2021, and it reciprocates with Virginia, Delaware and DC. The median Maryland electrician made $35.33 an hour in May 2025, per BLS.

Everything below is as of 2026, from the Maryland State Board of Electricians at the Maryland Department of Labor and the state law behind it, Business Occupations and Professions 6-304. Rules change, so confirm with the board before you file anything. For the national picture, see electrician license requirements in every state.

01Maryland license facts at a glance

02Which licenses does Maryland issue?

Maryland licenses masters, journeypersons and apprentices statewide. The board's FAQ says it began taking apprentice and journeyperson applications on July 1, 2021. Before that, the state board licensed masters only.

Apprentices "must be supervised at all times by a licensed Master or Journeyperson and may not perform work independently," per the board. Unlicensed electrical work can bring fines up to $5,000, jail or both.

A master comes in two kinds. A qualified agent assigns his license to one company, and the company carries the insurance. A statewide master carries his own insurance and can sub work from different outfits.

03How you qualify

Maryland counts years, not hours. Under 6-304, a journeyperson has to have worked "regularly and principally" in electrical work for at least 4 years under a master electrician, or a government employee qualified like one. A master needs 7 years the same way.

1. Apprenticeship counts in full. The board has to credit work done in a completed apprenticeship approved by the state's Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning or the federal Office of Apprenticeship.
2. School counts toward the master only. The board may credit up to 3 years of formal study or training toward the master's 7. The law gives no school credit toward the journeyperson's 4.
3. The time has to be under a master. Years running work on your own without a master over you don't count toward either license.

If you have a record, the board's FAQ says you report every felony and misdemeanor and bring a certified court docket. The board weighs the crime, how it relates to electrical work, how long ago it was and what you've done since. Our post on getting an electrical license with a felony covers how other states handle it.

04The exam

PSI Examination Services runs the journeyperson and master exams. The fee is $65, paid every time you sit, and PSI has Maryland test centers in Baltimore, College Park, Hagerstown, Lanham and Salisbury. The board says the test is based on the current NEC and no prep course is required.

Fail it and you wait 30 days to retest. Fail again and every later retest waits 60 days. PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin for Maryland lists the question count, time and passing score; prep sites put the pass mark at 70%, so confirm it in the bulletin when you register. Our journeyman electrician exam guide covers how to prep for a code-based test.

05Reciprocity, and the trap in it

Maryland takes journeyperson licenses from three places, as of 2026. You send a letter of good standing from your home board and a copy of your license.

Masters can reciprocate from Virginia, West Virginia, DC and Delaware. West Virginia masters need to have held the license at least 2 years, and Delaware masters at least 5, after passing that state's exam. A reciprocal master also sends a certificate of insurance, and the letter of good standing has to show he got the license by exam.

Here's the trap. Maryland still lets you test with a county or city, and masters with a county or Baltimore City license can reciprocate into a state license. But the board's FAQ says if you get your state license that way, "you will NOT be able to use your State license to obtain a reciprocal license in another state or the District of Columbia." If you plan to work across the river someday, take the state exam through PSI.

The Virginia, Delaware and DC guides cover the other side of each agreement, and our electrician license reciprocity guide covers the rest of the country.

06Local registration and CE

A state license doesn't end the paperwork. The board's FAQ says a county or city may still require you to register before you provide electrical services or pull a permit there. Call the jurisdiction before the job starts.

Licenses run two years from the date issued, on a staggered schedule, and the board mails renewal papers about 60 days before yours expires. The board posts an approved CE provider list but doesn't spell out the hours on the pages we read, and we couldn't confirm the NEC edition the state enforces. Confirm both with the board at renewal.

07What does a Maryland electrician make?

The median Maryland electrician made $35.33 an hour in May 2025, $4.95 over the national median. These are BLS OEWS straight-time wages for all electricians, apprentices included. They leave out overtime, per diem and benefits, and they're market data, not what any contractor will pay you.

Maryland had 13,690 electricians on payroll and a $73,490 median annual wage. The DC metro, which takes in the Maryland suburbs, ran $4.96 an hour over Baltimore at the median. Across the lines, the same survey put the median at $30.24 in Virginia, $30.63 in Delaware and $37.97 in DC. Our journeyman electrician pay guide explains what moves a rate inside these ranges.

The bottom of that range is low for a licensed hand. Maryland's 10th percentile is $22.33, and it includes apprentices. One national electrical contractor's PM joked on a call with us that a licensed electrician taking $25 an hour "needs to see a doctor." If you carry a card and your rate is near that, check the numbers.

Run your Pay Check to see what electricians with your license make near you. Takes about a minute and your boss never hears about it.

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