New Hampshire electrician license: hours, reciprocity and pay

A New Hampshire journeyman electrician license takes 8,000 hours as a registered apprentice, 600 hours of electrical school, and a 110-question exam you pass at 70%. A master takes 2,000 more hours as a licensed journeyman. The median New Hampshire electrician made $30.21 an hour in May 2025, per BLS.

Everything below is as of 2026. The New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Electricians' Board runs licensing. Its site blocks automated reads, so the rules here come from the board's administrative rules (Elec 100 to 400) and the licensing law, RSA 319-C. Confirm with the board before you apply. For other states, see electrician license requirements state by state.

01New Hampshire license facts at a glance

02Which electrical licenses does New Hampshire issue?

New Hampshire licenses electricians statewide, from apprentice up. RSA 319-C:7 says apprentices "shall register with the office," so apprentice hours only count if you're registered. Above that sit the journeyman and master licenses, plus limited licenses for narrower work.

Doing electrical installs without a license is a violation of RSA 319-C:15. For a person, it's a misdemeanor.

03How do you qualify for the journeyman exam?

Under board rule Elec 304.01, you need 8,000 hours of practical or field experience as an apprentice to a journeyman or master licensed by the board. Then you need one of these:

1. 600 hours of electrical schooling, taken as 150-hour courses, with at least 6 hours of electrical safety in each course (24 total).
2. An associate degree or higher in an electrical curriculum.
3. Ten years of experience as a journeyman or master licensed in another jurisdiction.
4. A prior sitting for the New Hampshire journeyman or master exam.

Schooling at listed schools can also earn credit toward the practical hours, up to 2,000 hours. Apprentices renewing their registration owe 150 hours of school per 12 months.

The 576-hour trap

Plenty of apprenticeships run 144 classroom hours a year for four years. That's 576 hours. New Hampshire's rule says 600, so an out-of-state apprentice with a 576-hour transcript is 24 hours short. Some third-party guides still list 576. The rule text says 600.

If your transcript shows 576, close the gap with board-approved coursework before you apply, or check whether the 10-year licensed route fits you. Confirm with the board how it counts your hours.

04Master electrician license

Elec 304.01(f) says a master applicant "shall pass the journeyman examination and obtain 2000 hours of field experience as a journeyman" before sitting for the master exam. At 40 hours a week, 2,000 hours is about a year. The master exam is 125 questions, with the same 70% pass mark.

Thinking about whether the extra card pays? Our post on whether a master electrician license is worth it runs the numbers.

05Does New Hampshire have reciprocity?

Yes, more than most of New England. New Hampshire is a member of the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA), the group of mostly plains and mountain states that trade journeyman cards.

The boards on the other end confirm it. As of 2026, these states list New Hampshire on their own official pages:

New Hampshire also has long-standing agreements with Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts recognizing master and journeyman licenses. That comes from the board as quoted by Mike Holt Enterprises, so it's. Confirm it with the board. Vermont's statute separately allows endorsement for electricians licensed in good standing for at least 3 years.

Reciprocity usually comes with strings: a card you earned by exam, held in good standing, often for at least a year, with verification sent board to board. Our electrician license reciprocity guide covers those rules. The Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts guides cover the states you're most likely to cross into.

06Exam, renewal and CE

The journeyman exam is 110 questions and the master exam is 125. You need 70% on either. A 2025 candidate bulletin hosted by OPLC points to Prov as the exam vendor, so confirm before you schedule.

Licenses renew every 2 years from the date they're issued, under Elec 401.01.

CE is tied to the code cycle, not the renewal. Elec 403.01 requires 15 hours of instruction on the changes in the latest NEC, done "within 12 months from January 1st of the year following the issuance" of that edition. The course provider records your completion with the board within 7 days. New Hampshire put the 2023 NEC into effect July 1, 2025, with state amendments.

07What does a New Hampshire electrician make?

The median New Hampshire electrician made $30.21 an hour in May 2025, and the top 10% made $44.16 or more. 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 one contractor will pay you.

New Hampshire had 3,330 electricians on payroll and a $62,840 median annual wage. The same survey put the neighbors higher: Massachusetts at $38.18, Maine at $36.24, Vermont at $30.49. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro, which reaches into southern New Hampshire, had a $38.42 median.

Here's why the border matters. Massachusetts' median is $7.97 an hour above New Hampshire's. Over 2,080 straight-time hours, that's $16,577.60 a year, before you count the drive. Medians aren't offers, but the gap is worth knowing before your next raise talk. Our journeyman electrician pay guide covers what moves a rate.

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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