Oklahoma Electrician License Requirements

Oklahoma licenses electricians statewide through the Construction Industries Board (CIB). You register as an apprentice, log 4,000 hours (residential) or 8,000 hours (unlimited) to qualify for the journeyman exam, then add journeyman time to qualify as a contractor. Oklahoma's PSI electrical exams are open book; the electrical trade exams use the 2023 NEC, and contractor applicants also take the Electrical Business & Law exam. You need 70% to pass each required exam portion.

Last verified October 2, 2026, against the CIB's electrical rules (OAC 158:40, effective July 11, 2026), the Electrical License Act, the June 2024 CIB application and the current CIB-linked PSI candidate bulletin.

Oklahoma electrical licenses at a glance

Each PSI exam portion currently costs $92, paid to PSI. Hours and categories come from OAC 158:40-7-1 through 7-6 and the CIB electrical application (p. 1). Exam specs come from the PSI candidate bulletin. Fees are from OAC 158:40-9-3 and the apprentice application.

Oklahoma has no master electrician license. The top tier is Electrical Contractor, which the CIB calls the highest-ranking electrical license.

Will your hours count?

Hours are where most applications go wrong. Before you count any hour toward a journeyman license, check all five of these:

• You were registered. Oklahoma residents must have been registered as an apprentice (application, p. 2, item 5) while earning hours for a Residential or Unlimited Journeyman license. Under OAC 158:40-9-1(a), the CIB won't count periods when you weren't registered, unless the experience was lawfully obtained under other applicable law.
• You worked for a licensed electrical contractor, under direct supervision. "Direct supervision" means a licensed journeyman or contractor in the right category was physically present in your work area (OAC 158:40-1-2).
• The work type fits. Utility electrical work doesn't count (application, p. 2, item 7). For Unlimited Journeyman, at least 4,000 hours must be commercial or industrial.
• You can prove it. Your employer must sign a notarized experience affidavit in original ink, showing your hours and the percentage that was commercial/industrial versus residential (application, p. 4).
• Your classroom hours qualify. Only actual classroom hours from a Committee-approved program or an electrical engineering degree count, proven by official transcript. An approved technical program must run at least 250 hours (OAC 158:40-1-2, "formal electrical education"). The CIB posts a list of approved schools.

Check your numbers

Add your verified on-the-job hours to your classroom hours, but only up to the cap. Then check the commercial/industrial minimum separately. The CIB's application and experience affidavit treat classroom credit separately from verified work classifications, so use documented on-the-job commercial/industrial hours to satisfy the commercial/industrial minimum.

Worked examples:

• 6,000 on-the-job hours (4,000 commercial/industrial) + 2,400 classroom hours, aiming for Unlimited Journeyman. Only 2,000 classroom hours count. 6,000 + 2,000 = 8,000. You meet the hours.
• 6,500 on-the-job hours (3,500 commercial/industrial) + 900 classroom hours, aiming for Unlimited Journeyman. 6,500 + 900 = 7,400. You're 600 hours short overall, and 500 hours short on commercial/industrial work.
• 3,200 on-the-job hours + 1,500 classroom hours, aiming for Residential Journeyman. Only 1,000 classroom hours count. 3,200 + 1,000 = 4,200. You meet the hours.

The CIB rule describes 8,000 hours as four years. On the CIB's experience affidavit, one year of full-time work generally equals about 2,000 hours (p. 4). Meeting the numbers doesn't guarantee approval. The CIB reviews every application and makes the call.

If you can't get your hours

The CIB doesn't track apprentice hours for you. Your contractor must document them by type (OAC 158:40-5-3(g)), and you should keep your own log. If an employer won't provide your hours, send a written request first, then contact the CIB. If the company is out of business, tax records or a Social Security work-history or earnings report can support your claim.

Apprentice registration

Register before you start counting Oklahoma hours. The CIB lists these requirements:

• Age: 16 or older, and either employed by an active licensed contractor or enrolled in a recognized school or training program (59 O.S. §1686).
• Signature: an active licensed contractor (or approved school instructor) signs your application every year, in original ink.
• Term and fee: the card lasts one year. It costs $25 ($20 registration + $5 application). When you renew within 30 days of expiration, the $5 application fee is waived (apprentice application, revised July 2024).
• Ratio: no more than three apprentices work under one licensed journeyman or contractor (OAC 158:40-5-1(b)).
• Continuing education: since January 1, 2026, apprentices need 3 hours of approved continuing education (CE) each year before re-registering. Look for course numbers ending in "EA." You're exempt while you're a student apprentice or enrolled in and attending an approved course (CIB electrical page).

High school students 16 and older can register as student electrical interns (the rules call them student apprentices) if they're enrolled in a recognized work-ready program. The registration runs for the school year. One intern may work per job site under direct supervision, interns don't count against the three-apprentice limit, and they can't work on high-voltage systems (59 O.S. §§1686(B), 1688(D), 1699).

Journeyman licenses

Oklahoma has three journeyman licenses: Unlimited, Residential and Refinery. All require age 18 or older.

Unlimited Electrical Journeyman

You need 8,000 verifiable hours of electrical construction work while employed by a licensed contractor and registered as an apprentice. At least 4,000 must be commercial or industrial, and up to 2,000 can come from approved classroom hours (OAC 158:40-7-1(b)).

A licensed residential electrician can work as an apprentice on commercial and industrial jobs to build hours toward the unlimited license (OAC 158:40-7-1(c)–(d)). If you think you'll want an unlimited license someday, start logging commercial and industrial hours early.

Residential Electrical Journeyman

You need 4,000 verifiable hours as a registered apprentice under the direct supervision of an unlimited or residential journeyman or contractor. Up to 1,000 can come from classroom hours (OAC 158:40-7-2(c)).

What "residential" covers: one structure with no more than two dwelling units, separated by at least 5 feet from any other dwelling or structure, such as a single house or a duplex. It does not cover apartments, motels or multifamily townhomes, even with fire walls (OAC 158:40-7-2(a)).

Refinery Electrical Journeyman

This license is for electricians who already hold a current, good-standing unlimited license issued outside Oklahoma. You pass the refinery exam, and the license is limited to facilities that receive, store, process and refine raw crude oil (OAC 158:40-7-6).

What a journeyman can't do

A journeyman must be employed by a licensed electrical contractor. A journeyman can't contract or furnish labor or materials on their own, so independent side jobs are out (OAC 158:40-5-2(a)–(b) and 11-2(c)). Carry your pocket license on the job (OAC 158:40-5-4(c)).

Electrical contractor licenses

A contractor license belongs to the person who runs the electrical firm. You must be an owner, partner or officer, work full time supervising the firm's electrical operations, and represent only one firm (OAC 158:40-5-3(a), (d)). All contractor applicants must be 18 or older and pass both the trade exam and the Business & Law exam.

Unlimited Electrical Contractor

• 12,000 verifiable hours of electrical construction work while employed by a licensed contractor
• 6,000 of those hours in commercial or industrial work
• Proof of 4,000 hours and 2 years as a licensed Unlimited Journeyman employed by a licensed contractor
• Up to 2,000 hours from approved classroom education

Sources: OAC 158:40-7-1(a); CIB application, p. 1.

Residential Electrical Contractor

• Passed the residential or unlimited journeyman exam
• At least 2 years as a licensed journeyman, with 4,000 hours as a residential or unlimited journeyman employed and supervised by a contractor
• Plus 4,000 hours as a registered apprentice, or 3,000 apprentice hours plus up to 1,000 classroom hours, for 8,000 hours total

Sources: OAC 158:40-7-2(b); CIB application, p. 1.

Limited Electrical Contractor

This route is for engineers and long-time estimators or project managers. You need either an electrical engineering degree from an accredited college plus 8,000 hours, or 16,000 hours. Either way, the hours must be field construction, estimating or project management in commercial or industrial work. A limited contractor can't do journeyman work or supervise field work (OAC 158:40-7-4).

Bond, insurance and workers' comp

After you pass, your contractor license stays inactive until the CIB receives your bond and insurance (CIB Active Contractor Requirements). You need all three of these:

1. A $5,000 continuous corporate surety bond payable to the CIB, in your name, with a 30-day cancellation notice. Use the CIB bond form.
2. At least $50,000 in commercial general liability insurance. The rule sets this as a $50,000 combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage (OAC 158:40-5-5(b)). Your name goes on the certificate, and the CIB must be listed as certificate holder, not additional insured.
3. Workers' compensation, either proof of a policy or an exemption (OAC 158:40-5-3(f)(8), 5-5(c)).

Let any of these lapse and your license goes inactive. Contracting without current insurance and an active license is a violation. Send policy updates to InsuranceStaff@cib.ok.gov.

One exception: if you work only on property owned by your employer (a corporation, partnership, public entity or political subdivision), your employer can file an affidavit taking on financial responsibility in place of your bond and insurance (OAC 158:40-5-5(f)).

Active vs. inactive contractor

An inactive contractor carries no bond or insurance and may work as a journeyman. The license still renews every year at the contractor rate. If you choose to renew as a journeyman instead, that's a permanent category change. To go back, you'd retake the contractor exam (OAC 158:40-9-2(d)).

Running the business

• Letter every work vehicle on both sides with your firm name and "OK" before your license number, in letters at least 2 inches high in a contrasting color.
• Put your license number on all advertising, contracts and bids.
• Register with a city or town where local registration is required. Cities can also require permits and inspections (59 O.S. §§1693, 1696).
• Report address or business changes to the CIB within 30 days.

Sources: OAC 158:40-5-3(c), 5-4; CIB Active Contractor Requirements.

Poultry house contractor

This narrow license covers only wiring for environmentally controlled poultry houses. It requires age 18+, $500,000 in liability insurance and workers' comp. It costs $300 and renews yearly for $200 with no CE. Experience under it doesn't count toward any other electrical license (59 O.S. §1686.1; OAC 158:40-7-7).

How to apply

1. Gather your proof. You'll need a complete work history and employer experience affidavits, notarized and signed in original ink. If you're claiming classroom credit, add official transcripts. Out-of-state residents include copies (front and back) of apprentice registrations or electrical licenses.
2. Fill out the CIB electrical application. Check the box for your license category. Your signature and the Affidavit of Lawful Presence must be notarized. The CIB office has notaries who notarize for free. Use the current application (revised June 2024) or the CIB electrical forms page, not an old saved copy.
3. Mail it with the fee ($75 journeyman, $330 contractor), payable to the Construction Industries Board. Use paper clips, not staples. Don't call to check status; the CIB notifies you in writing.
4. Wait for CIB approval. The CIB forwards approved applicants to PSI. Don't try to schedule first.
5. Schedule with PSI. Book online at test-takers.psiexams.com/okcontractors or call (855) 834-8750, using the OK Con ID number the CIB gives you. Each portion costs $92.
6. Pass the exam. You need 70% on each part.
7. Activate. Journeymen receive the license. Contractors file the bond, insurance certificate and workers' comp proof first.

Sources: CIB application, pp. 2–3, 8; PSI bulletin, pp. 1–5.

The exam: format, books and test day

Every Oklahoma electrical licensing exam in the current CIB-linked PSI bulletin is open book, taken on computer at a PSI center, and scored right away. You need 70% on each required part (PSI bulletin, checked October 2, 2026).

PSI may add up to 10 unscored trial questions, and the time you spend on them doesn't count against you. Your score shows on screen when you finish. If you fail, you get a report of your strengths and weaknesses.

The unlimited, residential and limited trade exams cover these topic areas: general knowledge, electrical theory, installation methods, services, feeders and branch circuits, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, conductors and cables, raceways and boxes, special occupancies, low-voltage and signaling systems, lighting and signs, safety, and (except on the residential exams) motors and transformers. The refinery exam adds a separate hazardous-locations area. The Business & Law exam covers bidding, project management, contracts, finances, labor law, insurance and bonds, payroll taxes and Oklahoma licensing rules.

What you can bring

Trade exams (journeyman and contractor):

• The 2023 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), as adopted by Oklahoma. It must be bound. The NEC Handbook and spiral-bound copies aren't allowed.
• 29 CFR Part 1926, the OSHA construction standards (or PSI's selections)
• Ugly's Electrical References (any edition)

Business & Law exam:

• The CIB's Unofficial Administrative Rules & Courtesy Exam Study Aids Book (free at the CIB office)
• OAC 158:40 (electrical rules) and OAC 158:10 (fine schedule)
• The Electrical License Act
• Oklahoma Lien Law (Title 42)
• NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Basic 14th Edition
• The Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Act (Title 85A) or its excerpts

You may highlight, underline and add permanent tabs before test day. Sticky notes and other temporary tabs aren't allowed, and you can't write in your books. Downloaded references must be spiral-bound, hole-punched in a binder, or stapled in the left corner.

The refinery exam also allows the 2018 or 2024 International Residential Code until December 14, 2026; after that, only the 2024 edition. It also allows IAEI's Hazardous Locations. The CIB's 2026 code transition didn't change the NEC edition for electrical exams. Questions have used the 2023 NEC since December 14, 2024.

Follow the PSI bulletin's reference rules when you set up your code book: permanent tabs are allowed, temporary tabs are not, and the NEC Handbook and spiral-bound NEC copies are not allowed for the electrical trade exams.

Test-day checklist

• Bring one valid, unexpired photo ID with your signature. The name must match your PSI registration exactly.
• Arrive 30 minutes early. If you're late or don't show, you lose the $92 fee.
• Calculators must be silent, battery-operated, non-programmable and non-printing, with no alphabet keys. PSI will give you a magnifying glass if you ask.
• Phones, watches, bags and outerwear go in storage. Having a prohibited item in the room invalidates your results.

Our electrician exam calculator guide explains how to read calculator rules.

If you don't pass

Wait 30 days, then retest. That wait applies after every failed attempt; electrical exams don't have the longer 90-day wait some other Oklahoma trades use (OAC 158:40-9-2(j); PSI bulletin, p. 1). Each retake costs $92 per portion.

Contractor candidates who pass only one portion retake just the other one, as long as they finish within 3 years of becoming eligible. If you're an Unlimited Contractor candidate who passed only the trade portion, you can apply that score to a journeyman application filed within one year (OAC 158:40-9-2(b)–(c)).

To practice, start with our free journeyman electrician practice test and the journeyman electrician exam prep guide. They aren't Oklahoma-specific, so check which NEC edition each one uses.

What it costs

State fees come from OAC 158:40-9-3, and PSI fees from the PSI bulletin.

Worked example: official fees from apprentice to Unlimited Journeyman. This assumes four years of registration with on-time renewals and passing on the first try.

• Apprentice: $25 + ($20 × 3) = $85
• Journeyman application and license: $75
• One PSI exam: $92
• Total: $252

From licensed journeyman to contractor: $330 + two PSI portions ($184) = $514, plus your bond, liability insurance and workers' comp premiums. Insurers set those prices; the state doesn't.

Neither total includes school tuition, CE course charges, code books or travel. Oklahoma also offers a one-time low-income fee waiver (OAC 158:1-3-13(c)).

A separate statutory fee change takes effect July 1, 2028 under SB 1732. It does not change the fees payable today. Because CIB's 2027 Chapter 40 fee-rule changes were still in proposed rulemaking when this page was checked, use the current CIB fee schedule for any application filed now and recheck the Board before budgeting for a 2028 application.

Renewal and continuing education

Your license renews every year. It expires on the last day of your birth month. You can renew in the 30 days before or after that date. After 30 days, the late fee applies (59 O.S. §1688(A); OAC 158:40-9-3(c), (e)).

Continuing education runs on a separate three-year clock. Journeymen and contractors need 12 hours in the 36 months before their license expires (59 O.S. §1688.1; OAC 158:40-9-4):

• 6 hours on codes adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (course numbers ending in "E")
• 6 hours on other approved topics, such as theory, grounding, motors, NFPA 70E safety or Oklahoma rules (course numbers ending in "EO")

Only Committee-approved courses count; find them on the CIB continuing education page. Extra hours don't carry over, and you must finish the whole course to get credit. You're exempt for the first three years after passing your current licensing exam.

If your license has been expired for more than a year, the current permanent rule says you must reapply and retest. CIB's proposed 2027 Chapter 40 amendments would change parts of the reinstatement process, but they were not part of the permanent rules in force when this page was checked. For an application now, follow the current retest rule and recheck the CIB Rules/Laws page before relying on a proposed change.

Military service: you won't owe a late penalty if your license expired while you were serving and you renew within one year of discharge (59 O.S. §1688(A)).

Renew with the CIB renewal form or the online payment portal. You can't renew while you owe CIB fines.

Moving to Oklahoma with an electrical license

Oklahoma grants a journeyman license by reciprocity to electricians licensed in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming (CIB reciprocity page, last updated March 2024). Reciprocal applicants don't take the Oklahoma journeyman exam. Here's what's required:

• A current license in good standing that you've held for at least a year, earned by exam and not grandfathered
• Current CE in your home state and no pending discipline
• A complete application with work history and the $75 fee. The CIB verifies your hours with your home state.

Contractors first receive a journeyman license by reciprocity. You get the contractor license after passing Oklahoma's Business & Law exam and filing bond and insurance (OAC 158:40-7-5(e)).

From a state without an agreement? If the Board has approved your home exam, an exam equivalency route may waive the Oklahoma journeyman exam or the contractor trade exam. You'll need a certified letter showing you passed with 70% or higher (OAC 158:40-9-2.4).

A license from another state doesn't let you start work here. Wait until Oklahoma issues yours. For how other states treat each license class, see our electrical license reciprocity by state research.

Who doesn't need an electrical license

The Electrical License Act (59 O.S. §1692) exempts these:

• Minor repairs, such as repairing or replacing outlets or minor working parts of fixtures
• Work by regulated utilities, rural electric co-ops and municipal utilities
• Telecom and IT data, voice and signaling work. Fire alarm, security and environmental control systems that aren't part of the telecom system are not exempt.
• Water supply pumps, from the output side of the fused disconnect or breaker box
• Class 2 and Class 3 circuits installed under the NEC (§1682(B))

State law also doesn't require a license to work on your own property, or for regular employees working on their employer's property. Cities can still require one, so check with your local permit office before you start. The sources checked do not create a general statewide “low-voltage electrician” license. Some Class 2 and Class 3 circuit work is exempt from contractor/journeyman licensing when performed within the statutory conditions, while alarm and security work can require the separate alarm endorsement described below.

Alarm endorsement

Installing or servicing burglar alarms, security systems, access control, CCTV or nurse-call systems requires an alarm endorsement on top of your license or registration. The CIB runs a national criminal history check using fingerprints and a passport-style photo. Certain convictions disqualify you. The endorsement costs $75, then $25 to renew. If you have a record, you can ask for an initial eligibility determination first, for $95 (OAC 158:40-5-1(f)–(l), 5-3.1; application).

What's changed since 2024

Sources: CIB HB 3215 notice; CIB 2023 NEC notice; CIB 2026 code notice; CIB Ch. 40 rule impact statement.

Quick answers

Does Oklahoma have a master electrician license? No. The highest Oklahoma license is Electrical Contractor, in unlimited, residential or limited categories. Our journeyman vs. master electrician guide explains how other states use the master title.

Does residential experience count toward an unlimited license? It counts toward the 8,000 total, but at least 4,000 of your hours must be commercial or industrial.

Can I take the exam before I finish my hours? No. The CIB approves your application, including your hours, before PSI lets you schedule.

Do I need a city license in Oklahoma City or Tulsa? Your state license is the license. Cities can require contractor registration, permits and inspections, so check with the city before each job.

How do I check whether an electrician is licensed? Use the CIB's Are They Licensed? search.

Who do I contact with questions? Oklahoma Construction Industries Board, 2401 NW 23rd St., Suite 2F, Oklahoma City, OK 73107, (405) 521-6550 or toll-free (877) 484-4424.

Sources

• CIB Electrical Industry page (CE, FAQ, bond and insurance; modified May 15, 2026)
• OAC Title 158, Chapter 40, Electrical Industry Regulations (CIB-posted permanent rules, effective July 11, 2026)
• Electrical License Act, 59 O.S. §1680 et seq. (CIB compilation effective Nov. 1, 2025)
• CIB Electrical License Application (revised June 2024)
• CIB Apprentice Application (revised July 2024)
• CIB Electrical Journeyman, Electrical Contractor and Electrical Apprentice pages
• CIB Active Contractor Requirements (modified May 14, 2026)
• CIB reciprocity guidelines (modified March 21, 2024)
• PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations (current CIB-linked bulletin checked October 2, 2026)
• CIB notices: HB 3215 changes, 2023 NEC adoption, 2026 building code transition
• CIB Rules/Laws page and Chapter 40 proposed 2027 rulemaking materials (proposal status checked October 2, 2026)

By the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. Last verified October 2, 2026. We checked the licensing categories, experience rules, current fees, exam format and references, renewal/CE rules, reciprocity, exemptions and contractor activation requirements against the CIB documents, statute and PSI bulletin linked above. We didn't contact the CIB or PSI. AI tools assisted with research, drafting and source checking; no qualified professional review is claimed. See our editorial standards or report a correction.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board or PSI Services. License and exam names are used only to identify their subjects, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page explains published rules; the CIB decides every application.