Iowa Master Electrician License: Requirements, Fees, and the PSI Exam

Iowa Master Electrician License: Requirements and the Exam

Iowa licenses electricians statewide through the Electrical Examining Board, which now sits in the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL). The rules are in 481 Iowa Administrative Code chapters 400 to 404, and the exam is given by PSI. The license you earn by passing the master exam is the Master Electrician Class A. Here is what it takes.

Who qualifies to sit the exam

There are three routes in the rules (481 IAC 401.2(3)):

• One year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician, Class A or Class B. This is the route almost everyone uses.
• A current Class B Master license. Class B Master was a grandfathered, no-exam license. A Class B holder moves up to Class A by passing the same exam.
• A master license from an Iowa political subdivision held as of December 31, 2007.

There is no "Class A exam" or "Class B exam" as such. There is one Master exam, and passing it is what makes you a Class A Master.

The exam at a glance

Item	Master exam
Vendor	PSI, computer-based
Scored questions	100
Unscored pretest questions	10 more, with 30 extra minutes
Time	240 minutes for the scored items (270 minutes seat time)
Passing score	70%
Fee	$87, non-refundable, valid six months from payment
Reference allowed	NFPA 70, 2023 NEC, or the 2023 NEC Handbook

It is open book, but the 2023 NEC (or its Handbook) is the only book allowed. Ugly's Electrical References is specifically not allowed. There is no Iowa law or business section: every scored item is the Code or electrical knowledge. What is on the Iowa master exam breaks down all eight areas.

How to apply and get approved to test

1. Apply for the license and send the Board a Testing Sponsorship Request, no earlier than one month before you are ready to test.
2. Wait for the sponsorship letter. Once the Board approves you, it emails a letter with a PSI registration code. The letter is good for two attempts or six months.
3. Pay and schedule with PSI online or by phone. The exam fee is $87.
4. Pass, then finish the license application online at iowaelectrical.gov. The license fee is not due until you have passed.

Your passing score must fall within 24 months before your license application, so do not sit on a pass.

License fees

All Iowa electrical licenses run on a three-year term, and the current statewide cycle is 2026 to 2028. The master fee is $375 per term, prorated by when the license is issued:

Issued in	Master fee
January 2026 (start of the cycle)	$375
2027	$250
2028	$125

The rules list no separate application fee. Renewing late adds 10% of the fee per month, for up to three months.

Continuing education

You need 18 contact hours per three-year term, at least 6 of them on the NEC. A contact hour is 50 minutes. If your license is issued partway through a cycle, the requirement drops to 12 hours (issued in year two) or 6 hours (year three), with 6 NEC hours in every case. Hours do not carry over to the next cycle.

Reciprocity

Iowa publishes reciprocity agreements with 13 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. To qualify you must have passed a state-sponsored exam with 70% or more, held the license for a year without it lapsing, being suspended or revoked, never failed the Iowa exam, and completed an apprenticeship or 16,000 hours of work.

At the master level, the agreements are not all equal:

• To Iowa Master: Arkansas (Master), Nebraska (Contractor), Texas (Master).
• To Iowa Master or Journeyman: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (Contractor), Wisconsin, Wyoming.
• To Iowa Journeyman only: Alaska, Colorado, Montana and New Hampshire masters, and the Oklahoma contractor license.

If your state is not on the list, you sit the Iowa exam.

Pass rates

Neither PSI nor the Board publishes pass rates for the Iowa electrical exams.

Getting ready

Try our free Iowa master practice test on the 2023 NEC, or see the full Iowa Master Electrician exam prep. For the test itself, read Iowa master electrician exam day.