Michigan Master Electrician License: Requirements, Hours, and the PSI Exam

Michigan Master Electrician License: Requirements and the Exam

Michigan's master electrician license is issued by LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407. PSI schedules and proctors the exam, and the Bureau's staff write it. The master license is also what you need to qualify an electrical contractor. Here is what it takes.

The City of Detroit issues its own electrical licenses. This article covers the state license.

Eligibility

If you already hold a Michigan journeyman license, you do not have to prove the hours you worked before you became a journeyman. Service members, veterans and their dependents who have held a license in another state for at least a year can be licensed without the exam.

The exam

The topic list is the same as the journeyman exam's. The bulletin adds that the master exam "covers additional knowledge required to plan and supervise electrical installations." What is on the exam covers every topic, and exam day covers the books you can bring.

How to apply

1. Collect proof of your hours and your journeyman license history.
2. Submit form BCC-341 to LARA.
3. Once approved, PSI contacts you, usually within about 10 business days.
4. Pass the exam.

Your application is good for one year from LARA's first review. Pass within that year, or you reapply.

Masters and electrical contractors

Michigan no longer examines electrical contractors. A contractor license requires holding a master license, or employing a full-time master electrician who is a Michigan resident. One master can qualify only one electrical contractor.

Contractor licenses run for three years and cost $300.

Pass rates

Neither LARA nor PSI publishes pass rates for the Michigan electrical exams.

Renewal and continuing education

• Master licenses are annual and expire December 31. The renewal fee is $50.
• You can renew up to 60 days after expiration with a late fee. The rules and LARA's renewal page give different amounts ($100 and $50), so check when you renew.
• After three years or more expired, you reapply and retake the exam.

There is no annual CE hour requirement. Masters must complete a board-approved code-update course within 12 months each time the state construction code is updated or changed, which does not happen every year. Courses are approved through CE Broker, and proof is checked only on audit. The law sets no hour count.

Michigan's move to the 2026 NEC is pending. Once it takes effect, that is a code change, and the 12-month clock for the update course starts. A separate pending rule set (2025-58 LR) says it will change continuing education, fees and experience requirements, but its text is not yet public.

Reciprocity

Michigan does not hold reciprocity with any other state. LARA evaluates out-of-state licenses case by case, using your license and the other jurisdiction's requirements. Plan on sitting the Michigan exam.

Getting ready

Try our free practice test on the 2023 NEC, or see the full Michigan Master Electrician exam prep. Still working toward it? See Michigan Journeyman Electrician requirements.