Ohio Electrical Contractor License: OCILB Requirements, Exams, and Reciprocity

Ohio Electrical Contractor License: Requirements and the Exams

Ohio licenses electrical work at the state level through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB). What it issues is a contractor license for commercial work. The exams are given by PSI. Here is what the license takes, and what it does not cover.

There is no statewide journeyman license

This trips up a lot of people moving to Ohio. OCILB licenses electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing and hydronics contractors who perform commercial work. It does not issue a journeyman or master electrician license, and residential buildings fall outside the state's contractor licensing.

Ohio law leaves room for cities to regulate electrical work and register tradespeople, so journeyman cards and residential licensing are local. Columbus and Cleveland both require electrical contractors to hold the state OCILB license first and then register with the city. If you are a journeyman, check with the city where you will work.

Who can apply

You must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or legal alien, and free of a disqualifying offense. For experience, you need one of these:

• Five years as a tradesperson in the electrical trade, immediately before you apply.
• Registration as an Ohio professional engineer with three years of construction-business experience in the trade.
• Five years as an Ohio government inspector in the trade (accepted on the current application form).
• Other experience the electrical section of the Board accepts.

Proving your experience

The application asks for five consecutive years of tax documents (W-2s or Schedule C), plus one of the following:

• At least one permit a year for five years, pulled by your licensed contractor-employer.
• An active journeyman's card in the trade.
• An apprenticeship completion certificate (Ohio- or U.S. DOL-approved).
• 40 hours of non-duplicated, live or virtual code CE from an OCILB-approved provider.

Two exams, not one

Every OCILB license class takes two PSI exams:

1. The electrical trade exam: 100 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items, 4 hours, 70% to pass, open book on the 2023 NEC. What is on the trade exam breaks down all nine areas.
2. The Business & Law exam: 50 scored questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass, open book. PSI provides the reference at the test center (the NASCLA Contractor's Guide to Business, Law, and Project Management, Ohio 4th edition). A pass counts for three years toward adding other trades.

Step by step, with fees

Step	Cost
Submit the OCILB application with tax documents and proof of experience	$25 application fee
OCILB approves you by mail; approval is good for one year
Complete BCI and FBI background checks before you test
Register with PSI and schedule each exam	$69 per exam, per attempt
Pass both the trade exam and Business & Law
Send results, a check and an insurance certificate to OCILB	$25 license fee

You need contractor's liability insurance of at least $500,000, in the name of one contracting company. The license is assigned to that company.

Retakes

If you fail, you can retake that exam after 60 days. After five failed attempts, Ohio law requires you to reapply from the start.

Renewal and continuing education

Licenses renew every year on the same date, without re-examination. You can file up to 90 days before expiry, with the renewal fee, proof of CE and current insurance. We could not find the renewal fee amount in a primary source, so confirm it with OCILB (614-644-3493).

Continuing education is 10 classroom hours a year. If you hold only the electrical license, at least 5 hours must be electrical code, and the other 5 can be health and safety, business or technology. Missing CE by your expiration date means automatic suspension.

Reciprocity

Ohio licenses without examination only where a written reciprocity agreement exists. OCILB publishes electrical agreements with ten states:

State	Qualifying license
Alabama	Current electrical license obtained by testing
Kentucky	Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor, tested
Louisiana	Unlimited Electrical, tested
Mississippi	Current electrical license, tested
North Carolina	Unlimited Electrical, tested
South Carolina	Current electrical license, tested
Tennessee	Current license, tested or grandfathered
Texas	Master Electrician held at least one year, tested in Texas
Virginia	Master Electrical, tested
West Virginia	Master Electrician and Contractor Electrical license

Most agreements exclude licenses obtained by grandfathering or by reciprocity with a third state, and Texas licenses earned on a national test must take the Ohio exam. Each reciprocity application is $25 per trade and still needs the $500,000 insurance. The Business & Law exam may still apply. Read the state's OCILB reciprocity form for the exact terms.

From any other state, you sit the Ohio exams. Ohio does not accept a national exam in place of its own.

Pass rates

OCILB does not publish pass rates for the electrical exam.

Getting ready

Our practice exam covers the electrical trade exam only, not Business & Law. Try the free practice test on the 2023 NEC, or see the full Ohio Electrical Contractor exam prep. For test-day logistics, see Ohio Electrical Contractor exam day.