Vermont Master Electrician

One Prov computer exam of 105 questions in 5 hours, open book, and you need 70%. Wiring and Protection (34) and Wiring Methods and Materials (21) are more than half of it, Motors and Controls carries 11 questions, and five cover Vermont’s rules and statute. By rule, the master exam also includes questions on the specialty fields, such as fire alarm and lightning protection work (VESR 3.4(b)).

At least two years licensed as, and working as, a journeyman electrician under Vermont’s law, or comparable experience and training inside or outside Vermont that the Board accepts (VESR 3.1; 26 V.S.A. §902). The Board may credit experience as a licensed journeyman in another state.

Vermont keeps reciprocal agreements for residents of New Hampshire and Maine and belongs to the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA), which needs a license held in good standing for one year in a member state. A master license held in good standing for three years in another state can also qualify for a license without the exam (VESR 3.4(f); 26 V.S.A. §906). Confirm with the Board before you apply.

The 2023 NEC. Prov’s Vermont bulletin lists NFPA 70 (2023) for both exams, Vermont’s Electrical Safety Rules adopted the 2023 edition effective November 5, 2025, and the Division of Fire Safety’s licensing page says, “If testing, we are now on to the 2023 NEC!” No move to the 2026 NEC has been announced.

Yes. Both exams permit the 2023 NEC, Ugly’s Electrical References (2020) and the 2025 Vermont Electrical Safety Rules. The master exam also permits 26 V.S.A. chapter 15, the electrician statute; for the journeyman exam the statute is study only. Permanent tabs and pen highlighting are allowed; sticky notes and taped-in index sheets are not. The Vermont listing also names “NEC Notes, 2023, Hand Written Notes” as open book, while Prov’s general rules bar handwritten notes in a book, so ask Prov what form your notes may take before exam day.

Prov gives the exam by computer at its Vermont test center at Vermont State University in Lyndonville, at any other Prov center in the U.S., or from home with a remote proctor through Examroom.ai. You need the Electricians’ Licensing Board’s approval first; then you schedule with Prov online or at (801) 733-4455.

The exam fee is $80 for each attempt, paid to Prov. After you pass, the three-year license costs $115 for a journeyman and $150 for a master (26 V.S.A. §905). You can cancel or reschedule free up to three days before your exam; after that the fee is lost.

You need 70%, and Prov scores the exam as soon as you finish. Your approval is good for three years and three attempts, with no waiting period between them. After a third failure you must reapply, pay the fees again, get the Board’s approval and complete at least 8 hours of education on the NEC, the fire alarm code or an exam prep course before you retest (VESR 3.4(e)).

Five questions from the 2025 Vermont Electrical Safety Rules and 26 V.S.A. chapter 15: Vermont’s changes to the NEC, what each license allows and who you may supervise, exam and renewal rules, and when an Electrical Work Notice, an inspection or an energizing permit is required. The rules are an open-book reference, so you can look these up during the exam.

Yes, in a few places. Vermont requires GFCI only for laundry receptacles within 6 feet of a washer or sink, exempts wells, sewer pumps and hardwired EV chargers with built-in GFCI from the outdoor-outlet rule, drops AFCI when existing wiring is extended only to hardwire smoke or CO alarms, limits an inside service disconnect to 10 feet of conductor from the point of entrance, eases NM cable rules (334.10(3) and 334.12(A)(2)) and adds egress lighting in assembly occupancies (518.6). Our code questions stay off the national versions of these rules.

Every three years. Before each renewal you need 15 hours of Board-approved instruction on the National Electrical Code within the previous 36 months, plus the state’s Vermont Energy Goals education module. A lapsed license can be renewed within a year with a $25 late fee; after a year you apply as a new applicant (VESR 3.5; 26 V.S.A. §908).

The statute and the rules say Vermont’s electrician exams include a practical skills examination, but Prov’s bulletin lists only the written computer exam for the journeyman and master licenses. Ask the Division of Fire Safety’s licensing office whether a practical applies to you.