How do you become an electrician in Connecticut?

Finish a registered apprenticeship, or document at least four years of equivalent experience and training, and get your E-2 journeyperson license. Work two years as a licensed journeyperson, or document 720 classroom hours and 12,000 hours of on the job training for the equivalency path. Apply to the Department of Consumer Protection for the E-1 contractor license and pay the $150 application fee. The rest of the steps are on this page.

Do you need an electrical license in Connecticut?

Yes. Electricians must be licensed by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection to do electrical work. Only contractor license holders, such as an E-1, can pull permits and sign contracts.

How much experience does Connecticut require?

E-1 needs two years as a licensed unlimited journeyperson or at least six years of equivalent experience and training. The equivalency path for E-1 lists 720 classroom hours and 12,000 hours of on the job training. The E-2 journeyperson license needs a registered apprenticeship or at least four years of equivalent experience and training.

How much do electricians make in Connecticut?

The median was $37.28 an hour, or $77,540 a year, in May 2025, from the BLS wage survey. The national median was $30.38.

Who runs apprenticeships in Connecticut?

Connecticut's State Apprenticeship Agency registers and oversees programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor. Programs themselves are sponsored by employers, unions and trade groups.

How to Become an Electrician in Connecticut: Steps, License and Pay

The short version for Connecticut

Electricians must be licensed by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection to do electrical work.
E-1 needs two years as a licensed unlimited journeyperson or at least six years of equivalent experience and training. The equivalency path for E-1 lists 720 classroom hours and 12,000 hours of on the job training. The E-2 journeyperson license needs a registered apprenticeship or at least four years of equivalent experience and training.
Plan for a trade exam.
Pay runs from about $22.92 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of electricians to $50.13 for the top tenth.
Jobs are projected to grow 13.5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally.

The path in Connecticut, step by step

Connecticut licenses electrical work at the state level through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing Division. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

Finish a registered apprenticeship, or document at least four years of equivalent experience and training, and get your E-2 journeyperson license.
Work two years as a licensed journeyperson, or document 720 classroom hours and 12,000 hours of on the job training for the equivalency path.
Apply to the Department of Consumer Protection for the E-1 contractor license and pay the $150 application fee.
Register for and pass the exam, paying the exam vendor its separate fee.
Renew every year before your license expires on September 30.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: electrical license in Connecticut.

Finding an apprenticeship in Connecticut

Connecticut runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Connecticut State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Most electricians learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship. Each year brings about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction.

License levels and exams in Connecticut

The license to aim for: E-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor.

Trade exam. Yes. Every applicant takes an exam. DCP points construction trade candidates, electrical included, to PSI bulletins, and the exam vendor charges its own fee at registration.

Keeping it. Every year. All electrical licenses expire September 30.

Coming from another state. Connecticut has no reciprocal agreements with any other jurisdiction. Holders of an equivalent out of state license can apply through a separate equivalency path.

License	What it covers
E-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor	All electrical work.
E-2 Unlimited Electrical Journeyperson	All electrical work, only while employed by a licensed contractor.
C-5 Limited Electrical Contractor	Low voltage, alarm, signal, sound and telephone interconnect work up to 48 volts or 8 amps.
PV-1 Limited Solar Electric Contractor	Solar electric and wind generation systems.
L-1 Electrical Lines Contractor	Line construction and high voltage work over 2,400 volts.

What the Connecticut license costs

The fees the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing Division lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

Fee	Amount
Contractor application fee	$150
Journeyperson application fee	$90
Contractor renewal	$150
Journeyperson renewal	$120

What electricians earn in Connecticut

The median electrician in Connecticut earned $37.28 an hour in May 2025, 10th of 51 states, with 7,710 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in Connecticut earned under $27.91 an hour and a tenth under $22.92. At the top, a quarter earned over $45.71 and a tenth over $50.13.

Pay level	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$22.92	$47,680
25th percentile	$27.91	$58,060
Median	$37.28	$77,540
75th percentile	$45.71	$95,070
90th percentile	$50.13	$104,280

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: electrician salary in Connecticut.

Jobs ahead in Connecticut

Connecticut's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 7,900 in 2022 to 8,970 in 2032, a change of 13.5%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 840 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 13.5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 21st of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group electricians.

Starting your own electrician business in Connecticut

To contract on your own in Connecticut, the license is the E-1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Connecticut median of $37.28 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $136.06 per billable hour. Try your own in the electrician labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start an electrical business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.

Where this comes from

The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Connecticut's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.

Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become an electrician.

How to become an electrician in Connecticut