How to become an electrician in Idaho

The path in Idaho, step by step

Idaho licenses electrical work at the state level through the Idaho Electrical Board, Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Register as an apprentice and complete 8,000 hours plus the four-year course, or log 16,000 hours.
2. Pass the journeyman exam and get your journeyman license.
3. Work 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, or get a master license.
4. Apply for the electrical contractor license. After approval you get exam information.
5. Pass the contractor exam, file proof of $300,000 liability insurance and workers' compensation, and pay the $125 license fee.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Idaho

Idaho has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Idaho Apprenticeship Office 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 Idaho

The license to aim for: Electrical Contractor license.

Trade exam. A board-designated exam is required for the contractor license and for each electrician license.

Keeping it. The Electrical Board is moving to licenses that renew every two years. Check with the board for your date.

Coming from another state. Idaho may make reciprocal agreements with states whose requirements are at least equal. Check with the board for current agreements.

What the Idaho license costs

The fees the Idaho Electrical Board, Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What electricians earn in Idaho

The median electrician in Idaho earned $30.29 an hour in May 2025, 30th of 51 states, with 5,690 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in Idaho earned under $23.26 an hour and a tenth under $18.67. At the top, a quarter earned over $39.44 and a tenth over $45.90.

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

Jobs ahead in Idaho

Idaho's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 6,220 in 2022 to 8,010 in 2032, a change of 28.8%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 800 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 28.8% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 2nd 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 Idaho

To contract on your own in Idaho, the license is the Electrical Contractor license.

Insurance. $300,000 liability insurance and workers' compensation insurance, unless exempted, filed after you pass the exam.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Idaho median of $30.29 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $123.78 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.