How to become an electrician in Maine

The path in Maine, step by step

Maine licenses electrical work at the state level through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Get a helper or apprentice license and work under a master or journeyman.
2. Pass the journeyman exam and work at least 4,000 hours as a journeyman.
3. Complete the 576 hour program of study.
4. Apply to the board for the master exam and pass it with Prov.
5. Pay the $150 license fee and $21 SBI report fee.
6. Take a 15 hour NEC course and renew every two years.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Maine

Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine

The license to aim for: Master Electrician license.

Trade exam. Yes. 100 multiple choice questions, 70% to pass, given by Prov after board approval.

Keeping it. Every two years from your first licensure date. You need a 15 hour current National Electrical Code course before renewing.

Coming from another state. The master license page lists reciprocity with New Hampshire and Vermont. The board FAQ also names Massachusetts and Rhode Island, so confirm with the board.

What the Maine license costs

The fees the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What electricians earn in Maine

The median electrician in Maine earned $36.24 an hour in May 2025, 17th of 51 states, with 3,780 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in Maine earned under $30.25 an hour and a tenth under $26.05. At the top, a quarter earned over $40.57 and a tenth over $55.63.

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

Jobs ahead in Maine

Maine's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 3,720 in 2022 to 3,740 in 2032, a change of 0.5%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 330 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 0.5% from 2022 to 2032, slower than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 49th 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 Maine

To contract on your own in Maine, the license is the Master Electrician license.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Maine median of $36.24 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $134.23 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.