How to become an electrician in Tennessee

The path in Tennessee, step by step

Tennessee licenses some electrical work at the state level and leaves the rest to cities or to no one. A state contractor license is needed for electrical work of $25,000 or more, including materials, equipment and labor. Under $25,000, the LLE license applies only where the state Division of Fire Prevention handles permits or inspections.

1. Decide if your jobs will reach $25,000. If not, check whether your area uses the LLE or a local license.
2. Pass the Electrical (CE) trade exam and the Business and Law exam through Prov.
3. Get a CPA reviewed financial statement, or a surety bond of at least half your limit.
4. Buy general liability insurance at the required minimum and set up workers comp or an exemption.
5. Get a reference letter from a past client, employer or code official.
6. Apply online through the state portal and pay the $250 fee.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Tennessee

Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

The license to aim for: Contractor license with the CE (electrical) classification, or the Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) for jobs under $25,000.

Trade exam. Yes. The Electrical (CE) trade exam is given by Prov starting July 1, 2026. The LLE license has its own trade exam through Prov.

Business exam. Yes for the contractor license. Every contractor license except BC-A/r needs the open-book Tennessee Business and Law exam. The LLE does not list one.

Keeping it. Contractor renewal is $200, and the renew option shows up in your online account 90 days before expiration. There is a 12-month grace period with a $20 monthly late fee. LLE renewal is $50.

Coming from another state. Tennessee waives the electrical trade exam, not the Business and Law exam, for electrical contractors licensed in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia, and accepts NASCLA National Electrical exam scores. The waiver cannot be used for the LLE.

What the Tennessee license costs

The fees the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Board for Licensing Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What electricians earn in Tennessee

The median electrician in Tennessee earned $29.37 an hour in May 2025, 37th of 51 states, with 17,070 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in Tennessee earned under $23.26 an hour and a tenth under $19.04. At the top, a quarter earned over $36.57 and a tenth over $44.31.

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

Jobs ahead in Tennessee

Tennessee's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 17,870 in 2022 to 20,210 in 2032, a change of 13.1%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,890 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 13.1% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 24th 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 Tennessee

To contract on your own in Tennessee, the license is the Contractor license with the CE (electrical) classification, or the Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) for jobs under $25,000.

Insurance. General liability and workers comp (or a valid exemption) are required. Minimum general liability is $100,000 for a monetary limit up to $500,000, $500,000 for $500,001 to $1,500,000, and $1,000,000 above that.

Bond. A CPA reviewed financial statement (audited above a $3,000,000 limit) less than 12 months old, or a contractor surety bond equal to at least 50% of the monetary limit requested.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Tennessee median of $29.37 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $122.17 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.