How to become an electrician in Vermont

The path in Vermont, step by step

Vermont licenses some electrical work at the state level and leaves the rest to cities or to no one. No license is required for electrical work in a building used for dwelling purposes with no more than two dwelling units, or for an owner working in their own single unit home.

1. Work as a registered apprentice and get your journeyman electrician license.
2. Hold the journeyman license for at least two years.
3. Complete the Vermont Energy Goals education module.
4. Send the notarized master application and $150 fee to the Division of Fire Safety at least two weeks before a board meeting.
5. Pass the master electrician exam.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Vermont

Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

The license to aim for: Master Electrician (EM).

Trade exam. Yes. Master applicants pass an examination to the satisfaction of the board. The application notes testing is now on the 2023 NEC.

Keeping it. Licenses are valid for three years. Master and journeyman electricians need 15 hours of board-approved National Electrical Code instruction in the 36 months before renewal, plus the Vermont Energy Goals education module.

Coming from another state. Reciprocal licenses are available to residents of Maine or New Hampshire with a certified letter from their state. A universal license path is also listed. Ask the board for details.

What the Vermont license costs

The fees the Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety, Electricians' Licensing Board lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What electricians earn in Vermont

The median electrician in Vermont earned $30.49 an hour in May 2025, 29th of 51 states, with 1,270 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in Vermont earned under $27.54 an hour and a tenth under $22.82. At the top, a quarter earned over $38.65 and a tenth over $63.50.

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

Jobs ahead in Vermont

Vermont's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 1,360 in 2022 to 1,510 in 2032, a change of 11%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 140 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 31st 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 Vermont

To contract on your own in Vermont, the license is the Master Electrician (EM).

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Vermont median of $30.49 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $124.13 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.