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How to become an electrician in Colorado
Colorado's State Electrical Board licenses electricians and registers apprentices. An apprentice is registered with the Board through the employing electrical contractor and is directly supervised by a licensed Colorado electrician. The journeyman license takes 8,000 hours of experience over at least four years and 288 hours of classroom education; a residential wireman license, after 4,000 hours of residential experience, allows work without direct supervision on one- to four-family dwellings; the master license can be reached several ways, among them 10,000 hours of experience over at least five years or a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from an accredited college or university with 2,000 hours of construction experience earned over at least a year. Electricians in Colorado earned a median $62,230 a year in May 2025 ($29.92 an hour).
Electrician licensing in Colorado
The licensing authority is Colorado State Electrical Board (Division of Professions and Occupations). The pages each row was read from are listed under the table, with the date each was read.
| License | What it takes | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Apprentice (registration) | The apprentice registers online and the employing electrical contractor attaches the registration, within 30 days of the apprentice starting work. The apprentice carries the registration card while working and is directly supervised by a licensed Colorado electrician. | — | — | not published |
| Residential Wireman | 4,000 hours of residential-only experience over at least 2 years, or at least two years of accredited training, with the experience documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience; then the residential wireman exam, whose details are on PSI's testing website. A residential wireman works without direct supervision on one- to four-family dwellings; commercial or industrial work, or a residential project of more than four family units, needs apprentice registration and a licensed journeyman's or master's supervision. | 4,000 hrs (at least 2 yrs)Or at least two years of accredited training. | Residential wireman exam (PSI) | not published |
| Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 hours of experience over at least 4 years, 2,000 of them in commercial, industrial or substantially similar work over at least 2 years, documented on the Board's Affidavit of Experience by the supervising electrical contractor, plus 288 hours of classroom education shown by a transcript or similar statement; then the journeyman exam, whose details are on PSI's testing website. The application fee is paid by credit card. | 8,000 hrs (at least 4 yrs) | Journeyman electrician exam (PSI) | not published |
| Master Electrician | One of: 10,000 hours of experience over at least 5 years; a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from an accredited college or university and 2,000 hours of construction experience over at least 1 year; graduation from an electrical trade school or community college and 8,000 hours over at least 4 years; or the journeyman requirements plus 2,000 hours over at least 1 year, some of them in planning and layout. That last route also requires supervision while holding a journeyman license, and the Board does not add supervision hours to the total, to prevent double credit. Then the master exam, whose details are on PSI's testing website. A worker qualifying by experience cannot go from apprentice or residential wireman straight to master. | — | Master electrician exam (PSI) | not published |
Reciprocity. Colorado has journeyman reciprocal licensing agreements, under the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance, with Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming, for a journeyman or master license that is current, active and in good standing, allows journeyman work there, was gained by a state exam and has been held for at least a year. Electricians with an active state-issued license gained by testing on the National Electrical Code edition Colorado uses may be licensed by endorsement, for any license type, with a verification from the issuing state board.
Renewal. Every three years (the first renewal after a license earned by exam needs no continuing education; at least 4 of the hours must be on National Electrical Code changes and no more than 4 on safety, from providers that have attested to the Board), with 24 hours of continuing education.
Licensing sources: Colorado State Electrical Board: applications and licensure requirements (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Colorado State Electrical Board: apprentice information (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Colorado Electrical Licensing Guide (DPO) (retrieved 2026-09-24) · Colorado State Electrical Board: continuing education (retrieved 2026-09-24). Requirements change; confirm with Colorado State Electrical Board (Division of Professions and Occupations) before you act.
Years to this license at your hours a week → · Every fee here, itemised and totalled → · Compare time and cost across trades and states →
Common questions
Do you need a license to work as an electrician in Colorado?
Colorado's State Electrical Board licenses electricians and registers apprentices. An apprentice is registered with the Board through the employing electrical contractor and is directly supervised by a licensed Colorado electrician. The journeyman license takes 8,000 hours of experience over at least four years and 288 hours of classroom education; a residential wireman license, after 4,000 hours of residential experience, allows work without direct supervision on one- to four-family dwellings; the master license can be reached several ways, among them 10,000 hours of experience over at least five years or a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from an accredited college or university with 2,000 hours of construction experience earned over at least a year.
What does it cost to get licensed as an electrician in Colorado?
Fees are set by the issuing authority; each tier's fee, where published, is in the table above.
How long does it take to become an electrician in Colorado?
You can be licensed as Journeyman Electrician after 8,000 hours of on-the-job training over at least 4 years. Residential Wireman, a separate license, takes 4,000 hours (or at least two years of accredited training).
How much do electricians make in Colorado?
Electricians in Colorado earned a median $62,230 a year in May 2025, $29.92 an hour. That median is 2% below the national figure of $63,190, and Colorado ranks 33 of 51 by pay for this trade.
How much do apprentice electricians make in Colorado?
In fiscal 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), among registered apprentices in Colorado under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to electricians, 1,420 apprentices started, at a median $18.00 an hour across the 1,419 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $32.13 an hour at completion (251 completers with an exit wage DOL counts). Wages are in that year's dollars.
What electricians earn in Colorado
Electricians in Colorado earned a median $62,230 a year in May 2025, $29.92 an hour. 17,010 people held the job, 5.9 for every 1,000 jobs in the state. That median is 2% below the national figure of $63,190, and Colorado ranks 33 of 51 by pay for this trade.
The full wage spread in Colorado
| Point | Hourly | Annual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.88 | $45,520 | A tenth of the workforce earns less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $23.50 | $48,880 | A quarter earn less. |
| Median | $29.92 | $62,230 | Half earn less, half earn more. |
| 75th percentile | $37.73 | $78,470 | A quarter earn more. |
| 90th percentile | $45.27 | $94,160 | A tenth earn more than this. |
| Mean | $31.88 | $66,310 | The average. Pulled up by the top earners. |
Annual figures are the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, BLS's full-time year. Overtime is inside the survey's earnings but not separated out.
Pay by metro area in Colorado
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO employs the most electricians of the 7 metro areas based in Colorado that BLS publishes, 10,450, at a median $63,150 a year. The best-paid is Boulder, CO at $64,120.
| Metro | Employed | Median annual | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 10,450 | $63,150 | $46,070 | $94,160 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 1,290 | $59,210 | $40,410 | $81,630 |
| Greeley, CO | 1,240 | $63,290 | $43,010 | $94,540 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 830 | $61,410 | $44,720 | $91,880 |
| Grand Junction, CO | 430 | $56,550 | $39,140 | $80,190 |
| Boulder, CO | 420 | $64,120 | $47,110 | $94,890 |
| Pueblo, CO | 360 | $60,200 | $38,770 | $94,900 |
Metropolitan statistical areas as BLS publishes them in the same May 2025 estimates. A metro that crosses a state line is listed only under its primary state, so part of a neighboring state's metro can sit outside this table. Areas outside any metro are not shown.
Colorado against its neighbors on the pay ladder
| # | State | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Idaho | $63,000 | 5,690 |
| 31 | Virginia | $62,900 | 23,630 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $62,840 | 3,330 |
| 33 | Colorado | $62,230 | 17,010 |
| 34 | Utah | $62,000 | 11,450 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $61,540 | 10,550 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $61,390 | 2,980 |
The complete ranking is on the Electricians page.
Against the national figure
| Figure | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual | $62,230 | $63,190 |
| Median hourly | $29.92 | $30.38 |
| 10th percentile, annual | $45,520 | $42,640 |
| 90th percentile, annual | $94,160 | $108,510 |
| Employed | 17,010 | 757,220 |
Apprenticeships in Colorado
U.S. Department of Labor records list 2,504 registered apprentices active in Colorado in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) under the occupation titles DOL maps to electricians (SOC 47-2111). The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024. In fiscal 2023, the latest year the file holds in full, 1,420 apprentices started, at a median $18.00 an hour across the 1,419 whose starting wage DOL counts. Those who completed that year were paid a median $32.13 an hour at completion (251 completers with an exit wage DOL counts).
Find a registered program: DOL's Apprenticeship Finder → · What those wages come to at your hours a week → · Every state's count and wages for this trade →
Wages are DOL's own hourly figures in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Which wages DOL counts, which titles count and how the state is assigned are on the data page.
Other trades in Colorado
Plumbers and pipefitters ($63,240) · HVAC technicians ($65,200) · Welders ($58,590) · Truck drivers (CDL) ($61,500) · Lineworkers (power-line installers) ($103,980) · Elevator installers ($123,360) · Ironworkers ($58,830) · Sheet metal workers ($57,880) · Carpenters ($62,830) · Brickmasons and blockmasons ($65,260) · Auto service technicians ($61,280) · Diesel mechanics ($70,480) · Heavy equipment operators ($62,620) · Machinists ($60,200)
See all 15 ranked by pay in Colorado.
The pay and employment figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, apart from the apprenticeship figures, which are DOL's; the licensing detail is read from the pages listed in the licensing section, each with the date it was read. See how the numbers are built.