How to Renew a Maine Electrical License

In the state of Maine, the Electricians' Examining Board issues a wide variety of licenses. In some ways, this can make life easier. You might be able to find a license type that allows you to do the work you want without the rigorous experience requirements of a master electrician license, for example. But it can also make it confusing to figure out what’s required to renew your specific license type.

We’ve got you covered. Here are the requirements for all Maine electrical license renewals, including master, journeyman, limited, and journeyman-in-training licensees.

Meet the renewal deadline

First up, it’s important to know when your renewal is due. All Maine electrical licenses expire two years after they get issued. That means you can check your license to figure out when your renewal is due. It will be two years after the initial issue date.

You might want to mark your calendar with a reminder a month or two before that expiration date. That will give you plenty of time to knock out the rest of the steps required to renew your Main electrical license.

Get continuing education

Most Maine electrical professionals as required by Chapter 13 of the rules of the Office of Licensing and Registration — specifically, “Uniform Rule for the Substantiation of Continuing Education Requirements” — to complete continuing education (CE) during each renewal process.

This applies to the following license types:

Master electrician
Journeyman electrician
Limited electrician
Journeyman-in-training

The rule here says that you need 15 hours of CE to be eligible for renewal. All 15 of those hours need to focus on the version of the National Electrical Code (NEC) that the state has most recently approved. Right now, that’s the 2020 NEC.

Now, here’s the good news. You don’t need to go sit in a classroom for two days to get your CE hours done. You can take a 15-hour NEC update course such as this one online that’s approved by the Electricians’ Examining Board to meet your CE requirement. This gives you the flexibility to take an hour here and an hour there, whenever you have time from any location where you have an internet connection.

Once you finish your course, hang onto your certificate of completion. State rules require you to keep proof that you’ve finished your CE on hand for at least two renewal cycles.

Send in your renewal fee

Last up, it’s time to submit your renewal application. This is a pretty straightforward process that essentially means paying your renewal fee.

Here’s the link to the online renewal portal. You’ll need your license number and access code to start the process. (You can find your access code on your renewal reminder from the state.)

Have a payment method handy to pay the renewal fee. For master, journeyman, limited, and journeyman-in-training electricians under the age of 70, that fee is $150. If you’re 70 or older, it drops down to $20.

Once you submit your renewal and pay the fee, the Board confirms that you’ve met the requirements for renewal. Assuming you do, they’ll issue your new Maine electrician license to you.