How to Renew a New Hampshire Electrical License

Here’s the good news: once you get past the apprentice/trainee phase, you only need to worry about renewing your electrical license every three years. That doesn’t mean you should slack on your renewal, though. The New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) Electricians’ Board requires you to do some very specific things in order to keep your license active.

This guide wil help NH electrical licensees navigate their continuing ed requirements and complete their renewal process.

Getting into the online portal

You should get at least a couple of renewal reminder emails from the state. Hang onto them because they’ll include a registration code that you might need.

The Board doesn’t allow paper renewals anymore. You’ll need to get logged into their online licensing system to renew.

Getting set up there can feel like a hassle, but it can actually be pretty useful. Beyond submitting the renewal application, you can also use that system to update your contact information with the state, upload documents that they require, and pay your renewal fee.

If you’ve never logged into the system, you’ll need a registration code. Again, the Board will include that code with your renewal reminder email. That said, if they don’t have the right email address on file for you, you can reach out to get the code by emailing customersupport@oplc.nh.gov or calling customer support at (603) 271-2152. If you email, include your name, phone number, and license number.

Once you have that code, you can head to this registration page to set up your account.

If you’ve logged in before but you forgot your credentials, use these links:

Get your User ID (again, you’ll need your registration code)
Reset your password

Completing your continuing education

The Board requires master and journeyman electrical licensees to complete 15 hours of continuing education (CE) every three years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the deadline for your hours will align with your renewal deadline.

Instead, every time the state adopts a new version of the National Electrical Code (NEC), you need to take a 15-hour update course sometime between January 1 and December 31 of that year. Since electrical licensees had to take the 2020 NEC update in 2020, it’s fairly safe to assume the next time you’ll need CE will be 2023 since the NEC updates every three years.

This requirement plays a role in keeping your license active. If you don’t get your CE done by December 31 in the required year, the Board will list your license as invalid on January 1.

In order for your NEC update course to count, you need to take it from a Board-approved CE provider. Fortunately, the state greenlights certain providers to offer these courses online. That way, journeyman and master electricians can get their CE done whenever they have time from any internet-connected device.

Submitting your renewal application

Once you’ve got your CE done, it’s time to log in to the online licensing system. Once you’re in, the system will walk you through the renewal process.

Have a credit or debit card handy because paying the renewal fee is a required step. For journeyman electricians, that fee is $150. For master and high/medium-voltage electricians, it’s $270. The state accepts all major cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express) for this payment. If you don’t have one of those payment methods, you can buy a prepaid gift card from one of those companies.