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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Code EC

Wisconsin Electrical Contractor License: No Exam, $200

This is the license the business holds, not the person, and it is the one that lets a company take electrical work in Wisconsin at all. There is no examination for it, and the application has to come from the owner or an officer rather than from a manager.

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On this page
  1. The duty it satisfies
  2. Who is allowed to apply
  3. The license does not do the work
  4. Fees and term
  5. What a city adds, and what it does not
  6. How many licensed contractors there are
  7. Questions people ask
  8. What this page cites

The duty it satisfies

DSPS states it in full: "No person or entity may engage in the business or offer to engage in the business of installing, repairing, or maintaining electrical wiring unless the person or entity holds a license or certification issued by the Department as a licensed Electrical Contractor."

The statute behind it is Wis. Stat. 101.862(1): "No person may engage in the business of installing, repairing, or maintaining electrical wiring unless the person is licensed as an electrical contractor by the department."

Note the phrase "or offer to engage in the business." Advertising the work is inside the duty, not only doing it.

Who is allowed to apply

SPS 305.41 restricts the applicant. They "shall be the owner of the contracting business, a partner in the contracting business applying on behalf of the partnership, or the chairman of the board or chief executive officer applying on behalf of the contracting corporation."

The same section requires a statement certifying compliance with worker's compensation requirements under ch. 102, Stats., and unemployment compensation requirements under ch. 108, Stats.

No examination is specified in the rule or on form 3103. The form's revision line prints as "Rev. 1/8/20242018," which looks like a typesetting error inside the document itself rather than two revisions.

The license does not do the work

A contractor license alone does not put anybody on a job. Wis. Stat. 101.862(2) still requires each individual to hold an electrician license or a registered electrician enrollment, and 101.862(3) keeps a master electrician responsible for the work at all times.

Milwaukee shows the two credentials working together. Section 222-13-2-a of the city ordinance makes the state licensed electrical contractor applying for a permit provide a copy of its own license "and a copy of the license of the master electrician who is taking full responsibility."

Fees and term

Table 305.02 sets a $35 application fee and a $200 license fee, with no examination fee, since there is no examination.

The DSPS renewal schedule gives the term as four years, expiring June 30, with a $200.00 renewal fee. A $200.00 reinstatement fee applies to electrical credentials filed more than one term late.

No continuing education requirement is specified in SPS 305.41 for the contractor license. That is the rule as published, and it is a different thing from the individual credentials held by the people inside the business, which do carry hours.

What a city adds, and what it does not

No Wisconsin city we read issues its own electrician or electrical contractor license. Milwaukee's Chapter 222 adopts "chs. SPS 305, SPS 316 and SPS 318, Wis. Adm. Code, as amended," and its section 222-1-1-b allows only "a state-licensed electrical contractor or person who is exempt from licensing under s. 101.862(4)(am) to (q), Wis. Stats." to install, alter, renew, replace or connect equipment.

Milwaukee's Department of Neighborhood Services page says contractors "must be licensed in order to take out permits for work on properties in the City of Milwaukee." Read alongside Chapter 222, the license it means is the state license. Its electrical contractor licensing contact is the DNS Electrical Inspection Section, (414) 286-2532.

The local licensing page works through each of the eight cities we cover.

How many licensed contractors there are

The DSPS count file, as of 06/01/2026, gives 3,005 in state active electrical contractor licenses, 1,113 in state inactive, and 5,161 in total across in state and out of state records, of which 3,701 are active.

Milwaukee publishes its own list of licensed electrical contractors, and the state's public license search covers every credential in the system.

Questions people ask

Is there an exam for the Wisconsin electrical contractor license?

No. Neither SPS 305.41 nor form 3103 specifies an examination. The license is granted on the application, the fees and the required statements.

Who can sign a Wisconsin electrical contractor application?

The owner of the business, a partner applying on behalf of the partnership, or the chairman of the board or chief executive officer applying on behalf of the corporation.

What does a Wisconsin electrical contractor license cost?

Table 305.02 sets a $35 application fee and a $200 license fee. Renewal is $200.00 every four years on June 30.

Does a contractor license let me do the wiring myself?

No. Wis. Stat. 101.862(2) still requires an electrician license or a registered electrician enrollment for the person doing the work, and 101.862(3) keeps a master electrician responsible for it.

Does the contractor license need continuing education?

No continuing education requirement is specified in SPS 305.41 for this license. The individual electrician credentials inside the business do carry hours.

Do Wisconsin cities issue their own electrical contractor licenses?

None of the cities we read does. Milwaukee adopts the state chapters by ordinance and requires a state licensed electrical contractor on permits, and its fee ordinance carries no electrical license or permit entry.

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What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

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The Wisconsin examinations are open book, and the allowance is a generous one: the code book or handbook, one binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, and up to two bound reference books. The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 National Electrical Code, DSPS expects its exam updates to be completed by 1 October 2026, and the trade press reports the questions changing from that date. The field code, SPS 316, went to the 2023 edition on 1 September 2026, so for one month the book you work to and the book you test on are different.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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