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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Dane County

Madison WI Electrician License: Classes and Exam Site

Madison holds the office of the statewide NECA-IBEW program, a joint apprenticeship committee with a published application fee, and a college page that gives two different lengths for the same apprenticeship. It also licenses plumbers and not electricians, which tells you where the line sits.

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On this page
  1. The license a Madison electrician needs
  2. Permits, and the account rule
  3. The Madison Area Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Committee
  4. Madison College, and the two lengths on one page
  5. Two statewide offices are in Madison
  6. Where a Madison candidate sits the exam
  7. Your next move in Madison
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

The license a Madison electrician needs

The DSPS one. Wis. Stat. 101.862(2) requires an electrician license or a registered electrician enrollment for the person doing the work, and 101.862(1) requires an electrical contractor license for the business.

The City of Madison's own list of every license and permit it issues does not include electrical work, electricians, electrical contractors or any electrical trades license. It does list "Plumbers & Water Contractors" as a business license, which is a useful signal: the city licenses one trade and not the other.

Madison does have a Chapter 19 Electrical Code in its ordinances. The PDF returned a 404 to us twice and the Municode page returned only site chrome, so the exact adoption wording and any Madison specific requirement are unconfirmed here rather than absent.

Permits, and the account rule

A permit is required for "Electrical Work, All," with Building Inspection reachable at 608-266-4551 ext 2. Fees sit on a separate building inspection schedule.

On the online permit system, a contractor's license has to be attached to their account: "If your account is new and you're a contractor, staff will need to associate your license to your account." Only electricians are listed in the applicant table for electrical permits.

The Madison Area Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Committee

The committee sits at 5303 Fen Oak Dr, Madison, WI 53718, (608) 221-3321. Its published construction coverage is "All of Sauk, Columbia, Iowa, and Dane Counties; and portions of Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Dodge Counties."

Two programs run from it. The Electrical (Construction) Apprenticeship is five years with a minimum of 8,000 hours on the job, a minimum of 700 hours of paid classroom instruction and a minimum of 250 hours of unpaid instruction. The Electrical (Voice, Data, Video) Apprenticeship is three years with a minimum of 4,800 hours on the job and a minimum of 432 paid classroom hours.

Entry, quoted: "Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age"; "High School Graduate" or a GED or HSED; "one (1) full year of high school Algebra with a passing grade of 'C'"; official high school transcripts; and the "NJATC Apprentice Selection Test Battery." Applications are taken year round, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each workday.

IBEW Local 159 publishes the same list with two details the committee page leaves out: the application period "is closed on the 4th Friday of each month," and there is a "$20 processing fee." Its aptitude test is described as measuring reading and maths.

Madison College, and the two lengths on one page

Madison College lists an Electrical Construction Apprenticeship credential requiring 20 credits, taught at the Madison Commercial Avenue campus.

The same page describes a "5-year training program" with "8,000 hours of on-the-job training" and "600 hours of paid related instruction," and a separate line on that page says participants finish "paid training and class time in 4 years." Those two statements sit on one page and we are not going to pick between them for you.

Entry as printed: at least 17 years of age; a high school diploma or equivalent; algebra with a passing grade of C or higher, or equivalent; physically able to perform the trade; and a valid driver's license or reliable transportation. Applicants apply directly to the Madison Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Committee through the Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin rather than to the college.

The wider length question has three official answers statewide, from three years in the rule to five with the committees. The apprenticeship page sets them side by side.

Two statewide offices are in Madison

Wisconsin NECA-IBEW Electrical Apprenticeship and Training runs from 2730 Dairy Drive, Suite 102, Madison, WI 53718, 608.221.3321. It is jointly sponsored by the Wisconsin Chapter of NECA and IBEW Locals 14, 127, 158, 159, 388, 430, 577 and 890.

The non-union side has an address here too. ABC of Wisconsin, whose electrical apprenticeship runs five years, is at 5330 Wall Street, Madison, WI 53718, and its own ABC Training Center in Madison is one of its related instruction sites.

So a Madison applicant can knock on either door without leaving the city.

Where a Madison candidate sits the exam

Madison is one of the six Pearson VUE cities DSPS names.

DSPS also runs its own sittings at Deforest, just north of Madison, at the Comfort Suites and North Star Conference Center, 5025 County Road V, Deforest, WI 53532. The 2026 dates there are February 24 to 25, April 14 to 15, June 9 to 10, August 11 to 12, October 27 to 28 and December 8 to 9.

Remember the deadline for a DSPS sitting. SPS 305.09 requires the application to reach the department at least 30 calendar days before the day of the examination.

Your next move in Madison

Starting out, take the registered electrician enrollment so your first day is legal, then apply to the committee at 5303 Fen Oak Drive or through ABC. Local 159 closes its application period on the fourth Friday of each month, so time it.

Already working, count your hours against the grade you want. Three years of residential wiring reaches the residential journeyman grade, and 8,000 hours over 48 months reaches the journeyman grade.

Questions people ask

Does Madison license electricians?

Its list of licenses and permits does not include electrical work, electricians or electrical contractors, though it does list plumbers and water contractors. The credential that governs is the DSPS one.

Do I need a permit for electrical work in Madison?

Yes. The city lists a permit for Electrical Work, All, with Building Inspection at 608-266-4551 ext 2, and contractors have to have their license associated with their online permit account.

How do I apply for the Madison electrical apprenticeship?

To the Madison Area Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Committee at 5303 Fen Oak Dr, (608) 221-3321. Local 159 adds that the application period closes on the fourth Friday of each month and that there is a $20 processing fee.

How long is the Madison electrical apprenticeship?

The committee publishes five years with a minimum of 8,000 hours on the job, 700 paid classroom hours and 250 unpaid hours. Madison College's page carries both a five year and a four year statement.

What does Madison College's apprenticeship credential require?

Twenty credits at the Commercial Avenue campus, with entry at 17 or over, a high school diploma or equivalent, algebra at C or higher and transportation. Applications go to the joint apprenticeship committee rather than to the college.

Where do Madison candidates sit the electrician exam?

Madison is one of the six Pearson VUE cities DSPS names, and DSPS runs its own 2026 sittings at Deforest, just north of the city.

How much do electricians make in Madison?

We have not fetched a Wisconsin wage figure from any wage source, so we do not publish one anywhere on this site. If you see an earnings number on a Wisconsin electrician page, ask where it came from and what year it is.

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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.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, Pearson VUE, or any licensing authority, school or union.

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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