STATE LICENSE
RequiredElectricians' Examining Board — Office of…
Under 32 M.R.S. § 1201 an electrical installation may not be made except by an electrician licensed by the Electricians' Examining Board, part of OPOR. The license classes were rewritten by PL 2023, c. 327 (§ 1202-B): a journeyman needs 8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice or helper plus a 576-hour course of study, then an exam and a 45-hour National Electrical Code course within two years of licensure; a master needs 4,000 hours as a journeyman (or 12,000 as a helper/apprentice, or 6,000 as a journeyman-in-training) plus the 576-hour course, an exam, and the 45-hour NEC course. Maine has no separate electrical contractor license — a master electrician is the license qualified to engage in the electrical business, and permits are applied for by a master or limited electrician.
OPOR lists master and journeyman licenses at $150 per two-year term and an apprentice at $25, plus a $21 background check; renewal requires a 15-hour current NEC course. A board permit (fees capped at $100 by statute) and an inspection before wiring is enclosed are required except for single-family dwellings wired by a licensed electrician, minor repairs, and towns with their own electrical inspection ordinance. Municipalities may not license electricians (§ 1103), and since 2025 an owner may wire the existing single-family home they own and occupy (§ 1201-A(13)).
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Licensing is state-only: municipalities may not require electricians to hold a municipal license (32 M.R.S. § 1103). Permits and inspections come from the Electricians' Examining Board and state electrical inspectors, except where a municipality requires its own permit and inspection by ordinance under 30-A M.R.S. § 4173 (§ 1102-C(5)(E)); either way the inspection happens before wiring is enclosed, and the utility must see proof of permit before connecting power.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Maine county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Maine licenses electricians, not electrical businesses; a master electrician is the license to engage in the electrical business, and only masters or limited electricians apply for permits.
PL 2023, c. 327 replaced the old § 1202-A with new license classes and hour pathways in § 1202-B; some OPOR pages still describe the older pathways.
No board permit is needed for an installation in a single-family dwelling performed by a licensed electrician (§ 1102-C(5)(A)).
A practical sequence for a new electrical contractor in Maine. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Making electrical installations without a license, or after a license has expired or been suspended or revoked; a strict-liability offense.
The Attorney General may sue to enjoin unlicensed practice and to compel the return of compensation received.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
| County · City | Permit office | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County Portland (consolidated gov.) | City of Portland Permitting and Inspections Department ↗ | Citizen Self Service (CSS) ↗ |
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Conflict: OPOR's master and journeyman license pages still describe pre-2023 qualification pathways (e.g., 7,000 hours for vocational graduates), while 32 M.R.S. § 1202-B as enacted by PL 2023, c. 327 sets different hour paths; this record follows the statute · Helper, journeyman-in-training, and limited electrician license fees (not listed on the pages retrieved) · The current electrical permit fee schedule — statute caps each scheduled fee at $100, but the OPOR fee rule was not read · Exam vendor and exam fees for electrician examinations
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.