STATE LICENSE
RequiredWisconsin Department of Safety and Profes…
Wis. Stat. § 101.862 sets three layers: no one may engage in the business of installing, repairing, or maintaining electrical wiring without an Electrical Contractor license; no one may do the wiring without an electrician license or registered-electrician enrollment; and anyone who isn't a master electrician must work under a master who is at all times responsible.
Individual licenses run four years and expire June 30; masters and journeymen need 24 hours of continuing education per renewal. The Electrical Contractor license itself has no exam and no CE. Wisconsin's exemptions are worth knowing: systems at 100 volts or less, like-for-like switch or outlet swaps up to 20 amps, and owner-occupants wiring their own home.
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 statewide through DSPS; municipalities issue electrical permits and inspect. The homeowner exemption yields to local ordinance — a city may still require a license or registration for owner-performed wiring (§ 101.862(4)(a)).
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Wisconsin 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.
The business holds the Electrical Contractor license; the person doing the work holds an electrician license; a master is responsible for every non-master at all times.
Electrical Contractor, master, and journeyman licenses all expire June 30 on a four-year cycle.
Systems at 100 volts or less are exempt from electrical licensing under § 101.862(4)(d).
A practical sequence for a new electrical contractor in Wisconsin. 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.
Violations of subchapter I of ch. 101 for which no specific penalty is provided carry a civil forfeiture per offense.
A prime contractor who skips the statutory lien notice to the owner loses the lien remedy.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Exact experience hours required for journeyman and master electrician eligibility (set in SPS 305; not retrieved as text) · Whether a more specific forfeiture than § 101.02(13)(a) applies to unlicensed electrical work · Whether one- and two-family electrical permits are issued by the municipality or DSPS in every jurisdiction
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.