Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

The path

How to Become an Electrician in Georgia: The Steps

Georgia's route is short to describe and long to walk. Get hired by a licensed electrical contractor, train, log four years of installation work, then sit the contractor exam. There's no state card in between, which changes how you plan the middle years.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

Step 1: understand the shape of it

Georgia licenses electrical contractors and nobody else. The board's FAQ says so in one line, and it's the fact that decides everything after it.

There's no apprentice registration to file, no journeyman exam to pass at year four and no master tier at year eight. There's a job, four years of documented installation work under an active licensed contractor, and then the Class I or Class II exam.

Step 2: get hired by a licensed contractor

Rule 121-3-.01 counts Primary Experience as installation work gained under an active licensed electrical contractor, and form 44 says time with an unlicensed contractor doesn't count. So the first thing to check about any employer is the license.

Check it on the state's licensee search before you take the job, not four years later. Our lookup guide shows what to do with the result.

Step 3: pick your training

A registered apprenticeship. The IBEW locals and the IEC chapters run four year programs. IEC Atlanta lists 8,000 hours of on the job training plus 576 hours of classroom instruction and says the US Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship certifies it. IBEW Local 613 runs a four year registered apprenticeship out of Peachtree Corners, and Macon's training center says its apprenticeship is tuition free with pay from day one.

A technical college. Atlanta Technical College's Electrical Systems Technology Diploma is 46 credit hours. Central Georgia, Savannah, Augusta, Athens, Columbus, Gwinnett and Chattahoochee Technical Colleges all carry electrical awards, and each city page here links the ones in that city.

Both. Plenty of people work for a contractor and take classes at the same time, which is what the apprenticeship model is anyway.

The apprenticeship page has the entry requirements, fees and application windows program by program.

Step 4: log four years of the right work

Four years of Primary Experience, counted at 2,000 hours to the year. Direct installation of electrical systems, under an active licensed contractor.

Keep the record as you go, organized around the eight experience areas Rule 121-3-.01(7) lists, because the application asks about them one by one. Class II applicants document all of them plus installations above the single phase ampere line. The experience page has the format and the education credit rules.

Step 5: apply to the board

You need to be 21 under Rule 121-3-.01(2), though the affidavit on Form 44, the electrical exam application, has the applicant verify being 18 or older. Plan on 21 and ask the board if your dates sit between the two.

You need the experience documentation, three notarized original reference forms with at least one from a licensed electrical contractor, a background check from local law enforcement, secure and verifiable identification, an affidavit of citizenship and any disciplinary history disclosure.

It all goes through the GOALS portal, since the board no longer takes paper applications. The how-to guide says applications are generally processed within 20 business days, which is a general figure rather than a cap. A deficiency letter restarts the count when the board has your correct and complete documentation, and an application left deficient for 60 days may be withdrawn.

Step 6: pass the exam

PSI runs both exams after the board approves you. Class I is 155 items, Class II is 162, both split into two four hour parts with eight hours allotted. The passing scaled score is 70, and the questions reference the 2023 National Electrical Code.

References are allowed, but only the titles on PSI bulletin 4783's list, and only marked with highlighting, underlining or permanent tabs. Fail twice and a board approved review course comes before a third attempt.

Our free practice test and the topic question sets are a fair way to find your weak areas before you pay for a seat.

Step 7: keep the license

Two year cycle, expiring June 30 of even numbered years, renewed in GOALS. Four continuing education hours a year, eight per renewal, done before you apply to renew and reported through CE Broker since January 1, 2026.

Lapse it under three years and reinstatement means continuing education, a background check and fees. Lapse it three years or more and you sit the exam again.

What the work pays in Georgia

Electricians in Georgia had a median of $28.04 an hour and $58,320 a year in the May 2025 wage data republished by O*NET from the Bureau of Labor Statistics series. Nationally the same release shows $30.38 and $63,190.

By metro, Augusta-Richmond County leads the areas we carry at $28.69 an hour, then Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell at $28.20, Savannah at $28.09, Macon-Bibb County at $26.11, Columbus at $24.39 and Athens-Clarke County at $23.92.

How long the whole thing takes

Four years is the floor and it's set by experience, not by school. A two year diploma or vocational-technical certificate can buy back credit under Rule 121-3-.01(5)(b), though paragraph (5) caps education and secondary experience credit at one year, and the two lines don't reconcile.

After the years are in, add board review of up to 20 business days, the wait for an exam appointment, and up to six weeks for PSI's official score report to reach the board.

The experience calculator takes what you've got and gives you the date.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to become an electrician in Georgia?

About four years to qualify for the contractor exam, since that's the minimum Primary Experience the rule requires, counted at 2,000 hours a year. You can work as an electrician from day one as an employee of a licensed contractor.

Do I need to go to school to be an electrician in Georgia?

No. The board asks for experience, references and the exam, not a diploma. School can shorten the road, though, because Rule 121-3-.01(5)(b) credits a two year diploma or vocational-technical certificate program toward experience.

What's the first step?

A job with a licensed electrical contractor. Experience only counts if it's gained under an active licensed contractor, so check any employer on the state's licensee search before you start.

Can I do electrical work in Georgia without a license?

As an employee of a licensed electrical contractor, yes. What the law restricts is contracting: the Attorney General quotes O.C.G.A. 43-14-8 as barring anyone from engaging in the electrical contracting business without a license from the Division of Electrical Contractors.

How much do electricians make in Georgia?

The May 2025 wage data republished by O*NET shows a median of $28.04 an hour and $58,320 a year statewide, against a national median of $30.38 and $63,190.

Is an apprenticeship paid?

Yes. The Macon Electrical Training Center says pay starts on day one with health coverage and pension contributions, and the Atlanta Electrical Contractors Association describes earning a salary while training on job sites.

What exam do I take at the end?

The Class I or Class II electrical contractor exam, run by PSI after the board approves your application. Class I is 155 items and Class II is 162, both in two four hour parts, and the passing scaled score is 70.

What this page cites

• Board FAQ, Secretary of State Confirms the board licenses electrical contractors rather than individual electricians. source
• Board Rule 121-3-.01 Sets four years of Primary Experience under an active licensed contractor, the age of 21 and the education credit rules. source
• How-to guide, electrical contractors Lists the application items and the 20 business day review window. source
• PSI bulletin 4783 Describes both exams, the time, the passing score, the allowed references and the review course after two failures. source
• IEC Atlanta and Georgia Chapters apprenticeship Lists a four year program of 8,000 on the job hours and 576 classroom hours certified by the Department of Labor. source
• O*NET local wages, electricians in Georgia Republishes the May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics medians for Georgia and its metro areas. source