Iowa license and registration renewals

Every LicenseLedger guide for Iowa on one page: what each one covers and, where its guide gives them, when it expires or renews and the continuing education it asks for. Open a guide for its fees and how to renew.

• Iowa Electrician License Renewal

  Last reviewed October 2026

  Iowa electrical licenses from the Electrical Examining Board run three years, except apprentice and unclassified licenses, which run one year. The last three-year licenses all expired on December 31, 2025, and the current cycle is 2026-2028. Masters, journeymen, residential masters and residential electricians need 18 hours of board-approved CE, 6 of them on the National Electrical Code. A late renewal adds 10% of the fee for each month or part of a month, and only for three months: after that you apply for a new license.

  Renews every

  3 years for electrical contractor, residential electrical contractor, master (Class A or B), residential master, journeyman (Class A or B), residential electrician, special electrician and inactive master licenses. The last cycle's licenses all expired December 31, 2025, and the current cycle is 2026-2028

  Continuing education

  18 hours of board-approved CE during the three-year license, at least 6 of them on the National Electrical Code, to renew a master (Class A or B), journeyman (Class A or B), residential master or residential electrician license. A license issued for less than three years needs 6 hours for each year or part of a year it was held. A contact hour is 50 minutes of classroom attendance

• Iowa Plumbing & Mechanical License Renewal (PMSB)

  Last reviewed October 2026

  Every license the Iowa Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB) issues (plumbing, HVAC-refrigeration, hydronics, sheet metal and mechanical, apprentice to master, plus contractor licenses) expires on the same day: June 30 at the end of the three-year licensing period. The current period ends June 30, 2029. Journeyperson and master licenses need 8 hours of approved CE per period, more if you hold several licenses. Renew by July 31 and there's no late fee; after August 31 the license lapses and you can't work until it's renewed.

  Renews every

  Three years. Every plumbing and mechanical license expires June 30 at the end of the three-year licensing period, whatever its issue date: the current period runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029, the next one to June 30, 2032

  Continuing education

  8 hours per three-year period for a single journeyperson or master license: 2 hours of plumbing or mechanical code, 4 hours in your discipline and 2 hours of Iowa OSHA safety. 14 hours if you hold two or more mechanical licenses, 16 hours for a plumbing license plus one or more mechanical licenses. Specialty licenses need 8 hours too; apprentice licenses need none

• Iowa Contractor Registration Renewal

  Last reviewed October 2026

  Iowa requires construction contractors who earn at least $2,000 a year from construction to register with the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL). DIAL's FAQ says the registration must be renewed every year, and a renewal form is sent by mail or email the month before it expires. The fee is $50, and you need an Iowa unemployment insurance number and your workers' compensation paperwork. Out-of-state contractors also need a $25,000 bond, or a letter showing they're prequalified to bid on Iowa DOT projects. Plumbing and mechanical contractors register through the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board's license instead.

  Renews every

  Every year. DIAL's FAQ says your registration must be renewed every year, and a renewal form is sent by mail or email the month before it expires