Wisconsin Electrician License Renewal (DSPS)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 3 min read

Wisconsin master and journeyman electrician licenses run up to four years and expire on June 30. Renewal is online in LicensE, and it won't go through until your CE provider has entered all your hours: 24 for master and journeyman electricians, 18 for residential and industrial licenses. Not getting a renewal notice is no excuse for missing the date.

At a glance

Renews every: Up to 4 years, expiring on June 30: master, residential master, journeyman, residential journeyman and industrial journeyman electrician and electrical contractor licenses. Check the expiration year on your license in LicensE
Continuing education: 24 hours for master and journeyman electricians; 18 hours for residential master, residential journeyman and industrial journeyman electricians. Electrical contractor licenses have none. Only DSPS-approved courses count
When to take it: Before the license expires. Your course provider enters the hours, and LicensE won't let you submit the renewal until all of them are in
Fee: $200 for a master electrician, residential master electrician or electrical contractor; $100 for a journeyman, residential journeyman or industrial journeyman electrician
Renewal opens: About 4 weeks before the license expires. DSPS emails instructions to the address on file, but not receiving a notice isn't an excuse for missing the date
Renew: Online in LicensE: choose "Renew My License", complete the application, upload any required documents and pay
Deadline: The application, fee and proof of every renewal requirement must reach DSPS before the expiration date. The license expires at midnight on that date
Renewing late: Up to one license term after expiration, you can still renew with an application fee added. CE taken after the expiration date is filed on a DSPS form with a $25 late CE fee
After that: More than one term after expiration, you apply for reinstatement with a $200 fee plus the application and license fees, and DSPS may require an exam or other proof of competence

A journeyman electrician who got the license without passing the journeyman exam, or a residential or industrial journeyman who got it by completing an apprenticeship, and is refused renewal for missing CE, has to pass that license's exam to get it back.

DSPS can waive an electrician's CE for prolonged illness, disability or similar circumstances: apply to DSPS, which decides each case on its merits.

How to renew

Look up your license in LicensE and note the expiration date (June 30 of its last year).
Take your CE hours with DSPS-approved providers well ahead: 24 for master and journeyman, 18 for residential and industrial licenses. Check that the provider has entered them.
When DSPS emails you, about 4 weeks before expiration, log in to LicensE and choose "Renew My License".
Complete the application, upload any required documents and pay the fee before June 30.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outCheck the expiration year in LicensE and book your CE hours (24 or 18) with DSPS-approved providers.
2 months outFinish the hours and check your providers have entered them: LicensE won't take the renewal until they're in.
4 weeks outRenewal opens and DSPS emails instructions. Renew in LicensE and pay the fee.
June 30The license expires at midnight unless DSPS has your complete renewal. Late CE costs an extra $25.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your electrical contractor license (June 30, every 4 years)
Your apprentices' and registered electricians' credentials (every year, on the date they were issued)
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When do Wisconsin electrician licenses expire?

Master, residential master, journeyman, residential journeyman and industrial journeyman electrician and electrical contractor licenses run up to 4 years and expire on June 30. Check the expiration year on your license in LicensE.

How many CE hours does a Wisconsin electrician need?

24 hours for master and journeyman electricians; 18 hours for residential master, residential journeyman and industrial journeyman electricians. Electrical contractor licenses have none. Only DSPS-approved courses count.

How much does it cost to renew a Wisconsin electrician license?

$200 for a master electrician, residential master electrician or electrical contractor; $100 for a journeyman, residential journeyman or industrial journeyman electrician.

What if my Wisconsin electrician license expired?

Up to one license term after expiration, you can still renew with an application fee added, and CE taken after the expiration date carries a $25 late CE fee. After that, you apply for reinstatement with a $200 fee plus the application and license fees, and DSPS may require an exam.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), Master Electrician

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Wisconsin guides

All Wisconsin guides on one page

Electrician guides for other states

Compare electrician license renewals across states

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for electricians

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Wisconsin Electrician License Renewal (DSPS)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 3 min read

At a glance

Renews every: Up to 4 years, expiring on June 30: master, residential master, journeyman, residential journeyman and industrial journeyman electrician and electrical contractor licenses. Check the expiration year on your license in LicensE
Continuing education: 24 hours for master and journeyman electricians; 18 hours for residential master, residential journeyman and industrial journeyman electricians. Electrical contractor licenses have none. Only DSPS-approved courses count
When to take it: Before the license expires. Your course provider enters the hours, and LicensE won't let you submit the renewal until all of them are in
Fee: $200 for a master electrician, residential master electrician or electrical contractor; $100 for a journeyman, residential journeyman or industrial journeyman electrician
Renewal opens: About 4 weeks before the license expires. DSPS emails instructions to the address on file, but not receiving a notice isn't an excuse for missing the date
Renew: Online in LicensE: choose "Renew My License", complete the application, upload any required documents and pay
Deadline: The application, fee and proof of every renewal requirement must reach DSPS before the expiration date. The license expires at midnight on that date
Renewing late: Up to one license term after expiration, you can still renew with an application fee added. CE taken after the expiration date is filed on a DSPS form with a $25 late CE fee
After that: More than one term after expiration, you apply for reinstatement with a $200 fee plus the application and license fees, and DSPS may require an exam or other proof of competence

DSPS can waive an electrician's CE for prolonged illness, disability or similar circumstances: apply to DSPS, which decides each case on its merits.

How to renew

Look up your license in LicensE and note the expiration date (June 30 of its last year).
Take your CE hours with DSPS-approved providers well ahead: 24 for master and journeyman, 18 for residential and industrial licenses. Check that the provider has entered them.
When DSPS emails you, about 4 weeks before expiration, log in to LicensE and choose "Renew My License".
Complete the application, upload any required documents and pay the fee before June 30.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outCheck the expiration year in LicensE and book your CE hours (24 or 18) with DSPS-approved providers.
2 months outFinish the hours and check your providers have entered them: LicensE won't take the renewal until they're in.
4 weeks outRenewal opens and DSPS emails instructions. Renew in LicensE and pay the fee.
June 30The license expires at midnight unless DSPS has your complete renewal. Late CE costs an extra $25.

Put this renewal in your calendar

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your electrical contractor license (June 30, every 4 years)
Your apprentices' and registered electricians' credentials (every year, on the date they were issued)
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When do Wisconsin electrician licenses expire?

How many CE hours does a Wisconsin electrician need?

How much does it cost to renew a Wisconsin electrician license?

$200 for a master electrician, residential master electrician or electrical contractor; $100 for a journeyman, residential journeyman or industrial journeyman electrician.

What if my Wisconsin electrician license expired?

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), Master Electrician

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Wisconsin guides

All Wisconsin guides on one page

Electrician guides for other states

Compare electrician license renewals across states

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for electricians

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet