SECTION 1: EXAM GUIDELINES

In order to obtain a Master or Special Electrician license, you must meet the following qualifications:

• Be at least eighteen (18) years old

• Be able to read, write and understand the English language

• Have good moral character so as not to adversely impact your fitness to perform the duties and responsibilities of a Master or Special Electrician

• Have at least seven and a half (7.5) years of experience or the equivalent (as indicated below) within the ten (10) years prior to application with a minimum of 10,500 hours or the equivalent (as indicated below) of satisfactory experience in the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in or on buildings or comparable facilities. Experience must be obtained either under:

  • The direct supervision of a Department-licensed Master Electrician or Special Electrician
    
    OR

  • For applicants with experience outside the New York City area, the direct supervision of an individual with comparable qualifications as determined by the Buildings Commissioner and while employed by a Master Electrician business as defined herein, or an individual, partnership or corporation owning, leasing or managing a building, buildings or parts and employing a Special Electrician to perform electrical work in/on specific buildings, lots or parts owned, leased or managed by such individual, corporation or partnership, or an individual, a partnership or a corporation deemed acceptable by the Buildings Commissioner.

    Note: : No more than 25 percent of such satisfactory experience shall be obtained while working outside the United States unless the Buildings Commissioner determines that the licensing system and electrical code of the foreign jurisdiction is essentially similar to licensing systems and electrical codes in the United States

All applicants must also meet one (1) of the following levels of experience. Please check that one (1) that applies to you.

• I am a journeyman electrician who has at least seven and a half (7.5) years of work experience with a minimum of 10,500 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for light, heat and power in/on buildings or comparable facilities

• I have a master of science (M.S.) or a bachelor of science (B.S.) in electrical and:

  • For applicants with master degrees, at least two and a half (2.5) years of experience with a minimum of 3,500 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in/on buildings or comparable facilities

  • For applicants with bachelor degrees, at least three and a half (3.5) years of experience with a minimum of 4,900 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in/on buildings or comparable facilities

• I am a graduate of a vocational, industrial, trade school or apprenticeship program registered with the New York State Department of Labor specializing in electrical wiring, installation and design or applied electricity and at least five and a half (5.5) years of experience with a minimum of 7,700 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in or on buildings or comparable facilities

• I took college or university courses in an electrical or mechanical engineering degree program or a bachelor of science (B.S.) in electrical or mechanical engineering program and this experience* combined with my work experience equals seven and a half (7.5) years of work experience with a minimum of 7,000 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for light, heat and power in/on buildings or comparable facilities

  *Such applicants can count 50 percent of the curricula years he or she satisfactorily completed in the degree program towards the seven and a half (7.5) years of total required work experience as long as he or she passed all the subjects in the required courses. The number of years credited shall not exceed two and a half (2.5) years of the satisfactory experience

• I took courses at a vocational, industrial or trade school, registered with the New York State Department of Labor specializing in electrical wiring, installation and design or applied electricity and this experience* combined with my work experience equals seven and a half (7.5) years of work experience with a minimum of 7,700 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for light, heat and power in/on buildings or comparable

  *Such applicants can count 50 percent of the curricula years he or she satisfactorily completed at the vocational, industrial or trade school towards the seven and a half (7.5) years of total required work experience. The number of years credited shall not exceed two (2) years of the satisfactory experience

• I am an employee of a government agency, private inspection agency or other entity, accepted by the Buildings Commissioner whose duties primarily involve the inspection of electrical work for compliance with the electrical code and the electrical code technical standards and/or other laws relating to the installation, alteration or repair of electrical wiring or appliances and this experience* combined with my work experience equals seven and a half (7.5) years of work experience with a minimum of 7,000 hours of this experience working with tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for light, heat and power in/on buildings or comparable facilities

  *Such applicants can count 50 percent of the years he or she was satisfactorily employed in the above work towards the seven and a half (7.5) years of total required work experience as long as it was obtained within ten (10) years prior to application. The number of years credited shall not exceed two and a half (2.5) years of the satisfactory experience. The ten (10) year requirement does not apply to applicants who have five (5) or more years of work experience

SECTION 2: BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS

To establish a corporation, applicants must submit the below documents to the Department at:

Licensing Unit
NYC Department of Buildings
280 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10007

• Completed LIC33 Business Address Verification Form

• All Certificates of Insurance – general liability, worker’s compensation and disability forms

• A copy of the original Business Filing Receipt from the Department of State

• If there are more than one (1) licensee at the company, a typed letter designating one (1) Master Electrician as the responsible representative of the company per D27-3012(a)(1) of the NYC Electrical Code

• A notarized transcript of the minutes from the Board of Directors meeting indicating the names, titles and home addresses of all of the corporation’s officers elected at the meeting.

  Note: The applicant must be listed as one (1) of the officers of the corporation

• A certified copy of the Certificate of Incorporation for the Business

  Note: A generalized (non-specific) purpose clause in the Certificate of Incorporation will be rejected by the Electrical License Board. In order to comply with the requirements, the purpose clause should include the following language: “This Corporation is formed to do electrical work, bid on electrical contracts and perform such other functions as may be ancillary to an electrical contracting business”.

To establish a sole proprietorship/partnership, applicants must submit the below documents to the Department (see address above):

• Completed LIC33 Business Address Verification Form

• All Certificates of Insurance – general liability, worker’s compensation and disability forms

• An original business certificate from the Office of the County Clerk in which the business is located

• If there are more than one (1) licensee at the firm, a typed letter designating one (1) Master Electrician as the responsible representative of the firm as per D27-3012(a)(1) of the NYC Electrical Code

SECTION 3: APPLYING FOR THE EXAM

You must pass a written and practical exam in order to become a Master or Special Electrician.

Written
You must complete the exam application (LIC41), check the box that indicates you are an Master or Special Electrician candidate and submit the application with the $525 fee to the Department (see contact information below).

Practical
After passing the written exam, you must apply to take the practical exam (LIC42). To do this you must complete the exam application, check the box that indicates you are a Master or Special Electrician candidate and submit the application with the $350 fee, payable by money order only, to:

NYC Department of Buildings
Licensing Unit – Exams
280 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10007

SECTION 4: SCHEDULING YOUR EXAM

After submitting your exam application, you must next schedule your exam.

• If your application is accepted, you will receive an email from the exam administrator in three (3) to four (4) weeks with instructions on how to schedule your exam. Exams are given at several different locations in the City

• The written exam consists of multiple-choice questions that assess your knowledge of the NYC Administrative Code. You will not be allowed to use reference materials during the exam

• If you pass the exam, you will receive a letter notifying you of your exam score in approximately five (5) weeks

SECTION 5: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

In order to become a Master or Special Electrician, you must also pass a background investigation by submitting the below documents, in person and by appointment only, to the Department at:

Licensing Unit
NYC Department of Buildings
280 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10007

• Typewritten LIC38 license application

• Examination Score Report Form

• Notarized Background Investigation Questionnaire

• Experience Verification Forms from all supervisors for the years you are claiming as experience

  Note: Experience Verification Forms from company Human Resources will not be accepted

• Social Security History of Earnings for the years you are claiming as experience

  Note: There is a fee charged by the Social Security Administration for this service. You must request the report to be run by “company name”. You may request the information by mail or in person (ordinarily you can receive this instantly in person).Visit (http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7050.html) for more information

• Photo ID (driver license)

• Original Social Security Card

• Original birth certificate, current passport or Green Card

• Proof of residence with a utility bill, lease or deed

  Note: Cell phone bills will not be accepted

• Latest pay stub or W-2

• Two (2) passport sized photographs

• $500 background fee

• $91.50 fingerprint fee

SECTION 6: APPLYING FOR YOUR LICENSE

Once you have passed the written exam and background investigation, you need to apply for your Master or Special Electrician license.

• If you pass the written exam and the background investigation, you will be notified in writing by the Department’s Licensing Unit that you are eligible to apply for a Master or Special Electrician license

• You have one (1) year from the date of that letter to begin submitting the required documents for your license. If you do not complete the process within one (1) year of the date on the letter, you will be required to retake the exam

• You must make an appointment to apply for a license by calling the Licensing Unit at (212) 566-4100. All documents submitted must be originals; copies will not be accepted. Candidates without appointments will not be seen