City/county license

Journeyman Electrician License in Ohio

✓Written by a licensed IBEW journeyman electrician

Last updated: October 24, 2026

Ohio has no statewide journeyman electrician license. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board issues contractor licenses only. A few cities license journeymen themselves, including Toledo, Middletown and Massillon, each with its own exam and fees. Other cities may have their own rules. Check with the city where you'll work.

The facts, from the source

Who licenses

Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractor licenses only). ORC 4740.01 defines a license as one issued to an individual as an electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing or hydronics contractor. (codes.ohio.gov)

Exam vendor

None statewide for journeymen. The board's contractor exams are given by PSI. Local exams are city-administered. (dam.assets.ohio.gov)

Exam (questions/time)

Varies by city. Middletown: 50 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours. Toledo and Massillon do not publish theirs. (cityofmiddletown.org)

Open book / references

Middletown: open book. Bring the current NEC. (cityofmiddletown.org)

Passing score

Middletown: minimum 70% (cityofmiddletown.org)

Experience required

Varies by city. Toledo: the application form says 'Need proof of graduation from Apprentice Program w/8000 hrs' and lists other qualification boxes, including 4 years in the electrical construction industry; how they combine is not stated (form dated 09/21/2020). Middletown: not less than 3 years of experience within the last 5 years. Massillon: 10,000 hours, or 6,000 hours plus 2 years of technical training, or an electrical engineering degree plus 4,000 hours. (cdn.toledo.oh.gov)

Fees

Exam: Toledo $100 (journeyman or residential journeyman), Middletown $50 (includes one retake within 90 days), Massillon $35. Registration: Toledo traveler journeyman $100, Massillon $15 after passing. Toledo apprentice registration $25 (Toledo figures from a form dated 09/21/2020). (cdn.toledo.oh.gov)

Where the license comes from in Ohio

In Ohio, journeyman licensing is handled locally. Examples we verified:

• City of Toledo, Division of Building Inspection: journeyman and residential journeyman electrician licenses (the Board of Control approves applications)

  The city's own exam, the Toledo Electrical Journeyman Exam. Its format is not published on the application. The application form says 'Need proof of graduation from Apprentice Program w/8000 hrs' and lists other qualification boxes, including 4 years in the electrical construction industry; how they combine is not stated. $100 exam fee, per an application form dated 09/21/2020, so fees may have changed.

  cdn.toledo.oh.gov

• City of Middletown, Division of Building Inspection: journeyman electrician license

  The city's own exam: 50 multiple-choice questions, open book, 3 hours, 70% to pass. Bring the current NEC. $50 fee. Experience: not less than 3 years within the last 5 years.

  cityofmiddletown.org

• City of Massillon, Building Department: registered electrical journeyman

  Exam given by the city Electrical Board. $35 test fee and $15 registration fee. 10,000 hours of experience or equivalent (Ord. 1313.05): 6,000 hours plus 2 years of accredited technical training, or an electrical engineering degree plus 4,000 hours.

  massillonohio.gov

Requirements differ city to city. Check with the building or licensing department where you’ll work.

Confirm these with the board

• NEC edition: not confirmed from an official source
• Toledo and Massillon exam format and passing score: not published in the documents we reviewed
• Middletown annual renewal fee: not confirmed
• Other Ohio cities: the Cincinnati and Columbus pages we reviewed describe contractor registration only. This list is not complete, so check with the city where you'll work.

Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractor licenses only; no journeyman license) ↗

Partly verified October 24, 2026: some items couldn’t be confirmed from official sources and are listed above

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Facts on this page trace to primary sources or first-hand IBEW Local 134 experience — see sources & methodology.