Kansas is known for its great plains, but it also offers plenty of opportunities for those who want to work in the electrical trade. While the state government offers guidelines on licensing laws, individual municipalities in Kansas determine their area’s licensing procedures. To get a gist of the KS electrical licensing process, this article takes a look at the licensing laws in the three largest municipalities in the state.
Do You Need an Electrical License in Kansas?
Kansas requires those completing electrical work to have the appropriate certification or licensure. While there is no overarching state body to regulate this, each municipality follows set statutes around electrician licensing procedures.
Types of Electrical Licenses in KS
Most municipalities in Kansas will offer electrical licenses for journeyman and master electricians, as well as electrical contractors. Some may have a special registration requirement for apprentice electricians.
Generally speaking, journeyman electricians have already completed an apprenticeship, passed a journeyman exam, and work under a licensed contractor or master electrician.
Master electricians hold one of the highest titles in the electrical field and can often do all types of electrical work, including supervising others. They may not be able to contract specific electrical work unless they are or work with an electrical contractor.
An electrical contractor does the bidding and contracting for projects, and they may or may not be an active electrician themselves. Electrical contractors are often in charge of requesting work permits for electrical projects.
Let’s look at the different types of electrical licenses offered in the municipalities that house Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City.
Wichita Electrical Licenses
Wichita city is a part of Sedgwick County, which offers journeyman electrician licenses, master electrician licenses, and electrical contractor licenses.
- Electrical Journeyman License requirements: 1 year of experience AND 1 year of electrical trade school OR
- Two years of experience and a 75% or higher on an approved International Code Council Journeyman or Residential Electrician exam (558 or 565).
- Master Electrician License requirements: licensure as a journeyman electrician with 2 years of experience and a 75% or higher on an approved International Code Council Master Electrician exam (F16, 554, or G16)
- Electrical Contractor License (trade contractor license) requirements: electrical contractors must be or employ a master electrician and hold the appropriate Liability and Worker’s Compensation Insurance
How to Obtain an Electrical License in Wichita
If you meet the requirements for a journeyman or master license, you must complete the application, attach copies of transcripts and test results, provide proof of experience, and pay a $35 application fee.
Electrical contractors have a more detailed application with instructions that can be found on the Sedgwick County site.
Renewal information for all licenses can be found here.
Overland Park Electrical Licenses
Overland Park falls under the jurisdiction of Johnson County, KS. This county does not outline requirements for journeymen or master electricians.
In this case, you will need to meet the exam requirements and pass the appropriate International Code Council exam to be eligible to work as a journeyman or master electrician in Overland Park. Standard exam agencies are defined as “the International Code Council (ICC) and Prometric or past subsidiaries of Educational Testing Services (ETS)”.
Once you have some experience under your belt, you can apply for the Johnson County electrical contractor license, called the Class DE Electrical Contractor License.
Obtaining an Overland Park Electrical Contractor License
You will need to:
- Complete the application
- Provide proof of General Liability and Worker’s Comp Insurance
- Show proof that yourself or your employee has a B.S. in architecture, engineering, construction science, or construction management OR scored 75% or higher on the appropriate master electrician exam
- Possess a journeyman’s certificate (via exam) for at least 2 years OR prove 4 years of experience working under a master electrician
- Show photo ID
- Provide a photo
- Pay a $100 application fee
- If applying on behalf of a business, you’ll need to show a statement of good standing from the Secretary of State
- Pay a $180 license fee
Kansas City Electrical Licenses
Kansas City, KS is in Wyandotte County. This county grants Master Electrician Licenses and Electrical Contractor Licenses.
Master Electrician Licenses in Kansas City
Master electricians in Wyandotte County will need to be 21 years or over and:
- Have 1+ years of experience planning, supervising, laying out, installing, and fixing wiring apparatus and 3+ years of practical experience under a licensed electrical contractor or master electrician AND at least 2 years of experience in commercial/industrial work
- 2 years of experience can be substituted for 2 years of a completed post-secondary school electrical course (such as trade school)
Once you meet these requirements, you can apply for Prometric Master Testing. Once you pass the appropriate exam you can receive your license.
Electrical Contractor Licenses in Kansas City
If you are becoming an electrical contractor while representing an entity, your business will need to acquire a business license. Call 913-573-8780 for more information on this process.
If you are applying as an individual or have a business license number, you will need to:
- Be or employ a licensed master electrician
- Submit a copy of the Certificate of Competency for approval before completing further steps
- Once approved, show proof of a bond of at least $5,000
- Call the License Department to pay your Occupational Tax fee at 913-573-8780
Bring all documents to the Neighborhood Resource Center. Detailed information on all documents and the location can be found here.
Kansas Electrician Salaries
The average electrician in Kansas makes $50,186 per year. This median changes slightly depending on the municipality, as seen below.
- Wichita, KS: Electricians in Wichita make less than the state average, coming in at $43,452 plus overtime. This salary can exceed $50,000/year with ten years’ experience.
- Overland Park, KS: Electricians in Overland Park enjoy a spike in salary, averaging $67,700 per year plus overtime. At almost 20% higher than the national average, this may be an enticing enough salary to draw new electricians to the trade.
- Kansas City, KS: Not to be confused with Kansas City, MO – which it borders – electricians in Kansas City, KS make an average of $53,992. This is more than the Kansas average but slightly less than the national average. After a decade in the field, this number increases to roughly $62,700 plus overtime.
