Oregon Electrician License Cost

The Real Cost Is Spread Across Two Agencies

Oregon's dual-agency system means electrician licensing costs aren't a single fee — they're spread across the Building Codes Division (BCD), which handles individual trade licenses, and the Construction Contractors Board (CCB), which licenses contracting businesses. Most guides lump everything together or quote a single number. Here's what each credential actually costs at each stage.

Individual License Fees (BCD)

These are the fees for the personal trade credential that authorizes you to perform electrical work:

Application fee: $100 for General Journeyman (J), General Supervising Electrician (S), and Limited Maintenance Electrician (LME) licenses. Limited Energy Class A (LEA) and Class B (LEB) applications are $50. This fee is non-refundable — if your application is returned for deficiencies, you fix the issues and resubmit with another fee.

Exam fee: PSI Services charges a separate fee for each exam attempt. Exam scheduling and payment happen through psiexams.com after you receive your Letter of Authorization from the BCD.

Triennial renewal: Individual licenses renew every three years. The renewal fee matches the original application fee — $100 for J/S/LME, $50 for LEA/LEB. Renewals can be processed online during the 45-day window before your expiration date.

Late renewal: If your license expires and you renew within the one-year grace period, you'll pay the standard renewal fee plus any applicable late charges. During this grace period, you cannot legally perform electrical work. After one year, the license becomes void and you must retest.

Address/name change: $10 processing fee using the License Replacement and Address Change Form (Form 2523).

Contractor License Fees (BCD + CCB)

If you're starting an electrical contracting business, the costs stack significantly on top of your individual license:

BCD Electrical Contractor (C) license: $375 for the initial triennial license. This requires your business to employ a signing supervisor who holds an active General Supervising Electrician (S) license.

CCB registration: $400 for a two-year cycle. This fee increased from $325 effective July 1, 2025, under legislative updates. CCB renewal is also $400 per cycle.

Surety bond: The CCB requires contractors to maintain an active surety bond. Minimum bond amounts vary by contractor classification:

• Residential Specialty Contractor (RSC): $20,000
• Residential General Contractor (RGC): $25,000
• Commercial General Contractor Level 1 (CGC-1): $80,000

The bond itself doesn't cost the face amount — you pay an annual premium to a surety company, typically 1-15% of the bond amount depending on your credit score. A contractor with good credit might pay $250-$750 per year for a $25,000 bond.

General liability insurance: Required by the CCB. Premiums vary widely based on your business size, revenue, and risk profile, but electrical contractors in Oregon typically pay $1,500-$4,000 annually.

RMI pre-license course: The CCB requires the business's Responsible Managing Individual to complete a 16-hour pre-licensure training course before taking the contractor exam. Course fees range from $69 to $190 depending on the provider.

The Full First-Year Cost Picture

For a journeyman getting their individual license for the first time:

For a supervising electrician launching a contracting business (on top of existing individual license costs):

Costs That Catch People Off Guard

Re-examination fees: Every failed exam attempt requires a new application and fee. If you fail twice, you've spent $200 in application fees alone before accounting for PSI's scheduling charges.

Continuing education: Oregon requires BCD-approved CE courses for license renewal. Course costs vary by provider — online options run $50-$150 for a full renewal cycle's worth of credits, while in-person classes may cost more.

The 300 percent rule tax: This isn't a literal fee, but if the BCD's hour-category caps disqualify some of your submitted hours, you may need to log additional supervised work before reapplying — which means more time as an apprentice at apprentice wages rather than journeyman wages. The indirect cost of delayed licensing can run into thousands in lost earning potential.

The Oregon Electrician License Guide maps every fee at each stage of the licensing pipeline and includes a cost calculator that accounts for both BCD and CCB expenses, so you can budget the full pathway from apprentice to independent contractor.

See more Oregon guides →