Utah Electrician Continuing Education

16 Hours Every Two Years — Here's the Breakdown

Every licensed Journeyman, Residential Journeyman, Master, and Residential Master Electrician in Utah must complete 16 hours of board-approved continuing education before each biennial renewal. The deadline is November 30 of even-numbered years, and the hours must be completed within the current two-year cycle; check the current DOPL rule before assuming surplus hours can carry over.

The 16 hours aren't interchangeable. Under R156-55b-304, they break down into two categories:

12 Core hours, which must include:

• 8 hours minimum covering National Electrical Code (NEC) changes — updates, amendments, and practical application of the currently adopted edition
• 4 hours minimum of NFPA 70E electrical safety training — arc flash hazard analysis, approach boundaries, and PPE selection

4 Professional hours covering safety practices, business management, trade skills, or other board-approved topics outside the core NEC/NFPA 70E requirements.

Approved Providers and Online Options

All CE courses must come from providers approved by the Electricians and Plumbers Licensing Board. You can take courses online or in person — DOPL accepts both formats as long as the provider is board-approved.

Several online providers offer the full 16-hour package in a single enrollment. In-person options are available through organizations like the Utah Electrical Training Alliance and various technical colleges.

Before enrolling, confirm that the provider is currently approved and that the specific course covers the hour categories you need. A 16-hour "electrical update" class that doesn't include the required 4 hours of NFPA 70E content won't satisfy the renewal requirement, even if it meets the total hour count.

Verifying Your Hours Are Reported

Approved providers are supposed to report your completed hours directly to the state CE registry. But "supposed to" and "did" are different things.

Check the Utah public CE registry before your renewal deadline to confirm that every course you completed actually appears in the system. If your hours aren't showing, contact the course provider first — they may need to resubmit. If that doesn't resolve it, contact DOPL directly.

Waiting until the last week before the November 30 deadline to discover your hours weren't reported leaves no margin for correction. Check at least a month early.

Common Mistakes

Taking non-approved courses. Generic electrical safety webinars or manufacturer training sessions may not carry board approval. Verify before you invest time in a course that won't count.

Misallocating hour categories. Completing 16 hours of pure NEC content satisfies the total but does not satisfy the 4-hour NFPA 70E requirement. The course record must meet both category requirements.

Assuming apprentices need CE. Apprentice electricians are exempt from continuing education requirements. CE obligations begin when you hold a Journeyman or Master license.

Letting hours lapse. If you don't complete CE before the renewal deadline, you can't renew. The license expires, and reinstatement after 30 days requires additional fees and paperwork. After two years without renewal, you may need to reapply from scratch.

The Utah Electrician License Guide includes the CE verification checklist and renewal timeline, so you can track your hours and stay ahead of the biennial deadline.

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