In the state of Indiana, the licensing of Electrical Contractors is done on the county level instead of the state level. Within each county, the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (which is also the Indiana Department of Fire and Building Safety) sets the rules for becoming an electrician. Interested applicants who wish to become licensed electrical contractor should seek county specific information on licensing at the City Controller’s Office of the city in which they reside. However, there are some similarities among counties, and the two counties of Gary and Bloomington provide representative examples of the type of requirements you can expect to face in Indiana.

Age and Citizenship

Generally, each county in Indiana requires that applicants for an electricians license are United States citizens or resident aliens. Applicants should also be at least 21 years old.

Written Examination

In every county, applicants must successfully pass some type of written examination. There may be slight differences in the content of the exam. For example, in Gary, Indiana applicants need to simply take a contractors written examination whereas in Bloomington, applicants must pass an examination before the licensing Board. In each case, the examination is a measure of the applicant’s ability, training and experience in the field as an electrical contractor.

Application to the Licensing Board

Upon successful completion of the exam, all counties require some type of application for the licensing exam. The specific type of application and requirements varies. For example, the city of Gary, Indiana requires applicants to appear before the county licensing board for an oral interview after successful passage of the examination. At this interview, the applicant will receive approval to receive an electrical contractor’s license enabling them to work within the city of Gary. Unlike the city of Gary, the city of Bloomington does not require applicants to appear before a licensing board. Instead it offers two types of electrical contracting licenses: (a) residential contractor and (b) commercial, industrial electrical contractor. The premier difference between the two lay in the licensing fees. For licensure as a residential electrical contractor there is a $35 registration and examination fee with an additional $50 for license issuance. For the commercial industrial electrical contractor license there is a $50 registration and examination fee with an additional $100 fee for license issuance.