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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Code BE

Wisconsin Registered Electrician: The Entry Credential

This is the credential that lets somebody with no hours start work legally on their first day. It also carries the heaviest continuing education load in the whole set, 24 hours inside a one year term, which is the part nobody mentions at the interview.

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On this page
  1. What it is
  2. What it asks for
  3. The rule that limits how many of you a site can carry
  4. What it costs and how long it lasts
  5. The continuing education load, and why it is the heaviest
  6. How many people hold it
  7. Where it leads
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

What it is

The registered electrician enrollment is one of the two ways Wis. Stat. 101.862(2) lets a person touch electrical wiring in Wisconsin. The other is an electrician license.

DSPS describes the role in one sentence: a registered electrician "shall perform electrical wiring activities under the direct supervision of a person who holds a license either as a licensed Master Electrician or a licensed Journeyman Electrician."

Direct supervision is the phrase to hold on to. The apprentice registration uses general supervision and names a master, which is a looser arrangement than the one you are under here.

What it asks for

Almost nothing. SPS 305.45 requires "an application, application fee, and registration fee" and sets no experience or schooling floor, and no examination is specified.

Form 3108, Rev. 01/08/2024, likewise lists no education or experience requirement. That is unusual, and it is why the enrollment is the standard first step for a Wisconsin electrician with no background in the trade.

The rule that limits how many of you a site can carry

SPS 305.40 sets a staffing ratio: "The total number of registered beginning electricians at an installation site may not exceed twice the total number of licensed or registered master electricians and journeyman electricians at the installation site plus two."

So a site with one journeyman and one master can carry six registered electricians, and no more. If a job offer depends on you being the seventh, the offer has a problem the employer may not have noticed.

What it costs and how long it lasts

Table 305.02 sets the application fee at $15 and the enrollment fee at $20. Table 305.06 gives the term as one year, expiring on the date of issuance rather than a fixed calendar date.

The DSPS renewal schedule prints the renewal fee as $20.00, on the date of issuance, every year.

The continuing education load, and why it is the heaviest

SPS 305.45 sets the term at one year: "The renewal of a registered electrician enrollment shall be for a term of one year." The same section requires "at least 24 hours of acceptable continuing education prior to the expiration date."

Read those two sentences together. That is 24 hours every year for the entry credential, while a journeyman owes 24 hours every four years. It is the rule as written, and it is the single most surprising number in Wisconsin's electrician rules.

There is one exemption in the same section: individuals in a youth apprenticeship program under Wis. Stat. 106.13 are exempt from the continuing education requirement.

How many people hold it

The DSPS count file, as of 06/01/2026, shows 2,518 in state active registered electricians and 9,122 in state inactive, for an in state total of 11,640. Adding out of state holders takes the total to 15,184, of whom 3,125 are active.

The inactive column is larger than the active one by a wide margin, which fits a credential that has to be renewed every year with 24 hours of class behind it.

Where it leads

The enrollment is not a dead end. Hours worked as a registered electrician are hours, and they feed the experience routes on the journeyman license and the residential grades.

Keep the paper as you go, because the licensed grades are filed with an Experience Table carrying witness signatures. The hours page covers what counts and what school is worth.

Questions people ask

What is a registered electrician in Wisconsin?

An enrolled entry credential, code BE, that lets a person perform electrical wiring activities under the direct supervision of a licensed master or journeyman electrician. SPS 305.45 sets no experience or schooling requirement for it.

Is there an exam for the Wisconsin registered electrician enrollment?

No. Neither SPS 305.45 nor form 3108 specifies an examination. The enrollment is granted on an application, an application fee and a registration fee.

How much does a Wisconsin registered electrician enrollment cost?

Table 305.02 sets a $15 application fee and a $20 enrollment fee. The DSPS renewal schedule prints the yearly renewal fee as $20.00.

How much continuing education does a registered electrician need?

At least 24 hours before the expiration date, under SPS 305.45, and the term is one year. That is the same 24 hour figure a journeyman meets once every four years.

Who is exempt from the continuing education?

SPS 305.45 exempts individuals in a youth apprenticeship program under Wis. Stat. 106.13. Everyone else in the enrollment owes the hours before the expiration date.

How many registered electricians can work on one site?

SPS 305.40 caps registered beginning electricians at twice the number of licensed or registered master electricians and journeyman electricians on the site, plus two.

Put it to the test

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What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, Pearson VUE, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Wisconsin examinations are open book, and the allowance is a generous one: the code book or handbook, one binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, and up to two bound reference books. The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 National Electrical Code, DSPS expects its exam updates to be completed by 1 October 2026, and the trade press reports the questions changing from that date. The field code, SPS 316, went to the 2023 edition on 1 September 2026, so for one month the book you work to and the book you test on are different.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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