Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07
Code RME
Residential Master Electrician Wisconsin: RME License
The residential master grade is a master card with the scope written around dwellings. It asks two years less than the general master grade and it can be exchanged for a residential journeyman license and back again, which no other Wisconsin grade allows.
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On this page
The scope
Form 3112 describes the master scope as "limited to wiring associated with dwellings, dwelling units and detached accessory buildings," and says non-residential work is done only under a licensed master or journeyman electrician.
So the card carries master responsibility on dwellings, and on anything else the holder works under somebody else's wider license.
How you qualify
SPS 305.435 asks for "at least 1,000 hours per year of experience for at least 5 years in electrical wiring work," with education capped at "no more than 3,000 hours and 3 years."
Form 3112, Rev. 01/08/2024, prints the same five years at 1,000 hours and the same "500 hours for each semester up to a total of 3,000 hours and 3 years" cap.
Note the wording of the work itself. The residential master rule counts "electrical wiring work," while the general master rule counts "electrical construction work." Those are not the same phrase and the difference can matter when your hours are witnessed.
The exchange nobody else gets
SPS 305.435 allows exchanging a residential master license for a residential journeyman license, and back again, on application and fee.
That is unusual in this rule set. It gives a residential master a way to step down without starting again, which is worth knowing if the responsibility side of the card stops fitting the work.
The exam and the fees
Open book, passing score 70 percent, four hours of seat time and a Pearson VUE candidate fee of $95.00. Table 305.02 sets $35 to apply, $30 for the state examination fee and $200 for the license fee.
The residential master row on the permitted materials PDF prints the same three items as the other electrician exams, except item 1 appears without the "In One Binder:" prefix. The binder rule still applies, and the book rules page covers it.
Renewal and continuing education
Four year term, expiring June 30, at a renewal fee of $200.00, the same as the general master grade.
Continuing education is lighter. SPS 305.435 asks for "at least 18 hours of acceptable continuing education," against 24 hours on the general master grade.
The three month document clock applies here too. Form 3112 says documents DSPS requests "must be uploaded within three (3) months from the date they were requested."
No reciprocity route
Form 3112 contains no reciprocity category. Its Category B is the Wisconsin license exchange described above, not an out of state route.
Wisconsin's only master reciprocity route is on form 3107, for an Iowa Master A license acquired through a state examination in Iowa.
How many hold it
The DSPS count file, as of 06/01/2026, gives 352 in state active residential masters, 53 in state inactive, and 436 in total across in state and out of state records.
That is a little larger than the residential journeyman grade and a small fraction of the 5,480 in state active general masters.
Questions people ask
What is a residential master electrician in Wisconsin?
A master electrician whose scope is limited to wiring associated with dwellings, dwelling units and detached accessory buildings. Non-residential work is done under a licensed master or journeyman electrician.
How many years for a Wisconsin residential master license?
At least 1,000 hours per year for at least five years in electrical wiring work, under SPS 305.435, with school credited at 500 hours a semester up to 3,000 hours and three years.
Can I swap a residential master license for a residential journeyman one?
Yes. SPS 305.435 allows the exchange in either direction on application and fee, which is a route no other Wisconsin electrician grade offers.
What does the residential master license cost?
Table 305.02 sets $35 to apply, $30 for the state examination fee and $200 for the license fee. Renewal is $200.00 every four years on June 30.
How much continuing education does a residential master owe?
At least 18 hours of acceptable continuing education under SPS 305.435, over the four year term. The general master grade owes 24 hours.
Is there a reciprocity route for residential master?
No. Form 3112 has no reciprocity category, and Wisconsin's only master reciprocity route is the Iowa Master A route on form 3107.
Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown
Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
What this page cites
- SPS 305.435, Residential master electricians Five years at 1,000 hours a year, the 3,000 hour education cap, the 18 hours and the exchange provision. source
- Form 3112, Rev. 01/08/2024 The scope sentence, the school credit cap and the three month document deadline. source
- DSPS Residential Master exam page Open book, 70 percent, and the reference items as that page words them. source
- DSPS permitted trades exam materials The residential master row, printed without the In One Binder prefix on item 1. source
- DSPS license counts, as of 06/01/2026 The 352 in state active and 436 total residential master records. source
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