Pennsylvania crane operator license

Who needs the license

The rule says a person who operates a crane in Pennsylvania must be licensed, or be authorized to operate as a registered trainee. The rule defines a crane as a power-operated hoisting machine with a winch, load line and a boom that swings by rotating, rated at 15 tons or more. Tower cranes are counted at 10 meter-tons or more. The definition lists exclusions, including forklifts, digger derrick trucks, bucket trucks, tow and wrecking cranes used for towing, locomotive cranes, cranes in longshore or manufacturing use, and cranes in coal mining. Read the definition against your machine.

How certification connects to the license

To qualify, you must be 18 or older, be of good moral character, show current certification (the rule defines this as NCCCO, or another organization the board finds equivalent), state that a physician has found you physically capable of operating a crane, and pay the fees. Your proof is your written and practical score reports, plus a waiver letting the certifier release your status to the board.

The license follows the certification. It covers only the crane type you are certified for and is valid only while that certification is current. The rule lists the specialties that need their own license as tower cranes, lattice boom crawlers, lattice boom trucks, and telescopic boom cranes with a rotating or a fixed control station. The board describes other paths for people who cannot certify, and for operators licensed in another state. Those have their own sections, which we did not summarize.

Trainees

A trainee may operate to gain experience, but only under the immediate supervision of a crane operator, and the supervisor may do nothing else and may supervise one trainee at a time. The trainee is 18 or older, registers with the board, and attaches a passing written exam score from a certifying organization. That authorization is valid for one year from the written pass. After certifying, a trainee may not keep operating as a trainee for more than 90 days, unless the board allows 90 more while a license application is pending.

Fees and renewal

The fee section lists $100 for the initial application, $130 for the biennial renewal, $15 to verify a license, $70 to add a crane specialty, and $100 for trainee registration. The section carries an amendment date of 2014, so confirm the figures on the board's page before you pay.

Licenses renew every two years. A renewal needs proof of current certification and your averment that a physician has examined you to the ASME B30.5 standard. If your certification will lapse before the license period ends, the rule says to send proof that you recertified before it does. The board's page says you can send it by email with your name and license number. Failing to maintain certification can lead to discipline. The NCCCO recertification guide covers that cycle.

What the exams cover

The state's rules point to NCCCO certification, and we do not cite an agency source for how those exams are built. Our guides cover it: see the Core exam guide and the specialty exams comparison.

How the free check fits

On the certification route, the rules ask for your NCCCO score reports rather than a separate state exam, so your preparation is for the NCCCO written exams. The free written check shows your score by domain, so you know what to study first. It is not a Pennsylvania exam and does not predict a result.

To look up a Pennsylvania license, the hub guide explains the state's online verification route. For a state with a separate exam, see the Connecticut guide.

Sources

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• State Board of Crane Operators, Pennsylvania Department of State. Board role, trainee registration, and how to send recertification evidence. Checked 26 Oct 2026.
• 49 Pa. Code Chapter 6, Pennsylvania Code. Sections 6.2 (definitions), 6.11 to 6.14 (qualifications, certification, trainees, specialties), 6.32 (renewal). Checked 26 Oct 2026.
• 49 Pa. Code section 6.4, Fees, Pennsylvania Code. Checked 26 Oct 2026.