Electrician license

How to become an electrician

To become an electrician, you train as an apprentice under licensed electricians, log the supervised hours your state requires (most often 8,000 for a journeyman license), pass the journeyman exam on the National Electrical Code, and apply to the state or local board. The rules differ by state, so the steps below link to each state's requirements, taken from its own board.

1. Find out who licenses electricians where you will work

Licensing is set by each state, and in some states by each city or county. Of the 50 states and DC, 35 license journeyman electricians statewide, 10 license only electrical contractors, and 6 leave electrician licensing to cities and counties. Your state's page says which, and names the local licenses where the state has none. Find your state.

2. Start as an apprentice or trainee

You learn the trade by working under licensed electricians while you study, through a registered apprenticeship, a union or contractor program, or a trade school combined with work. 28 of the 50 states and DC issue an apprentice or trainee registration or license, and where one exists you may need it before your hours count. Check your state's page before you start, so the hours you work are hours that count.

3. Log the experience your state requires

For a journeyman license the most common requirement is 8,000 hours of supervised experience, in 26 states; across the 29 states that state it in hours, the range is 8,000 to 16,000 hours. Some states count classroom hours toward the total, some state the requirement in years, and most want the hours documented by the electricians or employers you worked for.

4. Pass the journeyman exam

The journeyman exam is multiple choice on the National Electrical Code and electrical calculations, often open book. The state decides the code edition, the number of questions, the time and the passing score, and they differ: see your state's page, or which NEC edition each state tests. More on the journeyman exam.

5. Apply, then renew

You apply to the board with proof of your hours and your exam result, pay the license fee, and renew on the state's schedule, usually with continuing education on the current code. Each state page gives the application page, the renewal period and the continuing education hours.

6. Master and contractor licenses

With more experience you can take the master electrician exam, and to run a business most states also require an electrical contractor license, often with insurance and a business or law exam. Master electrician license by state.

Journeyman requirements in every state

Electrician license requirements by state · How to become an electrician · Journeyman electrician license · Master electrician license

Last verified November 11, 2026.