NEC edition by state
The NEC edition on each state's journeyman exam
Colorado, Maine, Minnesota and Texas test the 2026 NEC. 12 states, including Alabama, California, Delaware, test the 2023 NEC, and 6 still test the 2020 NEC. 17 states have no state journeyman exam. Find yours below, with the bulletin or board page each answer comes from.
Edition on each state's journeyman exam
Each edition below comes from that state's candidate bulletin or the board's own exam page, linked beside it. Where the source is weak or contradicts itself, the table says to check with your board. The code a state adopts for installations can be a different edition from the one its exam tests, so this table answers the exam question only.
| State | Edition on the exam | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Alabama exam guide |
| California | 2023 NEC (since June 1, 2026) | Candidate bulletin · California exam guide |
| Colorado | 2026 NEC (since August 1, 2026) | Candidate bulletin · Colorado exam guide |
| Connecticut | 2020 or 2023 NEC (the bulletin allows any of these) | Candidate bulletin |
| Delaware | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Delaware exam guide |
| District of Columbia | 2011 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Hawaii | 2020 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Idaho | 2017, 2020 or 2023 NEC (the bulletin allows any of these) | Candidate bulletin |
| Iowa | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Iowa exam guide |
| Kentucky | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Kentucky exam guide |
| Maine | 2026 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Maine exam guide |
| Maryland | 2020 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Michigan | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Minnesota | 2026 NEC (since September 8, 2026) | Board minutes |
| Montana | 2020 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Nebraska | 2020 or 2023 NEC (the bulletin allows any of these) | Candidate bulletin |
| New Hampshire | 2017 or 2020 NEC (the bulletin allows any of these) | Candidate bulletin |
| New Mexico | 2020 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Oklahoma | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Oklahoma exam guide |
| South Dakota | 2023 NEC (since December 2, 2024) | Candidate bulletin · South Dakota exam guide |
| Texas | 2026 NEC (since September 1, 2026) | Candidate bulletin · Texas exam guide |
| Utah | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Utah exam guide |
| Vermont | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Vermont exam guide |
| Virginia | 2020 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Washington | 2020 NEC | Candidate bulletin |
| Wisconsin | 2023 NEC | Board page |
| Wyoming | 2023 NEC | Candidate bulletin · Wyoming exam guide |
| Alaska | Check with your board. No official bulletin was found. | Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection Section |
| Arkansas | Check with your board. The bulletin contradicts itself: its exam title says 2020 and its reference list says 2023. | Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, Electrical Examining Board |
| Massachusetts | Check with your board. The bulletin says only "the current, adopted edition" and names no year. | Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Mass. DPL) |
| North Dakota | Check with your board. No official source states the edition. | North Dakota State Electrical Board |
| Oregon | Check with your board. The official document covers the books allowed, not the edition the questions are written to. | Oregon Building Codes Division / Electrical and Elevator Board |
| Rhode Island | Check with your board. No official bulletin was found. | RI Department of Labor and Training, Board of Examiners of Electricians |
| West Virginia | Check with your board. No current official page states the edition, and the state rule (103 CSR 5) names none. | WV State Fire Marshal, Regulatory and Licensing Division |
| Arizona | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Florida | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Georgia | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Illinois | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Indiana | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Kansas | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Louisiana | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Mississippi | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Missouri | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Nevada | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| New Jersey | A state registration exists, but no state journeyman exam was found. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| New York | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| North Carolina | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Ohio | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Pennsylvania | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| South Carolina | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
| Tennessee | No state journeyman license. Journeyman exams, where they exist, are given by cities or counties. | Utah DOPL state-by-state license table |
Sources opened November 10, 2026. Bulletins change: confirm with your own before you buy a code book.
Studying for a 2026 NEC exam with a 2023 book, or the reverse
Do not. Questions are written to one edition, and the two differ in section numbers and in values that change answers, from the dwelling lighting load to GFCI limits. See the 2026 changes that change an exam answer.
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Last verified November 10, 2026.