Texas electrician license requirements

Apprentice or trainee

• An apprentice license is required. It needs no prior experience and no exam.
• Apprentice application: $20. Renewal: $20 a year.
• Apprentices can meet the yearly education requirement by enrolling in a TDLR-registered apprenticeship training course.

Journeyman

• 8,000 on-the-job hours under a Texas master electrician.
• You can apply and test after 7,000 hours, but the license issues only after 8,000 hours are verified.
• Your experience records must show the required supervision.

Exam and application

1. 1.

   Apply to TDLR. After approval, schedule with PSI.

2. 2.

   The exam is open book (2026 NEC, soft-bound) and you need 70% to pass.

3. 3.

   Since March 11, 2025, the journeyman exam is given in two parts: knowledge and calculations.

Fees

Exam vendors often charge their own testing fee on top of state fees.

Reciprocity

Available with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming. You need to have passed the other state's exam, held the license for a year and logged 8,000 hours under a master. Fee: $30.

Good to know

• About 27.5% of journeyman exam takers passed in fiscal 2025, according to TDLR statistics.