Washington electrician license requirements

Apprentice or trainee

• A trainee certificate is required. Minimum age is 16, and you need a Social Security number or ITIN.
• Trainee certificate: $56 by mail or in person, $48.10 online. It renews every 2 years.
• You become a registered apprentice when you enroll in an approved program. The program sets its own classroom schedule.

Journeyman

• 8,000 hours, with at least 4,000 in new industrial or commercial installations and no more than 4,000 in specialty work.
• 96 hours of basic classroom instruction.
• Since July 1, 2026, general journey-level applicants must complete a registered apprenticeship or equivalent.
• Other routes in law: an equivalent out-of-state apprenticeship, an out-of-state journey certificate requiring 8,000 hours, 16,000 out-of-state hours, or 8,000 hours in a military construction battalion.

Exam and application

1. 1.

   Your apprenticeship completion is reported to L&I. Then schedule the exam with PSI.

2. 2.

   The exam is open book. You need 70% on every section.

3. 3.

   Retake only the sections you failed after 2 weeks. After three failures, wait 3 months. Pass all sections within a year.

Fees

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

Reciprocity

Agreement-based. Oregon general journeymen with 8,000 hours and at least 576 classroom hours, and Montana applicants with apprenticeship documentation, can apply. Not available if you failed a Washington exam in the last 2 years.

Good to know

• L&I fees rose 6.51% on July 1, 2026. Confirm the amount in the current fee table before you pay.