District of Columbia to Washington: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Washington has no reciprocity agreement with District of Columbia. Your District of Columbia experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Washington exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Examination with credit for out-of-state certificate or experience (all states except Oregon)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
An electrician from any state other than Oregon applies to take the Washington journey level (01) exam using the Out-of-State Application for Electrical Examination. Eligibility is met with an out-of-state journey level certificate obtained through examination by a jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 hours of supervised experience (with at least 4,000 hours in new commercial or industrial work), with at least 16,000 hours of out-of-state electrical construction experience (4,000 in new commercial or industrial installations), with an equivalent 8,000-hour out-of-state apprenticeship, or with 8,000 hours of electrical construction experience in a U.S. armed forces construction battalion; a Canadian Red Seal construction electrician who has held the endorsement for at least one year also qualifies. Every applicant must also show at least 96 hours of classroom training on the National Electrical Code or electrical theory. Experience is documented with notarized letters from licensed electrical contractors, apprenticeship training directors or employers. After L&I approves the application the applicant schedules the open-book exam with PSI; it has an NEC and theory section and a Washington laws and rules section, and the minimum passing score is 70 percent on each section.
The NEC and theory section has about 60 questions in 3 hours and the Washington laws and rules section (chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC) about 17 questions in 1 hour; printed copies of the RCW and WAC may be brought into the exam in a binder. The exam fee is paid to PSI when scheduling, in addition to the L&I application fee; PSI bills electrician exams and retests by the hour, from $45 for one hour to $105 for seven hours.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- One of: an out-of-state journey level electrician certificate obtained through examination by a state licensing jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 hours of supervised experience; at least 16,000 hours of out-of-state experience in the electrical construction trade; an equivalent 8,000-hour out-of-state apprenticeship; or 8,000 hours of electrical construction experience in a U.S. armed forces construction battalionThe certificate, 16,000-hour and apprenticeship routes each require at least 4,000 hours in new commercial or industrial installations. A Canadian Red Seal journeyperson construction electrician with at least four years of training who has held the endorsement for at least one year also qualifies.
- Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.
What you'll do to get licensed in Washington
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($114.60). Out-of-state electrical examination application fee, submitted with form F626-009-000 (includes original certificate and application processing; $44.20 is nonrefundable once submitted).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Washington General Journey Level Electrician (01) exam, NEC and theory section, open book, minimum score 70 percent; scheduled with PSI after L&I approval.
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Washington laws and rules section on chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC, open book, minimum score 70 percent.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Paid to PSI when scheduling; PSI bills electrician exams and retests by the hour, from $45 for one hour to $105 for seven hours, and the two 01 sections are allotted four hours in total.
Published fees on this path total $114.60, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee
How Washington licenses journeyman electricians
Washington journeyman electrician · “General Journey Level Electrician (01)”
Statewide license
Issued by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Electrical Program
Washington issues a statewide General Journey Level Electrician (01) certificate of competency through the Department of Labor & Industries. An out-of-state electrician can qualify to sit the Washington journey level exam with an out-of-state journey level certificate obtained by examination in a jurisdiction requiring at least 8,000 supervised hours, or with 16,000 hours of documented out-of-state experience; the exam is open book and requires a 70 percent score on each section, including a Washington laws and rules section. Washington's only electrician reciprocity agreement is with Oregon: holders of an Oregon General Journeyman (J) or General Supervising (S) license obtained by Oregon examination can receive the 01 certificate without taking the Washington exam. Certificates renew every three years on the holder's birthdate and require 24 hours of continuing education.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Washington journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Washington requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Washington journeyman electrician license from District of Columbia?
- Published fees on this path total $114.60, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my District of Columbia work hours count in Washington?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Washington's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Washington to District of Columbia?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Washington to District of Columbia, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- L&I - Electrical Examination · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- L&I - Electrician certification (journey level and specialty) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Out of State Application for Electrical Examination (F626-009-000) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Application for a Reciprocal (01) General Journey Level Electrician Certificate (F500-148-000) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Washington Home Inspector Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Washington State Department of Licensing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- RCW 19.28.191 - Certificate of competency - Eligibility for examination - Rules · RCW 19.28.191 · Washington State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- WAC 296-46B-909 - Electrical/telecommunications fees · WAC 296-46B-909 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- WAC 296-46B-945 - Qualifying for master, journey level, specialty electrician examinations · WAC 296-46B-945 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- WAC 296-46B-960 - Administrator and electrician certificate of competency examinations · WAC 296-46B-960 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.