LicensebyState

Moving to Delaware as a journeyman electrician: every state's rule

Delaware has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Delaware journeyman electrician · “Journeyperson Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners (Division of Professional Regulation)

Delaware issues a statewide Journeyperson Electrician license through the Board of Electrical Examiners in the Division of Professional Regulation; a lesser Residential Electrician license (4,000 hours plus a residential exam) also exists. A new journeyperson must be at least 20 and either hold a certificate of completion from a Board-approved apprenticeship (no further exam) or document over 8,000 hours of full-time electrical work under a licensed master electrician (at least 4,000 of them directly under a master) and pass the Prov-administered journeyperson exam with 75%, using only the NEC as a reference. The application fee is $105. Out-of-state journeypersons are licensed by reciprocity under 24 Del. C. § 1409 without a Delaware exam: the Board decides case by case whether the origin state's requirements are substantially similar (Regulation 11.4 sets the benchmark at 4 years of supervised experience, a licensing exam and 5 hours of NEC continuing education) and otherwise requires five years of licensed practice. Unlike the master level, the Board publishes no list of substantially-similar states for journeypersons. Licenses run two years and renew with continuing education.

Every origin state

Endorsement 34No credit 16
Every state's path into Delaware
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-15
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasEndorsement2026-09-15
CaliforniaEndorsement2026-09-15
ColoradoEndorsement2026-09-15
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-15
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-15
IdahoEndorsement2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaEndorsement2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineEndorsement2026-09-15
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-15
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-15
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-15
MinnesotaEndorsement2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-15
NebraskaEndorsement2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-15
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-15
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-15
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-15
OregonEndorsement2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-15
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasEndorsement2026-09-15
UtahEndorsement2026-09-15
VermontEndorsement2026-09-15
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-15
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-15
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-15
WyomingEndorsement2026-09-15

Getting licensed in Delaware from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Delaware issues a journeyman electrician license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Journeyperson Electrician by examination or apprenticeship certificate

Delaware's Board of Electrical Examiners issues the Journeyperson Electrician license to applicants at least 20 years old in one of two ways. Applicants who document more than 8,000 hours of full-time electrical work under licensed supervision, at least 4,000 of them under a licensed master electrician, apply by examination and must pass the journeyperson exam. Applicants holding a certificate of completion from an apprenticeship registered with a Department of Labor or the IBEW apply by certificate and do not take the exam. Applications are filed in DELPROS; once the Board approves an exam application, Prov emails the candidate its Candidate Information Bulletin and scheduling instructions. The exam is open book and requires a score of 75%, and there is no separate law or business exam.

Anyone doing electrical work in Delaware must be licensed, so hours worked in the state are normally earned under a Delaware Apprentice Electrician license (age 18 and enrolled in a Board-approved apprenticeship program). Each supervisor must send a Verification of Employment form directly to the Board; W-2s with a letter explaining why a form cannot be obtained may substitute. The Board's licensing FAQ also asks exam applicants for proof of completing an apprenticeship related-instruction or school program. A Delaware Limited Electrician license counts as 4,000 hours toward the 8,000, and military training can be documented with official records from supervising officials. The journeyperson exam has 70 questions in 3 hours; the Board's rule allows the NEC as the reference, and Prov's bulletin lists the books permitted in the testing room. A failed exam can be retaken after 7 days, an approval to test is valid for two years, and a candidate who passes must activate the license within 12 months or retake the exam. Journeypersons do not need liability insurance. A criminal conviction substantially related to electrical work bars licensure unless the Board grants a waiver.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Prov
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
5 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 4,000 of the hours must be under a licensed master electrician. All experience must be complete before the exam.
  • Be at least 20 years old.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Registered apprenticeship certificate (no exam)

An applicant who holds a certificate of completion (journey papers) from an apprenticeship registered with the U.S. or a state Department of Labor, or with the IBEW, applies for licensure by certificate and is not required to pass the journeyperson exam. Graduates of Delaware's Board-approved school apprenticeship programs that are not registered with the Department of Labor or IBEW are not eligible for this route and apply by examination.

  • Complete a registered apprenticeship: Certificate of completion from an electrical apprenticeship registered with a Department of Labor (any state) or the IBEW.
  • Be at least 20 years old.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($105). Journeyperson Electrician application fee, paid in DELPROS; nonrefundable.
  2. 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). Per exam attempt, paid to Prov when scheduling (examination route only).
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Delaware Journeyperson Electrician exam (Prov): 70 questions, 3 hours, open book; 75% to pass. Not required on the apprenticeship certificate route..
  4. 4Other. Licensure verification sent directly to the Board from every state or jurisdiction where you hold or have held a license.

Published fees on this path total $205, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 5 hours of continuing education per cycle.

5 hours of Board-approved continuing education related to the National Electrical Code each two-year period. At the first renewal, no hours are due if licensed less than a year and 2 hours if licensed one to two years. Enrollment in a Board-approved apprenticeship counts toward the hours.

All Delaware electrician licenses expire June 30 of even-numbered years. DPR states the renewal fee in the renewal notice rather than publishing it; renewing late, within one year, adds a late fee of 50% of the renewal fee.

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

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. 24 DE Admin. Code 1400 - Board of Electrical Examiners regulations (compiled text) · 24 DE Admin. Code 1400 §§ 2.0-8.0 · Delaware Registrar of Regulations / Board of Electrical Examiners · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. 24 Del. C. Chapter 14, Subchapter II - License (Board of Electrical Examiners) · 24 Del. C. §§ 1407-1411 · Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online) · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners - Board-Approved Apprenticeship Programs for Apprentice Electrician Licensure 2023 · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Continuing Education and Audit Information · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Delaware DPR / Department of Labor - Electrical Licensing FAQs and journeyperson pathway flyer · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Delaware DPR - Board of Electrical Examiners examination information (Prov) · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Fee Schedule · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Delaware DPR - Apply for a Journeyperson Electrician license (certificate, examination or reciprocity) · 24 Del. C. § 1408(a)(5); 24 DE Admin. Code 1400 § 11.0 · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  9. Delaware DPR - Home Inspector License Renewal · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  10. Delaware Division of Professional Regulation - Candidate Information Bulletin (ProV, 2022.03.09) · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation / Prov, Inc. · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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