LicensebyState

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

Hawaii has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Hawaii journeyman electrician · “Journey Worker Electrician (EJ)”

Statewide license

Verified September 15, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division)

Hawaii issues a statewide Journey Worker Electrician (EJ) license through the Board of Electricians and Plumbers in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and under HAR §16-80-4 anyone who performs electrical work in the state must hold it (or work under a licensee who is physically present). Eligibility under HRS §448E-5(b) is five years full-time and not less than 10,000 hours of residential or commercial wiring experience under a journey worker or supervising electrician, plus 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii community college, followed by the PSI-administered open-book Hawaii exam. Narrower journey-level classes exist for industrial (EJI, 8,000 hours), specialty/low-voltage (EJS, 6,000 hours) and maintenance (EM) electricians. The Board's application form states that Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction: an out-of-state journeyman license is never exchanged for a Hawaii license and the exam is never waived, but out-of-state work experience counts in full when verified by the licensed electrician (or, where that state licenses only contractors, the licensed contractor) under whom it was earned. Licenses run on a three-year cycle ending June 30 (2026, 2029, 2032) and renewal requires an NEC update course.

Every origin state

Experience credit 34No credit 16
Every state's path into Hawaii
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-15
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-15
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-15
CaliforniaExperience credit2026-09-15
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-15
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-15
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-15
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-15
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-15
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
IowaExperience credit2026-09-15
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-15
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MaineExperience credit2026-09-15
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-15
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-15
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-15
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-15
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-15
NebraskaExperience credit2026-09-15
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
New HampshireExperience credit2026-09-15
New JerseyExperience credit2026-09-15
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-15
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-15
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-15
OregonExperience credit2026-09-15
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-15
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-15
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-15
TexasExperience credit2026-09-15
UtahExperience credit2026-09-15
VermontExperience credit2026-09-15
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-15
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-15
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-15
WyomingExperience credit2026-09-15

Getting licensed in Hawaii from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Journey Worker Electrician (EJ) by examination

Hawaii issues the Journey Worker Electrician (EJ) license to applicants who are at least 18, have five years of full-time experience (at least 10,000 hours) in residential or commercial wiring under the supervision of a journey worker or supervising electrician, and have completed 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii community college. Until licensed, you may do electrical work only as an apprentice or helper under a licensed electrician who is physically present on the job site. You file the application with notarized Experience Verification forms signed by each licensed electrician you worked under, and the Board of Electricians and Plumbers reviews it at one of its meetings. Once approved, you register with PSI for the open-book Hawaii Journey Worker Electrician exam, and the license fee is due after you pass.

The exam has 70 questions in 180 minutes and requires a score of at least 70%; the test center provides the 2020 National Electrical Code. There is no separate law exam. Board meetings are usually held in February, April, June, August, October and December, and a complete application must arrive at least seven days before the meeting. Exam eligibility lasts two years from the approval letter, with unlimited attempts during that time. Coursework not already on the Board's approved list must be sent to Honolulu Community College for review; a certificate of completion from an approved apprenticeship program is accepted as proof. An electrician license does not allow you to contract for electrical work, which needs a separate contractor's license under HRS chapter 444.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 3 years

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least five years full-time or its equivalent (HRS §448E-5(b)(1)(A)), verified on notarized forms signed by each licensed electrician you worked under. Self-employed licensed electrical contractors may self-attest.
  • Complete at least 240 hours of classroom or related instruction.Required by HRS §448E-5(b)(1)(B). Apprenticeship, college or military training from elsewhere counts once Honolulu Community College reviews it and accepts it as equivalent.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($40). Non-refundable application fee payable to Commerce and Consumer Affairs, filed with the Application for Exam and License (form EP-01).
  2. 2Background check. Complete a background check. Required only if you report a criminal conviction: a Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center criminal history record check dated within six months (plus one from each other state where a conviction occurred), with a signed explanation and the court documents..
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Hawaii Journey Worker Electrician exam administered by PSI: 70 questions, 180 minutes, open book with the 2020 NEC provided, 70% to pass.
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($95). Paid directly to PSI Services when scheduling; non-refundable, and each retake costs another $95.
  5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($306). Due after you pass the exam. $306 if licensed in the first year of the three-year licensing period (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), $204 in the second year and $102 in the third.

Published fees on this path total $441, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years and a $306 renewal fee.

Before each renewal, complete a course on the current National Electrical Code updates through Honolulu Community College or the Hawaii Electricians Training Fund, or pass a board-prescribed NEC update exam. A license first issued within one year of the renewal date is exempt for that first renewal. The Board does not publish the course length in hours.

All electrician licenses expire on June 30 every three years (2029, 2032), whatever the issue date. On-time renewal for an active license is $306.

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
  • Exam fee · $95

Sources for this section

  1. DCCA PVL - Requirements for Examination and License, Electricians and Plumbers (Forms EP-00 / EP-01, rev. 06/2026) · HRS ch. 448E; HAR ch. 16-80 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. DCCA PVL - Board of Electricians and Plumbers · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. DCCA PVL - Electrician Continuing Competency Requirements · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. DCCA PVL - Electrician and Plumber Application Deadline and Examination Dates · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 80 - Electricians and Plumbers · HAR §§16-80-3, 16-80-4, 16-80-5, 16-80-6 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
  6. HRS §448E-5 - Minimum requirements (electricians and plumbers) · HRS §448E-5(b)(5)-(6) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. HRS §448E-5.5 - Examination · HRS §448E-5.5 · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
  8. HRS §448E-8 - Fees; renewals · HRS §448E-8(b), (d) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  9. HRS §448E-8.5 - Continued competency; license renewals · HRS §448E-8.5(b)-(c) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  10. Hawaii Contractor Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI Services LLC, 1/20/2026) · PSI Services LLC for the Hawaii DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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