LicensebyState

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

Oregon has reciprocity agreements with 7 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Oregon journeyman electrician · “General Journeyman Electrician (J)”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services)

Oregon issues a statewide General Journeyman Electrician (J) license through the Building Codes Division. An applicant without a reciprocal license must document either an approved apprenticeship, or 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience earned outside Oregon, or 16,000 out-of-state on-the-job hours, and then pass the Oregon journeyman exam. Under ORS 479.630 an Oregon Limited Residential Electrician may also qualify after two years under that license plus two more years of apprenticeship-level commercial and industrial work. Oregon has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements with Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington and Wyoming; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without taking the Oregon exam. Licenses renew every three years on October 1 and require 24 hours of continuing education.

States Oregon reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 7Experience credit 27No credit 16
Every state's path into Oregon
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-23
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
CaliforniaExperience credit2026-09-23
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-23
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-23
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-23
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-23
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
HawaiiExperience credit2026-09-23
IdahoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IowaExperience credit2026-09-23
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-23
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MaineReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-23
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-23
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-23
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-23
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MontanaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
NebraskaExperience credit2026-09-23
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
New HampshireExperience credit2026-09-23
New JerseyExperience credit2026-09-23
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-23
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-23
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-23
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-23
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-23
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
TexasExperience credit2026-09-23
UtahReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
VermontExperience credit2026-09-23
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-23
WashingtonReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-23
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-23
WyomingReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Oregon from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 12 sources

General Journeyman Electrician (J) by examination

Oregon issues the General Journeyman Electrician (J) license to applicants who qualify through training and experience and then pass the state journeyman exam. The main route is completing an approved electrical apprenticeship in Oregon; applicants trained elsewhere may instead document classroom training plus on-the-job hours, or twice the on-the-job hours without classroom training. Applicants file the Electrical License Application (form 440-2570) with one experience verification form per employer and proof of a high school diploma or GED. Once the application is approved, the Building Codes Division mails a letter of authorization, and the applicant schedules the open-book exam at a state test location within 60 days.

The exam is prepared by the Electrical and Elevator Board and given by the Building Codes Division at test sites around the state; there is no separate law exam. Approved references include the National Electrical Code with Oregon amendments, ORS chapter 479 and OAR chapter 918; tabs and margin notes are allowed, practice tests are not. Results are mailed in about two weeks, and an applicant who fails must wait 30 days before retesting. The division credits no more than 2,000 hours of experience per year. The License Directory lists application processing of 2 to 3 weeks.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Oregon Building Codes Division
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
24 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Complete a registered apprenticeship (4 years): Completion of an approved electrical apprenticeship in Oregon.ORS 479.630 requires at least four years of experience as an apprentice or its equivalent, including at least 1,000 hours of wiring in single or multifamily dwellings. An out-of-state apprenticeship is accepted only if it meets the Oregon apprenticeship standard.
  • High school diploma, GED or international equivalent; a college degree substitutes

Other ways to qualify

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

576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of experience

Official transcripts showing 576 hours of related electrical training with passing grades, plus 8,000 verified hours of on-the-job experience obtained outside Oregon. The hours must cover the work categories in OAR 918-282-0170, with at least 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial work; no single category may count for more than three times its minimum.

  • Complete at least 576 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial installations, plus the other minimum categories in OAR 918-282-0170.
  • High school diploma, GED or international equivalent; a college degree substitutes

16,000 hours of experience without classroom training

Applicants without related training classes may instead document twice the experience: 16,000 verified hours of on-the-job experience obtained outside Oregon, with at least 2,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial work.

  • You must document at least 16,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 2,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial work.
  • High school diploma, GED or international equivalent; a college degree substitutes

Upgrade from Limited Residential Electrician

ORS 479.630 also qualifies an Oregon Limited Residential Electrician who has worked at least two years under that license and then completed two further years as an apprentice or its equivalent, working only in commercial and industrial electrical work under a licensed electrical contractor.

  • Holds an Oregon Limited Residential Electrician (LR) license and has worked at least two years under it
  • You must document at least 2 years of qualifying work experience.
  • High school diploma, GED or international equivalent; a college degree substitutes

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Application and three-year General Journeyman license fee, paid with the Electrical License Application (form 440-2570); nonrefundable. No separate exam fee is listed..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon General Journeyman Electrician exam: 52 questions, 3 hours, open book with approved references; 75 percent to pass.

Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 24 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $100 renewal fee.

24 hours of approved continuing education per three-year cycle, including at least 8 hours of code-change courses and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course. New licensees owe fewer hours at their first renewal: none if licensed within 6 months of the expiration date, 8 hours if within 12 months, and 16 hours if within 24 months.

Licenses expire every three years on October 1.

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. Electrical License Application (form 440-2570), with Experience Verification (440-2570A) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Electrical License Application - Information and instructions (form 440-2570I) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Building Codes Division - Electrical continuing education · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Oregon Building Codes Division - Apply for an electrical license · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026
  5. Building Codes Division - Exam information · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Electrical license exam guidelines (approved exam materials) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Building Codes Division - Licensing exams · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  9. OAR chapter 918, division 30 - Qualifying criteria, continuing education and renewal · OAR 918-030-0030, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0200 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  10. OAR chapter 918, division 282 - Electrical licensing · OAR 918-282-0140, 918-282-0170 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  11. ORS chapter 479 - Protection of Buildings from Fire and Electrical Hazards · ORS 479.630, 479.632, 479.840 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  12. Oregon License Directory - General Journeyman Electrician (J) · Oregon Secretary of State / Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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