LicensebyState

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

Texas has reciprocity agreements with 10 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Texas journeyman electrician · “Journeyman Electrician”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)

Texas issues a statewide Journeyman Electrician license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). A new applicant needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician (TDLR's application page specifies a Texas-licensed master) and must pass the PSI-administered journeyman exam, which is open book and, from September 1, 2026, references the 2026 NEC. TDLR has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements with ten states; a qualifying licensee from one of those states is licensed without taking the Texas exam. Licenses are valid for one year and renewed annually.

States Texas reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 10Endorsement 24No credit 16
Every state's path into Texas
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
AlaskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
CaliforniaEndorsement2026-09-23
ColoradoEndorsement2026-09-23
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-23
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-23
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-23
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-23
IdahoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IowaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-23
LouisianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MaineEndorsement2026-09-23
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-23
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-23
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-23
MinnesotaEndorsement2026-09-23
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-23
NebraskaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-23
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-23
New MexicoReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-23
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
OklahomaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
OregonEndorsement2026-09-23
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-23
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
South DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
UtahEndorsement2026-09-23
VermontEndorsement2026-09-23
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-23
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-23
WyomingReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Texas from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 8 sources

Journeyman Electrician license by examination

TDLR issues the Journeyman Electrician license to an applicant who documents 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas and passes the journeyman exam. Anyone doing electrical work in Texas must be licensed, so those hours are normally worked under a TDLR apprentice electrician license, which is open to applicants 16 and older. You may apply and sit the exam once you have 7,000 documented hours, but the license is not issued until all 8,000 hours are verified. The exam is given by PSI in two open-book portions, NEC knowledge and calculations, and you must score at least 70% on each. Texas has no separate law or business exam for individual electricians.

The application is filed by mail with an Experience Verification Form signed by each supervising master electrician, and TDLR may contact supervisors to confirm the hours. Once TDLR approves the application, PSI sends instructions for scheduling the exam. The NEC knowledge portion has 59 questions in 130 minutes and the calculations portion 26 questions in 110 minutes; candidates bring their own soft-bound National Electrical Code, and exams reference the 2026 NEC from September 1, 2026. Under Occupations Code §1305.1645, TDLR credits verified military service, training or education toward licensing requirements other than the exam. Applicants worried about a criminal record can ask TDLR for a criminal history evaluation before applying, for a $10 fee.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
4 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.On-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas (Tex. Occ. Code §1305.155). 7,000 documented hours are enough to take the exam early.

Other ways to qualify

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

Holder of a Texas municipal or regional journeyman license

An applicant who holds a journeyman electrician license issued by a Texas municipal or regional licensing authority does not have to document on-the-job training. Attach a copy of that license and TDLR's Discontinued Municipal or Regional Licensing Program form to the application. The journeyman exam and fees still apply.

  • Holds a journeyman electrician license issued by a Texas municipal or regional licensing authority

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Journeyman Electrician license application fee (non-refundable), mailed with the paper application.
  2. 2Background check. Complete a background check. TDLR runs a criminal history background check on every applicant. If you have a conviction or deferred adjudication other than a minor traffic violation, attach a Criminal History Questionnaire for each offense..
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Texas Journeyman Electrician exam administered by PSI: NEC knowledge and calculations portions, open book, 70% required on each portion.
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($78). PSI examination fee covering both portions; retaking one or both failed portions also costs $78.

Published fees on this path total $108, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 4 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $30 renewal fee.

Four hours before each annual renewal, taken during the license term being renewed and from a TDLR-registered provider. The coursework must cover the National Electrical Code, the Texas electrician law (Occupations Code Chapter 1305), the electrician rules (16 TAC Chapter 73) and electrical safety under NFPA 70E.

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 · $78

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. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1305 - Electricians · Tex. Occ. Code §§1305.153, 1305.155, 1305.164 · Texas Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  2. PSI - Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Electricians Administrative Rules, 16 TAC Chapter 73 · 16 TAC §§73.20, 73.21, 73.24, 73.80 · Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026
  4. TDLR - Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. TDLR - Electrician Continuing Education · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. TDLR - Electrician Exam Information · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. TDLR Form ELC-LIC-005 - Journeyman Electrician License Application · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  8. TDLR - Renew a Journeyman Electrician License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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