LicensebyState

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

Washington has reciprocity agreements with 1 state. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Washington journeyman electrician · “General Journey Level Electrician (01)”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 4 sources

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.

States Washington reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 1Experience credit 33No credit 16
Every state's path into Washington
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-23
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-23
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-23
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
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-23
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
MaineExperience credit2026-09-23
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
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-23
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
OregonReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-23
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
UtahExperience credit2026-09-23
VermontExperience credit2026-09-23
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-23
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-23
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-23
WyomingExperience credit2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Washington from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 11 sources

General journey level electrician (01) by examination

Since July 1, 2023, Washington qualifies new general journey level (01) electricians through registered apprenticeship: the candidate completes the work experience and education requirements of an 8,000-hour electrical construction apprenticeship registered under chapter 49.04 RCW, with at least 4,000 hours in new commercial or industrial installations. Apprentices work under an electrical training certificate issued by L&I, which is how their hours are recorded. Every candidate must be at least 16 and must have completed 96 hours of L&I-approved basic trainee classes. After L&I approves the exam application, the candidate schedules the open-book exam with PSI and must score at least 70 percent on each section, including a Washington laws and rules section on chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC.

The exam has two sections based on the 2020 National Electrical Code: NEC and theory (about 60 questions, 3 hours) and Washington laws and rules (about 17 questions, 1 hour). Candidates may bring the NEC, other original copyrighted references and printed copies of chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC in a three-ring binder. All sections must be passed within one year of the exam approval letter; the wait after a failed attempt is two weeks, and three months after failing a section three times within the year. Working in the trade requires an L&I electrical training certificate ($48.10 online or $56.00 by mail), renewed every two years with 48 hours of basic trainee classes. A two-year electrical construction program at a public community or technical college or an accredited trade school may substitute for up to two years of the apprenticeship's work experience. The temporary route that let trainees with 3,000 hours before July 1, 2023 qualify without an apprenticeship closed to new exam applications on July 1, 2026. The first certificate runs 25 to 36 months depending on the exam date and the holder's birthdate.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 3 years
Continuing education
24 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Complete a registered apprenticeship (8,000 hours): Completed the work experience and education requirements of an 8,000-hour electrical construction trade apprenticeship registered under chapter 49.04 RCW.At least 4,000 hours must be new commercial or industrial installations supervised by a master journey level or journey level electrician, and no more than 4,000 hours may come from specialty work. Hours from specialties that require less than 4,000 hours are not credited.
  • Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • Be at least 16 years old.

Other ways to qualify

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

Equivalent out-of-state apprenticeship

An 8,000-hour electrical construction apprenticeship completed in another jurisdiction qualifies if it is equivalent to a Washington-registered program.

  • Complete a registered apprenticeship (8,000 hours): Completed an 8,000-hour electrical construction trade apprenticeship in another jurisdiction equivalent to a program registered under chapter 49.04 RCW.At least 4,000 hours must be new commercial or industrial installations.
  • Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.

Journey level certificate from another state, obtained by examination

A journey level certificate earned by examination in a state that requires at least 8,000 hours of supervised experience qualifies the holder for the Washington exam. L&I asks for a notarized letter from that state's licensing agency confirming the license is active, its type, that it was obtained by examination, and that the minimum experience was met.

  • Journey level electrician certificate obtained through examination in a state requiring at least 8,000 hours of supervised electrical construction experience, at least 4,000 of them in new commercial or industrial installationsOnly experience gained in the issuing state, plus limited military experience, counts toward the 8,000 hours.
  • Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.

16,000 hours of out-of-state experience

  • You must document at least 16,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Out-of-state electrical construction experience, at least 4,000 hours in new commercial or industrial installations, documented by an original notarized letter from a licensed electrical contractor, registered apprenticeship training director, nationally recognized contractor or labor organization, or employer, with payroll or similar records.
  • Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.

U.S. armed forces construction battalion

Eight thousand hours of electrical construction experience gained while serving in a construction battalion of the U.S. armed forces qualifies for the exam. L&I evaluates military experience at no charge; the candidate first obtains a training certificate, then submits a DD 214 and VMET.

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Installing and maintaining electrical wiring and equipment while serving in a construction battalion of the U.S. armed forces.
  • Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.

Canadian Red Seal construction electrician

  • Canadian journeyperson construction electrician with at least four years of electrical construction training and a construction electrician Red Seal endorsement held for at least one year
  • Complete at least 96 hours of classroom or related instruction.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($114.60). Journey level electrician exam application fee paid to L&I; includes the original certificate ($44.20 is nonrefundable once the application is submitted).
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Washington General Journey Level Electrician (01) exam, NEC and theory section (about 60 questions, 3 hours), open book, 70 percent to pass; scheduled with PSI after L&I approval.
  3. 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 (about 17 questions, 1 hour), open book, 70 percent to pass.
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. 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; 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.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years with 24 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $92.60 renewal fee.

At least 8 hours must cover changes in the currently adopted National Electrical Code and 4 hours must cover chapter 19.28 RCW and chapter 296-46B WAC; the remaining 12 hours can be any course on L&I's approved lists. First aid classes count for no more than 4 hours, and the same class cannot be credited twice.

Certificates expire on the holder's birthdate. Renewal costs $92.60 online or $106.40 by mail or in person, and the fee doubles after expiration; a certificate expired more than 90 days cannot be renewed.

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

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. L&I - Basic classroom instruction & continuing education · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  2. L&I - Electrical Apprenticeship (01 apprenticeship-only model) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. L&I - Electrical Examination · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. L&I - Electrical Trainee · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. L&I - Electrician certification (journey level and specialty) · Washington State Department of Labor & Industries · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Washington Home Inspector Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Washington State Department of Licensing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. RCW 19.28.191 - Certificate of competency - Eligibility for examination - Rules · RCW 19.28.191 · Washington State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  8. WAC 296-46B-909 - Electrical/telecommunications fees · WAC 296-46B-909 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  9. 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
  10. WAC 296-46B-960 - Administrator and electrician certificate of competency examinations · WAC 296-46B-960 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  11. WAC 296-46B-970 - Electrical training and continuing education · WAC 296-46B-970 · Washington State Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026

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