West Virginia to Oregon: journeyman electrician license reciprocity
Oregon has no reciprocity agreement with West Virginia. Your West Virginia experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the Oregon exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Examination with credit for out-of-state experience (all non-reciprocal states)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
An electrician licensed in a state without an Oregon reciprocity agreement applies for the General Journeyman license on the standard Electrical License Application and must pass the Oregon journeyman exam (52 questions, three hours, open book; 75 percent to pass). Out-of-state experience counts toward eligibility: either official transcripts showing 576 classroom hours plus verified 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience with at least 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial work, or 16,000 verified on-the-job hours with at least 2,000 hours in each category. Experience is documented with one Electrical Experience Verification Form per employer. Under ORS 479.632 the board may decline to examine an applicant whose out-of-state training or experience it finds not equivalent to Oregon's.
The Oregon journeyman exam is a single open-book exam; no separate law or rules exam is published. A separate application or exam fee could not be confirmed from a machine-readable official source; the License Directory lists only the $100 license fee.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 21 days
What you must already have
- 576 classroom hours of electrical training plus 8,000 verified on-the-job hours obtained outside Oregon (minimum 1,000 hours each in residential, commercial and industrial), OR 16,000 verified on-the-job hours obtained outside Oregon (minimum 2,000 hours in each category).
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). General Journeyman Electrician license fee (three-year license).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon General Journeyman Electrician exam: 52 questions, 3 hours, open book; minimum score 75 percent.
Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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
How Oregon licenses journeyman electricians
Oregon journeyman electrician · “General Journeyman Electrician (J)”
Statewide license
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. 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.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Oregon journeyman electrician exam if I'm licensed in West Virginia?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman electrician license from West Virginia?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my West Virginia work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 21 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to West Virginia?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to West Virginia, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- Oregon Building Codes Division - Apply for an electrical license · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 15, 2026Application steps for individual electrical licenses; notes that reciprocal agreements exist only for the General Supervising Electrician and General Journeyman Electrician licenses, so the LME has no reciprocity.
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Lists reciprocal states per license type: General Journeyman (J): Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Utah, Washington, Wyoming; General Supervising (S): Arkansas, Utah. States the apprenticeship/8,000-hour qualification and the Washington-specific apprenticeship condition.
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General licensing requirements · OAR 918-030-0020, 918-030-0045 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026918-030-0020: an applicant required to pass a written examination must score at least 75 percent.
- OAR chapter 918, division 282 - Electrical licensing · OAR 918-282-0140, 918-282-0170 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 14, 2026918-282-0170 general journeyman experience categories (8,000 hours); 918-282-0140 general supervising electrician (licensed journeyman documents 8,000 additional journeyman hours).
- ORS chapter 479 - Protection of Buildings from Fire and Electrical Hazards · ORS 479.630, 479.632, 479.840 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 14, 2026479.630: general journeyman requires four years as apprentice or equivalent and a written exam; general supervising requires four years as general journeyman or equivalent and a written exam. 479.632: the board may refuse to examine an applicant whose out-of-state training or experience is not equivalent.
- Oregon License Directory - General Journeyman Electrician (J) · Oregon Secretary of State / Building Codes Division · Agency Page · verified September 14, 2026Eligibility paths including out-of-state 576 classroom hours + 8,000 OJT hours or 16,000 OJT hours; exam 52 questions, 3 hours, open book; license fee $100; processing 2-3 weeks. Page last updated 01/23/2026.
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.