How to apply for an Electricians' certificate

What you need to do

1. Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements.
   • Required experience.
   • Required education.
   • All other requirements listed in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.28 and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-46B.
2. Get prepared to take the examination when L&I gives you approval.
   See the Electrician Exam page for more exam content outlines and other information to help you prepare.
3. Download and complete the application.
   Fill out the Application for Electrician Examination or Reciprocal Electrician Certificate, following its instructions carefully.
4. Include these things with your application:
   • If you do not have sufficient experience already on file with L&I, you must submit notarized Affidavits of Experience to the department with your application or within 7 days of applying online to complete your application. Mail them to the L&I Electrical Program, PO Box 44460, Olympia WA 98504-4460.
   • If applying from one of the reciprocal states, include your certificate number. You may have to mail a copy of your certificate if we cannot easily verify your license online with the other state.
   • If qualifying from military experience, please provide a verifiable letter of experience.
5. Be prepared to pay the $72.00 fee.
   (includes original certificate and application processing fee)

   Note: Fees are nonrefundable after certificate has been issued. Refund requests before the certificate has been issued must be made in writing to the department and are subject to a refund-processing fee of $11.40. Mail to L&I Electrical Program, PO Box 44460, Olympia WA 98504-4460.
   

6. Submit your application, fee, and experience one of the following 3 ways:
   • Pay online via L&I’s Get or Renew a License system (QuickCards).
     

     Before you apply online, you will need the following handy:  

     • Your name and address.
     • Your Social Security number (required by federal law).
     • Your credit card (VISA/MC).
   • Then mail your completed application form and Affidavits of Experience to L&I's Electrical Program at the address indicated on the application form.
     
     — OR —
   • Mail your fee, your completed application form and your Affidavits of Experience to L&I's Electrical Program at the address indicated on the application form. You can pay by check or money order.
     
     — OR —
   • Go to one of L&I's 20 service locations where you can pay your fee and submit your completed application form and Affidavits of Experience. You can pay by check, money order, or credit card.

What L&I will do

1. Verify that the following information is on file with the department:
   • All necessary application information.
   • Sufficient experience to meet the eligibility requirements.
   • Any necessary reciprocal information.
2. Within 30 days after we receive the information listed above, L&I will do one of the following:
   • Send you approval to schedule and take the examination. Information on how to schedule the exam is included in the approval letter.
   • Send your certificate (if you've qualified through a reciprocal agreement with another state);
     — OR —
   • Notify you of the action taken on your application.

Note: You must keep your electrical training certificate current until you pass the examination. If you take and pass a specialty electrician examination, you will still need to maintain your electrical training certificate if you work outside the scope of that specialty. (For example: If you have a residential electrician certificate but you want to work on a commercial job, you must have an electrical training certificate and work under the proper supervision for the commercial job.)