About Becoming an Electrician

You must have a valid electrician certificate to perform electrical construction work in Washington State.

What is required to become a journeyman or specialty electrician?

To become a certified journeyman or specialty electrician in Washington, while you are an Electrical Trainee you must do the following:

1. Get the required amount of experience to qualify for a general journeyman or specialty electrician certificate.



• General journeyman electrician - Must qualify to work in ALL types (specialties) of electrical work.
  • 8,000 documented hours working as an electrical trainee under the supervision of a certified electrician.
    Note: 4,000 hours must be spent working in commercial or industrial installation.
    -OR-
  • Equivalent verified training or experience in the U.S. military.
    -OR-
  • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
• Specialty electrician - May qualify to work in one or more of the following electrical specialties.

  If you meet the requirements for one of these specialties, you can apply for a Specialty Electrician's certificate in that specialty.

  • Residential
    • 4,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Pump and irrigation
    • 4,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Domestic well
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Signs
    • 4,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Limited energy system
    • 4,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • HVAC/refrigeration system
    • 4,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • HVAC/refrigeration - restricted
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Nonresidential maintenance
    • 4,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Nonresidential lighting maintenance and lighting retrofit
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Residential maintenance
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Restricted nonresidential maintenance
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Appliance repair
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Equipment repair
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
  • Door, gate, and similar systems
    • 2,000 documented hours working in the specialty under supervision of a certified electrician.
      -OR-
    • Equivalent training or experience in the U.S. military with verification.
      -OR-
    • Experience earned in another state may be submitted to the department for consideration.
2. AND get the required amount of basic classroom instruction.
3. AND apply for AND pass the appropriate exam.

What is required to renew a journeyman or specialty electrician certificate?

1. You must take 24 hours of approved Continuing Education course work in the three (3) years between your certificate renewals. Get more information here.
2. You should apply to renew your certificate before your card expires, even if you don't have all your continuing education credits finished.

Out-of-state experience

If you have done electrical work outside of Washington that you want to present for consideration as qualifying experience, at the time of application you must present appropriate evidence showing that this work experience is equivalent to that required by RCW 19.28.191. Contact the L&I Electrical Program at 360-902-5269 for details before coming to Washington.

For more information, see:

• Find out more about the Electrical Program.
• Read the Electrical law Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.28.
• Read the Electrical rules Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-46B.
• See minimum qualifications for examination in WAC 296-46B-945.
• Join the Electrical Listserv to receive e-mails with the Electrical Currents Newsletter and other important information.

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.
   • Contact the Electrical Program at 360-902-5269 if you have any questions about what is needed.
   • You must not have any outstanding, unpaid citations with L&I.
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, 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 another state, contact the Electrical Program at 360-902-5269 for details.
   • If qualifying from military experience, please provide a verifiable letter of experience.
5. Be prepared to pay the $79.50 fee.
   (includes original certificate and application processing fee)
   
   

   Note: Fees are nonrefundable after certificate has been issued. The application processing fee of $30.80 is non-refundable. Refund requests before the certificate has been issued must be made in writing to the department. 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:

     • Your name and address.
     • Your Social Security number (required by federal law).
     • Your credit card (VISA or MasterCard only).
   • 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.
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.
     — 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.)

Preparing for an Exam

Scheduling an Exam

Challenging an Exam

How to prepare for and take your Electrician exam(s)

• All exam candidates must submit their applications and receive approval from L&I before scheduling with PSI, an independent testing center that administers these exams for L&I.
• When you've been approved to take the exam(s), you can contact PSI to schedule your exam(s). Information about how to do this will be included in the approval letter.

How to prepare for your exam(s)

We've provided the content outlines below to help you study for your exam(s). For more information, see Preparing for Electrical Exams to find out what to expect and how to prepare.

Effective April 2006

Electrician Exam Content Outlines (General Journeyman & Specialty)
Code	Title	PDF Size
Contact L&I Electrical Program before scheduling exam.  Get help downloading files.
01	GENERAL JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
02	RESIDENTIAL SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
03	PUMP AND IRRIGATION SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
3A	DOMESTIC WELL SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
04	SIGN ELECTRICAL SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
06	LIMITED ENERGY SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
6A	HVAC/REFRIGERATION LIMITED ENERGY SYSTEM SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
6B	HVAC/REFRIGERATION RESTRICTED SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
07	NON-RESIDENTIAL MAINTENANCE SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
7A	NONRESIDENTIAL LIGHTING MAINTENANCE & RETROFIT SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
7B	RESIDENTIAL MAINTENANCE SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
7C	RESTRICTED NONRESIDENTIAL MAINTENANCE SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
7D	APPLIANCE REPAIR SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
7E	EQUIPMENT REPAIR SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB
10	DOOR, GATE AND SIMILAR SYSTEMS SPECIALTY ELECTRICIAN	24 KB

Continuing Education Requirements for Electricians

Get approved Continuing Education course (CEUs) lists below.

Continuing education requirements for renewal

If you are an Electrical Administrator, Electrician or Master Electrician, you are required to take 24 hours of continuing education course work in the three (3) years between your certification renewals:

• 8 hours of your CEUs must be on currently adopted National Electrical Code changes.
• 4 hours must be on currently adopted Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.28 and related Washington Administrative Codes (WAC).
• The remaining 12 hours of continuing education credit can be your choice from the list of approved courses below.

Avoid late renewal

Even if you have not completed the required CEUs as your renewal date approaches, you can submit your renewal application and fee to L&I.

Your certificate will become inactive. Inactive status allows you to avoid the late penalty and re-exam that result from being late.

You cannot, however, work as an Electrician or Master Electrician, or as an Electrical Administrator as your certificate is inactive until you complete your CEUs and inform L&I.

Check your continuing education and certificate status

If you are unsure what continuing education has been reported, or the status of your certificate, check your record in L&I's Look Up: Contractors or Tradespeople database.

Approved Continuing Education Courses (CEUs)

Courses listed below are for Electrician certification renewal only and cannot be used to qualify for a Trainee certificate renewal. (Find Basic Classroom Education for Trainees here.)

For course schedules, contact the course sponsor named in the lists below.

2009 Continuing Education Courses. (535 KB PDF / 1.5 min)
2008 Continuing Education Courses. (632 KB PDF / 1.8 min)
2007 Continuing Education Courses. (337 KB PDF)
2006 Continuing Education Courses. (291 KB PDF)

Courses specifically for combination 03 or 03A specialty plumber-electricians in the pumping industry:

2009 Pumping Industry Courses. (75 KB PDF)

(Trainees in the pumping industry must take standard Basic Classroom Education for Trainees to renew their training certificate.)

More information about Electrical Continuing Education:
Continuing Education Course Application (Fillable form, 185 KB PDF)

Continuing Education Instructor Application (Fillable form, 95 KB PDF)
Washington Administrative Code 296-46-B-970 rule regarding Electrical Continuing Education.

 Get Help Downloading Files (files open in a new window).

RENEW online here

How to renew your Electrician's Certificate

An Electrician's Certificate must be renewed every three (3) years.24 hours of continuing education is required for renewal.

What you need to do

1. Make sure you have completed 24 hours of continuing education courses or units (CEUs).
   Eight (8) of those hours must be code update and four (4) hours must be RCW/WAC review.

   • Your continuing education credits are recorded by your course provider.
   • Electricians who renew without the required CEUs completed and sent to L&I will be renewed to an inactive status, which means you cannot work as an electrician.
2. Make sure you don't have any outstanding, unpaid citations with L&I.
   If you're not sure, go online to Look Up Electrical Violations or call L&I's Electrical Program at 360-902-5269.
3. Download and complete the application.
   Fill out the certificate renewal application and follow its instructions carefully.
4. Be prepared to pay the renewal fee, if renewed before your expiration date. See the consequences of late renewal here.
   Renew before your card expires so you don't have to pay a late renewal fee.

   • If you pay before your expiration date:
   • The online renewal fee is $67.00.
   • If paying in person or by mail the renewal fee is $73.80.
   • (You are responsible to ensure that the department receives your renewal application materials before your expiration date.)

   If you are renewing after your expiration date and your renewal is not more than 90 days late:

   • The online renewal fee is $134.00.
   • If paying in person or by mail the renewal fee is $147.60.

   If your renewal is more than 90 days late, you cannot renew and must take the exam to reinstate your master electrician certificate.
   
   

   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. Mail to L&I Electrical Program, PO Box 44460, Olympia, WA 98504-4460.
   

5. Submit your application, fee, and experience one of the following 3 ways:
   • Save Money! Pay and submit your renewal request online via L&I’s Renew a License system (QuickCards).
     

     Before you apply online, you will need to have the following:

     • Your 12-digit license number.
     • Your credit card (VISA/MC).
     • An active license (not suspended or canceled).
     • Required documents on file with the department.
   • Then mail your renewal application to L&I's Electrical Program at the address indicated on the form.
     — OR —
   • Mail your fee and your renewal application to L&I's Electrical Program at the address indicated on the form. Payment can by made 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 renewal application. 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 continuing education credits to meet the requirement.
2. Within 30 days after we receive the information listed above, L&I will do one of the following:
   • Send your certificate.
     — OR —
   • Notify you of the action taken on your application.