Do you need to take the exam?

Depending on your background and level of appropriate experience, you may be able to obtain a license without taking a state elevator competency exam.

• National Certification (No test required).
  You may be qualified for licensing as an elevator mechanic without having to take the state elevator exam if you have earned a certificate of completion and successfully passed the mechanic examination of a nationally recognized training program for the elevator industry such as the National Elevator Industry Educational Program or the Certified Elevator Technician Program sponsored by the National Association of Elevator Contractors.
• Apprenticeship (No test required).
  You may be qualified for licensing as an elevator mechanic without having to take the state elevator exam if you have earned a certificate of completion of an elevator mechanic apprenticeship program that meets certain standards and is registered with the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council.
• Test Required.
  A license to perform conveyance work on conveyances in Categories 1-8 may be granted to you if:

  • You provide acceptable proof to L&I that shows the necessary combination of documented experience and education credits in the applicable license category of not less than three years' work experience in the elevator industry performing conveyance work as verified by current and previous employers licensed to do business in this state or as an employee of a public agency;
  • You satisfactorily complete a written examination administered by L&I.

About the exam

The examination will be an open-book examination and will consist of approximately 100 to 150 multiple-choice questions.

A score of at least 80 percent is required to pass. Examinations shall be held at locations and times when considered necessary by the department.

Please contact the Elevator Section directly to schedule a test.

Applicants should prepare for the exam by studying the following:

• ASME A17.1-2000, ASME A17.1A 2002, and ASME A17.1B 2003 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.
• ASME A18.1-1999 and ASME A18.1a-2001 addenda, Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts.
• Revised Code of Washington Chapter 70.87 (68 KB PDF) - Elevators, lifting devices, and moving walks.
• Washington Administrative Code section 296-96 (636 KB PDF) - Safety regulations and fees for all elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators and other conveyances.
• National Electrical Code 2003.
• Elevator Industry Field Employees’ Safety Handbook.
• Installation Manual, basic field practices for installation of elevators and escalators.
• Policy to clarify the minimum qualifications an applicant needs in order to test for an elevator mechanic license (35 KB PDF).

Please bring these materials with you to the examination. The department will not supply reference materials for the exam.