Trainee

• Change your address, pay renewal or reinstatement fee online.
• Get a duplicate license online.
• Change your address by mail or fax.
• Request duplicate license by mail.

About Becoming an Electrical Trainee

To learn to be an electrician, you need to begin as a trainee. An electrical trainee must have a trainee certificate and work under the supervision of a certified electrician.

An electrical trainee must renew their certificate every 2 years until they pass the exam to become a journey level or master or specialty electrician.

Here's the process:

1. Make sure you meet the basic age and other requirements.
2. Apply to become an electrical trainee.
3. Work as an electrical trainee under the supervision of a general journey level or master or specialty electrician while you are gaining the required hours of experience to become certified as a general journey level or specialty electrician.
4. While you're working, you must take 24 hours of approved basic classroom instruction per year to renew — that's a total of at least 48 hours completed by the time your certificate expires.

More information

• 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.
• Join the Electrical Listserv to receive emails with the Electrical Currents Newsletter and other important information.

Apply for an Electrical Trainees' Certificate

What you have to do

1. Make sure you meet the minimum age requirements for working on a construction site. You must be 16 years or older. (Contact Employment Standards for more information regarding minors working on construction sites).
2. Register with the Apprenticeship program if you are enrolled in a formal apprenticeship program. You can contact them at Apprenticeship.
   • After June 30, 2023, to qualify for the general journey level electrician (EL01) examination you must have completed a recognized electrical apprenticeship program.
   • After June 30, 2023, to work on a commercial jobsite, you must be a registered apprentice in a recognized electrical apprenticeship program, unless performing specialty work.
3. Contact the Electrical program before submitting a new application if you have ever had a trainee certificate before.
4. Be prepared to pay the application fee ($37.90 if applying online or $44.10 if applying in person or by mail).
   Note: Fees are nonrefundable after certificate has been issued. Refund requests must be made in writing to L&I before the certificate is issued. Mail to L&I Electrical Program, P.O. Box 44460, Olympia, Washington 98504-4460.
5. Submit your application and fee one of the following 3 ways:

• Save Money! Pay and apply online via L&I’s licensing/certification system (QuickCards).
  

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

  • Your Social Security number.
  • Email address and phone number.
  • We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards.

    Visa	MasterCard	Discover	American Express

  Note: We now accept E-Check a one time withdrawal from your checking account.

— OR —

• Mail your $44.10 fee and your application form (F626-048-000) 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 service locations where you can pay your $44.10 fee and submit your application form (F626-048-000). You can pay by cash, check, money order, or credit card in our field service locations.
  

What L&I will do

• Mail your certificate in 1 – 2 weeks.

Classes Required for Electrical Trainees

What classes are required for electrical trainees?

See approved basic trainee classes (315 KB PDF).

Check carefully — some classes may have expired.

When do I have to renew my electrical trainee certificate?

An electrical trainee's certificate must be renewed every two (2) years.

How many hours of classroom instruction are required to activate or renew my electrical trainee certificate?

Electrical trainees must complete 48 hours of basic trainee classes in order to renew/activate.

What type of courses do I need take to renew my electrical trainee certificate?

Make sure the classes you take for your electrical trainee renewal are approved as Basic Trainee Classes.

The basic trainee classes approved for electrical trainee renewal are different from the continuing education courses approved for electricians, electrical administrators, and master electricians.

No first aid-, internet-, or correspondence-based courses will be credited toward renewal.

Note: Courses approved for electrician, electrical administrator, and master electrician renewal requirements will not be credited to an electrical trainee certificate.

Avoid a penalty for late renewal of your electrical trainee certificate

Inactive status allows you to avoid the penalty that results from being late.

You can renew up to 90 days before your training certificate expires, so even if you have not finished the required basic trainee classes as your renewal date approaches, submit your renewal application and fee to L&I ahead of time, and your certificate will become inactive until

• you finish the required hours of basic trainee classes, and
• your class provider posts your credits to the L&I Trades Education Roster Reporting System.

Note: You cannot work on any electrical job without an active training certificate on your person.

For more information

Basic trainee class and instructor applications:

• Electrical Education Course Application (F500-068-000).
• Electrical-Continuing Education Instructor Application (F500-090-000).
• Washington Administrative Code 296-46B-970 (app.leg.wa.gov) — rule regarding electrical continuing education.

Renew online here

Renew Your Electrical Trainee's Certificate

Electrical Training certificates must be renewed every 2 years. 48 hours of approved Basic Trainee Classroom Instruction is required for renewal.

What you need to renew

1. Renew before your card expires so you don't get caught on the job without a current card. If you are found on the job without a current card, you will be subject to a citation. If you don’t renew on or before your expiration date, a late renewal fee will be charged.
2. Contact the Electrical program directly before attempting to renew online:
   • If your trainee certificate has been expired more than 90 days.
   • If you have ever had a trainee certificate before.
   • If your certificate has been suspended for any reason.
3. Make sure you don't have any outstanding, unpaid citations with L&I.
4. Make sure that the basic trainee classroom education credits required for renewal are on record with L&I.
   
   • If you’ve completed courses that are not on your record, contact your course provider. Course providers are required to notify the department of course completion information within 7 days.
   • If you do not meet the basic trainee classroom education renewal requirements, you will be classified as inactive and cannot work as an electrical trainee until your course completion information is submitted to the department.
5. Be prepared to submit documentation of your work experience. If you apply in person or by mail, submit any Affidavits of Experience (F500-043-000) with your application. Mail them within 30 days if you apply online. Send them to the L&I Electrical Program, P.O. Box 44460, Olympia, Washington 98504-4460.
   • Electrical trainees working for licensed electrical contractors in Washington State must submit affidavits of experience (F500-043-000) from the employers they have worked for during the prior 2-years to L&I within 30 days of the expiration date of their certificate.
   • If enrolled in an approved apprenticeship program the experience will be provided to the department by the training director.
   • If enrolled in an approved electrical trade school, the experience will be provided to the department by the training program upon completion.
     
6. Be prepared to pay the renewal fee:
   • $46.60 if renewing online.
   • $53.40 if renewing in person or by mail.
7. If you do not renew on or before your expiration date you will be charged a late renewal fee:
   • $65.20 if renewing online.
   • $74.90 if renewing in person or by mail.
8. Submit your renewal application, fee, and experience documentation one of the following 3 ways:
   • Save Money! Pay and apply 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.
• Email address and phone number.
• An active license (not suspended or expired for more than 90 days).
• We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards.

  Visa	MasterCard	Discover	American Express

Note: We now accept E-Check, a one time withdrawal from your checking account.

Then mail your Affidavits of Experience (F500-043-000) to L&I's Electrical Program at the address indicated on the form.
— OR —

Mail your fee, your application/renewal form (F626-048-000) and any Affidavits of Experience (F500-043-000) 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 service locations where you can pay your fee and submit your application/renewal form (F626-048-000) and any Affidavits of Experience (F500-043-000). You can pay by Cash, Check, Money order or Credit Card in our field service locations).

Note: Fees are nonrefundable after certificate has been issued. Refund requests must be made in writing to L&I before that time. Mail to L&I Electrical Program, P.O. Box 44460, Olympia, Washington 98504-4460.

What L&I will do

• Mail your certificate in 1 – 2 weeks.

Experience and Training for Trainees

Electrical trainees working for licensed electrical contractors in Washington State must submit affidavits of experience (F500-043-000) from the employers they have worked for during the prior 2-years to L&I within 30 days of the expiration date of their certificate.

What needs to be included in the affidavit of experience?

Affidavits of experience (F500-043-000) must include the following to be reviewed by L&I:

• Name of employer, license number and UBI number.
• Name of Trainee, license number or SSN.
• Time frame that the work was performed in (not to exceed 2 years).
• Supervision level checked.
• Amount of hours being reported in specific category(ies).
• Notarized signatures of the employer representative and trainee.

Submitting your affidavits of experience for review

Keep a training log to assist your employer and you when preparing your affidavit of experience.

Use the suggested training log sheet (182 KB PDF) to keep track of your hours.

If experience is obtained in the state of Washington while not employed by a licensed electrical contractor, the experience still must be under the direct supervision of a certified electrician. The employer and supervising electrician fill out the affidavit.

In addition to the affidavit, a supervising questionnaire must be filled out by the certified electrician providing supervision. This form is available by contacting the Electrical program licensing staff at 360-902-5269 or email the Electrical program.

Read information about sending experience obtained in another state or in the military.

Credit for experience for trainees enrolled in approved electrical training schools or recognized apprenticeship programs

Trainees may choose to be enrolled in a recognized electrical construction apprenticeship program or approved electrical construction training school:

• List of recognized RCW 49.04 APPRENTICESHIPS IN THE ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION TRADE (400 KB PDF).
• List of APPROVED ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION TRADE TRAINING SCHOOLS (269 KB PDF).

If enrolled in an approved apprenticeship program the experience will be provided to the department by the training director.

If enrolled in an approved electrical trade school, the experience will be provided to the department by the training program upon completion.

Electrical training certificates must be renewed every 2 years. Forty-eight (48) hours of approved Basic Classroom Instruction is required for renewal.