Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from District of Columbia's official board.
The District separates the individual credential (apprentice, journeyman, master) from the business credential: the Electrician Contractor license is a separate application. Low voltage is defined by the board as work at 49 volts and below and has its own master and contractor specialist categories. DC is a single jurisdiction, so there is no state-versus-local split.
| Requirements | Apprentice requires no experience, only employment verification or school enrollment. Journeyman by examination requires 4 years / 8,000 work hours plus tax records, an employment verification letter, and a National Electrical Code class certificate taken within the prior 2 years; completion of a nationally certified apprenticeship waives the journeyman exam. Master by examination requires 8 years / 16,000 work hours with the same documents. The exam is open book. Note that the DC Code states the master route as a journeyman license plus 4 years worked as a journeyman, which differs from the 16,000-hour figure on the board's own application instructions; confirm which applies with the board before filing. |
| Reciprocity | The board's page states that journeymen and master electricians licensed in Maryland and Virginia are eligible for licensure in the District through reciprocity, provided the original license was obtained by examination and is current and in good standing. The board's own electrician application instructions are narrower, listing journeyman reciprocity for Virginia only and master reciprocity for Maryland and Virginia. A letter of good standing from the state where the exam was taken is required either way. |
| Renewal | Every 2 years. Regardless of when they were issued, all electrician licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years. No continuing education requirement is stated on the official pages reviewed. |
| Notes | The District separates the individual credential (apprentice, journeyman, master) from the business credential: the Electrician Contractor license is a separate application. Low voltage is defined by the board as work at 49 volts and below and has its own master and contractor specialist categories. DC is a single jurisdiction, so there is no state-versus-local split. |
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Sources: dlcp.dc.gov, dlcp.dc.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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