Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Texas's official board.
TDLR licenses individuals (journeyman/master/residential wireman) and businesses (electrical contractor) statewide.
| Requirements | Journeyman Electrician: 8,000 hours of on-the-job training supervised by a Texas-licensed master electrician. TDLR allows the application to be filed and the examination taken at 7,000 hours, but the full 8,000 hours must be documented before the license issues. Each supervising master signs an Experience Verification Form. Non-refundable application fee $30. Master Electrician: hold a journeyman electrician license for at least two years and document 12,000 hours of on-the-job training supervised by a Texas-licensed master electrician; hours worked under a Journeyman Industrial Electrician license do not count toward the master. Non-refundable application fee $45. Applicants with a felony or misdemeanour conviction file a Criminal History Questionnaire. Application steps in order: (1) obtain a signed Experience Verification Form from every supervising master electrician; (2) complete the license application form; (3) mail the application and fee to TDLR, PO Box 12157, Austin TX 78711-2157; (4) wait for TDLR's eligibility notice, sent by email (or by post card if no email address was given); (5) schedule and pay PSI directly; (6) pass the examination. Candidates may test an unlimited number of times through the eligibility period. EXAMINATION. PSI Services LLC administers TDLR's electrician examinations by computer at 16 Texas sites. Every electrician examination is OPEN BOOK against the National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition; TDLR moved the examinations to the 2023 NEC effective October 1, 2023. Only a soft-bound NEC is admitted - loose-leaf, spiral-bound and ring-bound copies and the NEC Handbook are refused; the book may be highlighted, underlined or tabbed with publisher index tabs before the session but not marked during it, homemade or DIY tabs are not allowed, and no additional paper may be brought in. Passing score is 70% on every examination. Item counts, time and fees, from TDLR's Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin: Master Electrician is split into two portions - an NEC Knowledge portion of 75 items (including 5 non-scored) in 150 minutes, and a Calculations portion of 33 items (including 3 non-scored) in 170 minutes - each portion passed separately at 70%, examination fee $78 for both portions and $78 to retake either or both; time does not roll over between portions. Journeyman Electrician 80 scored items in 240 minutes plus 5 non-scored items and 20 minutes, fee $78. Journeyman Industrial Electrician 60 scored items in 180 minutes plus 5 non-scored and 20 minutes, fee $64. Maintenance Electrician 60 items in 180 minutes plus 5 non-scored and 20 minutes, fee $64. Residential Wireman 80 items in 240 minutes plus 5 non-scored and 20 minutes, fee $64. Residential Appliance Installer 80 items in 240 minutes plus 5 non-scored and 20 minutes, fee $64. Journeyman Lineman 40 items in 120 minutes plus 3 non-scored and 12 minutes, fee $61. Master Sign Electrician 100 scored items in 300 minutes plus 5 non-scored and 20 minutes, fee $64. Journeyman Sign Electrician 80 scored items in 240 minutes plus 5 non-scored and 20 minutes, fee $64. Unless a question specifically says otherwise, all conductors are to be considered copper. Scores are given on screen immediately and printed at the test site. Journeyman content outline (80 scored items): definitions, calculations, theory and plans 6; electrical services, service equipment and separately derived systems 9; feeders 3; branch circuit calculations and conductors 15; wiring methods and materials 18; equipment and devices 10; motors and generators 5; control devices and disconnecting means 3; special occupancies, equipment and conditions 9; renewable energy technologies 2. Master NEC Knowledge outline (75 items): definitions, theory and plans 7; services, service equipment and separately derived systems 11; feeders 7; branch circuit conductors 11; wiring methods and materials 7; equipment and devices 7; motors and generators 7; control devices and disconnecting means 3; special occupancies 7; renewable energy technologies 3. CONFLICT ON THE JOURNEYMAN FORMAT, both recorded: TDLR's Electrician Exam Information page states that beginning March 11, 2025 the Journeyman Electrician examination was restructured into two separate portions, an NEC Knowledge portion and a Calculations portion, each of which must be passed with a minimum score of 70% and between which time does not roll over; the Candidate Information Bulletin currently posted on tdlr.texas.gov (PSI, marked updated 3/30/2023) still describes the Journeyman examination as a single 80-scored-item, 240-minute paper and applies the two-portion structure only to the Master. The exam page is the more recent statement. |
| Reciprocity | Yes. TDLR publishes reciprocity by license class. Master Electrician reciprocity is offered with Alabama, Arkansas (master electrician), Iowa (Class A master electrician), Louisiana (state contractor's license), Nebraska, North Carolina (master electrician or unlimited electrical contractor) and Ohio; the applicant must have passed that state's statewide exam, have held the reciprocal license at least one year, have at least 12,000 hours supervised by a master electrician, and have held a journeyman license at least two years (reduced to one year for Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio). Fee $45.00. Master applicants from most states need a letter of good standing, and Louisiana applicants must be Texas residents. Journeyman Electrician reciprocity is offered with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming; the applicant must have passed that state's exam, have held the reciprocal license at least one year, and have at least 8,000 hours supervised by a master electrician. Fee $30.00. TDLR verifies exam passage, licensure status and good standing directly with the originating state. TDLR states that currently there are no reciprocal licensing agreements for any other license types, which excludes the apprentice, electrical technician (ET) card, residential wireman and electrical contractor licenses. Texas has been adding states to this list frequently, so the live TDLR page governs. |
| Renewal | Annual. Every Texas electrician license is valid for one year from the date of issue and must be renewed each year. Renewal fees: Journeyman Electrician $30, Master Electrician $45. Continuing education is 4 hours per license cycle from a TDLR-registered provider, covering the National Electrical Code, the Texas Electrician Law, TDLR administrative rules and NFPA 70E electrical safety. Late renewal is charged as a multiple of the base renewal fee: expired 90 days or less, 1.5x - Journeyman $45, Master $67.50; expired more than 90 days but less than 18 months, 2x - Journeyman $60, Master $90; expired 18 months to 3 years, 2x again - Journeyman $60, Master $90 - and the renewal must be mailed with a Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal form. A license expired more than three years cannot be renewed; the holder must apply as a new applicant. TDLR sends a renewal reminder about 60 days before expiration. |
| Notes | TDLR licenses individuals (journeyman/master/residential wireman) and businesses (electrical contractor) statewide. |
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Sources: www.tdlr.texas.gov, www.tdlr.texas.gov, www.tdlr.texas.gov, www.tdlr.texas.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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