How to Become a Journeyman Electrician in Texas

Step 1: Get an apprentice license

TDLR says anyone who does electrical work in Texas must be licensed, apart from certain exemptions. For someone starting out, that license is the apprentice electrician license. TDLR's apprentice page asks for no experience and no exam. You apply online, TDLR runs a background check, and you add a Criminal History Questionnaire if you have a conviction to report. An apprentice works under the general supervision of a master electrician, a journeyman electrician or a residential wireman.

The apprentice license lasts one year from the day it is issued, and you renew it every year. Keep it current while you build your hours.

Step 2: Build 8,000 hours under a master electrician

TDLR's journeyman page sets the core requirement: 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician. The application instructions add the detail that matters when you apply:

• One verification per employer. Each employer needs an Experience Verification Form (or a letter on company letterhead) signed by the supervising master electrician.
• TDLR may check. The journeyman page says TDLR may contact people to verify your experience. If you cannot reach a former supervisor, it points you to the electrical contractor they worked for or to TDLR's license search.

Start a simple log now: employer, supervising master, dates and hours. It is much easier than rebuilding three years of work history from memory.

How long does it take?

TDLR sets hours, not years. As our own arithmetic, a full-time 40-hour week for 50 weeks is 2,000 hours a year, so 8,000 hours is about four years of full-time work. Overtime shortens that and gaps lengthen it.

A TDLR-recognized JEEP shortens the path too. Under 16 TAC §73.112, in effect since 1 July 2026, a graduate is credited with 4,000 hours toward the 8,000, which by our arithmetic leaves 4,000 hours to log under a master.

Three ways to sit the exam early

You do not have to wait for hour 8,000 to test. Under 16 TAC §73.21(b), as adopted in the Texas Register of 26 June 2026 and in effect since 1 July 2026, you can sit the journeyman exam once you have one of these:

• 7,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician. This is the early exam option on the application.
• A completed JEEP. TDLR approves these accelerated education programs under §73.112.
• A completed apprenticeship training program. The March 2026 application has a box to check if you are or have been enrolled in a Texas apprenticeship training program.

The license itself still needs the full 8,000 hours, so each route moves the exam forward, not the license. For a JEEP graduate, the 4,000-hour credit applies to those 8,000.

Step 3: Apply to TDLR

You apply by mail with the Journeyman Electrician License Application (form ELC-LIC-005, revision March 2026) and a non-refundable $30 fee, sent to TDLR at P.O. Box 12157, Austin, TX 78711-2157. Keep copies: TDLR says documents sent with an application are not returned.

Two things can slow you down, so deal with them early:

• Criminal history. If you have a conviction or deferred adjudication other than a minor traffic violation, attach a Criminal History Questionnaire for each one. TDLR reviews them case by case, which its page says can take one to six weeks. If you are unsure, TDLR offers an evaluation before you apply, for a $10 fee per the instructions.
• A municipal journeyman license. If a city or regional authority licensed you as a journeyman, the instructions say you send a copy of that license and the Discontinued Municipal or Regional Licensing Program form instead of experience.

If you served in the military, or your spouse did, TDLR has a supplemental application with its own licensing options. If you already hold a journeyman license in another state, TDLR has a separate out-of-state page with its reciprocity agreements. Read the current list there, because TDLR adds states to it.

Step 4: Book and pass the exam

Once TDLR has checked your application, you get notice that you can sit the exam, and PSI sends the scheduling details. From here the clock matters: TDLR gives you one year from the date it received your application to meet every requirement, including the exam. Our eligibility guide shows how to plan backward from that date.

The exam itself, per the PSI bulletin:

Each portion is scored on its own, and time left on one does not carry over. The fee is $78 for both portions, and $78 for a retake of one or both. It is open book: since 1 September 2026 the exams are referenced to the 2026 NEC, and you bring your own soft-bound copy. The journeyman electrician exam outline breaks the 80 scored items into the ten subject areas, and the cost and scheduling guide covers booking, rescheduling and the retake fee.

This is the step most worth preparing for. Your hours prove you can do the work. The exam checks whether you can find the answer in the code book fast enough and work the calculations without a slip, and that is a separate skill you can practice.

Step 5: Keep the license current

A journeyman license is valid for one year from issuance and is renewed every year, online. TDLR's continuing education page asks journeyman electricians for four hours of continuing education per renewal, taken within the term of the license you are renewing, from a TDLR-registered provider. The four hours must cover:

• the National Electrical Code,
• Texas electrician law (Occupations Code, Chapter 1305),
• the Texas electrician rules (16 TAC, Chapter 73),
• electrical safety under NFPA 70E.

TDLR says four hours of NEC-only coursework is not enough on its own: you would need at least one more hour in law, rules or NFPA 70E. The provider reports your hours, and TDLR says you must keep a copy of your certificate for one year after you complete the course.

What comes after journeyman

Many journeymen go on to the master electrician license. The master exam uses the same two PSI portions, the same ten subject areas and the same 2026 NEC, with more items and more weight on services and motors. Our master electrician exam outline lists each area. TDLR sets the master license's own experience rule, so read its master application before you plan.

Start with the free check

You can find out today where the exam would cost you points. Take the free 10-question check with your NEC open: no signup, every answer explained, and your score by subject area at the end.

FAQ

How many hours do you need to become a journeyman electrician in Texas?

TDLR requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician. You can sit the exam early with at least 7,000 hours, or after completing a TDLR-recognized JEEP or an apprenticeship training program, but the license needs the full 8,000. Since 1 July 2026, a JEEP graduate is credited with 4,000 of those hours.

Do I need an apprentice license first?

Anyone doing electrical work in Texas must be licensed unless an exemption applies, and the apprentice license is the one for people working under supervision while they build hours. It needs no experience and no exam.

How much does it cost to get a Texas journeyman license?

TDLR lists a $30 non-refundable application fee, and the PSI bulletin lists $78 for both exam portions, with $78 for a retake. Add your code book and any prep you choose.

How long do I have to pass the exam?

One year from the date TDLR received your application, per TDLR's exam page. You can retake as many times as needed inside that window, and each attempt may carry another exam fee.

Does a Texas journeyman license need continuing education?

Yes. TDLR asks for four hours per annual renewal from a registered provider, covering the NEC, Texas electrician law, the Texas rules and NFPA 70E safety.