Electrician · State Licensing
Texas Electrician License Guide
Verified against the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and its exam vendor, PSI. Every number below links to its official source. Retrieved September 13, 2026 — always check the live TDLR page before you rely on a fee or deadline.
Texas — verified · California & Florida also covered
Regulating board
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), acting on the recommendation of the Electrical Safety and Licensing Advisory Board, licenses electricians statewide under Occupations Code Chapter 1305 and 16 TAC Chapter 73. TDLR reports 227,117 active electrician licensees (FY 2025).
Source: tdlr.texas.gov/electricians · TDLR "Electricians at a Glance" (PDF, saved locally)
Exam vendor & format
PSI Services LLC administers the exams for TDLR. Both the Journeyman and Master Electrician exams were split into two separately-timed portions effective March 11, 2025: an NEC Knowledge portion and a Calculations portion. Time from one portion does not carry over to the other, and each portion must be passed separately at 70% correct.
- Journeyman Electrician — NEC Knowledge: 59 items (130 min); Calculations: 26 items (110 min). 85 items / 240 min total.
- Master Electrician — NEC Knowledge: 75 items (150 min); Calculations: 33 items (170 min). 108 items / 320 min total.
Both exams are open-book, computer-based, and include a handful of unscored "pilot" items mixed in with the scored ones (already reflected in the item counts above). Passing score is 70% on each portion.
Source: TDLR Electrician Exam Information · PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI's own document — linked, not rehosted; updated 7/9/2026)
Experience requirements
- Journeyman Electrician — 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a licensed Master Electrician (TDLR allows you to apply to test at 7,000 hours, but all 8,000 are required before the license is issued).
- Master Electrician — must have held a Journeyman Electrician license at least 2 years, plus 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Master Electrician.
- Residential Wireman — 4,000 hours OJT (or an approved CTE program).
- Maintenance Electrician — 8,000 hours OJT under a Master or Maintenance Electrician.
Source: TDLR "Electricians at a Glance" (PDF) · Journeyman application page · Master application page
Fees
- Journeyman Electrician exam (both portions): $78 — license application fee $30
- Master Electrician exam (both portions): $78 — license application fee $45
- Journeyman renewal (annual): $30
Source: TDLR "Electricians at a Glance" (PDF, Dec 2025 fee schedule) · TDLR renewal page
Renewal cycle
Individual electrician licenses (Journeyman, Master, etc.) are valid for one year and must be renewed annually, with 4 hours of continuing education per cycle.
Source: TDLR renewal page
Code edition
Texas adopted the 2026 NEC as the statewide minimum standard effective September 1, 2026, and exams are referenced to the 2026 NEC as of that date. (Before that, exams referenced the 2023 NEC, in effect since October 2, 2023.) The exam is open-book — bring a soft-bound NEC book with only publisher-made permanent tabs; loose-leaf, spiral-bound, or ring-bound copies and the NEC Handbook are not allowed.
Source: PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/9/2026) · TDLR Compliance Guide
Practice before the exam
Free, unlimited practice for the calculation-heavy part of the TDLR exam — new random values every click.
Voltage Drop Calculator
Single & three-phase voltage drop practice across any wire size, distance, and current.
Ohm's Law Calculator
Solve for voltage, current, resistance, or power from any two known values.
Conduit Fill Calculator
Find the minimum trade size across EMT, PVC, RMC, IMC and more for any THHN conductor set.
Box Fill Calculator
NEC 314.16 box fill — conductors, devices, clamps, and grounds, with real box sizes.
FAQ