State license

Washington Journeyman Electrician License

Written by a licensed IBEW journeyman electrician

Last updated: October 24, 2026

Washington licenses general journey level electricians at the state level. The Department of Labor & Industries issues the certificate of competency after you pass a PSI exam with 70% on each section. You need 8,000 hours in an electrical construction trade apprenticeship, or an equivalent route. The exam is open book.

The facts, from the source

Who licenses: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Electrical Program (General journey level electrician certificate of competency, 01) (lni.wa.gov)
Exam vendor: PSI (test-takers.psiexams.com)
Exam (questions/time): Two separate sections scheduled the same day, computer-based. NEC & Theory: 60 questions, 3 hours. WA Codes (RCW 19.28 / WAC 296-46B): 17 questions, 1 hour. The bulletin says 10 unscored experimental questions may be added. Per-area counts are approximate. You retake only the sections you failed. The retest wait is 14 days, and 3 months after a third failure. (test-takers.psiexams.com)
Open book / references: All exams are open book. You may use any original copyrighted material (including books with questions and answers) and a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator. RCW and WAC printouts are allowed in a binder. Highlighting, underlining and permanent tabs only. No sticky notes and no writing in references. (test-takers.psiexams.com)
Passing score: 70% (per section) (test-takers.psiexams.com)
NEC edition (exam): 2020 is the edition the exam is based on, according to both the PSI bulletin (10/30/2025) and the L&I exam page. (test-takers.psiexams.com)
NEC edition (field work): WAC 296-46B-010 adopted the 2023 NEC (L&I: effective April 1, 2024). A rule filed 11/18/2025 (WSR 25-23-069) adopts the 2026 NEC effective December 31, 2026. (lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov)
Experience required: RCW 19.28.191(1)(c): you are eligible for the journey level exam with an 8,000-hour electrical construction trade apprenticeship (4,000 of the hours must be new industrial or commercial installations; at most 4,000 hours total in all specialties), or an equivalent out-of-state apprenticeship or certificate, or 16,000 hours of out-of-state experience (4,000 industrial or commercial), or 8,000 hours of military construction battalion experience. Up to 2 years of a 2-year electrical program at an accredited public or nonprofit school may substitute for 2 years of work experience. The other 2 years of industrial or commercial experience must be obtained before or after. (app.leg.wa.gov)
Fees: PSI bills electrician exams and retests by the hour: 1 hr $45, 2 hrs $55, 3 hrs $65, 4 hrs $75, 5 hrs $85, 6 hrs $95, 7 hrs $105. The bulletin does not state how the two journeyman sections are combined. Retests are billed by the hour. L&I's own fee for department-administered journey exams is $80.30 (WAC 296-46B-909). Journey level electrician application, including original certificate and processing: $114.60, of which $44.20 is nonrefundable once submitted (WAC 296-46B-909(2)(c)(iv)). (app.leg.wa.gov)
Reciprocity: Oregon only. L&I and the Oregon Building Codes Division have a reciprocal agreement for general journeyman electricians (Oregon J license obtained by exam, generally after an 8,000-hour apprenticeship). The L&I bulletin states no other reciprocal agreements exist for other specialties. (content.govdelivery.com)

What’s on the exam

NEC & Theory section, 60 questions (approximate, per the bulletin): NEC 90 Intro 1; 100-110 General 3; 200-225/280-285 Wiring & Protection 3; 230 Services 4; 240 Overcurrent 6; 250 Grounding & Bonding 6; 300-398 Wiring Methods 10; 400-427/455-480 Electrical Equipment 3; 430-450 Motors/HVAC/Generators/Transformers 3; 490 over 600 V 1; 500-516 Hazardous Locations 2; 517-590 Special Occupancies 4; 600-695 Special Equipment 3; 700-702 Emergency & Standby 2; 705-780 Special Conditions 1; 800-830 Communications 1; General Trade Knowledge & Theory 7. WA Codes section: 17 questions (RCW and WAC).

Confirm these with the board

Whether the exam will move to the 2023 or 2026 NEC: no official statement found
Classroom instruction required before applying (L&I guide F500-117-000): confirm with L&I
Hours and contact hours an accredited 2-year electrical program needs to substitute for work experience: confirm with L&I

Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Electrical Program (Electrical Board advises) ↗

Partly verified October 24, 2026: some items couldn’t be confirmed from official sources and are listed above

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Facts on this page trace to primary sources or first-hand IBEW Local 134 experience — see sources & methodology.