How to become a certified electrician in California

Journeyman level 8,000 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Commissioner's Office (DLSE), Electrician Certification Unit · (510) 286-3900 [2]

The license pathway in California

1. 1

   Electrician Trainee

   • At least 150 hours a year at a state-approved school
   • $25 registration
   • Yearly, no fee; send proof of classwork and work experience

   Lets you do certified-electrician work for a C-10 contractor while you build hours. You must be enrolled in an approved school and work under the direct supervision of a certified electrician who supervises only one trainee. [1][11][12][13][16]

2. 2

   Registered apprentice

   Apprentices in a state- or federally approved apprenticeship program don't need certification while in the program. They may take the exam in their last year and are certified when they finish. [1][9]

3. 3

   Residential Electrician

   • 4,800 hours on the job
   • Yes: 80 questions, 3 hours 30 minutes, 70% to pass
   • $75 application + $100 exam
   • Every 3 years, $100; 32 hours CE and 2,000 hours worked

   Certification for residential work. You need 4,800 hours of work for a C-10 contractor; residential wiring can count for all of them. [4][8][16][18]

4. 4

   General Electrician

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: 100 questions, 4 hours 30 minutes, 70% to pass; NEC 2023 (National Electrical Code) and NFPA 70E (Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace) provided on screen
   • $75 application + $100 exam
   • Every 3 years, $100; 32 hours CE and 2,000 hours worked

   The full certification, closest to a journeyman license elsewhere; it covers the work of all five categories. You need 8,000 hours of work for a C-10 contractor across at least two kinds of work, or a completed approved apprenticeship. [4][7][8][15][16][18]

5. 5

   C-10 Electrical Contractor (CSLB)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: Law and Business exam plus the C-10 trade exam
   • $450 application; $200 initial license (sole owner)
   • Active renewal $470 for a C-10 sole owner

   The license to run an electrical contracting business, issued by the Contractors State License Board. You need four years of journey-level experience; up to three years can come from apprenticeship or other training. [5][19][21][22]

Who needs to be certified in California

California's rule is narrower than most states'. Under Labor Code section 108.2, certification "is required only for those persons who perform work as electricians for contractors licensed as class C-10 electrical contractors." The Labor Commissioner's FAQ (frequently asked questions) sums it up as all electricians making connections over 100 volt-amperes who work for C-10 contractors.

Some people don't need it:

• Workers for C-7 (low voltage) or C-45 (sign) contractors, when the work is within that license.
• Electricians employed directly by a school district or a plant, according to DIR's FAQ.
• Registered apprentices in an approved program, and registered electrician trainees.
• The qualifying person on a C-10 contractor license.

Foremen who sometimes work with tools for a C-10 contractor do need certification, DIR says. [1][6]

The five certifications and the hours each needs

California issues five certifications. Each needs on-the-job hours working for a C-10 contractor, or completion of an approved apprenticeship in that category, plus an exam:

• General Electrician: 8,000 hours, spread over at least two areas (for example, up to 6,000 hours of commercial wiring and up to 3,000 of residential wiring).
• Residential Electrician: 4,800 hours.
• Voice Data Video Technician: 4,000 hours.
• Fire/Life Safety Technician: 4,000 hours.
• Nonresidential Lighting Technician: 2,000 hours.

A General Electrician certification covers the work of all the other categories. Military experience or work for a C-7 low-voltage contractor may be credited toward the hours if DIR finds it comparable.

For how this compares with journeyman licenses elsewhere, see the electrician hub and journeyman vs. master. [1][7][8]

Working while you learn: trainees and apprentices

You can't just start as a helper wiring for a C-10 contractor. Until you're certified, you must be one of two things.

A registered apprentice in a state-approved apprenticeship program. You don't need certification during the program. You can take the exam within your last year and are certified when you finish.

A registered electrician trainee. You must be enrolled in an approved school, completing at least 150 hours of classroom instruction a year. On the job you must be under the direct, on-site supervision of a certified electrician who supervises no more than one trainee. Registration costs $25 and is renewed every year at no charge, with transcripts and a list of your work.

For the General Electrician exam, DIR's trainee guide says you test when you have 8,000 hours on the job and 720 hours of "related and supplemental instruction." DIR's FAQ answers the early-testing question two ways: one answer says a trainee needs both the finished coursework and the work hours to test, while another says a trainee with a completion certificate may test and DIR holds the card until the hours are done. Confirm with DIR before you apply. [1][6][9][10][11][12][13][14]

The certification exam

Exams taken on or after June 1, 2026 are administered by CPS HR Consulting and scheduled through Pearson VUE. After DLSE approves your application, CPS HR emails scheduling instructions, usually within 1-2 business days.

DIR's test page lists 100 questions in 4 hours 30 minutes for General Electrician, 80 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes for Residential, and 50 questions in 2 hours 15 minutes for each of the three technician exams. All questions are multiple choice, and you need 70% to pass.

References are built into the computer exam; you may not bring your own. The bulletin lists the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC, the national wiring rulebook) and the 2024 NFPA 70E safety standard. DIR says the test is also offered in Spanish.

You must take the exam within one year of your eligibility notice. If you fail, wait 60 days and pay $100 for a retest. DIR's older FAQ page still names PSI (a testing company) and lists shorter times (4 hours for General), and the main program page still shows a PSI scheduling phone; the newer test page and the bulletin are the ones quoted here. [4][6][15]

Fees and renewal

DIR's fees, set in Title 8 section 292.0, are:

• $75 to apply for certification, plus $100 for the exam ($175 together).
• $100 for each retest.
• $25 to register as an electrician trainee (yearly trainee renewal is free).
• $100 to renew certification; $200 for a lapsed or expired card.

Certification lasts three years. To renew, you need 32 hours of continuing education (CE) from an approved provider or apprenticeship program, and you must have worked 2,000 hours in the industry in the previous three years. If your certification lapses, you have to retake the exam. [4][6][16][17][18]

Becoming a C-10 electrical contractor

To bid jobs and run your own electrical business, you need a C-10 license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). A C-10 contractor "places, installs, erects or connects any electrical wires, fixtures, appliances, apparatus, raceways, conduits, solar photovoltaic cells" and similar equipment.

You need at least four years of journey-level experience (or as a foreman, supervisor, contractor or owner-builder) in the trade. CSLB may credit up to three years for apprenticeship, technical training or education; a certificate of completion of apprenticeship counts. CSLB accepts a DIR Certified Electrician card as proof of C-10 journey-level status for work done for a C-10 licensee.

CSLB study guides cover a C-10 trade exam and a Law and Business exam. Fees include a $450 application fee and a $200 initial license fee for a sole owner. Active renewal for a C-10 sole owner is $470. [5][19][20][21][22]

If you're licensed in another state

California has no reciprocity for electricians. DIR says out-of-state electricians "need to be certified before they can start working in California, there is no grace period," even for one short job.

Your out-of-state license does help: DIR's FAQ says it "will make you eligible to sit for the test." Under Title 8 section 291.1(b), DIR may treat your experience as meeting the hour requirement if your state's requirements are comparable. You still pass the California exam. See our reciprocity guide. [6][8]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in California

Union apprenticeships are run by IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs). The Electrical Training Alliance lists typical entry requirements: age 18, a high school education, one year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score, and being drug free. Use its training center locator.

Open-shop programs come from contractor groups such as Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and WECA (Western Electrical Contractors Association). Requirements vary by program; the state DAS program search shows each program's minimum age, education and test requirements.

Community colleges and adult schools on DIR's approved school list are the trainee route. More: electrician apprenticeships, union vs. non-union and the aptitude test. [23][24][25][26]

Steps to get licensed in California

1. Choose apprentice or trainee

   Either join a state-approved apprenticeship (search the DAS program finder), or enroll in an approved trainee school and register as an electrician trainee. [13][26][27]

2. Register as an electrician trainee

   Mail the trainee registration form with proof of enrollment and a $25 check; trainee registration is still by mail. Renew every year with proof of classes and work. [2][10][13]

3. Work for a C-10 contractor under a certified electrician

   Build 8,000 hours (General) or 4,800 hours (Residential) of work for a C-10 contractor, under direct supervision, while keeping up at least 150 classroom hours a year. [8][11][12]

4. Apply for the certification exam

   Apply online or by mail with $175 ($75 application plus $100 exam) and a Social Security Administration employment history report as proof of work. [1][2][6]

5. Schedule and pass the exam

   After DLSE approves you, CPS HR Consulting sends instructions to book through Pearson VUE. Take the exam within one year of your eligibility notice; you need 70%. [4]

6. Renew every three years

   Before your card expires, show 32 hours of continuing education and 2,000 hours of work in the past three years, and pay $100. [16][18]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train electricians in or for California, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  IBEW/NECA electrical JATCs in California

  Union apprenticeships. The DIR approved-school list includes the Los Angeles County, San Mateo County, Tri-County, Redwood Empire and Sacramento Area programs, among others; find yours with the Electrical Training Alliance locator. [23][25]

• Open shop

  IEC and ABC open-shop programs

  Non-union routes. DIR's approved-school list includes ABC Northern California, ABC of Southern California with North Orange County ROP, and the Western Electrical Contractors Association (WECA). IEC describes a four-year apprenticeship program. [24][25]

• State program

  Division of Apprenticeship Standards program search

  California's apprenticeship agency lets you search approved programs by county and occupation and see each program's minimum age, education, tests and how to apply. [26]

• School

  Approved electrician trainee schools

  DIR's list of schools whose curriculum counts for trainee registration, including community colleges such as Long Beach City College, San Diego City College, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, American River College and Fresno City College. [25]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask