How to become a licensed electrician in Virginia

Licensing office Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Tradesmen Program · (804) 367-8511 [1]

The license pathway in Virginia

1. 1

   Helper or apprentice (unlicensed)

   Virginia has no apprentice license. You may do electrical work without a tradesman license while working under the supervision of a tradesman licensed in that specialty. Registered apprentices are signed up with Virginia Works by their employer, not with DPOR. [2][19]

2. 2

   Journeyman Electrician

   • 4 years of experience
   • 240 hours of formal vocational training with 4 years of experience (or 160 with 5, 80 with 6, 40 with 7, none with 8 years)
   • Yes: PSI, 70 items, 210 minutes, 49 correct to pass, open book, 2020 NEC (National Electrical Code); $100. Waived for completers of an approved registered apprenticeship.
   • $150 license fee by rule ($171.75 on DPOR's current application)
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   Lets you install, repair and maintain electrical systems to the Virginia building code. Besides the 4-year route, an associate degree or two-year program plus 2 years of experience, or a related engineering bachelor's degree plus 1 year, also qualifies you for the exam. [3][4][5][7][11][12][13][27]

3. 3

   Master Electrician

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: PSI, 90 items, 270 minutes, 63 correct to pass, open book; $125
   • $150 license fee by rule
   • Every 3 years, $160; 3 hours CE

   Can plan and lay out installations and supervise the work. You qualify for the exam after holding a journeyman license for at least one year, or with nine years of practical experience. An electrical contractor firm needs a master electrician as its qualified individual. [3][7][9][11][12][13][27]

4. 4

   Electrical Contractor (Class A, B or C)

   A business license from the same board, needed to contract for jobs over $1,000. The class sets the job size: Class C for single jobs under $30,000, Class B under $150,000, Class A any size (yearly totals also count). See the Virginia general contractor page for the business requirements. [7][9][10]

Who needs a license in Virginia

Virginia law says no one may work as a tradesman (electrical, plumbing or HVAC work for the public for pay) unless licensed by the Board for Contractors. DPOR adds that although the word "certified" is used, state certification of these trades is "mandatory, not optional."

There's a key exception for beginners: you are not subject to licensure "when working under the supervision of a tradesman who is licensed in the specialty for which work is being performed." Small jobs are also exempt: work worth less than $250 on a single-family home, by someone who doesn't advertise as a tradesman.

Local rules can apply on top of the state license, so check with the city or county where you'll work. [1][2][4][6]

The license ladder: helper to master

• Helper or apprentice: no license; you work under a licensed electrician.
• Journeyman Electrician: experience plus formal vocational training, then the exam.
• Master Electrician: one year as a licensed journeyman (or nine years of experience), then the master exam.
• Electrical contractor: a business license (Class A, B or C) that needs a master electrician as qualified individual.

For the journeyman exam the rule (effective April 1, 2025) accepts any one of these: 4 years of experience and 240 hours of training; 5 years and 160 hours; 6 years and 80 hours; 7 years and 40 hours; 8 years and no training; an associate degree or two-year program plus 2 years; or a related engineering bachelor's degree plus 1 year. DPOR's current application lists the same options. Its older instruction booklet still says ten years without training, so follow the rule and the current form.

Unlike the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and plumbing trades, Virginia has no residential-only electrician license. Compare with other states on the electrician hub and journeyman vs. master. [2][3][7][8][9][10]

The journeyman and master exams

PSI gives the exams for DPOR. PSI's bulletin dated July 23, 2026 lists the journeyman electrician exam at 70 items in 210 minutes with a passing score of 49, and the master exam at 90 items in 270 minutes with a passing score of 63. Both include questions on Virginia's tradesman regulations as well as the code.

All exams are open book. You bring your own references: the bulletin lists the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC, the national wiring rulebook) and NFPA 70E (electrical safety). Permanent tabs and highlighting are allowed; writing in the books isn't.

The exam fee is $100 for journeyman and $125 for master, paid to PSI and valid for one year. Schedule at PSI's Virginia page or (855) 340-3910 once DPOR approves your application.

If you complete a registered apprenticeship approved by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (Virginia Works), state law exempts you from the journeyman exam. DPOR's application says your sponsor "MAY be a sponsor that has been granted an exemption to examination" and that DPOR will verify it, so ask your sponsor. [4][5][7][11]

Fees, renewal and continuing education

The rule sets the license fee at $150 and the renewal fee at $160. Since July 1, 2026 DPOR adds a technology fee of $7.25 per year, and its current application lists $171.75. PSI exam fees are separate.

Tradesman licenses last three years. To renew, you must complete 3 hours of board-approved continuing education (CE) on building code changes for each trade designation you hold. [1][7][11][12][13][14]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Virginia

Union (IBEW/NECA): joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs, run by union and employer reps) train apprentices. The Local 26 JATC's inside wireman program requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 800 classroom hours over five years, with pay rising as you progress. The Electrical Training Alliance lists typical entry requirements: age 18, high school education, a year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score and being drug free. Find other Virginia locals with its training center locator.

Open shop: ABC Virginia runs four-year electrical classes (600 classroom hours alongside 8,000 work hours) for apprentices already employed by licensed electrical contractors.

State registry: Virginia Works registers apprenticeships and lists sponsors. More: electrician apprenticeships, union vs. non-union and the aptitude test. [15][16][17][18][19]

If you're licensed in another state

The Board for Contractors publishes examination reciprocity agreements for electricians with DC, Kentucky and West Virginia (journeyman and master) and with Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio (master level). You must meet the terms of the agreement and send verification of your license from the other board.

Virginia also has a universal license recognition law. DPOR recognizes an out-of-state license held at least one year, earned by exam plus education, training or experience, with no pending complaints. If you worked at least three years in a state that doesn't license the trade, you qualify by passing Virginia's exam. Out-of-state journeymen and masters can also sit for the same-level Virginia exam. See our reciprocity guide. [20][21][22][23]

Career changers: age, background and timing

You must be 18 to apply for a license, and there's no maximum age to start a registered apprenticeship. Applicants must disclose felony and non-marijuana misdemeanor convictions; the board may deny a license based on them.

Your fastest route is usually a registered apprenticeship or four years of work plus 240 hours of classes. A related associate degree cuts the experience to two years. Veterans may apply substantially equivalent military training toward requirements. [3][24][25][26]

Steps to get licensed in Virginia

1. Get hired as a helper or apprentice

   Work for an electrical contractor under the supervision of a licensed electrician; no license is needed at this stage. A registered apprenticeship adds classes and can let you skip the journeyman exam later. [2][4]

2. Get your vocational training

   Complete formal vocational training in the trade: 240 hours if you'll apply with 4 years of experience. It can come from an accredited school or board-approved training by trade associations, employers or the military. [3][27]

3. Document your experience

   Have employers, contractors or building officials fill out DPOR's Tradesman Experience Verification Form, and gather transcripts or certificates for your training. [1][7][28]

4. Apply to DPOR

   Send the Tradesman Exam & License Application with the fee ($171.75 on the current form). You must be 18. Apprenticeship completers attach their Apprenticeship Action Form instead of applying to test. [1][7][24]

5. Pass the PSI exam

   After DPOR approves you, book the journeyman exam with PSI ($100). It's open book; bring your own 2020 NEC. [11]

6. Renew and move up to master

   Renew every 3 years with 3 hours of CE. After one year as a licensed journeyman you can apply for the master exam. [3][13]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship (JATC) programs in Virginia

  Union programs run jointly by the electricians' union (IBEW) and contractors (NECA). The Local 26 JATC's inside wireman program, approved in Virginia, Maryland and DC, requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 800 classroom hours over five years. Use the training center locator for other Virginia locals. [15][16]

• Open shop

  ABC Virginia electrical apprenticeship

  Associated Builders and Contractors' Virginia chapter teaches the classroom part (600 hours over four years, alongside 8,000 hours of work) in Northern Virginia, Central Virginia and Hampton Roads. You must already work for a licensed electrical contractor. [17][29]

• State program

  Virginia Works Registered Apprenticeship

  The state agency that registers apprenticeships. You apply to an employer sponsor; its sponsor search lists active programs, including electrician programs. [18][19]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask