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How to become an electrician in Washington

To work as an electrician in Washington, you need your own certificate of competency from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). The certificate of competency belongs to you and not to your employer, so you keep it when you change jobs.

See your steps Find an apprenticeship

Your ladder

Dates if you start in Nov 2026 and work 40 hours a week.

  1. ApprenticeStart here
  2. General journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency8,000 hours on the job
  3. Master electrician certificate of competencyThe next license up
  4. General electrical (01) contractor licenseRun your own business

First: start as an apprentice.

Find an apprenticeship

Dates are estimates, worked out from the hours on the job each license requires and the hours a week you pick.

Your steps

If you have no experience, you can start with a job as an electrical trainee. As a trainee, you get paid while you build your hours. Once you complete your hours, you can take the exam.

To qualify for the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency, you need 8,000 hours on the job and 96 classroom hours. If you work full time, you reach 8,000 hours in about 4 years.

If you want to work in one specialty, you can get the specialty electrician certificate of competency instead. This certificate of competency requires 4,000 hours or 2,000 hours on the job, depending on the specialty.

After you hold the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency for 4 years, you can take the exam for the master electrician certificate of competency.

Steps for: New to the trade. The dates follow your ladder. Change where you are, your start month or your hours a week at the top of the page.

  1. Step 1, Start here

    Start as an apprentice

    An apprenticeship is a paid job with training. You work for an employer and you learn the trade on the job. You can compare 34 registered electrician apprenticeship programs in Washington by what they pay. Pay on day one runs from $14.60 to $24.75 an hour, and the journey rate (the hourly pay of a fully qualified worker) runs from $31.48 to $76.95 an hour.

    The programs that pay the most at completion

    See all 34 programs

  2. Step 2,

    Get hired as an electrical trainee

    Find a job as an electrical trainee with a licensed electrical contractor, or start in a registered apprenticeship (a paid job with training). You get paid while you build your hours, and your hours count either way.

  3. Step 3, From day one

    Record your hours

    Keep your own record of your hours from your first day. Your employer must be able to confirm every hour you claim.

  4. Step 4,

    Complete your hours

    To qualify for the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency, you need 8,000 hours on the job and 96 classroom hours. To qualify for the specialty electrician certificate of competency, you need 4,000 hours or 2,000 hours on the job, depending on the specialty.

  5. Step 5,

    Apply to L&I

    Apply to L&I and pay the $114.60 application fee. The fee covers your application and your first certificate of competency.

  6. Step 6,

    Take the exam

    Book your exam with PSI (the company that gives the exam). PSI sets its own fee. If L&I gives your exam itself, L&I charges $80.30 for each attempt.

Other electrician licenses

As a trainee, you must take your classroom hours in a classroom. L&I doesn't accept correspondence classes or internet classes.

General journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency

Hours on the job
8,000
Exam
$80.3
Fee
$114.6

The general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency requires 8,000 hours on the job and 96 classroom hours. You must start as an electrical trainee, unless you have equivalent experience from another state or from the military. You must also pass the Journey level electrician certificate of competency examination.

The application fee is $114.60, and it covers your application and your first certificate of competency.

You renew the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency every 3 years. To renew, you need 24 hours of continuing education (classes you take to keep your certificate of competency). The renewal fee depends on how you renew.

Online
$92.60
In person, by mail or by fax
$106.40

Of the 8,000 hours, 4,000 must be new industrial or commercial installation work.

Hours from a specialty that requires less than 2 years of work don't count toward this certificate of competency.

The 96 classroom hours are separate from the 8,000 hours on the job.

General journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency at L&I

Specialty electrician certificate of competency

Hours on the job
4,000
Exam
$80.3
Fee
$114.6

L&I certifies electricians in 14 specialties, and the hours you need depend on your specialty. For 8 of the specialties, the specialty electrician certificate of competency requires 2,000 hours on the job and 24 classroom hours. For the other specialties, this certificate of competency requires 4,000 hours on the job and 48 classroom hours.

You must also pass the Specialty electrician certificate of competency examination.

The application fee is $114.60, and it covers your application and your first certificate of competency.

You renew the specialty electrician certificate of competency every 3 years. To renew, you need 24 hours of continuing education. The renewal fee depends on how you renew.

Online
$92.60
In person, by mail or by fax
$106.40

Only hours from a 4,000-hour specialty count toward the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency.

As a trainee in a specialty, you must work under a specialty electrician who is certified for that kind of work, or under a journey level electrician.

Specialty electrician certificate of competency at L&I

Master electrician certificate of competency

Exam
$106.7
Fee
$204.6

To qualify for the master electrician certificate of competency, you must hold the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency for at least 4 years. You must also pass the Master electrician certificate of competency examination. As a master electrician, you can be the assigned master electrician that an electrical contractor needs.

The application fee is $204.60, and it covers your exam application and your first certificate of competency.

You renew the master electrician certificate of competency every 3 years. To renew, you need 24 hours of continuing education. The renewal fee depends on how you renew.

Online
$175.70
In person, by mail or by fax
$202.20
Master electrician certificate of competency at L&I

To run an electrical business

General electrical (01) contractor license

To get the general electrical (01) contractor license, the business must have a certified electrical administrator or a certified master electrician who is assigned to the business. This license allows you to run your own electrical business.

The business also needs a $4,000 electrical/telecommunication contractor's surety bond, or an assignment of a savings account, on file with L&I.

The first application costs $353.90, and you can't make your first application online.

You renew the general electrical (01) contractor license every 2 years. The renewal fee depends on how you renew.

Online
$306.20
In person, by mail or by fax
$353.90
General electrical (01) contractor license at L&I

Take the exam

LicenseExam
General journey level electrician (01) certificate of competencyJourney level electrician certificate of competency examination
Specialty electrician certificate of competencySpecialty electrician certificate of competency examination
Master electrician certificate of competencyMaster electrician certificate of competency examination

PSI gives the electrician exams for L&I. You book your exam with PSI.

PSI gives most exams and sets its own fee. Ask PSI what it charges.

If L&I gives your exam itself, L&I charges $80.30 for each attempt at the journey level exam or the specialty exam. For the master electrician exam, L&I charges $106.70 for your first attempt and $125 for each retake.

Use the official name of your exam when you book with PSI.

What electricians earn in Washington

$45.78an hour

$95,220 a year, full time

Half of the electricians on a payroll in Washington earn more than $45.78 an hour, and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the yearly figure at $95,220.

These figures cover everyone on a payroll as an electrician in Washington, from apprentices to people with decades in the trade, so they aren't a starting wage. The survey counts 19,380 jobs. The figures don't include self-employed electricians.

The yearly figure is for full-time work all year, which is 2,080 hours.

Use a license from another state

If you hold an electrician license from another state, check whether L&I recognizes it. L&I recognizes a license from this state.

Washington licenseRecognized from
General journey level electrician (01) certificate of competencyOregon

If your license is from any other state, contact L&I before you move and ask whether L&I recognizes your license.

Oregon recognizes the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency and the master electrician certificate of competency. If you move to any other state, ask the office that issues electrician licenses in that state whether it recognizes your certificate of competency.

Questions

How long does it take to become an electrician in Washington?

If you work full time, you reach the 8,000 hours for the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency in about 4 years. For a specialty that requires 4,000 hours, you reach the hours in about 2 years.

Can you become an electrician with no experience?

Yes. You can start as an electrical trainee or in a registered apprenticeship, and you learn the trade on the job. Ask your employer who will confirm your hours.

How much does an electrician certificate of competency cost in Washington?

For the general journey level electrician (01) certificate of competency, the application fee is $114.60 and L&I charges $80.30 for each exam attempt. For the master electrician certificate of competency, the application fee is $204.60.

Contact the licensing office

Washington State Department of Labor & Industrieslni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical

Words to know

Apprentice
Someone who learns the trade on the job, working under a licensed worker.
Journeyman
The license level after apprentice. Some states write journeyperson, journeyworker or journey level.
Master
A higher license level, for a worker with more years in the trade. It often lets you supervise others.
Continuing education
Classes you take to keep your license.
Reciprocity
An agreement that lets you use a license from one state to get a license in another.
PSI
A company that runs licensing exams for state and city offices.
Median
The middle figure. Half of the workers earn more, and half earn less.

Sources

9
  1. The electrician certification page at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
  2. The electrical contractor page at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
  3. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 state file
  4. Revised Code of Washington 19.28.161, the certification rule for the electrical construction trade
  5. Washington Administrative Code rule 296-46B-970, the rule for basic trainee classroom courses
  6. Revised Code of Washington 19.28.191, which sets who is eligible for the certificate of competency examinations
  7. Washington Administrative Code rule 296-46B-909, the electrical fee schedule
  8. The master electrician certificate page at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
  9. Revised Code of Washington 19.28.041, which requires an electrical contractor license and says how long it lasts

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