Oregon General Supervising Electrician License: Requirements and How to Apply
What Oregon requires for a General Supervising (S) electrician license: four years as a journeyman or the equivalent, the BCD application, the 64-question exam, the signing supervisor's duties, reciprocity and continuing education.
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Oregon General Supervising Electrician License: Requirements and How to Apply
The General Supervising Electrician (S) license is the top individual electrical license in Oregon. Every electrical contractor must continuously employ at least one, with limited exceptions (OAR 918-282-0010), and about 2,700 were active in 2026. The Building Codes Division (BCD) issues it, and the Electrical and Elevator Board writes the exam. Everything below comes from ORS chapter 479, OAR chapter 918 and BCD's licensing pages.
What a supervising electrician does
Working for an electrical contractor, a general supervising electrician directs, supervises and controls electrical installations, and is the only person who may supervise an electrical service. The contractor's signing supervisor must sign all permits, make sure electricians hold the right licenses for their work, comply with correction notices, be on the contractor's regular payroll, and supervise for only one employer (OAR 918-282-0140).
Eligibility
You need four years of experience as a general journeyman electrician, or its equivalent (ORS 479.630):
| Route | What you document |
|---|---|
| Licensed journeyman | 8,000 hours worked as a journeyman |
| No journeyman license | 8,000 hours of journeyman-qualifying experience, plus 8,000 more hours equivalent to journeyman work |
How to apply
- Apply to BCD with the $100 application fee, which is nonrefundable and covers the exam.
- Wait for your Letter of Authorization, which names your proctor site.
- Schedule with that site and test within 60 days.
- Get your result by mail, in about two weeks.
The exam in brief
| Item | Oregon General Supervising (S) |
|---|---|
| Given by | BCD, on paper at local proctor sites |
| Questions | 64, in two sections: 52 code and 12 calculations |
| Time | 4 hours |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Format | Open book, from BCD's approved list |
| Code | 2026 NEC with Oregon's Table 1-E amendments |
Exam-prep providers report that each section must reach 75% on its own (39 of 52 and 9 of 12); BCD's published materials do not say. See what is on the Supervising exam.
Licensed in another state?
Oregon reciprocates the general supervising license only with Arkansas and Utah. You need a current, equivalent license earned by exam with 75% or better, at least 1,000 hours worked under it, and no failed Oregon supervising exam in the past two years.
Renewal and continuing education
Licenses renew every three years. A general supervising electrician needs 24 hours of approved continuing education each cycle, including 12 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course required under BCD's rules (OAR 918-030-0120).
Practice for the exam
Our Oregon General Supervising practice test covers both sections, with every calculation worked out. If you are still working toward this license, start with the General Journeyman requirements.
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