Rhode Island Journeyperson Electrician License (Certificate B / Class B): Requirements and How to Apply

Rhode Island licenses electricians statewide through the Department of Labor and Training (DLT), Division of Professional Regulation, working with the Board of Examiners of Electricians. DLT also writes and gives the exams itself. Everything below comes from R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-6, the Board's rules (260-RICR-30-15-7) and DLT's electrician application.

What a Certificate B journeyperson may do

The journeyperson license, officially Certificate B in the Board's rules and known to most electricians as the Class B license, is the individual license for doing electrical work in Rhode Island. The electrical contractor license, Certificate A (Class A), is what lets a person or firm carry on the business of electrical contracting (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-6-8), and every Certificate A applicant must have held a Certificate B for at least two years. See the Certificate A requirements for the next step.

Apprenticeship and instruction

To sit the journeyperson exam you need a completed Rhode Island registered apprenticeship (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-6-24.2 and 5-6-24.3; DLT application):

Requirement	Details
On-the-job learning	At least 8,000 hours (four years) in a registered electrician apprenticeship
Related instruction	576 hours approved by DLT, 144 hours alongside each 2,000 hours of work
School credit	Up to 144 hours of classroom training per academic year (288 hours over two years) from an approved trade school, with the Board's written approval
Proof	The apprenticeship completion certificate from DLT's apprenticeship office, a notarized employer letter listing your work, and the ratio sheet signed by the master electrician

Applicants who hold an out-of-state electrician license may also sit the journeyperson exam. Send a copy of the license and an official verification from the issuing state; computer printouts are not accepted.

How to apply

Complete DLT's electrician application for the journeyperson exam and have it notarized.
Attach a government ID, the employer experience letter and your apprenticeship or out-of-state license documents.
Pay the $75 non-refundable application and processing fee by check or money order to the R.I. Department of Labor & Training (cards are accepted in person only).
Mail it so it arrives at least 15 working days before an exam date. DLT mails your exam time and place once you are approved.
Pass the exam (70%). DLT then invoices you for the $72 two-year license fee.

The exam in brief

Item	Rhode Island Certificate B (Class B) Journeyperson
Given by	DLT Professional Regulation and the Board of Examiners of Electricians
Format	Written, answered in ink; practical demonstrations are allowed by rule
Books	Closed book by rule, unless the Board permits otherwise
Questions and time	80 questions, 4 hours
Passing score	70% (60% or more earns a review with the Board)
Code	The 2023 NEC, the Rhode Island Electrical Code since December 1, 2025

See what is on the Journeyperson exam for the topics, and exam day for the logistics.

Licensed in another state?

Rhode Island has no electrician reciprocity. An electrician licensed elsewhere applies to take the Rhode Island journeyperson exam with the out-of-state license and an official verification from that state. There is no license-by-endorsement route.

Renewal and continuing education

Licenses expire on your birthday and renew for two years at the license fee ($72 for Certificate B). Each renewal needs 15 clock hours of Board-approved continuing education covering the currently adopted NEC and ICC codes (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-6-20.1). A late renewal adds $12 for each month late, and a license not renewed within two years of expiring is forfeited: you would apply and test again (5-6-20).

Practice for the exam

Our Rhode Island Journeyperson practice test is built on the 2023 NEC, and every question cites the section you would look up.

Rhode Island Journeyperson Electrician License (Certificate B / Class B): Requirements and How to Apply