Tennessee Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE): Requirements and How to Apply
How to get a Tennessee Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) license: no experience required, Prov's 40-question exam on the 2017 NEC, the $50 license, where the LLE is accepted and where it isn't, and renewal.
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Tennessee Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE): Requirements and How to Apply
The Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) license lets an individual electrician do electrical work, including the electrical part of HVAC installations, on projects that cost less than $25,000. It is issued by the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors to anyone who passes the LLE trade exam. Everything below comes from the Board's LLE and fees pages, its LLE application and licensing resource, and Prov's Tennessee bulletin (August 18, 2026).
Who needs an LLE
You need an LLE to pull permits for electrical work under $25,000 in the jurisdictions where the State Fire Marshal's office or its issuing agents handle electrical permits and inspections, about 65 counties and towns. The cost includes materials and labor, and a project cannot be split into phases to stay under the limit.
Work of $25,000 or more needs a state contractor license with the CE (Electrical Contractor) classification instead (CE requirements). A CE holder does not also need an LLE.
Where the LLE is not accepted
Twenty-nine cities and counties run their own electrician licensing and do not accept the LLE. They include Nashville, Memphis and Shelby County, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Clarksville, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Jackson and Kingsport. In those places you need the local journeyman or master license, or the state CE. Check with the local codes office before you apply.
Requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Experience | None. No pre-approval or experience is needed to take the exam |
| Exam | Prov's LLE trade exam: 40 questions, 2 hours, open book, 73% to pass |
| Other exams that count | A passing score on the CE Electrical Contractor trade exam or the NASCLA Electrical Contractor exam |
| Documents | Photo ID, Social Security number, proof of citizenship or qualified alien status |
| License fee | $50 initial |
How to apply
- Register with Prov at provexam.com or (866) 720-7768 and pay the $53 exam fee.
- Pass the exam at a Prov test center or at home through Examroom.
- Apply online through CORE (core.tn.gov) with the $50 initial application fee.
An LLE holder may not use the word "contractor" in the business name or advertising without a contractor license.
The exam in brief
| Item | Tennessee LLE exam |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Prov (PSI until June 30, 2026) |
| Questions | 40 |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Passing score | 73% |
| Format | Open book, computer-based |
| Code | 2017 NEC, with Ugly's Electrical References (2020) and 29 CFR 1926 |
| Fee | $53 per attempt |
Reciprocity
There is no out-of-state reciprocity for the LLE. Electricians licensed elsewhere pass the Tennessee exam. (Tennessee's trade-exam waivers with other states apply only to contractor licenses.)
Renewal
The LLE expires every two years, on the last day of the month it was issued, and renews for $50. There is no continuing education requirement. A license renewed up to three months late pays a $10 monthly penalty; after three months you reapply.
Practice for the exam
Our Tennessee LLE practice test is weighted like Prov's LLE outline, and every question cites the 2017 NEC section you would look up on test day.
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