Utah Journeyman Electrician License: Requirements, Hours, and the Prov Exam

Utah Journeyman Electrician License: Requirements and the Exam

Utah licenses electricians through the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), under the Electricians Licensing Act Rule (Utah Admin. Code R156-55b). The exams are given by Prov. Here is what the journeyman license takes.

Two paths to the license

DOPL recognizes two routes, both counted as hours worked as a licensed apprentice:

Path	Education	Experience for the license
A	An approved 576-hour electrical program, completed over at least 48 months	8,000 hours
B	None	16,000 hours

The program has to be approved: by the Utah Board of Higher Education for in-state schools, or by DOPL with the board for out-of-state ones. Each semester runs at least 72 classroom hours, and each class has to be passed at 75% or better. Experience credit is capped at 3,000 hours in any 12 months, so you cannot compress the hours by working overtime.

There is also an expedited route. A licensed apprentice can take DOPL's competency exams, 1A through 4B, in sequence. Each is attempted once; a score of 75% or better unlocks the next, and a lower score sets where you are placed in a program. Passing all of them satisfies the education requirement.

When you can sit the exam

You do not have to finish all 8,000 hours first. On Path A you can sit the written exam once you have completed the program and 6,000 hours. On Path B it is the full 16,000 hours. The license itself still needs the full hours.

The exam

Since August 1, 2025, the old separate code and theory exams are gone. The journeyman written exam is now one combined test:

Item	Journeyman exam
Vendor	Prov
Questions	100
Time	240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score	75%
Fee	$85 per attempt
Code edition	2023 NEC
Retake	After 30 days

It is open book: the 2023 NEC, Ugly's Electrical References (2023) and the Utah licensing laws and rules are the listed references. What is on the exam breaks down all 15 areas.

The licensing path also includes the Utah Electrician Practical: six hands-on tasks in 130 minutes, covering torque settings, a delta-wye transformer termination, EMT bending, motor control from a ladder diagram, three-way and four-way switching, and wiring from a schematic.

Scheduling and school approval

You register on Prov's scheduler, choosing "UT Electrical" and the Journeyman license, and upload the Verification of Electrician Experience form. Out-of-state-trained applicants also upload transcripts.

Prov's bulletin says that from January 1, 2026, first-time journeyman candidates must be approved by their training school before they can schedule. DOPL's exam page says "preapproval for testing is NOT required", which most likely refers to DOPL's own preapproval. Expect the school approval step and allow time for it.

Pass rates

Neither DOPL nor Prov publishes current pass rates for the written exams. The combined exam only started on August 1, 2025, so older figures do not apply to it.

Renewal and continuing education

Licenses run on a two-year cycle. Each term needs 16 hours of continuing education:

• At least 12 hours core: 8 hours on the NEC and 4 hours on NFPA 70E.
• The other 4 hours can be core or professional: OSHA/MSHA, motors and motor controls, tool use, or supervision.

Reciprocity

Utah grants licensure by endorsement under Utah Code 58-1-302. DOPL publishes a map of which states' licenses it accepts for the journeyman license, and you submit a Verification of Licensure from your home state. If your state has no equivalent license, you have to meet Utah's requirements, exam included.

A law change coming on January 1, 2027

The Construction Trades Licensing Act (Title 58, Chapter 55) is being reorganized. From January 1, 2027, the electrician qualifications and CE rules move into a new Part 3, "Electricians". The requirements above are the same; the section numbers change. Study materials citing 58-55-302 will point to the old numbering after that date.

Getting ready

Try our free practice test on the 2023 NEC, or see the full Utah Journeyman Electrician exam prep.