Virginia Journeyman Electrician License: Requirements, Experience, and How to Apply
What the Virginia Board for Contractors requires for a journeyman electrician license: years of experience traded against vocational training, the apprenticeship exemption, the $100 PSI exam, fees and renewal.
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Virginia Journeyman Electrician License: Requirements and How to Apply
Virginia licenses electricians through the Board for Contractors, part of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The exams are given by PSI. Here is what the journeyman license takes.
Experience and education
The Board's regulations (18VAC50-30-39 B) trade years of practical experience in the trade against formal education. The more training you have, the fewer years you need:
| Education | Experience needed |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree in engineering | 1 year |
| Associate degree or two-year certificate | 2 years |
| 240 hours of vocational training | 4 years |
| 160 hours | 5 years |
| 80 hours | 6 years |
| 40 hours | 7 years |
| None | 8 years |
The apprenticeship route
If you complete an apprenticeship approved by the Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI), you are exempt from the journeyman exam (18VAC50-30-50 B).
Applying and testing
- Apply to DPOR with your experience and education.
- Once approved, schedule with PSI online or by phone, at a test center or by remote proctoring.
- Sit the exam: 70 scored questions in 3½ hours, 49 correct (70%) to pass, open book on the 2020 NEC. What is on the exam breaks down every area.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| PSI exam | $100 (valid one year, non-refundable) |
| Original license | $150 ($171.75 on the DPOR form, with technology fees) |
Renewal
Licenses renew every three years for $160. Each renewal needs 3 hours of continuing education on building code changes from a Board-approved provider.
Moving up to master
A journeyman license held for at least one year qualifies you for the master exam. See Virginia Master Electrician requirements.
Getting ready
Virginia does not publish exam pass rates. Try our free 10-question practice test on the 2020 NEC, or see the full Virginia Journeyman Electrician exam prep.
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