Washington General Journeyman Electrician (01): Requirements, Hours, and How to Apply

Washington General Journeyman Electrician (01): Requirements and How to Apply

Washington certifies electricians through the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Electrical Program, and the exams are given by PSI. Here is what the 01 general journeyman certificate takes.

Experience: a registered apprenticeship

You need 8,000 hours in a registered electrical apprenticeship, and at least 4,000 of them must be new commercial or industrial work.

The route for trainees outside an apprenticeship closed on July 1, 2026. A registered apprenticeship is now the only route.

Applying and testing

1. Apply to L&I. The journey/specialty application fee is $114.60, of which $44.20 is non-refundable.
2. L&I approves you and sends an approval letter with your Exam Unique ID, which you use to book and log in with PSI.
3. Sit the exam: two separately scored sections, NEC and Theory (60 questions, 3 hours) and Washington Codes (17 questions, 1 hour), 70% on each, on the 2020 NEC. What is on the exam breaks down both.

PSI bills by the exam hour, so the full four-hour 01 exam is $75. Retaking a single section costs less: $45 for the one-hour Washington Codes section, $65 for the three-hour NEC section.

The one-year window

You must pass every section within one year of L&I approving you, or you retake the whole exam. After a failed section you wait 14 days; after three failures of the same section within a year, 90 days. A pending rule would change these limits — to two years and 60 days — from November 20, 2026, but it is only proposed.

Pass rates

Washington reports first-time pass rates at Electrical Board meetings. For the 01 it was about 51% for the rolling year reported on July 30, 2026, and "just under 50%" in April 2026. Candidates who completed an apprenticeship pass at about 70%.

Licensed in another state?

Washington's only reciprocity is with Oregon: a 01 certificate and Oregon's journeyman licenses are exchanged without retesting.

Renewal

Certificates renew every three years, on your birthday. You need 24 hours of continuing education, including at least 8 on NEC code update and 4 on RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B.

Getting ready

Try our free 10-question practice test on the 2020 NEC, or see the full Washington General Journeyman exam prep.