West Virginia Journeyman Electrician

One paper exam of 50 multiple-choice questions, each worth 2 points, in 4 hours. It is open book on the 2023 NEC, calculations are built into the multiple choice, and you need 70%. The State Fire Marshal writes and gives it; there is no law or business section.

You must be at least 18 and meet one of three requirements: 1 year (2,000 hours) of hands-on electrical work experience, completion of a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship, or completion of a West Virginia Department of Education 1,080-hour electrical vocational program. Apprenticeship or vocational graduates can also get a one-time 90-day temporary journeyman license ($50) while they wait to test.

Yes. The State Fire Marshal has recognized licenses from other states and local jurisdictions with a letter of good standing, as long as you meet West Virginia’s minimum experience (1 year or 2,000 hours for journeyman). The rules also provide universal license recognition for new West Virginia residents who have held a comparable license for at least a year.

The 2023 NEC (NFPA 70-2023). The State Fire Marshal announced that all West Virginia electrical exams are based on the 2023 edition from January 1, 2026; before that they were on the 2020 NEC. The State Building Code still adopts the 2020 NEC for installations, so the exam is a cycle ahead of the code you may work to. Every question here cites the 2023 section.

It is open book. The State Fire Marshal allows the NEC code book, book tabs, a key-word index, Ugly’s Electrical References, a calculator and a No. 2 pencil. Bring the 2023 NEC. The State Fire Marshal itself offers no study guides, prep courses or practice exams.

Since January 1, 2026, calculations are part of the 50 multiple-choice questions, each worth 2 points. (The older format had 50 multiple-choice questions plus five separate calculations worth 5 points each.) Expect load calculations, conductor and overcurrent sizing, box fill and the Chapter 9 tables.

No. The rules say only that every exam is derived from the NEC and that you need 70%. Our 50-question practice exam follows our own blueprint, weighted by NEC chapter like the state’s Contractor Licensing Board electrical exam, with a calculations area. Treat the area counts as a study guide, not the real split.

The State Fire Marshal gives paper exams on set dates in Charleston, Beckley, Clarksburg, Martinsburg and Wellsburg: 24 sessions are scheduled for 2027. Apply through the State Fire Marshal’s online license portal with the $25 non-refundable fee at least 10 working days before the exam. Walk-ins are not allowed; you need the written authorization to sit.

Exams are graded within 15 business days, and you need 70%. The rules set no waiting period before a retake: apply again for a later exam date with a new application. If you cannot attend, tell the office at least 24 hours before the exam or you forfeit the fee.

Every West Virginia electrician license expires on June 30. You can renew for one year or up to three, at $50 a year. Late in the same license year it is $50 plus a $50 penalty, and a lapsed license can be renewed without retesting within five years of the last renewal at double the fee.

No. The State Fire Marshal licenses individual electricians. A business that contracts electrical work needs a separate license from the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (Division of Labor), which uses Prov’s WV Electrical Contractor trade exam and the Contractor Licensing Act exam. This product covers the State Fire Marshal’s journeyman and master exams.