Short answer: Under the standard Texas experience route, apply to TDLR by mail with the $30 non-refundable fee and a separate signed Experience Verification Form from each Texas Master Electrician who supervised you. At 7,000 verified hours you may qualify to take the exam early; 8,000 hours are needed under the standard license route. Since July 1, 2026, TDLR also recognizes certain approved education and apprenticeship training routes for exam eligibility. Review the distinction below before applying.
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In detail: To apply for a Texas Journeyman Electrician license, you mail TDLR the Journeyman Electrician License Application with a $30 non-refundable fee. You also send an Experience Verification Form signed by each Texas Master Electrician who supervised you. With at least 7,000 hours of on-the-job training you can apply and sit the exam early, but the license needs the full 8,000 hours. After TDLR approves you, you book the two-part exam with PSI. Everything, including passing the exam, must be done within one year of TDLR receiving your application.
Last checked October 1, 2026 against the TDLR Journeyman Electrician application page and exam page. Download the current forms from TDLR, because form versions change.
2026 update: Approved JEEP and apprenticeship training routes
Standard supervised-hours route: 7,000 verified hours under a Texas-licensed Master Electrician may establish eligibility to sit for the Journeyman exam. The standard license requirement is 8,000 hours, plus the applicable exam and paperwork.
Additional exam-eligibility routes effective July 1, 2026: Under 16 TAC §73.21(b)(2), applicants who have completed a TDLR-approved accelerated journeyman electrician education pathway (JEEP) or qualifying apprenticeship training can apply to establish exam eligibility under that route. The state makes the eligibility decision.
JEEP training credit: Under 16 TAC §73.112, a graduate of a TDLR-approved JEEP route generally receives 4,000 hours of credit toward the on-the-job training requirement unless the Executive Director orders otherwise. The remaining applicable experience and all other license requirements still matter. Both the JEEP training provider and its curriculum must be approved by TDLR. Other apprenticeship training does not automatically receive this 4,000-hour JEEP credit.
Completing Tsai Electro practice questions, self-study or a paid membership does not grant state-approved experience credit, permission to perform unsupervised electrical work, or a license. Verify the current rules and training approval before relying on either path.
Official sources: TDLR adoption notice · Texas Register, 16 TAC §§73.21 and 73.112 · TDLR Journeyman application.
Step by step
- Count your hours. Add up the on-the-job training hours done under the supervision of a Texas-licensed Master Electrician. You need at least 7,000 to apply and sit the exam, and 8,000 to be licensed.
- Get every supervisor to verify. Each Master Electrician who supervised you completes and signs their own Experience Verification Form. If you cannot reach a supervisor, contact the electrical contractor they worked under and ask them to pass the request on. The TDLR license search can help you find contact details. TDLR may contact supervisors to check the hours.
- Check your criminal history question. If you have any conviction other than a minor traffic violation, or a deferred adjudication, include the Criminal History Questionnaire. Reviews take from one to six weeks. You can ask TDLR for a pre-application Criminal History Evaluation Letter.
- Mail the application. Send the Journeyman Electrician License Application with the $30 non-refundable fee to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, PO Box 12157, Austin TX 78711-2157. Initial Journeyman applications are by mail only.
- Wait for exam approval. TDLR notifies you by email or mail once your application is reviewed and the fee is received. Make sure your contact details on the application are correct.
- Book with PSI. Schedule online or by phone at (833) 333-4741. Your name must match TDLR’s record exactly. The PSI exam fee is $78.
- Pass both parts. NEC Knowledge (59 questions, 130 minutes) and Calculations (26 questions, 110 minutes), 70% on each, on the 2026 NEC. See the Texas Journeyman exam guide.
- Finish your hours. If you tested at 7,000 hours, the license is issued only once you reach 8,000.
Filling in the Experience Verification Form? Every field of Form ELC017, and how to get each Master to sign.
Fees and timeline at a glance
| Item | Amount or time |
|---|---|
| TDLR application fee | $30, non-refundable |
| PSI exam fee (both parts) | $78 |
| PSI retake fee (one or both parts) | $78 |
| Window to finish everything | 1 year from TDLR receiving the application |
| Criminal history review, if needed | 1 to 6 weeks |
| License term | 1 year, renewed annually (online) |
How long it takes to reach 7,000 and 8,000 hours
TDLR counts hours, not years. Using a common 2,000-hour work year, 7,000 hours is about 3.5 years and 8,000 hours is about 4 years; your verified employer hours control the final timeline. Part-time work, gaps between jobs or hours you cannot get verified stretch that out. Our Texas electrician timeline runs the same math through Master and contractor.
When to mail it at your pace: license timeline.
Should you test at 7,000 hours?
Testing early gives you time to retake within your one-year window while you finish your hours. TDLR’s May 12, 2026 staff report tracks these early exams. From January to March 2026, first-time early takers passed 67.23% of the time and repeat takers 19.72%. Candidates in apprenticeship programs passed 83.54% on the first attempt. The first attempt is your best chance, so go in prepared rather than using it as a trial run.
Prepare while you wait for approval
TDLR review takes time. Use it to set up your soft-bound 2026 NEC with publisher tabs (what PSI allows) and to practice timed parts. Start with the free Texas Journeyman practice, 20 questions with no sign-up. Move to the Texas Journeyman Practice Pack when you want 10 full two-part mocks with step-by-step calculation solutions.
Next step on the Texas ladder
You are here: Journeyman application. Next: Journeyman exam. Once TDLR approves you, you book the two-part PSI exam.
Also useful: Code book tabs · All Texas electrician exams
Free first: try 20 Texas Journeyman questions, no sign-up. Ready for full timed two-part mocks? See the practice pack: 1,000 questions and 10 mocks, one payment. See what’s inside.
FAQ
How many hours do you need for a journeyman license in Texas?
How much is the TDLR journeyman electrician application fee?
Can I apply for the Texas journeyman license online?
Who signs the Experience Verification Form?
How long do I have to pass the exam after applying?
Sources
- TDLR: Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR: Electrician exam information, read October 1, 2026
- PSI candidate information bulletin for TDLR electricians, updated September 15, 2026, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR staff reports, May 12, 2026, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR Active License Search: look up a Texas electrician license, read October 3, 2026
- Texas Open Data Portal: TDLR All Licenses dataset, read October 3, 2026