How to Get a Washington Electrician Certificate

Washington has three main certificates: 01 General Electrician, Administrator, and Master Electrician. Every exam includes a Washington Codes section, so you'll study state law along with the NEC.

Choose your certificate

• 01 General Electrician: You need a completed registered apprenticeship. That means 8,000 hours of supervised work, at least 4,000 of them on new commercial or industrial installations, plus the program's classroom training. That's about four years of full-time work. Out-of-state and military applicants have their own routes. The old trainee route without an apprenticeship closed to new exam applications on July 1, 2026.
• 01 General Administrator: Anyone can take this exam, and you don't need L&I approval first. You can serve as an electrical contractor's administrator, but you can't install wiring unless you also hold an electrician certificate.
• 01 General Master Electrician: You must have held a Washington 01 journey-level certificate for at least four years before you apply.
• Electrical contractor: This is a separate business license. You need a UBI number, a $4,000 bond or assignment of savings, and an assigned administrator or master. See the contractor application requirements.

Apply and schedule

Electrician and Master: Apply to Washington Labor & Industries (L&I). L&I checks your training and hours. If you're approved, you'll get a letter with an Exam Unique ID. Use that ID to book your exam with PSI, the state's testing company. You have one year from the letter date to pass every section.

Administrator: Book directly with PSI. You must pass every section within one year. Then apply to L&I for your certificate within 90 days of your last passing score.

Retakes: Your first sitting must include every section. After that, retake only the sections you failed. Wait at least 14 days between attempts. After three failures in one exam period, the wait becomes 90 days. L&I has proposed a rule that would allow two years to pass and cut that wait to 60 days. If adopted, it takes effect November 20, 2026.

Exam sections and Washington law

Fees above are for your first sitting. Retakes are billed by the hour, from $45 for one hour.

The exam bulletin uses the 2020 NEC. Field work follows the 2023 NEC with Washington amendments, and L&I has proposed moving field work to the 2026 NEC on December 31, 2026. Study the 2020 NEC for the exam.

For the Washington Codes section, download RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B. They cover licensing, permits, enforcement and installation rules. Bring the printouts hole-punched in a binder.

Under the open-book rules, you can bring any original copyrighted reference. Highlighting, underlining and permanent index tabs are allowed. Handwritten notes, sticky notes and removable tabs are not. Bring a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator.

Reciprocity and renewal

Washington offers 01 reciprocity only with qualifying Oregon licenses. It depends on how you earned the Oregon license, including your apprenticeship. Use the reciprocity application. It doesn't lead to a Master, Administrator or contractor credential.

Your certificate renews every three years on your birthday. You need 24 CE hours, including 8 hours of code update and 4 hours of RCW/WAC. If it's expired more than 90 days, you have to retest. Contractor licenses renew every two years. See the L&I certificate requirements.