NEC adoption by state means the edition of the National Electrical Code each state enforces on job sites. Your license exam can use a different edition, so study the one your exam bulletin lists. Most exams JCR covers test the 2020 NEC.
15 states and cities with exams JCR covers
Arizona, Kansas and Nevada C-2 exams use the 2017 NEC. See the 2017 NEC package.
| Quick facts | NEC editions on exams JCR covers |
|---|---|
| 2020 NEC on the exam | Most exams below, including North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina commercial. JCR sells the 2020 NEC book. |
| 2017 NEC on the exam | Tennessee's state electrical exams, Nevada C-2 contractor exams, Arizona ROC electrical exams, Kansas KGD, KGH and KGX exams, South Carolina Residential Electrical and Idaho limited electrical installers |
| 2020 or 2023 | Connecticut, Idaho and the NASCLA electrical exams, a national trade exam several states accept |
| 2023 NEC on the exam | Delaware Journeyperson Electrician. A journeyperson (journeyman) works under a master electrician's supervision. |
| Exam edition rule | Code questions are graded on the bulletin's edition only, as Virginia's bulletin states. Bulletins come from PSI, Prov or the International Code Council (ICC), whose exams run at Pearson VUE test centers. |
NEC adoption by state vs. the NEC on your exam
| Exam | Exam tests | State enforces | Official bulletin |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited and special restricted | 2020 NEC. Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited, single-family (SP-SFD) and fire alarm/low voltage (SP-FA/LV) exams add the 2013 NFPA 72 fire alarm code (NC license classes). | 2020. One- and two-family homes stay on the 2017. The 2023 is on indefinite delay. | NCBEEC exam handbook |
| South Carolina commercial Electrician | 2020 NEC with SC modifications | 2020. The 2023 starts January 1, 2027 | PSI commercial bulletin |
| South Carolina Residential Electrical | 2017 NEC. The NASCLA residential option takes the 2020 or 2023 | 2020. The 2023 starts January 1, 2027 | PSI residential bulletin |
| Tennessee Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) and Electrical Contractor (CE) | 2017 NEC. The NASCLA option takes the 2020 or 2023 | 2017 | Prov Tennessee bulletin |
| Virginia Journeyman and Master Electrician | 2020 NEC | 2020 | PSI Virginia bulletin |
| Alaska commercial and residential wiring administrator | 2020 NEC | 2020 | PSI Alaska bulletin |
| Arizona R-11, C-11 and CR-11 electrical contractor | 2017 NEC. The NASCLA option takes the 2020 or 2023 | Set locally | PSI Arizona bulletin |
| Connecticut E-1 contractor and E-2 journeyperson | 2020 or 2023 NEC | 2020. The 2023 is pending | PSI Connecticut bulletin |
| Delaware electrician exams | Master, Limited and Residential: 2020 NEC. Journeyperson: 2023 NEC. | 2023 since January 1, 2026 | Prov Delaware bulletin |
| Hawaii supervising and journey worker electrician | 2020 NEC, supplied at the test center | 2020 | PSI Hawaii bulletin |
| Idaho Journeyman and Master Electrician | 2020 or 2023 NEC | 2023 with Idaho amendments | PSI Idaho bulletin |
| Kansas KGD Master, KGH Journeyman and KGX Residential (city and county licenses) | 2017 NEC | 2008 statewide. Cities adopt their own, and Wichita and Topeka enforce the 2023 | ICC Kansas bulletin |
| Maryland Master and Journeyperson Electrician | 2020 NEC, the only reference allowed | 2020 | PSI Maryland bulletin |
| Mississippi Master and Residential Electrician | 2020 NEC. The NASCLA option takes the 2020 or 2023 | Set locally | PSI Mississippi bulletin |
| Montana Residential, Journeyman and Master Electrician | 2020 NEC | 2023 since September 26, 2026 | PSI Montana bulletin |
| Nevada C-2 electrical contractor and its subclasses | 2017 NEC | 2017 | PSI Nevada bulletin |
| New Mexico EE-98 contractor and EE-98J journeyman | 2020 NEC, plus the New Mexico Electrical Code | 2020 | PSI contractor bulletin and journeyman bulletin |
| Philadelphia ICC 211 Standard Master Electrician | 2020 NEC (references updated March 15, 2026) | 2020 | ICC Philadelphia bulletin |
| Washington electrical certification | 2020 NEC | 2023. The 2026 is expected December 31, 2026 | PSI bulletin and L&I exam page |
Memphis and Shelby County use ICC exams: T16 and T17 test the 2020 NEC, R16 and R17 the 2023 (ICC national bulletin). See JCR's Memphis/Shelby County license guide.
Testing on the 2017 NEC? See JCR's guides for Arizona, Kansas, Nevada reciprocity and the Tennessee LLE, plus the free 2017 NEC practice test.
Studying for your electrical exam? JCR's $495 self-study package has 500+ practice questions (digital and printed), 100 video lessons, a 152-page study manual and permanent code tabs. Videos and the digital practice exams open right after you order.
Testing in North Carolina? Take JCR's NC exam prep class: two full days in person ($845) in Raleigh, Asheville, Mooresville (Charlotte area) or Winston-Salem, or live on Zoom on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. 93% pass rate for JCR classroom students.
Why is the NEC on my exam different from my state's code?
States adopt editions by law or rule for jobs. Exam bulletins update on their own schedule, often later.
Delaware, for example, enforces the 2023 NEC, yet among its electrician exams, only the journeyperson exam tests it. On the test, only the bulletin's edition counts.
What NEC edition does North Carolina use on its exam?
The 2020 NEC. NC enforces the 2020 on most jobs, but one- and two-family homes stay on the 2017 under NC amendment 10.1. The exam is open book: you bring your own 2020 NEC and use it during the test.
- Also bring the NASCLA Contractors Guide, North Carolina Electrical 14th edition (business and law), and the 2013 NFPA 72 if your class needs it.
- Tabs: permanent only (stuck on for good). No sticky notes. JCR's permanent tabs may go into the NC exam.
- Notes: allowed before test day. Highlight pencil notes.
2017 vs. 2020 NEC exam: does the edition really matter?
Yes. A right 2017 answer can be wrong in 2020:
- GFCI in dwellings, 210.8(A): the 2017 covered 125-volt, 15- and 20-amp receptacles and unfinished basements. The 2020 covers 125- through 250-volt receptacles on single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground, and all basements.
- Outdoor outlets, 210.8(F): new in 2020. Outdoor outlets at dwellings, not just receptacles, need GFCI protection when supplied by single-phase circuits of 150 volts or less to ground and 50 amps or less. Outdoor lighting outlets are exempt. The exception for listed HVAC equipment expired September 1, 2026. North Carolina's state amendments delete 210.8(F) for NC jobs, but the NC exam tests the 2020 NEC.
- Upsized wire and the ground, 250.122(B): the 2017 required a proportionally bigger equipment grounding conductor whenever wire was upsized past the minimum size. The 2020 exempts upsizing for 310.15(B) temperature correction or 310.15(C) adjustment factors, and lets a qualified person size it instead.
How do you buy the right code book and tabs?
- Find your exam edition in the table.
- Buy that NFPA 70. JCR sells the 2020 NEC softbound. For the 2017 or 2023, go to NFPA.
- Tab it early. JCR's $50 permanent tabs cover the NFPA 70 and 72 (how to place them). Check your exam bulletin's tab rules first.
Also see JCR's exam book list.
NEC code by state: common questions
Which NEC edition is on my electrical exam?
The one your candidate bulletin names, which can differ from your state's adopted code. For most exams JCR covers, it's the 2020 NEC.
Is the 2020 NEC code book still used on electrical exams?
Yes. In October 2026 it's on most exams in the table, including North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
Can I bring a 2023 NEC to an exam that lists the 2020?
Don't. Code questions are based on the listed edition, and Maryland and Mississippi allow only that edition in the testing room.
Does the NEC Handbook count as the code book?
On some exams. Connecticut, Nevada, New Mexico and both South Carolina exams allow the NEC Handbook of the listed edition.
Study the edition your exam tests
Most JCR self-study packages use the 2020 NEC. Tennessee's uses the 2017, and JCR's 2017 NEC package covers the 2017 exams in Arizona, Kansas and Nevada. For $495: a 152-page manual with a six-week plan, 100 video lessons (21 hours), 500+ practice questions and permanent code tabs.
Plan on 6–8 weeks, about an hour a night.
Choose your state's self-study package
Each package is built for that state's exam and NEC edition. Pick yours:
Not sure which exam you need? See your state's license and exam requirements.
Related guides: Electrical license requirements by state · 2020 NEC practice test · 2017 NEC practice test · Which code books to bring
More worked examples: all NEC Answers.
Sources
- NFPA: NEC enforcement maps
- NCBEEC exam handbook
- PSI: SC commercial
- PSI: SC residential
- Prov: Tennessee
- PSI: Virginia
- PSI: Alaska
- PSI: Arizona
- PSI: Connecticut
- Prov: Delaware
- PSI: Hawaii
- PSI: Idaho
- ICC: Kansas
- PSI: Maryland
- PSI: Mississippi
- PSI: Montana
- PSI: Nevada
- PSI: New Mexico contractor
- PSI: New Mexico journeyman
- ICC: Philadelphia
- ICC: National Contractor/Trades
- PSI: Washington
- Washington L&I: exams
- Washington L&I: rules
- NC State Fire Marshal: electrical code
- NC State Fire Marshal: 2020 code amendments
- SC Building Codes Council
- Tennessee State Fire Marshal
- Virginia DHCD
- Connecticut DAS
- Delaware State Fire Marshal
- Montana Building Codes
- MABCD (Wichita/Sedgwick County): electrical
- Topeka Municipal Code 14.30.010
- Philadelphia L&I Bulletin B-2501
- NFPA 70: 2017 and 2020 editions, 210.8(A), 210.8(F), 250.122(B)
JCR checked every bulletin and state code source above on October 20, 2026, and added Arizona, Kansas and Nevada on October 21, 2026.