How to Get an Electrician License in Texas: Every TDLR Tier, Hours and Fee

Who licenses electricians in Texas?

TDLR does, through its Electricians program. Texas licenses electrical work statewide, so you deal with one agency whether you wire houses in Lubbock or service panels in Houston. TDLR's FAQ is blunt about it: anyone performing electrical work in Texas must hold a license first, with no grace period. TDLR issues 11 individual license types and 3 business license types. This page covers the six most electricians and shop owners need. Sign, lineman, industrial and appliance-installer licenses are listed on the TDLR program page.

What are the Texas electrician license tiers?

Six tiers matter for most people. The ladder runs apprentice → journeyman → master → contractor, with residential wireman and maintenance electrician as side routes. Each cell links the TDLR page it came from.

What each license lets you do also differs. A journeyman works "under the general supervision of a Master Electrician," per TDLR. A residential wireman is limited to "single-family and multifamily dwellings not exceeding four stories" (TDLR). A maintenance electrician does maintenance work under a master's general supervision (TDLR). Only a licensed electrical contractor can run the business that sells electrical work.

How do you become a licensed electrician in Texas, step by step?

1. 1

   Get an apprentice license before your first day

   Apply online with TDLR and pay the $20 fee. There's no experience or exam requirement (TDLR). Renew it every year, either with 4 hours of CE or by staying enrolled in a TDLR-registered apprenticeship training course.

2. 2

   Log supervised hours under a Texas master electrician

   Your hours count when they're supervised by a master electrician licensed in Texas. Each supervisor signs an Experience Verification Form, so get signatures as you leave each employer instead of chasing them years later (TDLR).

3. 3

   Apply for journeyman at 7,000 hours

   Mail the application with the $30 fee. Submitting 7,000 hours lets you take the exam before reaching the 8,000 hours required for the license (TDLR). If you'd rather stay residential, the residential wireman license needs 4,000 hours (TDLR).

4. 4

   Pass the PSI exam within your one-year window

   Once TDLR approves you, schedule with PSI. The exam is open book against the 2026 National Electrical Code, and 70% passes. You can retake as often as needed, paying again each time. You have one year from the date TDLR receives your application to meet every requirement (TDLR).

5. 5

   Finish your hours and get licensed

   Your journeyman license issues once your 8,000 hours are verified and you've passed. Then renew yearly with 4 hours of CE covering the NEC, Texas electrician law, TDLR rules and NFPA 70E safety (TDLR).

6. 6

   Go for master after two years as a journeyman

   With 12,000 total hours and two years holding a journeyman license, apply for master ($45) and take that exam (TDLR). Journeyman Industrial Electrician experience doesn't count toward master.

What's on the Texas electrician exam?

TDLR uses PSI as its exam vendor, and the exam is open book: you may bring the National Electrical Code, 2026 Edition. A score of 70% or better passes (TDLR exam page). TDLR offers each exam in English and Spanish. It doesn't publish question counts, time limits or exam fees on its own site; those are in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for your license type, which the exam page links. Open book doesn't mean easy. Most people who fail run out of time hunting through the code, so practice finding articles fast.

Does a Texas city require its own electrical license?

Not if you hold a TDLR license. TDLR's FAQ answers "Can a city or region still require me to have a city license and charge me a fee?" with "Yes, IF you do not hold a state license issued by TDLR." The state law doesn't stop cities from charging building permit fees, so you still pull permits and pass inspections where the job is (TDLR FAQ). City permit rules and inspection schedules vary, so call the building department before you bid a job in a new city. We haven't verified individual city rules for this page.

Homeowners: the state doesn't require a license for a person doing electrical work on a dwelling they own and live in (TDLR exemptions). TDLR notes that city rules can override exemptions, so a homeowner may still need a permit. Other exemptions cover licensed A/C contractors connecting their own equipment, plumbers working on existing circuits for fixtures, and several utility and industrial settings.

Can you transfer an out-of-state electrician license to Texas?

Only for master and journeyman licenses, and only from listed states (TDLR out-of-state page). Master electrician reciprocity covers Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana (state contractor's license, Louisiana residents only), Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee; the fee is $45. Journeyman reciprocity covers Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming; the fee is $30. TDLR says there are no reciprocal agreements for any other license type.

Practice for the exam

Free practice tests for the Texas journeyman exam are on our list. Until they ship, build the habit that wins open-book exams: tab your code book by article and time yourself finding answers. If you also work on HVAC equipment, our EPA 608 Core practice test covers the refrigerant rules every technician needs.

Starting your own electrical contracting business in Texas

To sell electrical work under your own name, your business needs an Electrical Contractor license ($110 a year). You must either hold a master license and assign it to your company, or employ a master who assigns their license as the "Master Electrician of Record" (TDLR FAQ). A master can be assigned to only one contractor at a time (TDLR).

• Liability insurance minimums: $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations (TDLR).
• Workers' comp: send proof of coverage, a certificate of authority to self-insure, or a statement electing not to carry coverage with your application (TDLR).
• Taxes: Texas taxes residential and commercial electrical work differently, and LLCs file franchise tax reports. See Texas contractor taxes and licensing.
• Business setup: entity, insurance, pricing and your first customers are covered in how to start an electrical business.