Anyone who performs, or offers to perform, non-exempt electrical work in Texas must be licensed, and must do that work through a licensed electrical contractor. That is TDLR's own wording, and it is the sentence that catches people out: holding a journeyman licence is not by itself permission to take a job. The licence lets you do the work. A contractor licence lets you sell it.
This page is the rest of it — the licence types, the hours behind each one, what renewal costs and when it stops being possible, and how to check anybody's licence in about thirty seconds.
Key facts
- Anyone performing non-exempt electrical work in Texas must be licensed and must work through a licensed electrical contractor (TDLR, Electricians, read 23 September 2026).
- TDLR issues eleven individual licences and three business licences. The ones most people are asking about are Apprentice Electrician, Residential Wireman, Journeyman Electrician and Master Electrician.
- Individual electrician licences are valid for one year from the date of issuance and are renewed annually.
- Renewal is 4 hours of continuing education per licence cycle, from a TDLR-registered provider, completed within the term of the licence being renewed.
- Hold more than one licence and you still only complete 4 hours in total, not 4 per licence.
- Renewal fees: Journeyman Electrician $30, Master Electrician $45, Residential Wireman $20.
- Electrical contractors and Residential Appliance Installers are not required to complete continuing education.
- A licence expired more than 3 years cannot be renewed at all. You reapply as a new applicant, exam included.
The licence types, and which one you actually need
Apprentice Electrician is a registration, not a qualification. You hold it while you accumulate hours under supervision. There is no exam.
Residential Wireman covers one and two-family dwellings. It is a real licence with its own exam, and for somebody who intends to work residential it is a faster route to being paid as a licensed person than waiting for journeyman hours.
Journeyman Electrician is the general licence. It needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician, and you may sit the exam at 7,000 hours — a thousand short of the licence itself. That gap is deliberate and it is worth using: pass the exam while you finish the hours and the licence issues as soon as the hours land.
Master Electrician requires a journeyman licence held for at least two years and 12,000 hours under a master electrician. It is the licence that lets you be the master of record for a contractor.
Electrical Contractor is a business licence, not a personal one. It is what allows a company to offer and contract electrical work, and it must have a master electrician as its designated master.
There are also Journeyman Industrial Electrician, Journeyman Lineman, Maintenance Electrician, Residential Appliance Installer and the three sign-electrician licences. They exist for specific work and most candidates never need them.
Renewal, and the three deadlines that matter
The licence runs one year. Miss the date and the cost climbs in steps:
- Renewed on time: $30 journeyman, $45 master, $20 residential wireman.
- Expired up to 90 days: $45 for a journeyman.
- Expired 91 days to 18 months: $60, still renewable online.
- Expired 18 to 36 months: $60, but the application goes in by mail rather than online.
- Expired more than 3 years: not renewable. You apply as a new candidate and sit the exam again.
Four hours is not a lot. Book it early in the year rather than in the last fortnight, because a provider's course schedule is not your problem to solve in December.
How to check anyone's licence, including your own
TDLR publishes a free public licence search. You can look up any individual or company by name or licence number and see the licence type, the status and the expiry date.
Use it for three things:
- Before you hire. A contractor who is "licensed" but whose licence expired eighteen months ago is not licensed. The search says so plainly.
- Before you accept work as a helper. If the person supervising you does not hold a current master licence, your hours may not count toward your own licence. Check first, not at 7,000 hours.
- On yourself, once a year. Status and expiry are the two fields worth knowing, and the search is the only source that is definitely current.
What about coming from another state
Texas has reciprocity agreements for both journeyman and master electricians, and the state lists are different from one another. That has its own page, because the hours and the year-held conditions matter as much as the state list: Texas electrician license reciprocity.
Common questions
Do I need a licence to do electrical work in Texas?
Yes, for non-exempt work. TDLR's rule is that anyone who performs or offers to perform non-exempt electrical work must be licensed and must perform that work through a licensed electrical contractor. Holding a personal licence does not by itself let you contract for the work.
How many hours do I need to become a journeyman electrician in Texas?
8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician. You may sit the exam at 7,000 hours, so most people take the exam before the licence is due to issue.
How often do I renew a Texas electrician licence?
Every year. Individual electrician licences are valid for one year from the date of issuance.
How much continuing education does Texas require for electricians?
4 hours per licence cycle, from a TDLR-registered provider, completed within the term of the licence you are renewing. If you hold several licences it is still 4 hours in total. Electrical contractors and Residential Appliance Installers are exempt.
What happens if my Texas electrician licence expires?
Up to 90 days late, a journeyman pays $45. From 91 days to 18 months it is $60 and still online. From 18 to 36 months it is $60 by mail. Past 3 years the licence cannot be renewed and you reapply as a new candidate, exam included.
How do I check whether an electrician is licensed in Texas?
Use TDLR's public licence search. It returns the licence type, the status and the expiry date for any individual or company, free, and it is the only source that is current.
What is the difference between a journeyman licence and an electrical contractor licence?
A journeyman licence is personal and lets you perform the work. An electrical contractor licence is a business licence and is what lets a company offer and contract that work, with a master electrician designated as its master. You need to be working through a contractor either way.
Where to go from here
If the exam is what stands between you and the licence, find out where you actually stand before you book it. The free exam is 20 questions written from the 2026 NEC and weighted the way the real one is, and it names the sections costing you points. It takes about twenty minutes and needs no account and no card.