How to Become a Certified Electrician in Texas
Journeyman electricians in Texas must be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The TDLR works to monitor and enforce Texas laws and regulations regarding professionals working in the electrical field. In addition to licensing journeyman electricians, the TDLR is responsible for licensing specialty electricians, such as sign electricians and wiremen, as well as electrical businesses and firms, such as electrical and residential appliance installation contractors. Once a journeyman electrician has been licensed for two years, he can apply to the TDLR for a master electrician designation.
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Instructions
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Get an Electrical Apprentice License. To qualify for this license, you must be at least 16 years old and be accepted in a TDLR-approved apprenticeship program or complete four hours of continuing education to meet license renewal requirements. You can apply for this license online through the TDLR website. As of 2010, the fee for this type of license application is $20.
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Gain apprenticeship experience. You must work under the supervision of a licensed master electrician for at least 8,000 hours. You can gain this experience through a TDLR-approved apprenticeship program. You and your supervisory electrician must keep detailed records of your hours worked.
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Apply for your journeyman electrician license. Once you have completed your apprenticeship hours, you can apply to the TDLR for your license. You must do this before you sit for your license exam. You can download and print the application from the TDLR website. You must include your personal information, including information on any previous criminal convictions. Most importantly, you must include an Experience Verification Form signed by your supervisory master electrician and include information on your apprenticeship hours in the employment history portion of the application. You must also include an application fee of $35 (as of 2010). Mail the completed application package to the TDLR.
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Sit for your journeyman electrician license exam. Once your application is approved by the TDLR, you will be contacted by PSI, the organization that administers electrician examinations on behalf of the TDLR, with instructions on when and where you can sit for your exam. These examinations are delivered online at 22 locations around Texas. The exam has a total of 80 questions and you have four hours in which to complete it. The required passing score is 75 percent. You must pay a fee of $78 to PSI (as of 2010) when you arrive.
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Tips & Warnings
Check with your municipality about its licensing requirements. Some, but not all, Texas municipalities require that you have local certification in addition to your Texas license.
