WASHINGTON · electrician
General Journey Level Electrician (01)
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries — Electrical Program →Scope of Work
A (01) General Journey Level Electrician is authorized to perform all phases of electrical construction, alteration, and maintenance in Washington. The journey card authorizes the individual to work unsupervised; it is paired with an employer that holds a General Electrical Contractor license to perform electrical work under contract. Source: WA L&I Electrician (https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-licensing-exams-education/electrician).
Experience and Training
8,000 hours of experience in all phases of electrical construction, alteration, and maintenance under a qualifying journeyman or master electrician, documented via monthly trainee-hour reports filed with L&I. The trainee must hold an active Washington Electrical Trainee certificate while accruing hours. Completion of a Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council registered apprenticeship or an equivalent approved apprenticeship satisfies the 8,000-hour requirement. Out-of-state experience is evaluated under WAC 296-46B-940. Source: WA L&I Changes for (01) (https://lni.wa.gov/forms-publications/F500-153-000.pdf).
Military Crosswalk
L&I accepts verified military electrical experience toward the 8,000-hour total under RCW 18.106 and WAC 296-46B-942. Relevant ratings include Navy Construction Electrician (CE), Army Interior Electrician (12R), and Air Force Electrical Systems (3E0X1). Applicants submit DD-214 and training transcripts with the L&I military credit request.
Exam
Administered by PSI Services at L&I-approved testing centers. The exam is open-book and based on the current NEC edition adopted by Washington, plus WAC 296-46B and Washington electrical law. Core topics include grounding and bonding, services and feeders, branch circuits, motors and motor controls, overcurrent protection, conductor ampacity and sizing, special occupancies and equipment, calculations, and Washington-specific rules. The exam application fee is $107.60 (2026). Verify current fee at L&I Electrical Examination.
Reciprocity
Washington has a written reciprocity agreement with Oregon for the General Journey Level (01) and the Oregon General Journeyman (J). Eligible Oregon journeymen holding their J license through examination after completing an 8,000-hour apprenticeship with at least 576 classroom hours may apply for a reciprocal WA (01) without retaking the trade exam. The Oregon Supervising Electrician (S) is also eligible. Idaho, Montana, and Utah reciprocity may apply case-by-case. Source: WA L&I Reciprocal (01) Application (https://lni.wa.gov/forms-publications/F500-148-000.pdf).
Renewal and CE
3-year renewal cycle. 24 hours of approved continuing education each cycle, which must include 8 hours of NEC code update and 4 hours of RCW/WAC (Washington electrical law) content; the remaining 12 hours are Chapter-specific electives. CE must be completed before renewal is processed. Source: WA L&I Certificate Renewal (https://www.lni.wa.gov/forms-publications/F500-045-000.pdf).
Scope Limitations
The (01) is an individual journey card. Contracting for electrical work in one's own name requires the firm to hold a General Electrical Contractor license with a Master Electrician (Administrator) of record. Specialty work (residential (02), sign (06), limited energy (06A/06B), pump and irrigation (07), appliance repair (06E), and similar) operates under separate specialty certificates with narrower scope.
Reciprocity
Accepts from: OR