Electrician licensing in West Virginia

Scope of work

The West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Regulatory and Licensing Division issues electrician licenses under W. Va. Code 29-3B. Credentials include Helper (no license required, supervised), Journeyman Electrician, Master Electrician, and Single Family Dwelling Electrician. Source: WV State Fire Marshal (https://firemarshal.wv.gov/regulatory-and-licensing-division); W. Va. Code 29-3B (https://code.wvlegislature.gov/email/29-3B/); 103 CSR 5 (https://firemarshal.wv.gov/media/39366/download?inline=).

Experience and training.

- Helper: no license required; must be supervised at all times by a Master or Journeyman Electrician. - Journeyman: at least 1 year (12 months) or 2,000 hours of actual hands-on electrical work experience. - Master: at least 2 years (24 months) or 4,000 hours of actual hands-on electrical work experience.

Source: WV State Fire Marshal (https://firemarshal.wv.gov/regulatory-and-licensing-division).

Exam

Administered by Prov Exams (beginning September 1, 2024 for all Division of Labor and Fire Marshal exam services). The Journeyman, Master, and Single Family Dwelling electrical exams each have 50 multiple-choice questions and 5 calculation questions. Exams are open book and based solely on the 2020 National Electric Code (confirm current code adoption before exam). Source: WV State Fire Marshal (https://firemarshal.wv.gov/regulatory-and-licensing-division).

Fees

Annual license fee is $50 per year. Licenses may be renewed for 1, 2, or 3 years. Source: WV State Fire Marshal (https://firemarshal.wv.gov/regulatory-and-licensing-division).

Renewal and CE

All WV electrician licenses expire on June 30. West Virginia does not currently require Continuing Education for electricians to renew. Source: WV State Fire Marshal (https://firemarshal.wv.gov/regulatory-and-licensing-division).

Municipal layer

Permits are pulled at the local building department. Cities may require additional registration.