Journeyman Electrician License by State (2026)

✓Written by a licensed IBEW journeyman electrician

Last updated: October 24, 2026

34 states and D.C. license journeyman electricians at the state level. In 11, cities or counties do it instead, and in 5 we found no journeyman license at all. Pick your state for who licenses, the exam, the hours and the fees, taken from the boards’ and exam vendors’ own materials.

What the journeyman exam usually looks like

Most of the state journeyman exams we could read are computer-based and open book: you bring (or are given) the National Electrical Code and look answers up under a clock. Passing is usually 70%, sometimes 75%. Which NEC edition you’re tested on varies by state, and several states moved to the 2026 NEC in 2026, so check your state’s page before you buy a code book.

What decides whether you pass

• Finding it fast. Open book doesn’t help if you can’t find the article in time. Know the index and where the tables live.
• Calculations. Box fill, conduit fill, voltage drop, load and motor calculations. Texas now tests calculations as a separate portion.
• The right edition. Studying the wrong NEC edition costs points on changed rules.

Pass rates are low where states publish them. Texas reported 24.46% on the journeyman NEC portion and 20.56% on calculations in fiscal 2025, and Maryland’s board minutes show about 24% for journeypersons in early 2026. See Texas and Maryland.

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Related: NEC exam study guide · NEC practice test · Journeyman vs master electrician

Facts on this page trace to primary sources or first-hand IBEW Local 134 experience — see sources & methodology.