State license
North Dakota Journeyman Electrician License
Written by a licensed IBEW journeyman electrician
Last updated:
North Dakota licenses journeyman electricians at the state level. The State Electrical Board issues the license after an exam with a 70% passing grade.
The facts, from the source
- Who licenses
- North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) (ndseb.com)
- Exam vendor
- State-administered. The board schedules exam dates. Exam fees are paid separately to an examination testing center provider if required; no provider is named. (ndseb.com)
- Exam (questions/time)
- The board lists a Journeyman Closed exam of 1 hour and a Journeyman Open exam of 3.5 hours. The page does not say whether a candidate sits both. Content: fundamental electricity, North Dakota Laws, Rules and Wiring Standards, and the current NEC. You must test within 6 months of your exam invitation. (ndseb.com)
- Passing score
- 70%. Retest waiting periods by score: 60-69 none, 50-59 3 months, 0-49 6 months. No exam reviews since July 11, 2012. (ndseb.com)
- NEC edition
- 2026. The Laws, Rules, Wiring and Conveyance Standards of North Dakota, effective July 1, 2026, cite NFPA 70 2026 edition. The board exam page says exams use the current edition of the National Electrical Code. (ndseb.com)
- Reciprocity
- Journeyman license reciprocity with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Requirements: a passed written exam in your home state, a valid license held continuously for the prior 1 year, and 8,000 hours under a master in a jurisdiction with similar rules. An 8-hour North Dakota-approved code class is required if your home state has no continuing education. Reciprocal application fee $25 plus $25 license fee. (ndseb.com)
What’s on the exam
The board says exams are based on fundamental electricity, the Laws, Rules and Wiring Standards of North Dakota, and the current edition of the NEC. No topic weightings are published.
Confirm these with the board
- Number of questions: not published in the materials we checked
- Allowed references: confirm with the board
- Exam fee amount: not published in the materials we checked; contact the board at 701-328-9522
- Annual license fee: confirm with the board
- Experience hours: confirm with the board (not stated on the board pages we could read)
- Application and license fees: confirm with the board
North Dakota State Electrical Board (NDSEB) ↗
Partly verified October 24, 2026: some items couldn’t be confirmed from official sources and are listed above
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Facts on this page trace to primary sources or first-hand IBEW Local 134 experience — see sources & methodology.