Other TDLR Electrical Licenses

Most Texas electricians follow the apprentice, journeyman, master path. TDLR also issues six other licenses for narrower kinds of work: industrial plants, maintenance, appliance hookups in homes, signs and power lines. This guide covers who each one is for, the hours, the exam format and the fees, as of November 2026.

Key facts

• Each of these licenses has one PSI exam, not split into portions, with a 70% pass mark (PSI bulletin updated 9/15/2026).
• Exam fees: $64 for each, except $61 for Journeyman Lineman, as of November 2026 (PSI).
• All are open book with your own soft-bound 2026 NEC under PSI’s tab and marking rules (PSI).
• Every license is valid one year and renews yearly (TDLR renew pages).
• All need 4 hours of CE per renewal, except the Residential Appliance Installer (TDLR CE page).
• None of these licenses reciprocate with other states (TDLR out-of-state page).

Hours and fees at a glance

As of November 2026, from TDLR’s apply and renew pages and the PSI bulletin.

License	Experience	TDLR application	Yearly renewal	PSI exam fee
Journeyman Industrial	8,000 h as a licensed apprentice under a Texas Master	$30	$30	$64
Maintenance Electrician	8,000 h under a Texas Master or Maintenance Electrician	$20	$20	$64
Residential Appliance Installer	None (exam required)	$30	$30	$64
Journeyman Sign	8,000 h under a Texas Master or Master Sign Electrician	$30	$30	$64
Master Sign	12,000 h under a Texas Master or Master Sign Electrician	$45	$45	$64
Journeyman Lineman	7,000 h in a US DOL-approved apprenticeship, or 3.5 years as a lineman	$30	$30	$61

Exam format

Exam	Scored + non-scored questions	Time	Largest content area (scored items)
Journeyman Industrial	60 + 5	180 + 20 min	Includes Electrical Safety (7) and hazardous locations
Maintenance	60 + 5	180 + 20 min	Branch circuits (10) and equipment (10)
Residential Appliance Installer	80 + 5	240 + 20 min	Pools, spas and fountains (18)
Journeyman Sign	80 + 5	240 + 20 min	Signs and outline lighting (31)
Master Sign	100 + 5	300 + 20 min	Signs and outline lighting (36)
Journeyman Lineman	40 + 3	120 + 12 min	Equipment: transformers, capacitors, arresters (10)

Source: PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, content outlines, updated 9/15/2026. The extra minutes cover the non-scored items.

Journeyman Industrial Electrician

Who it is for: electricians working at chemical and petrochemical plants, refineries, gas plants, pipelines, and oil and gas exploration and production sites. TDLR limits the license to those settings.

It takes 8,000 hours of on-the-job training as a licensed apprentice under a Texas Master Electrician. It is not the same as the Journeyman Electrician license, and the experience cannot be used to qualify for master. If you might want a master license later, the regular journeyman license keeps that door open. In FY2025, 51 people took the industrial exam and 8 passed, a 15.69% rate (TDLR exam statistics).

Maintenance Electrician

Who it is for: electricians on the maintenance track. The TDLR apply and renew pages we checked list the hours and fees but do not spell out the scope of work, so read TDLR’s rules on this license before choosing it.

It takes 8,000 hours under a Texas Master Electrician or Maintenance Electrician. Late renewal costs $30 within 90 days and $40 from 91 days to 36 months (TDLR renew page).

Residential Appliance Installer

Who it is for: installers who work for a residential appliance installation contractor. No experience is needed, but you must pass the exam. Check TDLR’s page for the exact work the license covers.

Hours worked under this license do not count toward any other electrical license. It is the only individual license here that needs no CE. The exam weighs pools, spas and fountains (18 items) and GFCI and bonding (15 items) heavily. In FY2025, TDLR reports a 35.83% pass rate (see pass rates).

Journeyman Sign and Master Sign Electrician

Who they are for: electricians who work on electric signs and outline lighting. The exams are built around NEC rules for signs and outline lighting, which make up 31 of 80 items on the journeyman exam and 36 of 100 on the master exam.

Journeyman Sign takes 8,000 hours, and Master Sign takes 12,000 hours, both under a Texas Master Electrician or Master Sign Electrician. TDLR’s CE page also lists Apprentice Sign Electricians, who renew with 4 hours of CE or enrollment in a registered apprenticeship course. In FY2025, pass rates were 25.45% for Journeyman Sign and 42.59% for Master Sign (TDLR exam statistics).

Journeyman Lineman

Who it is for: linemen whose experience comes from utilities, co-ops, municipal utilities or electrical contractors. TDLR calls it a limited license.

You qualify with 7,000 hours in a US Department of Labor approved apprenticeship, or 3.5 years as a journeyman lineman for a Texas utility, co-op, municipal utility or electrical contractor. The exam is the shortest of all: 40 scored items in 120 minutes, at $61. In FY2025, 20 people took it and 8 passed (TDLR exam statistics).

Renewal and CE

All six licenses renew every year. As of November 2026, late renewal within 90 days costs $45 for Industrial, Appliance Installer, Journeyman Sign and Lineman, $30 for Maintenance and $67.50 for Master Sign. Each license also has a higher fee from 91 days to 36 months, and past 3 years you must reapply (TDLR renew pages). See the CE guide.

Studying for these exams

These exams use the same 2026 NEC as the main licenses, and the open-book rules are the same. Our code lookup drills, formula sheet and glossary help with any of them. For the bigger picture, see how to become an electrician in Texas.

TexasElectricianExam is independent and not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA. Confirm current requirements with TDLR before you apply.