Texas Apprentice Electrician License

The apprentice electrician license is the first rung on the Texas electrician ladder. It lets you do electrical work while you learn, and it is where your hours toward a journeyman or residential wireman license start. There is no exam. This guide covers who needs it, how to apply, who can supervise you and how to keep it active.

Key facts

• No exam and no experience needed (TDLR apprentice apply page).
• Apply online; fee $20, as of November 2026 (TDLR). TDLR’s page calls this a “renewal fee” even for new applicants.
• Online applicants who report no criminal convictions get a temporary license automatically (TDLR).
• You work under the general supervision of a Master Electrician, Journeyman Electrician or Residential Wireman (TDLR).
• The license is valid one year. Renewal is $20 plus 4 hours of CE, or enrollment in a TDLR-registered apprenticeship training program (TDLR renew and CE pages).

Who needs an apprentice license

TDLR’s rule is broad: anyone who performs electrical work in Texas must be licensed, apart from certain exemptions TDLR lists on its site. Electrical work includes labor and material used to install, maintain or extend a wiring system and its equipment, plus service entrance conductors. So if you are pulling wire, setting boxes or terminating devices as a helper, plan on getting the apprentice license first. If you think an exemption applies to you, read TDLR’s exemptions list before you start work.

How to apply

1. Apply online through TDLR.
2. Pay the non-refundable $20 fee (as of November 2026).
3. Answer the criminal history questions honestly. If you have a conviction (other than a minor traffic violation) or a deferred adjudication, you must send TDLR a Criminal History Questionnaire. Reviews are case by case and can take one to six weeks.
4. If you report no convictions, TDLR issues a temporary license right away.

TDLR also offers a criminal history evaluation before you apply, if you want to know where you stand first.

Who can supervise you

An apprentice works under the general supervision of one of these license holders:

Supervisor license	Hours count toward
Master Electrician	Journeyman (8,000 h), Residential Wireman (4,000 h)
Journeyman Electrician	Supervision allowed; TDLR’s journeyman page asks for hours under a Master
Residential Wireman	Residential Wireman (4,000 h)

Hours are from TDLR’s journeyman and wireman apply pages, as of November 2026. The journeyman license needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician, and each master signs an Experience Verification Form. The Residential Wireman license needs 4,000 hours under a Master Electrician or Residential Wireman. If your day-to-day boss is a journeyman, make sure a master on the job can verify your hours later.

Track your hours from day one

Your hours are the asset you are building. Keep a simple log: dates, employer, the master who supervised you, and the kind of work. When you apply for journeyman, every supervising master signs a verification form. Masters move, retire and change companies, so collect signatures as you go. If you lose touch with a master, TDLR suggests asking the contractor they worked for, or using the TDLR license search to find them (TDLR master apply page).

You may apply and test for journeyman once you reach 7,000 hours, but the license itself needs 8,000 (TDLR journeyman apply page). Start studying early. The calculations portion of the journeyman exam had a 20.56% pass rate in FY2025 (TDLR exam statistics). Our journeyman practice test, formula sheet and code lookup drills are free.

Renewing every year

The apprentice license is valid one year from the date it is issued. TDLR sends a reminder about 60 days before it expires, but renewing on time is your job. As of November 2026 (TDLR renew page):

Situation	Fee
Renew on time	$20
Expired 90 days or less	$30
Expired 91 days to 36 months	$40
Expired more than 3 years	Must reapply as new

If the license has been expired more than 18 months, you renew by mail with a Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal form.

For CE, you need 4 hours from a TDLR-registered provider, taken during the license term you are renewing. Instead of CE, you may be enrolled in a TDLR-registered apprenticeship training program. See the CE guide.

A proposed change to watch

TDLR has proposed a Journeyman Electrician Education Program pathway. Graduates of approved programs would generally get credit for 3,000 of the 8,000 hours and could test on graduation. As of 2026-11-09 we found no adoption notice in TDLR’s electricians news feed. It is a proposal, not a rule. Do not plan your hours around it yet.

Next steps

• See the whole path in how to become an electrician in Texas.
• Read the journeyman license requirements or the residential wireman license guide.
• Learn the terms in our glossary.

TexasElectricianExam is independent and not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA. Check TDLR’s site before you apply.