How to Become an Electrician in Texas
Texas is a state-license state — one license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is good anywhere in Texas. You start as a registered apprentice, work up to journeyman, and can then earn your master license. It's one of the clearest, most portable systems in the country.
The Texas Residential Wireman exam
- Code edition
- 2026 NEC
- Questions
- 80
- Time allowed
- 4 hours
- Passing score
- 70%
- Books allowed
- 2026 NEC, soft-bound, publisher tabs only
- Testing company
- PSI
Want to see how the study guide teaches? Read the Box Fill chapter free.
Texas Residential Wireman Study Pack$99Launch price
Everything for the Texas Residential Wireman exam on the 2026 NEC
See the study pack →Texas Journeyman Electrician Study Pack$149Launch price
Everything for the Texas Journeyman Electrician exam on the 2026 NEC
See the study pack →Licensing in Texas at a glance
- How it's licensed
- Statewide license through the TDLR
- Licensing authority
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) →
Apprentice — Register with the TDLR before you start working. No experience required; this is your day-one entry into the trade.
Journeyman — About 8,000 hours (roughly 4 years) of on-the-job training under a licensed master electrician, plus classroom instruction, then pass the TDLR journeyman exam. You can usually sit for the exam once you've logged about 7,000 hours.
Master — At least 2 years as a licensed journeyman, then pass the master exam.
Renewal — Annual, with continuing education.
How it works in Texas
The nice thing about Texas is that it's simple and statewide. Your TDLR license travels with you from Houston to El Paso — you're not re-testing every time you cross a county line.
Most people start by getting hired by an electrical contractor and registering as an apprentice. You earn while you learn, logging hours under licensed electricians. Those hours are your currency: keep good records, because you'll have to document them (verified by the master electricians who supervised you) when you apply to take the journeyman exam.
The pay picture
Texas has a huge amount of construction and a strong demand for electricians. Apprentices start modestly but get raises as they gain skill and hours; licensed journeymen do well, and master electricians who run work or own a business do better still.
Your next step
Find an electrical contractor hiring apprentices, register with the TDLR, and start logging hours. If you're weighing it as a career, read the national How to Become an Electrician guide for the full picture of the trade.
Always verify current requirements
Licensing rules change and often vary by city or county. Before you count on anything here, confirm the current requirements directly with Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).