Virginia Board for Contractors — Tradesman Program (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, DPOR) administers electrician licensing in Virginia. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.
What it’s called
Virginia licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the Virginia Board for Contractors — Tradesman Program and held by the electrician personally (not only by the contractor, as in some states). “Electrician license,” “journeyman electrician license,” “master electrician license” and “electrician certification” are common informal names for the individual credential. The exact license tiers, fees, and any separate electrical-contractor license are set out in the license types and requirements below.
License types & fees
| Type | Experience | Exam | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Electrician (ELE) — Tradesman license | Qualify for the trade exam by ONE of: 4 years practical trade experience + 240 hours formal vocational training; 5 years + 160 hours; 6 years + 80 hours; 7 or more years + 40 hours; an associate's degree/2-year program in a related field + 2 years experience; a bachelor's/engineering-curriculum credential + 1 year experience; 8 years practical experience (verified); a completed Virginia or out-of-state apprenticeship program; or holding a current out-of-state journeyman/master license (reciprocity). (Source: A501-2710EXLIC Tradesman Exam & License Application, v8 dated 08/01/2025, questions 12-16.) | Trade examination required when applying by the Examination method (may be waived via reciprocity, approved apprenticeship completion, or card exchange). | $171.75 |
| Master Electrician (ELE) — Tradesman license | Qualify for the master exam by ONE of: 1 year of practical experience as a Virginia-licensed journeyman in the trade; 9 years of practical experience in the trade (verified); or holding a current out-of-state journeyman or master license (reciprocity). (Source: A501-2710EXLIC application, question 16.) | Master trade examination required when applying by the Examination method (may be waived via reciprocity). | $171.75 |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
Virginia’s Journeyman and Master Electrician credentials are individual tradesman licenses issued under Article 3 of the contractors chapter (Va. Code Title 54.1, Chapter 11), and three statutory provisions define who does not need one. First, the supervision exemption: individuals are not subject to licensure as a tradesman when working under the supervision of a tradesman who is licensed in the specialty for which the work is being performed, and a tradesman licensed in one specialty needs no second tradesman license for work incidental to work performed under his own specialty license (Va. Code § 54.1-1129.A). Second, § 54.1-1131.C exempts work on any ship, boat, barge, or other floating vessel, and work on a single-family residence where the value of the work performed is less than $250, provided the individual does not hold himself out to the general public as a tradesman. Third, the statutory definition itself limits the license to individuals who engage in, or offer to engage in, work ‘for the general public for compensation’ in the electrical trade (Va. Code § 54.1-1128) — work that is not offered to the public for compensation falls outside the tradesman requirement. In addition, the chapter-wide exemption section, § 54.1-1101.A, provides that the provisions of Chapter 11 (which includes the tradesman article) do not apply to, among others: any governmental agency performing work with its own forces; work for the armed services under the Armed Services Procurement Act; work for the United States government on land under exclusive federal jurisdiction; work for the Department of Transportation on highways or bridges; a person who performs or supervises the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of no more than one primary residence owned by him and for his own use during any 24-month period; a person building a house on his own property as a bona fide gift to an immediate family member who lives in the house; a person who performs or supervises the repair or improvement of industrial or manufacturing facilities, or a commercial or retail building, for his own use (in-plant maintenance); a landlord repairing or improving his own residential dwelling units subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; career and technical education student projects; and students or registered apprentices performing work directly under the supervision of a licensed contractor (§ 54.1-1101.A.1-4, 7-10, 12, 14). Owners exempt under the homeowner, landlord, and similar classes must still comply with the Uniform Statewide Building Code, including permits and inspections (§ 54.1-1101.C). Separately — an exam waiver, not a licensure exemption — an individual who completes an apprenticeship program approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement is not required to take the tradesman examination (§ 54.1-1131.A.3).
Fees
Application fee per the official A501-2710EXLIC application (v8, dated 07/01/2026), uniform across the Journeyman and Master Electrical (ELE) tradesman designations: $171.75 by examination, reciprocity, or apprenticeship program; $131.75 by card exchange. These are combined totals that already include the $7.25-per-year Technology Fee added by 2026 House Bill 30 (effective July 1, 2026, in place through June 30, 2030), computed over the 3-year license term on the $150 base (exam/reciprocity/apprenticeship -> $171.75) and the $110 base (card exchange -> $131.75). Fees are non-refundable. Renewal and exam-vendor fees are not stated on the pages reviewed.
Exam
An electrical trade examination (Journeyman Electrical or Master Electrical) is required for licensure by the Examination method. Applicants may instead qualify without the Virginia exam through Reciprocity (current out-of-state license), completion of an approved Apprenticeship Program, or Card Exchange (legacy locality/DHCD card). The exam can be taken in English or Spanish.
Renewal & continuing education
3 years (continuing education must be completed during each three-year renewal period; expiration date is printed on the license) 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education per 3-year renewal period for Journeyman and Master Electricians (ELE). A licensee holding both Master and Journeyman in electrical needs only one 3-hour course; holders of multiple trades need CE for each trade designation.
How to apply
Applications are handled by Virginia Board for Contractors — Tradesman Program (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, DPOR). Start at the official application page .