West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office — Regulatory and Licensing Division administers electrician licensing in West 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
West Virginia licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office — Regulatory and Licensing Division 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Electrician | At least 2 years of experience as a journeyman electrician in electrical work of such breadth, independence, and quality that the applicant is competent to perform all types of electrical work and can direct and instruct journeyman and assistant/helper electricians (WV Code §29-3B-2(e); 103CSR5 §4.1). Authorized to design electrical systems and supervise journeymen. | Master electrician examination — 50 multiple-choice questions (2 points each), based on the 2023 edition of NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code) as of Jan 1, 2026. Passing grade 70%. | $25.00 application review fee per examination; $50.00 license fee on issuance (103CSR5 §5.2.2, §7.2/7.3) |
| Journeyman Electrician | One of: (1) at least 1 year of experience as an assistant/helper electrician performing electrical work under the direction of a master or journeyman electrician; (2) completion of a U.S. Department of Labor/Bureau of Apprenticeship registered electrical apprenticeship program; or (3) completion of a WV Board of Education-approved electrical vocational program of at least 1,080 hours including an on-the-job training module, with passage of all required WV Dept. of Education testing and an instructor affidavit of competency (103CSR5 §4.2). Journeyman is defined as qualified by at least 1 year of electrical work experience; not authorized to design electrical systems (WV Code §29-3B-2(c)). | Journeyman electrician examination — 50 multiple-choice questions (2 points each), based on 2023 NFPA 70 as of Jan 1, 2026. Passing grade 70%. | $25.00 application review fee per examination; $50.00 license fee on issuance |
| Specialty Electrician | At least 1 year of experience in the area of specialty, of which up to 1 year may be obtained through educational programs (103CSR5 §4.3). Specialty classes: SP-PH (plumbing/heating/AC incidental wiring), SP-ES (electric sign), SP-SFD (single-family residential dwelling), SP-LV (low voltage, 80V or less — fire and burglar alarm/communication systems), SP-EL (elevator/dumbwaiter/escalator/moving walk/personnel hoist) (103CSR5 §2.4.1–2.4.5). | Specialty examination for the class sought (the Single Family Dwelling exam is 50 multiple-choice questions, 2 points each, per the 2026 exam-format update). Passing grade 70%. | $25.00 application review fee per examination; $50.00 license fee on issuance |
| Temporary Electrician (one-time, non-renewable) | Available to applicants who have the years of experience required for a master (2 yr) or journeyman (1 yr) license; issued for a period of 90 days and is non-renewable (103CSR5 §6.1). | $50.00 (103CSR5 §6.2) |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
West Virginia’s electrician licenses (Master, Journeyman, Specialty, and Temporary, issued by the State Fire Marshal under W. Va. Code Article 29-3B) have a dedicated statutory exemption section, W. Va. Code § 29-3B-3, which provides that the article ‘does not apply to, and no license may be required for’ six classes. Property owners and their families: a person performing electrical work on any property owned or leased by that person or the person’s immediate family (§ 29-3B-3(a)(1)) — note this owner exemption extends to leased property and immediate family, broader than most states. In-plant industrial staff: a person performing electrical work at a manufacturing plant or other industrial establishment as an employee of the firm operating it (§ 29-3B-3(a)(2)). Retail appliance installers: employees of a retail appliance seller, for electrical work incident to installing or repairing appliances the employer sold (§ 29-3B-3(a)(3)). Utility employees: a person who, while employed by a public utility or its affiliate, performs electrical work in connection with furnishing public utility service (§ 29-3B-3(a)(4)). Government employees performing electrical work on government property (§ 29-3B-3(a)(5)). Low-voltage work: a person performing low-voltage electrical work — defined as 80 volts or less plus directly related wiring meeting three conditions (originating at the load side of a disconnect or junction box installed by others for that purpose, permanently marked, and not in a National Electrical Code hazardous location) — needs no electrician license other than a specialty license (§ 29-3B-3(a)(6)). These exemptions remove the license requirement itself and therefore apply across all license classes the article creates. (Section 29-3B-3(b), on relicensing returning former residents who hold an equivalent out-of-state license, is a reciprocity provision, not an exemption.)
Fees
Application review fee (per examination): $25.00. License fee on issuance / annual license: $50.00 per year. One-time temporary license: $50.00. Late renewal within the licensure year: $50.00 license fee + $50.00 penalty. Reinstatement without retesting within 5 years of last renewal: double the current fee. (103CSR5 §5.2.2, §6.2, §7.2, §7.3)
Exam
State Fire Marshal-administered written examination for the level sought (Master, Journeyman, or Specialty). As of Jan 1, 2026, Master, Journeyman, and Single Family Dwelling exams contain 50 multiple-choice questions valued at 2 points each, based on the 2023 edition of NFPA 70 (NEC); calculation questions are incorporated into the multiple-choice format. Passing grade is 70%. A $25.00 non-refundable application review fee applies per exam. Exams are offered at least 4 times per year in Charleston (2026 sites also include Beckley, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, and Wellsburg).
Renewal & continuing education
Annual — all electrician licenses expire June 30 each year; renewal fee is $50.00 per year and a license may be renewed annually or for up to a three-year period. Late renewal within the licensure year costs $50.00 plus a $50.00 penalty. A lapsed license may be renewed without retesting within 5 years of the last renewal (if not revoked) by paying double the current fee. (103CSR5 §7.1–7.3; WV Code §29-3B-6)
How to apply
Applications are handled by West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office — Regulatory and Licensing Division. Start at the official application page .