How to Become an Electrician in Texas

You can start legally in Texas this week for $20, with no school, no exam and no experience. The apprentice license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has no experience or examination requirement at all. From there you log 7,000 hours of paid work under a Texas master electrician, then sit the journeyman exam. Median pay for electricians nationally is $63,190 a year.

Every figure below is sourced to the agency that issues it.Updated October 8, 2026

The short version

Who licenses you
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
Cost to start
$20 (Apprentice license application fee, non-refundable)
Exam to start
None (TDLR: no examination requirement for the apprentice license)
Experience to start
None (TDLR: no experience qualifications necessary)
Hours to journeyman
7,000 (On the job, supervised by a Texas-licensed master electrician)
Median pay
$63,190 / year ($30.38 an hour, electricians nationally, BLS 2025)
Job outlook
+9% through 2035 (Much faster than the average job, BLS)

The steps, in order

  1. Get your apprentice license ($20, online, no exam)

    Cost: $20Time: Same day online in most cases

    This is the whole barrier to entry, and it is lower than most people believe. TDLR states plainly that there are no experience qualifications and no examination requirements for the electrical apprentice license. You apply online and pay a non-refundable $20 fee.

    If you have no criminal convictions to report, registering online gets you an automatic temporary license, so you can legally begin work right away. The license is valid for one year and renews annually.

    Applicants with a criminal history submit a Criminal History Questionnaire with the application rather than being disqualified outright.

  2. Get hired by a licensed electrical contractor

    Time: Ongoing: 7,000 hours is roughly three and a half years of full-time work

    The license lets you work; an employer gives you the hours. Your 7,000 hours only count if they are worked under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas, so the job you take matters more than the order you do things in.

    You do not need to finish a trade school program first. Many Texas electricians are paid from day one and learn on the job, which is the practical appeal of this trade over a four-year degree. A program or a union apprenticeship can still be worth it for structured classroom hours and a faster path to the exam, and it is the right choice for some people.

    Ask any prospective employer two questions before you accept: is there a Texas-licensed master electrician who will supervise and sign off my hours, and will you document them. Hours nobody will verify are hours you cannot use.

    Pay varies a lot by metro. BLS puts the annual mean wage for electricians in the Houston area at $61,470 (May 2025). Check your own metro before you take a number as given.

  3. Log 7,000 hours, then apply for the journeyman license

    Cost: $30 application fee

    TDLR requires at least 7,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Texas-licensed master electrician before you may apply for the journeyman license. The application fee is a non-refundable $30.

    The initial journeyman application must be filed by mail, not online, using TDLR's Journeyman Electrician License Application form. Once TDLR has received and verified it, they notify you that you are approved to sit the exam.

  4. Pass the journeyman exam (two parts since 2025)

    TDLR delivers electrician exams through a third-party vendor, PSI. You need a score of 70% or better to pass.

    As of 11 March 2025 the journeyman exam is split into two separate parts: a knowledge portion and a calculations portion. Study plans written before that date may not reflect this.

    TDLR does not publish the exam fee, question count or time limit on its website. All three are in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for your exam type.

    Get the exam fee from the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin or by calling PSI on (833) 333-4741. Do not budget from a number you read on a blog: the ones we checked disagreed with each other and with TDLR.

  5. Later: master electrician, and your own business

    Cost: $45 application fee

    To apply for a master electrician license you must have held a journeyman license for at least two years and logged 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician. The application fee is a non-refundable $45.

    The master license is what most people are really aiming at, because it is the point where you can supervise others and run electrical work as a business rather than work for someone who does.

What it costs

ItemAmount
Apprentice license applicationNon-refundable. No exam, no experience required.$20
Journeyman license applicationNon-refundable. By mail for the initial application.$30
Journeyman exam (PSI)See the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin.Not published by TDLR
Master license applicationNon-refundable. Requires 2 years as a journeyman.$45
Tools and personal protective equipmentMany employers supply some. Ask before you buy.Varies

The licensing cost of becoming a working electrician in Texas is $20 up front and $30 plus the PSI exam fee several years later. The expensive part is not the paperwork, it is the time.

This guide is the overview. A plan is the whole thing.

Everything above is free and it is the state-level picture. An Offramp plan is built around you: your city, your budget, the licenses that apply to your specific setup, the people near you to call, and the order to do it in so nothing stalls.

Build my Texas plan$79 $49

Common questions

Do I need a license to start working as an electrician in Texas?

Yes, but the entry license is cheap and open. The TDLR electrical apprentice license costs $20, has no examination requirement and no experience requirement. Register online and, with no criminal convictions to report, you get an automatic temporary license.

How long does it take to become a journeyman electrician in Texas?

You need 7,000 hours of on-the-job training supervised by a Texas-licensed master electrician before you can apply. At 40 hours a week that is roughly three and a half years.

Do I need trade school to become an electrician in Texas?

No. Texas does not require a trade school program for the apprentice license, and most electricians learn on the job while being paid. A program or union apprenticeship can give you structured classroom hours and is a reasonable choice, but it is not a legal requirement.

How much do electricians make in Texas?

BLS puts the median pay for electricians nationally at $63,190 a year, or $30.38 an hour (2025). For the Houston metro area specifically, the annual mean wage was $61,470 in May 2025. Pay varies by metro, by specialty and by whether you are union.

Is being an electrician a safe career with AI coming?

It is one of the harder jobs to automate, because the work is physical, on site and different at every address. BLS projects employment of electricians to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average across all occupations, with about 72,700 openings a year.

What is the difference between apprentice, journeyman and master in Texas?

Apprentice is the entry license: $20, no exam, work under supervision. Journeyman requires 7,000 supervised hours and a passed exam, and lets you work on your own. Master requires two years as a journeyman plus 12,000 hours, and is what lets you supervise others and run the work as a business.

What to confirm yourself

We would rather tell you what we don’t know than make it up. These are the parts that are local, that change, or that the agency does not publish.

  • The PSI exam fee, question count and time limit are not published on TDLR's site. Get them from the Candidate Information Bulletin for your exam type, or call PSI on (833) 333-4741.
  • License fees change. Confirm the current amount on the TDLR application page the day you file, not from this page.
  • Some cities and counties add their own permit or registration requirements for electrical work on top of the state license. Call your city's permitting office before taking work there.
  • If you have a criminal history, TDLR reviews it case by case via a Criminal History Questionnaire. It is not an automatic bar, and it is worth asking TDLR directly rather than assuming either way.

Sources

Related guides

Offramp is not a law firm, an accountant or a government agency, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Fees and requirements change. Confirm with the agency before you file or pay. See all guides.