Electrician Exam Cost by State: Fees & Time Limits

Sticker shock is real when you start the licensing process, and the exam fee is only one line item. We pulled the journeyman exam fee, time limit, and code edition for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia into one dataset to show what the test itself actually costs and how long you get to take it.

Methodology

These figures come from GetLicenseReady's state exam dataset, covering the journeyman exam fee, time limit, and tested NEC edition for each of the 50 states plus DC (51 jurisdictions). Figures are the exam fee only and exclude license application, registration, and renewal costs, which vary separately by state. Where a state has no statewide license, we used the most representative jurisdiction. Always confirm current fees with your state or local licensing board, because they change.

Exam fees: $25 to $226, median $80

The journeyman exam fee varies more than 9x across the country.

• Lowest: $25 (North Dakota, West Virginia)
• Highest: $226 (Massachusetts)
• Median: $80
• Average: about $88

Five cheapest states

• North Dakota: $25
• West Virginia: $25
• Georgia: $30
• Alaska: $50
• Minnesota: $50

Five most expensive states

• Massachusetts: $226
• New Mexico: $207
• California: $175
• Illinois: $150
• North Carolina: $125

The takeaway: the exam fee itself is rarely the biggest cost of getting licensed (experience hours and prep are), but it ranges widely, and the priciest states charge roughly three times the median.

Time limit: 4 hours is typical

You get a median of 4 hours to complete the journeyman exam.

• Shortest: about 2 hours (130 minutes)
• Longest: 8 hours (480 minutes), in states that split the exam into multiple parts
• Median: 4 hours (240 minutes)

For an open-book exam of roughly 80 questions, 4 hours sounds generous, but it works out to about 3 minutes per question. That is not long once you factor in looking up code references, which is exactly why fast NEC navigation matters more than memorization.

Code edition: most states test on NEC 2023

Most jurisdictions test on the NEC 2023, but a notable minority do not. Based on current state and PSI references:

• NEC 2020 (about 10 jurisdictions): Florida, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Washington, Hawaii, and Washington D.C.
• NEC 2017: Illinois (Chicago code), Virginia, and Wisconsin

Large local jurisdictions can lag their state code too. Adoption schedules change, so confirm the edition your state or local board currently tests before you buy a codebook.

What this means for your budget

Plan for the exam fee (most likely $75 to $100, more in MA, NM, CA, IL), but remember it is a small slice of the total. The bigger investments are the 8,000 or so hours of on-the-job training most states require and your prep time. The most cost-effective lever is passing on the first attempt, since a retake means paying the fee again and waiting for the next slot.

To see the full picture for your state, compare exam format, fees, and reciprocity across all 50 states, review the vendor, passing score, and open-book breakdown, or start drilling with 1,600+ NEC 2023 practice questions that cite the exact code article on every answer.

Moving states? See how electrician license reciprocity works by state.

Data compiled by GetLicenseReady, June 2026. You are welcome to cite this page.