Every electrical career in Texas starts the same way: with an apprentice electrician license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). It is the easiest license in the trade to get — no exam, no prior experience, a $20 fee, and a minimum age of just 16 — and it is also the license you cannot skip, because paid electrical work in Texas requires a license from day one. This guide covers who qualifies, how to apply, what apprentices can and can't do on the job, and how your supervised hours become a journeyman license.
What Is the Apprentice Electrician License?
Under Texas Occupations Code §1305.161, the electrical apprentice license is for anyone who is "engaged in the process of learning and assisting in the installation of electrical work" under the supervision of a licensed master electrician. In plain terms: it is the license you hold while you learn the trade on the job.
It is also the most commonly held electrical license in the state — apprentices make up roughly 70% of all individual electrical licenses (about 158,000 of 228,000, per TDLR's May 2026 staff report), the largest electrical license category in Texas. A parallel electrical sign apprentice license exists for sign work, with the same fees but a minimum age of 18. The full ladder — all 10 individual license types — is mapped in our Texas electrical license types guide.
Requirements: Age 16, a Job, No Exam
The apprentice license has exactly two requirements:
- Be at least 16 years old (18 for the sign apprentice license), and
- be learning and assisting in electrical work under a licensed master electrician's supervision — in practice, working for (or starting work with) an electrical contractor or a governmental employer whose master electrician oversees the work.
That's it. No exam, no trade school prerequisite, no experience hours. The first exam in the Texas electrical path doesn't come until you apply for a residential wireman or journeyman license — the apprentice license is deliberately built to be the open door into the trade.
How to Apply (and the 21-Day Temporary License)
Apply through TDLR Online Services and pay the $20 application fee (16 TAC §73.80). There is no exam to schedule and no paperwork proving experience — the application itself is the whole process.
Need to be on a job site before the license arrives? On request, TDLR issues a temporary apprentice license that expires on the 21st day after issuance — enough to bridge the gap while the regular application processes. Under 16 TAC §73.27 the temporary license requires paying the fee and having no criminal conviction, and it cannot be renewed, so submit the full application at the same time.
Supervision: What Apprentices Can and Can't Do
An apprentice performs real electrical work — but always under on-site supervision, and always on behalf of an electrical contractor or a governmental employer. TDLR's rules (16 TAC Chapter 73) spell out how that supervision works:
- Day-to-day, the on-site supervisor can be a master electrician, journeyman electrician, or residential wireman — not only the master named on your application.
- Continuous supervision is not required — nobody has to stand over your shoulder. But the supervising licensee is responsible for reviewing and inspecting your work to ensure it complies with applicable codes.
- What you can't do: work independently, contract for electrical work yourself, or work outside a licensed contractor or governmental employer.
Working without any license is not a gray area — performing electrical work unlicensed is a Class C violation carrying administrative penalties of $2,000 to $5,000. The $20 apprentice license is what makes your on-the-job learning legal.
The Hours That Count: Apprentice to Journeyman
The apprentice license is a working license, but it is also a clock: every supervised hour counts toward the next level. Texas law sets the ladder out precisely:
| License | Experience required | Exam (FY2025 pass rate) | Renewal fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | None — entry level | None | $20/year |
| Residential Wireman | 4,000 hours under supervision | Yes (~30% pass rate) | $20/year |
| Journeyman | 8,000 hours under a master | Yes (~20–27% pass rate) | $30/year |
| Master | 12,000 hours + 2 years as journeyman | Yes (~19–22% pass rate) | $45/year |
The headline number: 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician (Occupations Code §1305.155) qualifies you to sit the journeyman exam — about 4 years at full time. The residential wireman license is an earlier milestone at 4,000 hours, limited to residential work. And because unlicensed electrical work is illegal, those hours are necessarily hours worked as a licensed apprentice — one more reason to have the license in hand before your first day, not after.
Long game: the master electrician license requires 12,000 hours plus at least 2 years holding the journeyman license (Occupations Code §1305.153).
Renewing Your Apprentice License
The apprentice license renews every year on the anniversary of its issue date, for $20. Each renewal also requires 4 hours of TDLR-approved continuing education (16 TAC §73.25(b)) — with one alternative unique to apprentices: enrollment in a TDLR-registered apprenticeship training program during the license term satisfies the requirement instead of the course (§73.25(c)).
The step-by-step renewal walkthrough — fees, deadlines, and late penalties — is in our apprentice electrician renewal guide, and the CE-course-vs-program decision is covered in do apprentice electricians need CE?
Just got your license? Don't lose it to a missed date.
The apprentice license expires every single year — and an expired license means no legal work and no hours accruing. Add your license number to our free license tracker and we'll remind you before every renewal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.01How old do you have to be to get a Texas apprentice electrician license?
16 years old. Texas Occupations Code §1305.161 sets the minimum age at 16 for an electrical apprentice license, as long as you are engaged in learning and assisting in electrical installation work under the supervision of a licensed master electrician. The electrical sign apprentice license requires a minimum age of 18.
Q.02Is there an exam for the apprentice electrician license?
No. The apprentice license has no exam and no experience requirement — you submit an application to TDLR and pay the $20 fee. The first licensing exam in the Texas electrical career path comes later, at the residential wireman or journeyman level.
Q.03How much does the Texas apprentice electrician license cost?
$20 for the initial application and $20 per year to renew (16 TAC §73.80). If you renew via the CE-course path rather than a registered apprenticeship program, add the cost of the 4-hour course — $22.95 at OnlineTexasCE.com — for a total of $42.95 per year.
Q.04Can an apprentice electrician work alone in Texas?
No. Apprentices work under the on-site supervision of a master electrician, journeyman electrician, or residential wireman, on behalf of an electrical contractor or a governmental employer. Continuous over-the-shoulder supervision is not required, but the supervising licensee is responsible for reviewing and inspecting the apprentice's work for code compliance.
Q.05How long does it take to go from apprentice to journeyman?
You need at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician — roughly 4 years of full-time work — and then you must pass the journeyman exam, which had a pass rate of approximately 20-27% in FY2025. The residential wireman license is an earlier milestone at 4,000 hours.
Q.06Do apprentice electricians need continuing education?
Yes — 4 hours of TDLR-approved CE every year, the same as every other electrical license type. But apprentices have an alternative no other license gets: under 16 TAC §73.25(c), enrollment in a TDLR-registered apprenticeship training program during the license term satisfies the requirement instead of the course.
Q.07What is the 21-day temporary apprentice license?
On request, TDLR issues a temporary apprentice license that expires on the 21st day after issuance, so you can start working while your regular application is processed. Under 16 TAC §73.27 it requires paying the fee and having no criminal conviction, and it cannot be renewed.
Want to confirm a license — yours or your supervisor's — before starting a job? Use the free TDLR license search.
Last updated August 26, 2026 · Facts verified against Texas Occupations Code Ch. 1305 and 16 TAC Ch. 73