Washington electrical license renewal
Washington electrician certificates renew every three years on your birthdate. Before renewal you need 24 hours of L&I-approved CE (including code-update and RCW/WAC hours). Miss the 90-day late window and you generally retest.
Verified on: 2026-09-14 · Board source
From the board
- Electrician Interested in becoming an electrical inspector?
- Look for available positions at careers.wa.gov.
- To apply you must first take an electrical assessment, available on the first (Tumwater), second (Tukwila), and third (Spokane) Tuesday of each month.
- To sign up for the assessment, contact electricalassessment@lni.wa.gov.
- To work in the electrical construction trade in Washington, you must have a valid electrician certificate issued by L&I.
- The electrical construction trade includes, b
- Board page: Electrician - Lni.wa.gov
Cycle
- Electrician certificate of competency: renew every 3 years
- Expires on your birthdate
- Renew online through L&I manage-licenses, at an L&I office, or by mail
- Renewal fees double after expiration
- Expired more than 90 days: generally not renewable — retest is the path back
CE hours (electrician / master / administrator)
- At least 8 hours of approved CE for each year of the prior certification period (24 hours for a full 3-year card)
- At least 8 of the total hours must be on changes in the currently adopted code
- At least 4 hours must be on currently adopted RCW 19.28 and/or related WAC
- You do not have to take the hours in separate calendar years
- Holding both electrician and administrator cards: the same approved class can often satisfy both
- Confirm credits in L&I Verify before you pay — contact the provider if hours are missing
Inactive without CE
- You can pay renewal fees without completed CEUs; the card may go inactive
- It is unlawful to work on the job with an inactive or expired electrician / master card
- Assigned administrators / masters who lapse can be auto-unassigned from the contractor
Related: Washington exam · Get licensed
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