A Washington, DC electrical license is issued by the Board of Industrial Trades at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. The District licenses apprentice, journeyman, master, and contractor electricians. A Maryland or Virginia license can shorten that path when it was earned by exam and is still in good standing. Every other state is outside the reciprocity notice DLCP has posted.
The rules below were checked on DLCP's Board of Industrial Trades page and in D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 on October 6, 2026. An older DLCP instruction PDF still disagrees with the board page on Maryland journeyman reciprocity. That conflict is spelled out below. Call the board before you rely on a Maryland journeyman card.
DC work and the Virginia data-center calls that dominate Local 26 are different credential problems. The Local 26 traveler guide covers housing and the call list. This page is the District license. Other states are mapped in the electrician license reciprocity guide.
Who needs a DC electrician license
D.C. Code § 47-2853.92 is the eligibility statute.
An apprentice electrician is registered without an exam, pays the fee, and may work only under the direct personal supervision and control of a licensed master electrician or master electrician specialist.
A journeyman applicant, unless a narrower waiver applies, has to show a class on Title 12C of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, or an equivalent code class, completed within two years before the application, plus one of these:
- 8,000 hours as an apprentice electrician over at least four years
- a degree in electrical engineering from an accredited college or university, plus at least two years of practical experience certified by a licensed master electrician
- comparable experience, or a mix of education and experience, that the Board accepts
A master applicant has to meet the journeyman requirements and, in addition, have worked as a journeyman electrician for at least four years.
The statute also tells the Board to accept certain national certificates in place of the exam and the subsection (b) hour rules. DLCP's current reciprocity notice does not treat an IBEW classification as that certificate. The notice names Maryland and Virginia licenses earned by examination. Bring the state license the notice names, not the union ticket, if you want the no-exam route.
Maryland and Virginia reciprocity
DLCP's board page says journeyman and master electricians licensed in Maryland and Virginia may be licensed in the District without the DC exam. The conditions on that page:
- The Maryland or Virginia license was received by examination. Someone has to have taken a test.
- The license is current, active, and in good standing.
- You upload a letter of good standing or license verification from the Maryland or Virginia board with the DC application.
Request that letter from the state that gave the exam. DLCP's instruction is to upload it with the application, not to mail it later as a supplement you hope someone matches to the file.
An older electrician instruction PDF still on the DLCP site does not match that page. In the PDF, journeyman reciprocity asks for a letter of good standing from Virginia only, while master reciprocity says Maryland and Virginia. The PDF also tells exam candidates to study the 2011 National Electrical Code and Ugly's Electrical References. The board's current reciprocity notice is the Maryland-and-Virginia rule for both classes. Because both documents are on official DC sites, call Occupational and Professional Licensing at (202) 671-4500 or [email protected] and ask which document controls a Maryland journeyman application before you pay.
No other state appears in the reciprocity notice. A Texas, Ohio, or Pennsylvania license is not a DC reciprocity file.
Fees, term, and the exam
Figures below are the electrician lines on the Board of Industrial Trades page, checked October 6, 2026. The page says application fees are not refundable, including when the Board finds the applicant unqualified.
| Item | Amount on the board page |
|---|---|
| Application | $65 |
| Temporary journeyman license | $110, up to 60 days |
| Journeyman license, all types | $110, up to 2 years |
| Master license, all types | $120, up to 2 years |
| Contractor license, all types | $120, up to 2 years |
| Journeyman renewal | $110, up to 2 years |
| Master renewal | $155, up to 2 years |
| Contractor renewal | $180, up to 2 years |
| Late renewal | $50 |
| Duplicate license | $30 |
| Verification of records | $30 |
Electrician licenses expire November 30 in odd-numbered years. The board page lists inactive status at $110 for journeymen and $155 for masters.
Exams are scheduled through PSI at psiexams.com or 1-855-557-0616. The board's scheduling steps are: Government and State Licensing Agencies, then District of Columbia exams, then the exam type. The page points examination and re-examination fees to 17 DCMR § 3500.3 rather than printing a dollar amount. Ask PSI for the current seating fee when you schedule.
Everyone applying, reciprocity or exam, is told to have a 2-by-2-inch passport-style photo in JPEG, a government photo ID, and a card for the fees.
DLCP's public counter is at 1100 4th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024. Hours posted on the page: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In-person service stops taking visitors at 4:00 p.m. Email: [email protected]. Direct board email: [email protected].
Local 26 and the Virginia calls
Local 26 covers the District and a large piece of northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. On October 5, 2026, GoHereBro's scrape counted 408 open positions on that board. The largest calls in that snapshot were on Virginia data-center work, including Manassas and Culpeper, not on a District address.
A DC journeyman license answers a District inspector. It does not answer a Virginia inspector on a Manassas or Culpeper site. Virginia has its own journeyman license, and that Virginia card is also one of the two licenses DC will look at for reciprocity. If the call is in Virginia, sort the Virginia credential. If the call is in the District, sort the DC credential. The hall can refer either. The license follows the jobsite.
Current Local 26 openings sit on the job call map and the Hot Spots dashboard. The hall itself is in Lanham, Maryland: 4371 Parliament Place, Suite B, Lanham, MD 20706. Dispatch numbers published by the local are (202) 829-6061 and (800) 792-1091. Office: (301) 459-2900. Read the Local 26 traveler guide for the commute and the call list, then confirm the license against the report-to address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues a Washington, DC electrical license?
The Board of Industrial Trades at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection. Applications and the fee schedule are on the board's page. The office is 1100 4th Street SW.
Does DC reciprocate electrician licenses?
The current board notice says yes for Maryland and Virginia journeyman and master licenses that were earned by exam and are current and in good standing. You upload that state's letter of good standing with the DC application.
Does a Maryland journeyman license transfer to DC?
The board's reciprocity notice says yes. An older DLCP instruction PDF still says journeyman reciprocity is Virginia only. Call (202) 671-4500 before you file a Maryland journeyman application.
How many hours does DC require for a journeyman electrician?
The statute requires 8,000 hours as an apprentice over at least four years, unless you qualify through an electrical engineering degree plus two years of practical experience, comparable experience the Board accepts, or the Maryland or Virginia reciprocity route.
How much is a DC journeyman electrician license?
The board page lists a $65 application and a $110 journeyman license for up to two years. A temporary journeyman license is $110 for up to 60 days. Those fees are not refundable.
When do DC electrician licenses expire?
November 30 of odd-numbered years.
Does the DC license cover Local 26 data-center calls in Virginia?
No. Those jobsites are in Virginia. The DC license covers work in the District. Use the report-to address on the call.
Does an IBEW ticket replace the DC exam?
No. DLCP's reciprocity notice names Maryland and Virginia state licenses earned by exam. The union classification is not that notice.
Official sources
- Board of Industrial Trades, checked October 6, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.92
- DLCP electrician instruction PDF, the older sheet that still limits journeyman reciprocity to Virginia
- DLCP publication page for the instruction sheet
Confirm the Maryland-versus-Virginia point with the board before you pay. The two official documents do not say the same thing.
