Short answer: Each Texas Master Electrician who supervised you signs a separate Experience Verification Form, TDLR Form ELC017, one per employer. It asks for the Master’s license details, exact dates, hours, type of work and a description, and it must match the employment history on your Journeyman application. Log hours from week one and get each form signed before you leave.
Part of Texas Electrician Exams: every Texas license step and exam in one place.
On this page
Contents
A Texas Journeyman license needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician, and you can apply and test at 7,000 (TDLR). The ELC017 is how those hours reach TDLR.
What counts
- Hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Master Electrician licensed in Texas.
- 7,000 hours lets you apply and take the Journeyman exam early. The license is issued at 8,000.
- Your employment history on the application must add up to the full 8,000 hours (Journeyman application).
- A Master who holds or held a city or regional Master license can verify their own hours for those years. That rule is for Masters, not apprentices.
What the ELC017 form asks
Your Master fills out and signs this form (Form ELC017). Knowing every field helps you keep the right records.
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Applicant | Your full legal name |
| Supervisor | The supervising electrician’s name and phone number |
| Company | The company name |
| Supervisor’s license | License type, number, effective date, expiration date and who issued it. A copy of the license or a letter of verification is required. |
| Period supervised | Start date and end date, with month, day and year |
| Hours | Number of hours you worked in that period |
| Two yes or no questions | Did they supervise your electrical work in those dates? Did you hold a valid license in those dates, and which type? |
| Type of work | Installed, maintained or extended a wiring system, or service entrance conductors. For each: residential, commercial, industrial, exempt or other. |
| Description | A detailed description of the work you did |
| Statement and signature | The supervisor certifies the hours and duties were done under their license and supervision, then signs and dates it |
TDLR may contact the person who signs. A letter on company letterhead signed by the supervising Master is also accepted (Journeyman application).
Set up your hours log
Keep one line per day or per week, and one section per employer and Master. Record:
- Date and hours worked
- Employer name
- Supervising Master’s full name, phone and TDLR license number
- Job type: residential, commercial or industrial
- What you did, in plain words: "pulled wire for a 20-amp kitchen circuit," "set panel," "installed EMT"
- Your own license number and expiration date
Look up each Master on the TDLR License Search and write down their license number and expiration date. You will need both on the form. A printable log is in the first-week checklist.
How to ask your Master to sign
Ask early and make it easy. On the form, the Master signs a statement that they may face discipline, up to losing their license, if they verify hours that were not under their license and supervision. Clear records make them comfortable signing.
- Ask before you need it. Ask for a signature every few months, or at least before you leave a job.
- Bring a filled-in draft. Print the ELC017 with your name, the company, the dates, your hours and a work description already filled in from your log. The Master checks it, adds their license details and signs.
- Bring your log. Show the days and hours behind the total.
- Keep a copy. Scan or photograph the signed form the same day.
A short script you can use:
"I’m keeping my hours ready for my Journeyman application. I filled in a TDLR experience form from my log for my time here, [start date] to [end date], [hours] hours. Could you check it and sign it this week? I also need a copy of your license or a short letter."
Get the details right the first time
Each point below comes from what TDLR’s form and application ask for:
- Totals that match. The verification forms and the employment history on your application must match. Add them up twice and check them against your log.
- One form per employer. Use a separate form for each employer and each supervising Master.
- A Master signs. Hours toward the Journeyman license are verified by your supervising Master Electrician, not a Journeyman or foreman.
- License proof attached. The form requires a copy of the Master’s license or a letter of verification.
- Every field filled. Exact start and end dates, the hours, the type of work and a real description.
- Hours after your license. The form asks whether you held a valid license during those dates. Get your apprentice license before your first day.
- Your own copies. TDLR does not return documents. Keep copies of everything you mail.
When you change employers
- Before your last day, total your hours with that employer from your log.
- Fill in the ELC017 draft and ask your Master to sign it before you leave.
- Get the Master’s license copy or letter at the same time.
- Start a new section in your log for the new employer and new Master on day one.
If you cannot reach a past Master, TDLR suggests contacting the Electrical Contractor they worked under and asking them to have the Master contact you. The TDLR License Search can also help you find contact details (TDLR). If your records are thin, pay stubs, tax forms and old calendars help you rebuild the dates.
When you are ready to apply
- Mail the Journeyman application with the $30 fee and every signed form.
- You have 12 months from filing to meet all requirements, including passing the exam.
- If you are or were in a Texas apprenticeship training program, there is a box to check for that on the application.
Step by step: TDLR Journeyman application.
Next step on the Texas ladder
- All Texas electrician licenses and exams in one place
- See when your hours reach 7,000 and 8,000 in the license timeline
- Texas electrician license statistics
- Try 20 free Texas Journeyman practice questions
FAQ
What is TDLR Form ELC017?
It is the Electrician Experience Verification Form. Each Master Electrician who supervised your on-the-job training fills it out and signs it, and you send it with your Journeyman application to prove your hours.
Who can sign my hours for a Texas Journeyman license?
Your supervising Master Electrician. Hours toward the Journeyman license must be on-the-job training under the supervision of a Master Electrician licensed in Texas, so a Journeyman or a foreman cannot sign them.
Do I need a separate verification form for each employer?
Yes. Use one form for each employer and each supervising Master, and make sure the forms match the employment history on your application.
What if my old supervisor will not answer?
TDLR suggests contacting the Electrical Contractor your Master worked under and asking them to have the Master contact you. The TDLR License Search can also help you find contact details.
How many hours do I need before I apply for the Texas Journeyman license?
You can apply and take the exam at 7,000 hours under a Texas Master Electrician. The license is issued at 8,000 hours, and you have 12 months from filing to meet every requirement.
Sources
- TDLR Form ELC017 Electrician Experience Verification Form, rev October 2022, read October 3, 2026
- TDLR Journeyman Electrician License Application and instructions, ELC-LIC-005-E rev July 2025, read October 3, 2026
- TDLR: Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR License Search, checked October 3, 2026
