Short answer: Your Texas Journeyman license is valid one year from the date it was issued and is renewed every year online with a non-refundable $30 fee. Before each renewal you need 4 hours of continuing education from a TDLR-registered provider, finished within the term of the license you are renewing. TDLR states no separate first-renewal rule and no first-renewal CE exemption, so your first renewal follows the same rules.
Log your Texas Journeyman hours free. A free Tsai Electro account keeps your supervised hours, your online practice scores and your exam date in one place. Start with a five-question check to see which topic to practice next.
If you want to pass along a study resource to someone preparing for the Texas Journeyman exam, the Practice Pack covers the PSI-style two-part format with timed mocks, topic scoring and calculation solutions: 10 full timed two-part mocks at 59 questions in 130 minutes plus 26 in 110 minutes, a score by part and by topic, and 299 step-by-step calculation solutions. US$39, one payment.
Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA. License rules can change, so confirm on the TDLR pages linked below.
Your first year at a glance
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Issue date | Your license term starts. Note the date from your TDLR listing. |
| Any time in the term | Finish 4 CE hours with a TDLR-registered provider |
| About 60 days before expiration | TDLR sends a reminder email or postcard |
| By the expiration date | Renew online, non-refundable $30 fee |
| Expired up to 90 days | $45 online |
| Expired 91 days to 18 months | $60 online |
| Expired 18 to 36 months | $60 by mail with the expired renewal form |
| Expired over 36 months | Apply again as a new applicant |
The reminder is a courtesy. Renewing on time is still your responsibility, so keep your contact information current with TDLR.
Continuing education: the rules that trip people up
- 4 hours before each renewal. If you hold several electrician licenses, you need 4 hours total. One hour means 50 minutes of instruction.
- Inside the term. Courses must be finished within the term of the license you are renewing. TDLR’s own example: a license expiring January 1, 2021 needed courses taken January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021.
- Registered providers only. Only courses from a TDLR-registered provider count.
- No repeats, no partials. Repeating the same course earns no credit, and partial completion does not count.
- What the hours cover. The NEC, Texas Electrician Law (Occupations Code 1305), the Texas Electrician Administrative Rules (16 TAC 73) and NFPA 70E electrical safety.
- The provider reports your hours. If you get no certificate within 15 days after the course, ask the provider, then TDLR at (512) 463-6599. You can check your hours in TDLR’s continuing education course look-up.
- Keep the certificate for one year after the course. An inspector may ask for it.
The job talk: questions to raise with your employer
TDLR’s published pages do not answer how pay, raises or duties change when you get licensed, and the pages we read do not say whether you must notify an employer or carry the license. Treat those as workplace questions, not assumptions about licensing rules. Take these questions to your supervisor:
- Does my role or my duties change now that I hold a Journeyman license?
- When is my next pay review, and does the license count in it?
- Does the company pay for my 4 CE hours, and do they count as work time?
- Is there a CE provider the company already uses?
- Do you need my license number and expiration date for your records?
- Who tracks renewal dates for licensed staff here?
Your employer can confirm your license on their own: TDLR’s FAQ says anyone can check whether an electrician is licensed by searching the database by name or license number.
Plan your first renewal
First renewal planner
Enter how many months ago your license was issued, the CE hours you have finished this term, and the days past expiration if your license has already expired. The license is valid one year from issuance.
- Months since your license was issued
- CE hours finished this license term
- Days past expiration (0 if not expired)
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When does a new Texas journeyman license expire?
Electrician licenses are valid one year from the date of issuance and are renewed annually. Check the exact expiration date on your listing in the TDLR License Data Search. TDLR sends a reminder about 60 days before, but renewing on time is your responsibility.
Do I need CE for my first Texas journeyman renewal?
TDLR states no first-renewal exemption. Journeyman electricians complete 4 hours before each renewal, from a TDLR-registered provider, finished within the term of the license being renewed.
How much does it cost to renew a Texas journeyman license late?
On time, renewal is a non-refundable $30 online. Up to 90 days late it is $45 online, and 91 days to 18 months late it is $60 online. From 18 to 36 months it is $60 by mail, and after 36 months you apply again as a new applicant.
