Hawaii Electrician License Requirements (2026)

Hawaii’s Board of Electricians and Plumbers licenses individual electricians under HRS chapter 448E. This guide focuses on the Journey Worker Electrician (EJ) license, which requires five years—but not fewer than 10,000 hours—of residential or commercial wiring experience and 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii Community College. Hawaii does not reciprocate electrician licenses. An individual electrician credential does not authorize contracting: electrical contracting requires a separate contractor license under HRS chapter 444.

Regulatory Body

Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA-PVL Electricians and Plumbers Board) administers and enforces this credential under the authority of HRS chapter 448E; HAR chapter 16-80. The Board licenses individual electricians and plumbers, reviews experience and coursework, administers examinations, reciprocity determinations, and continuing-competency renewal requirements.

Official portal: https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/electrician/application_publication/
Address: 335 Merchant Street, Room 301, Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (844) 808-3222

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. Hawaii’s individual electrician license is statewide. The current application does not state a Hawaii-residency requirement; it requires the prescribed experience, academic coursework, application records, and examination passage.

Good moral character

Answer the current application fully and provide required explanatory records for affirmative disciplinary or conviction answers.

Background investigation

The application requires conviction/disclosure documentation when applicable, including specified court and criminal-history records. It does not support a blanket background-check claim for every applicant.

Experience and Education

Plan to substantiate 5 years of For Journey Worker Electrician, at least five years of full-time residential or commercial wiring experience, but not fewer than 10,000 hours, under a journey worker or supervising electrician, plus 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii Community College. with hard records. Payroll, tax, project logs, and supervisor verification are what the board relies on when it reviews the claim.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Completed and notarized Experience Verification—Electrician Only form from each licensed electrician who supervised the training
Out-of-state license verification where applicable
Proof of 240 hours of accepted electrical academic coursework or approved apprenticeship completion
Current application and required explanatory records for any affirmative disclosures

Education substitution

The 240 academic hours are a separate statutory qualification. Hawaii Community College must conduct or accept the coursework; it may accept approved apprenticeship, college, military, or combination training documentation for review.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: PSI Services, after Board approval. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

Hawaii Journey Worker Electrician examination — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin

Examination fee: The $40 Board application fee is paid with the application. PSI examination fee is paid after Board approval; confirm the current amount and Candidate Information Bulletin with PSI.

Retake policy: After approval, submit the examination registration form and approval letter to PSI. An application can be deemed abandoned after two consecutive years without evidence of continued efforts to complete licensure.

Insurance and Bonds

This credential carries no state-level surety bond requirement under the cited sources. Individual jobs may still trigger a permit or public-works bond, which should be verified before bidding.

General liability

The individual EJ license has no Board-published bond or liability-insurance requirement. A business performing electrical contracting needs a separate contractor license and the Contractors License Board’s insurance requirements.

Workers' compensation

Workers’ compensation is a contractor/employer requirement, not a published condition of the individual EJ credential.

Additional financial requirements

No financial-statement requirement is stated for the individual EJ license.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$40
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 3 years)	$306

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Hawaii electrician.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Renewal of the Hawaii Journey Worker Electrician (EJ) License comes due every 3 years. As cited, the renewal fee stands at $306. Electrician licenses renew by June 30 every three years. Verify the current NEC-update requirement and fee when the next renewal cycle opens.

Continuing education: For the current July 1, 2023–June 30, 2026 renewal period, active EJ, EJI, EJS, ES, ESI, and ESS licensees (not EM) must complete the Board’s continuing competency on updates to the 2020 NEC. New-license and inactive-status exemptions are stated by the Board.

Downloadable Asset

2026 Hawaii Electrician License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

The NASCLA Accredited Examination is not accepted by Hawaii for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Hawaii expressly states that it does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction. Out-of-state experience may be verified using the Board’s forms, but that is not reciprocity and does not waive Hawaii licensure requirements.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Electrician license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Electrician Licensing in Other States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Hawaii's requirements against the states most often compared against it before committing to an application:

California Electrician License Requirements — California Class C-10 — Electrical Contractor
Washington Electrician License Requirements — Washington (01) General Journey Level Electrician Certificate of Competency
Oregon Electrician License Requirements — Oregon General Journeyman Electrician (J) License
Nevada Electrician License Requirements — Nevada C-2 Electrical Contractor

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Accumulate qualifying wiring experience. Document at least 10,000 hours over five full-time years in residential or commercial wiring under appropriately licensed supervision.
Complete 240 accepted academic hours. Use coursework conducted by or accepted by a University of Hawaii Community College; have non-Hawaii coursework reviewed before applying.
Collect notarized verification forms. Obtain an Experience Verification—Electrician Only form from each licensed electrician who supervised your experience, plus out-of-state license verifications if applicable.
Apply to the Board. File the complete application and $40 nonrefundable fee at least seven working days before the Board meeting date.
Pass the Hawaii examination. After Board approval, register with PSI. The electrician examination is open code book and based on the NEC; use PSI’s current bulletin for format, fee, permitted references, and score.
Renew and meet continued competency. Active EJ licenses renew by June 30 on the triennial cycle and must meet the Board’s current NEC-update continued-competency requirement unless an exemption applies.
License the business separately when contracting. An electrician’s license does not authorize contracting. A business needs the relevant Chapter 444 contractor classification, insurance, and other Contractors License Board requirements.

Application Checklist

The most critical documents or confirmations the applicant should have in hand before filing with DCCA-PVL Electricians and Plumbers Board:

Five years and at least 10,000 hours of residential or commercial wiring experience
240 hours of University of Hawaii Community College-accepted electrical academic coursework
Notarized Experience Verification—Electrician Only forms from each licensed supervisor
Out-of-state license verification forms when applicable
$40 nonrefundable Board application fee
Board approval and PSI examination passage
Current NEC-update continuing competency before active renewal
Separate Chapter 444 contractor-license process if operating a contracting business

Common Filing Mistakes

Working from the cited board instructions, here are the snags most likely to trip up a Hawaii Electrician filing.

Using the old 8,000-hour requirement

The current EJ requirement is five years and at least 10,000 hours, not four years/8,000 hours.

Missing the 240-hour academic requirement

Experience alone is insufficient; the 240 hours must be conducted by or accepted by a University of Hawaii Community College.

Calling verified out-of-state experience reciprocity

Hawaii has no reciprocity. The Board may verify out-of-state experience, but applicants still follow Hawaii’s process.

Treating the EJ credential as a contractor license

Electrical contracting requires a separate Chapter 444 contractor license.

Ignoring NEC-update competency

Most active electrician classifications must meet the current NEC update requirement for renewal.

Study and Reference Materials

These are the preparation and reference materials tied to this credential — cited by the regulator or widely used by applicants. CLR earns nothing from listing them.

PSI Hawaii electrician Candidate Information Bulletin — PSI Services. Use the current Hawaii bulletin for the examination outline, fee, approved code book, testing rules, and retesting.
National Electrical Code — NFPA. The Board identifies the electrician examination as NEC-based and open code book; confirm the current PSI-approved edition.
HRS chapter 448E and HAR chapter 16-80 — Hawaii Legislature / DCCA. Primary law and rules for individual electrician licensing and scope.

Other Hawaii Trade Licenses

If the Electrician license is not the right fit, the following published Hawaii trade guides are also covered by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours are required for a Hawaii Journey Worker Electrician license?

At least five full-time years, but no fewer than 10,000 hours, of residential or commercial wiring experience, plus 240 hours of electrical academic coursework accepted by a University of Hawaii Community College.

Does Hawaii reciprocate electrician licenses?

No. The Board’s current requirements state that Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction.

Do I need academic coursework as well as experience?

Yes. Journey Worker applicants need 240 accepted academic hours. Non-Hawaii coursework must be reviewed and accepted by a University of Hawaii Community College; approved apprenticeship completion can be used as coursework evidence.

Can an EJ license holder contract for electrical work?

No. The Board expressly states that the individual electrician license does not authorize electrical contracting. Contracting requires a separate Chapter 444 contractor license.

What is required at renewal?

Active electricians other than maintenance electricians must provide proof of the current NEC-update continued-competency requirement. A one-time exemption applies when a new license was issued within one year before expiration; inactive licensees are also not subject to that renewal competency requirement.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.