The Alabama Journeyman Electrician Guide

What Is the Alabama Journeyman License?

In Alabama, a Journeyman Electrician is an individual who has the training, knowledge, and technical skill to install electrical wiring, apparatus, or equipment for lighting, heating, power, or control — capable of doing the work from plans and specifications under a master or state-certified electrical contractor. The license is issued by the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board (AECB) in Montgomery, which contracts with Prov, Inc. to administer the examinations.

Alabama law requires that each individual performing electrical work as an Electrical Contractor or Electrical Journeyman be licensed. The journeyman license is statewide — unlike states where the worker credential is a county or city card. The electrical contractor license (the business credential) is a separate, higher tier with its own examination path.

The Requirements

• 8,000 hours or 4 years of experience in the installation of electrical wiring and apparatus or equipment for lighting or power, including controls.
• Commercial, industrial, or residential work — the experience performed must be in one of those three categories.
• Education substitution: one year of education in an approved electrical curriculum may substitute for a portion of the experience requirement.
• Board-approved application: submit form EC-1 to the AECB. Applications are reviewed quarterly and deadlines are posted on the AECB website.
• Examination: once approved, you are notified that you are eligible to schedule with Prov and must test within 90 days of the approval date.

The AECB license fee for a Journeyman Electrician is $35. Failing candidates must re-apply each time they test.

Exam Format: 80 Questions, 4 Hours, Open Book

The Alabama Electrical Journeyman examination is computer based, with 80 scored multiple-choice questions and 4 hours allowed. You need 75% to pass. Up to 10 additional unscored experimental questions may be included — they do not count toward your score but are part of exam development.

The exam is open book. You bring your own bound references: the NFPA 70 National Electrical Code 2023 and the American Electrician’s Handbook, 17th edition (McGraw Hill). Handwritten notes are not allowed in any reference book, and no added formula sheets, stickers, or indexes may be taped in.

What the Exam Covers

The official AECB Candidate Information Bulletin (2025.02.17) gives the exact subject breakdown of the 80 scored questions:

• Conductors and Cables — 10 questions. Conductor types, sizing, ampacity, insulation, and installation requirements.
• General Electrical Knowledge — 10 questions. Definitions, theory, and general code administration.
• Raceways and Boxes — 10 questions. Conduit, tubing, cable trays, boxes, conduit and box fill.
• Service, Feeders, and Branch Circuits — 9 questions. Service sizing, feeders, branch-circuit requirements, and load calculations.
• Grounding and Bonding — 8 questions. Grounding electrode systems, equipment grounding, and bonding.
• Motors — 6 questions. Motor circuits, controllers, overload and short-circuit protection.
• Special Occupancies and Equipment — 6 questions. Hazardous locations, health care, and other special applications.
• Overcurrent Protection — 5 questions. Fuses, breakers, and protection of conductors and equipment.
• Safety Information — 5 questions. Safe work practices and OSHA-style safety knowledge.
• Lighting — 3 questions. Luminaires and lighting systems.
• Electrical Power — 2 questions. Power systems and distribution basics.
• Fire Detection and Alarm Systems — 2 questions. Fire alarm circuits and signaling.
• Illuminated Signs — 2 questions. Sign circuits and outline lighting.
• Low Voltage — 2 questions. Class 2/3 power-limited circuits and low-voltage systems.

Roughly half the exam (39 of 80 questions) is conductors/cables, raceways/boxes, service/feeders/branch circuits, and general knowledge — the core of everyday journeyman work. Motors, grounding/bonding, and overcurrent protection add another 19. Budget your study accordingly: know Chapter 9 tables cold, understand ampacity and conduit fill, and be comfortable moving through Articles 210–250.

NEC Edition: 2023 Now, 2026 on January 1, 2027

The AECB currently tests on the 2023 NEC. The Board has announced that it will begin testing on the 2026 NEC on January 1, 2027 — so if you are testing in 2026, prepare with the 2023 NEC; if you will test in 2027, shift to the 2026 edition and pay attention to the renumbered articles (notably Article 120 for load calculations, formerly Article 220).

How to Prepare

• Learn the NEC chapter map. Chapter 2 wiring and protection, Chapter 3 wiring methods, Chapter 4 equipment, Chapter 9 tables — most questions route through these.
• Drill sizing with the code open. Conductor ampacity (Table 310.16), box fill (314.16), conduit fill (Chapter 9 Tables 1–5), and feeder/branch-circuit loads.
• Weight by the blueprint. Conductors/Cables + Raceways/Boxes + Service/Feeders/Branch + General Knowledge is nearly half the exam.
• Practice lookup speed. Open book means you can find the rule — with 80 questions in 4 hours you have 3 minutes each, so know where sections live.
• Simulate under exam conditions. Full-length timed runs of 80 questions in 4 hours build the pacing and stamina the real exam rewards.

After Licensure

The journeyman license qualifies you to work under a master or state-certified electrical contractor anywhere in Alabama. To run your own contracting business you move up to the electrical contractor tier, which requires the NASCLA national theory exam plus the Business and Law examination (and its own experience requirements). If you hold a license from another state, check the AECB reciprocal licensing page — some states have substantially similar requirements.

Ready to Start?

Journeyman Practice covers the Alabama journeyman exam with code-referenced questions across all 14 subject areas — conductors, raceways and boxes, services and feeders, grounding, motors, overcurrent, and more — plus timed 80-question simulations in the real open-book format. Start with free NEC practice questions to see the format.

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