The Nevada Journeyworker Guide (ICC R17)

What Is the Nevada Journeyworker Card?

Nevada regulates electrical contractors (the businesses that bid and pull permits) at the state level through the Nevada State Contractors Board under NRS Chapter 624 — the C-2 electrical contractor classification. It does not license individual electricians. The individual credential — what most of the country would call a journeyman license — is the Electrical Qualifications card, required by the administrative codes of Clark County, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Reno and Washoe County to supervise or perform electrical work on a job site.

The card program moved from ICC direct administration to the Nevada organization Electrical Safety Professionals (ESP) in 2019. Since that transition, the exams themselves are the national ICC contractor/trades exams, purchased through the ICC catalog and delivered at Pearson VUE centers. The journeyworker card is not a contractor license and does not let you bid work or pull permits — it qualifies you to do the electrical work under a licensed C-2 contractor.

The Exam: ICC R17 (NEC 2023)

The journeyworker card requires the ICC R17 Journeyman Electrician exam, based on the 2023 NEC. The ICC program retired its 2017-NEC G-series testing for Nevada cards on March 31, 2026 — since April 1, 2026, only 2020-NEC (T17) and 2023-NEC (R17) tests are accepted for Nevada Electrical Qualifications card issuance.

The R17 exam is a national standard — the same exam ICC administers for many jurisdictions across the country — so there are no Nevada-specific code questions. What makes it Nevada-relevant is that ESP and the local jurisdictions accept the 2023-NEC R17 (or the 2020-NEC T17) for the card. You study the NEC itself, not a Nevada supplement.

What the Exam Covers

The ICC national journeyman outline weights the 80 questions across nine content areas:

• Wiring Methods and Materials — about 21 questions (26%). Raceways, boxes, cable assemblies, conduit and box fill, fittings, conductors, and installation requirements. The largest area on the exam.
• Branch Circuits and Conductors — about 15 questions (19%). Required circuits, outlets and loads, conductor sizing and ampacity, adjustment and correction factors, and overcurrent protection.
• Equipment and Devices — about 10 questions (13%). Panelboards, disconnects, switches, receptacles, luminaires, appliances, GFCI and AFCI protection.
• Services and Service Equipment — about 9 questions (11%). Service conductors, disconnects, grounding electrode conductors, and service installation.
• Special Occupancies, Equipment and Conditions — about 9 questions (11%). Hazardous locations, health care, emergency systems, and other special applications.
• General Knowledge — about 5 questions (6%). Definitions, theory basics, and general NEC administration.
• Motors and Generators — about 5 questions (6%). Motor circuits, controllers, overload and short-circuit protection.
• Feeders — about 3 questions (4%). Feeder loads, conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, and installation.
• Control Devices — about 3 questions (4%). Switches, contactors, relays, and control circuits.

Questions are four-option multiple choice, scored one-correct, and the ICC warns that questions do not follow answer patterns. Open-book means you can find the code rule — but with 80 questions in 4 hours you average 3 minutes per question, so candidates who already know where sections live (Article 210 branch circuits, Article 230 services, Article 250 grounding, Article 300 wiring methods, Chapter 9 tables) finish comfortably; those who search from scratch run out of time.

Open-Book Rules and References

Unlike California — where references are provided on screen — the ICC contractor/trades exams are traditional open book: you bring your own bound NEC. Allowed references beyond the NEC include Ferm’s Fast Finder Index (IAEI), Ugly’s Electrical Reference, and the National Electrical Code Handbook (NFPA). Books must have original binding and no written notes in the margins. A basic four-function, non-programmable calculator is permitted (a battery-operated non-programmable calculator for in-person CBT).

How to Prepare

• Master the NEC chapter map. Articles 100/110 general, 200–285 wiring and protection, 300–398 wiring methods, 400–490 equipment, 500–590 special occupancies, 600–695 special equipment, 700–770 special conditions/communications, Chapter 9 tables.
• Weight your study by the outline. Wiring Methods (26%) plus Branch Circuits and Conductors (19%) is 45% of the exam — spend nearly half your prep on Article 210/220/300/310/314/330/334/338/352/358, box and conduit fill, and ampacity work.
• Drill the sizing math with the code open. Conductor ampacity and correction (310.15, Table 310.16), box fill (314.16), conduit fill (Chapter 9 Tables 1–5), feeder and branch-circuit loads (Articles 210/215/220), and overcurrent protection (Articles 240, 430).
• Practice lookup speed. The exam rewards candidates who can jump to the right article fast. Tab your code book the way the exam allows and time your searches in practice — you have about 3 minutes per question.
• Simulate under exam conditions. Full-length timed runs of 80 questions in 4 hours with your code book open build the pacing and stamina the real exam demands.

Card Renewal and CEUs

The Nevada Electrical Qualifications card is valid for three years. Journeyworker (and Residential and Low Voltage) cardholders need 1.8 CEUs (18 hours) of approved continuing education per cycle: an 8-hour (0.8 CEU) NEC code-change class on the current edition, a 4-hour (0.4 CEU) NFPA 70E electrical-safety class, and the balance in approved electrical-code or safety topics from an ESP-approved provider. Card renewal is about $85–$100 (more for Master), with late fees if you renew after expiration — and if a card lapses more than a year, you retake the exam.

Ready to Start?

Journeyman Practice covers the ICC R17 content with code-referenced questions across all nine outline areas — wiring methods, branch circuits, services, equipment, motors, 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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