The Utah Journeyman Electrician Guide

What Is the Utah Journeyman Electrician License?

In Utah, electricians are licensed by the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) within the Utah Department of Commerce under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act — Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55 — with the division rules in R156-55b. DOPL contracts with ProV to administer computer-based examinations, and licensing happens online through the MyLicenseOne portal.

The journeyman electrician license authorizes you to perform electrical work for hire under the direction of a licensed journeyman or master electrician, and it is the credential you need before supervising apprentices or advancing toward the master license. Since August 1, 2025, the written exam is a single combined Theory + Code exam taken in one sitting — before that date the theory and code portions were tested separately. Candidates completing the full licensing path also pass a practical examination made up of 6 modules.

The Requirements

• Pathway A — Approved apprenticeship: Complete a DOPL-approved apprenticeship program with at least 576 hours of classroom instruction over a minimum of 48 months, plus 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience earned as a LICENSED apprentice working under the direction of a licensed journeyman or master electrician. DOPL credits a maximum of 3,000 experience hours per 12-month period.
• Pathway B — Experience only: Skip the apprenticeship program and document 16,000 hours of electrical experience on its own. The experience must meet DOPL standards under the Construction Trades Licensing Act and be verified as required by the division.
• Licensed apprentice status: On-the-job hours count only while you hold a valid apprentice license issued by DOPL and work under the supervision of a licensed journeyman or master electrician. Keep DOPL verification of your hours as you accumulate them — unlicensed hours do not count.
• Exam eligibility and license issuance: You may take the journeyman exam as early as 6,000 hours once your approved program is complete, but the license is issued only after you finish the full 8,000 hours (Pathway A) or 16,000 hours (Pathway B).
• Application and fees: File the license application online through MyLicenseOne with the $110 license application fee plus the $5 education surcharge and the $1 e-library surcharge, along with your exam results and verified experience.

The governing statute is the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act (Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55) with DOPL rule R156-55b. The written exam costs $85 (ProV) and the practical examination costs $25 per section. Note that Utah examines basic electrical theory — current, voltage, power, resistance, and voltage drop — in addition to the code, so theory review matters as much as code navigation.

Exam Format: Open Book, ProV

The Utah journeyman exam is <strong>open book</strong> and computer based, administered by <strong>ProV</strong>. The exam is based on the <strong>NEC 2023</strong>, and the code book is provided at the testing center. Since <strong>August 1, 2025</strong>, the written exam is a single combined Theory + Code exam — the former separate theory and code sittings no longer exist. The written exam is a single scored section:

The written exam covers both electrical theory (current, voltage, power, resistance, and voltage drop) and code application across 15 subject areas. A separate <strong>practical examination</strong> of 6 modules ($25 per section) is also part of the full licensing path for the complete license. Because the code book is in your hands, the written exam rewards <strong>code navigation</strong> — knowing which chapter covers which topic, using the index efficiently, and reading sections including exceptions and tables — alongside a solid grasp of basic electrical theory.

What the Exam Covers

The official DOPL content outline for the Utah journeyman exam allocates the 100 questions across 15 subject areas:

• Grounding and Bonding — 10 questions: the largest block — Article 250 system and equipment grounding, bonding requirements, and grounding electrode systems.
• Overcurrent Protection — 9 questions: fuses, circuit breakers, and their proper application (Article 240).
• Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits — 8 questions: service entrances and equipment (Article 230), feeders (215), and branch circuits (210).
• Conductors and Cables — 7 questions: ampacity, conductor types, terminations, and cable installations (Article 310 and Chapter 3).
• Lighting and General Use Equipment — 7 questions: lighting fixtures, receptacles, switches, and general-use equipment (Articles 404, 406, 410, and 422).
• Raceways and Enclosures — 7 questions: conduit and raceway types, box and conduit fill, and enclosures (Chapter 3).
• Voltage Drop — 7 questions: voltage drop calculations and the NEC limits on voltage drop for feeders and branch circuits.
• Current — 6 questions: basic theory of electric current, series and parallel circuits, and Ohm's law applications.
• Definitions and General Requirements — 6 questions: Article 100 definitions and the general requirements that govern every installation (Articles 90 and 110).
• Motors and Controllers — 6 questions: motor circuits, motor controllers, and motor protection (Article 430).
• Resistance — 6 questions: basic theory of resistance, Ohm's law, and resistance in series and parallel circuits.
• Special Occupancies and Equipment — 6 questions: hazardous locations, special occupancies, and special equipment (Chapters 5 and 6).
• Voltage — 6 questions: basic theory of voltage, voltage sources, and voltage in series and parallel circuits.
• Power — 5 questions: basic theory of electric power in AC and DC circuits and related calculations.
• State Laws and Rules — 4 questions: the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act (Title 58, Chapter 55), DOPL rule R156-55b, and the license law governing the trade.

Utah stands apart from most journeyman exams: 30 of the 100 questions test basic electrical theory — current (6), voltage (6), power (5), resistance (6), and voltage drop (7) — so circuit fundamentals carry as much weight as code application. Grounding and bonding (10) and overcurrent protection (9) lead the code side, and state laws and rules (4) keeps Utah license law on the blueprint.

How to Prepare

1. Register as a licensed apprentice first. DOPL counts your on-the-job hours only while you hold an apprentice license and work under a licensed journeyman or master electrician — hours logged without a license will not count toward your total.
2. Pick and track your pathway. Pathway A requires a DOPL-approved program with 576 classroom hours over at least 48 months plus 8,000 experience hours (max 3,000 credited per 12 months); Pathway B requires 16,000 experience hours alone. Document every period as DOPL requires.
3. Study theory alongside the code. Thirty of the 100 questions target current, voltage, power, resistance, and voltage drop — Utah tests basic electrical theory, so drill circuit fundamentals as hard as you drill code sections.
4. Learn the chapter map and the index. Know where every exam topic lives — grounding in Article 250, services in 230, wiring methods in Chapter 3, overcurrent protection in 240 — before you open a single practice question.
5. Drill with the code open. Answer practice questions with the NEC 2023 beside you, verify the exact section and table, and review every explanation — especially the exceptions.
6. Simulate under exam conditions. Full-length, timed, open-book runs of 100 questions in 240 minutes at least once a week in the final month build the pacing discipline that open-book exams reward.

Journeyman Practice covers the Utah exam with code-referenced questions, adaptive difficulty, and timed simulations. Start with free NEC practice questions to see the format.

Retaking the Exam

If you fail the Utah journeyman exam, you can retake it. Schedule your retake through ProV. The passing standard is 75% (75 of 100 correct) on the combined Theory + Code written exam, and the license is issued only after you complete your full experience requirement — passing the exam does not by itself guarantee the license. Remember that the practical examination (6 modules) is also part of the full licensing path.

After Licensure: The Path to Master

Licensed journeyman electricians work in residential, commercial, and industrial electrical construction across Utah. The journeyman license is also the runway to the master license and to contracting in Utah. Journeyman electrician licenses renew every 2 years and expire on November 30 of even-numbered years; renewal is completed online through MyLicenseOne with the $84 renewal fee and 16 hours of continuing education per cycle — at least 12 core hours, made up of 8 hours of NEC code and 4 hours of NFPA 70E electrical safety, with the remaining 4 hours in core or professional subjects.

Ready to Start?

Drill code-referenced free practice questions with the NEC 2023 beside you, and take a timed Utah simulation — 100 questions in 240 minutes — before you walk into the ProV testing center.