Rhode Island Journeyman Electrician Requirements

The journeyperson license in Rhode Island — officially Certificate B — is the gateway credential. Without it, you can't progress to contractor status, and you can't legally perform electrical work except through the registered apprenticeship path under the required supervision of a licensed journeyperson or master. Getting it right the first time means understanding what the DLT actually checks.

The Hour Requirements

Certificate B requires two parallel tracks, both running simultaneously:

• 8,000 hours of on-the-job learning (OJL) under a DLT-registered sponsor. This works out to roughly four years of full-time trade work.
• 576 hours of related technical instruction (RTI) — 144 hours per year across four years — from an approved program like CCRI, Roger Williams University, or the IBEW Local 99 JATC.

Hours and classroom time must run concurrently. If you complete 8,000 OJT hours but fell behind on your RTI credits, you're not eligible for the exam until the classroom hours catch up. And hours worked before your apprenticeship was formally registered with the DLT are void — no exceptions, no retroactive credit.

Building Your Application Packet

When your sponsor submits the Apprentice Completion form and the DLT Apprenticeship Office verifies your hours, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship. That certificate is the core of your exam application.

Your full packet needs:

• The completed exam application form (fill it out in ink — the DLT has reported that PDF forms completed on iPhones can produce overlapping, unreadable text)
• A copy of your valid government-issued photo ID
• Your Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship
• A signed company ratio sheet proving your sponsor maintained legal apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios
• The $75 non-refundable application fee

Everything must reach the DLT Professional Regulation Unit in Cranston at least 15 working days before the monthly exam date. Miss that deadline and you're waiting another month.

What Certificate B Lets You Do (and Doesn't)

A common misconception: Certificate B does not let you work independently. You can perform installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical wiring, conduits, devices, and apparatus — but only under the direct employment and supervision of a licensed Certificate A contractor.

Certificate B holders cannot:

• Contract directly for electrical work
• Bid on projects
• Solicit clients
• Pull municipal permits
• Operate as a 1099 independent subcontractor

That last point gets people into trouble. Under Rhode Island worker classification rules, a journeyperson working as a 1099 subcontractor without a Certificate A and a supervising master is committing a regulatory violation. The hiring contractor faces fines, and the individual can be cited for unlicensed work.

The Exam

The Certificate B exam is 80 multiple-choice questions, closed-book, with a four-hour time limit. Passing score is 70%. The state provides a calculator and an Ohm's Law formula wheel — nothing else. You need to know your NEC articles, grounding values, conductor sizing, and load calculations from memory.

If you score between 60% and 69%, you can request a formal review session with the Board of Examiners. Below 60%, no review is available.

Once you pass, the DLT invoices you $72 for the license. After payment, you receive your physical Certificate B card.

What Comes Next

Certificate B starts a new clock. After holding it for at least two consecutive years and accumulating 12,000 total hours of trade experience, you become eligible for the Certificate A (contractor/master) exam. That's the credential that lets you bid, contract, pull permits, and eventually start your own electrical business.

The Rhode Island Electrician License Guide covers the entire progression — from apprentice registration through the Certificate A exam and CRLB business registration.

See more Rhode Island guides →