TDLR Experience Verification Form (ELC017)

What Form ELC017 Is and Why It Matters

Form ELC017 is the official TDLR Experience Verification Form — the document that proves your on-the-job training hours count. Every electrician stepping up from apprentice to journeyman, or journeyman to master, must submit signed ELC017s documenting the qualifying OJT claimed for the application (8,000 hours are required for journeyman licensure, although the exam may be taken at 7,000; 12,000 are required for master).

TDLR's standard process requires properly completed ELC017s; self-reported hours, employer letters, or informal time sheets alone do not replace them. In hardship cases, however, you can submit supporting records to TDLR for review. The form itself is free to download from the TDLR electrician forms page.

What the Form Requires

Each ELC017 covers one employment period under one supervising Master Electrician. The supervisor — not you — must fill in and sign the form, attesting to:

• Their active TDLR Master Electrician (or Master Sign Electrician) license number
• The contracting company name and details
• Your employment dates under their supervision
• The exact number of hours you worked
• The types of electrical installations performed

The supervisor's signature carries legal weight. Under 16 TAC §73.60, Master Electricians who verify fraudulent hours or sign off on work not performed under their active supervision face TDLR sanctions, including license revocation. This isn't a casual reference — it's a formal attestation of supervised experience.

When Supervisors Are Unreachable

This is the single biggest administrative roadblock in the Texas electrician licensing process. Over a career spanning four to six years of apprenticeship, you may work under several Master Electricians. By the time you're ready to apply, some of those supervisors may have:

• Changed employers
• Retired from the trade
• Moved out of state
• Passed away
• Simply stopped returning calls

Here's how to handle each scenario:

Supervisor changed companies. Use the TDLR online license search tool to look up their current license status and contact information. Reach out directly — most supervisors will sign an ELC017 for a former employee if asked.

Supervisor's former company is the only lead. Contact the electrical contractor where you worked together. They may have the supervisor's updated contact information or forwarding details.

Supervisor is deceased or completely unreachable. This is where things get harder. You can support your case with alternative documentation:

• W-2 forms from the relevant employment period
• Payroll stubs showing hours and employer information
• Social Security Administration work history reports
• Business filings showing the supervisor's association with the contractor

Submit these alongside your application and contact TDLR Customer Service or the Electrical Program Specialist to discuss alternative verification methods. TDLR has discretion to accept supporting documentation in hardship cases.

Supervisor refuses to sign. Contact TDLR Customer Service or the Electrical Program Specialist to discuss alternative verification methods. If the refusal is retaliatory or unwarranted, TDLR can intervene.

Out-of-State Hours

If you accumulated hours under a supervisor in another state, you still need a signed ELC017 from that supervisor. Additionally, you must include:

• An official letter of verification from the originating state's licensing board, or
• A copy of the supervisor's license from that state

TDLR can't verify out-of-state credentials through its own database, so the burden of proof falls on you to document that your supervisor was properly licensed in their state.

Self-Verification Exception

One useful exception exists: if you hold or have held a municipal or regional master license in a Texas city, you're legally permitted to verify your own OJT hours for the years you held that credential. This helps experienced electricians who worked under city-level master credentials before pursuing the state-level license.

Common Reasons ELC017s Get Rejected

TDLR reviews these forms carefully. Forms are commonly rejected for:

• Supervisor credentials cannot be verified — include the correct license number and contact information so TDLR can verify the supervisor.
• Vague hour descriptions — "electrical work" isn't specific enough; TDLR wants installation types
• Missing supervisor contact information — TDLR may contact the supervisor to verify
• Hours exceed what's plausible — 80-hour weeks every week for three years will trigger scrutiny
• Supervisor license number is wrong — a mistyped license number means TDLR can't verify the supervisor's credential

Double-check every form before submission. A rejected ELC017 doesn't just delay your application — it eats into your 12-month eligibility window.

Start Documenting Now

If you're currently an apprentice or journeyman building toward your next credential, don't wait until application time to worry about ELC017s. Keep your own parallel log of dates, hours, supervisor names, and license numbers. Get forms signed while the supervisor is still available and the working relationship is fresh.

The Texas Electrician License Guide includes an hour-tracking framework and experience verification walkthrough designed to prevent the ELC017 bottlenecks that stall thousands of applications every year.

See more Texas guides →