Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

Twenty questions, answered

Florida Electrical Contractor Exam Questions Answered

The questions people type before a Florida electrical contractor examination, answered short and cited. Where two official sources disagree, both are named. Where we couldn't confirm something, the answer says so instead of guessing.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

How many questions is the Florida electrical contractor exam?

The technical and safety paper for the unrestricted scope is 100 questions with a five hour limit. The business paper that goes with it is 50 questions in two and a half hours.

The booklet gives the same 100 question, five hour shape to the residential, alarm, limited energy, sign, lighting maintenance and utility line papers.

What score do I need to pass?

75 percent, and the booklet applies that minimum to both sections.

A passing score stays good for three years from the date of the examination, and the initial license checklist asks for scores no older than three years.

Is the Florida electrical exam open book?

Yes, but the phrase comes from the candidate information booklet and the approved reference list, not from the department's examination page. The booklet describes the business and technical sections as open book, and the reference list names the titles you may carry.

The examination page puts it another way: candidates are strongly encouraged to bring approved reference materials, and no other references are allowed at the examination site. What you can't bring is scratch paper, formulas or study notes.

Which NEC edition is the exam based on?

NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, 2023 edition, listed as reference RN9 on the department's approved list. It's marked for every technical area.

The same entry names 2026 as the future edition, effective August 21, 2027.

Which books can I take in?

The department publishes a reference list by area. The OSHA volume and the Florida Contractors Manual 2021 apply to every area, and the 2023 NEC applies to every technical area.

Alarm and limited energy areas add NFPA 72, NFPA 780, NFPA 101, UL 681, UL 365 and the NTC Blue Book. Sign and lighting maintenance add the sign structures and neon titles. Utility line adds the National Electrical Safety Code and the Lineman's and Cableman's Handbook.

Can I tab my code book?

Permanently attached tabs may be used. Post-it Notes, pull-off labels and removable tabs are not allowed.

Tab by subject rather than by number, and do it early enough that you've practiced finding things with it.

Can I bring a PDF reference?

Only printed and bound. The booklet says PDF references have to be printed and bound in a spiral notebook or a binder with three or more holes.

That reaches UL 681 and UL 365, which the reference list offers as free PDFs to eligible candidates.

What identification do I need at the test center?

Two valid forms of signature identification, one of which has to be government issued, plus your authorization notice and your candidate identification number.

Report to the test center thirty minutes before the scheduled examination.

Where are the Florida test centers?

We couldn't confirm a city by city list. The vendor doesn't publish a static Florida list on its electrical program page and the department's booklet doesn't print cities.

Both point at the vendor's own locator instead, so use that and confirm the address on your appointment confirmation.

What does the exam cost?

The certified examination application to the department is $263.25. The computer based exam fee paid to the vendor is $123.75. A retake is $67.25.

Application fees are not refundable. Section 489.509 says the examination fee is refundable if the applicant turns out to be ineligible.

How many times can I retake it?

The business section allows three attempts, after which the candidate has to reapply. On the technical and safety section, each failure means reapplying to the department for a new authorization to test.

Section 489.511 lets the board determine the frequency of attempts and allows it to require additional education after three unsuccessful ones.

How do I book, and how late can I cancel?

Call 888.204.6230 or register online through the vendor's Florida page. Candidates become eligible to schedule within 72 hours after approval, and the booklet asks for at least five business days of notice.

Cancel at least two days before the exam or you forfeit fees. The vendor's page puts it as two full calendar days before the test to avoid a penalty.

What do I need before I can sit?

Section 489.511 sets the age at 18 and then asks for one of several experience records inside a lookback window, running from three years of management experience within six years to six years of training or technical education within twelve.

The board also asks for a trade split by category: 40 percent three phase work for the EC category, 40 percent fire alarms for EF and 40 percent non fire alarms for EG.

Is there a Florida journeyman electrician exam?

Not at the state level. Section 489.5335 leaves journeyman licensing to counties and municipalities, and the state board issues contractor licenses instead.

County exams differ. Miami-Dade's journeyman electrician exam is described as 75 questions in three hours, Broward and Palm Beach both print a 75 percent pass mark, and the Pinellas application prints 70 percent.

How many hours do I need for a county journeyman card?

Section 489.5335 asks for either a registered, state approved apprenticeship or at least 12,000 hours of on the job training, plus a proctored exam and building code coursework.

Counties then print their own year counts. Broward asks for four years for the electrical classification, Palm Beach gives three routes including six years of supervised work, and Pinellas counts a four year apprenticeship or 8,000 hours of combined work.

Do I have to pass the state exam to be a registered contractor?

Not the certification exam. Section 489.513 lets a person register with the state if they hold a current certificate of competency from a Florida municipality or county earned by passing an appropriate local examination.

Where the local jurisdiction runs no exam, the applicant may qualify by scoring at least 75 percent on an exam substantially equivalent to the board approved certification exam and showing three or more years of technical experience.

Can a registered contractor become certified without the exam?

Section 489.514 allows it under conditions: a valid registered local license in the category, a passed written proctored exam the board finds substantially similar, at least five years of experience as a contractor in that category or as an inspector or building administrator over it, a clean discipline record on the terms the section sets, and the insurance and financial responsibility requirements.

Rule 61G6-5.0035 is the certification of registered contractors rule, effective 26 December 2011.

Does Florida take my exam from another state?

The board has no reciprocal licensing agreement with any state. It recognizes certain out of state examinations as substantially equivalent for licensure by endorsement instead.

Full recognition on its matrix runs to California, Georgia and North Carolina. Partial recognition covers Colorado, NASCLA, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas, each leaving one Florida paper still to sit. Nine rows is the whole matrix, and the latest determination date on it is May 2020.

Which code edition does Florida enforce?

The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), took effect December 31, 2023. The National Electrical Code reaches Florida through it, adopted in Chapter 27 of the Building volume, with NFPA 70A in Chapter 33 of the Residential volume.

We couldn't confirm which NFPA 70 edition the 8th Edition names, because the ICC Digital Codes chapters render through script. Ask your building department for the edition your permit is reviewed against.

What's the next Florida code edition?

The 9th Edition (2026). The Commission runs its code review for it against the 2024 changes to the International Codes. The Commission's process page records a first comment period that ended August 31, 2026 and a second ending October 8, 2026, and prints no effective date.

On the exam side the date is already set: the reference list moves to the 2026 National Electrical Code on August 21, 2027.

What this page cites

• Florida Electrical Contractors candidate information booklet The booklet marked effective February 2026. Source for the question counts, the time limits, the 75 percent pass mark, the tab rule, the identification rule and the retake rule. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Approved reference list, electrical contractors The list of books allowed in the room, by reference number and edition, with the certification areas each one applies to and the dates future editions take over. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board FAQ The board's answers on fees, experience paths, insurance and how long a passing score stays good. Read 5 September 2026. source
• DBPR electrical examinations page The department's own page on the electrical contractor examinations: Pearson VUE delivers them, the exam has a technical and safety part and a business part, and approval to schedule lands within 72 hours. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Section 489.511, Florida Statutes Certification, application, examinations and endorsement, including the age of 18 and the experience paths that qualify an applicant to sit. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Section 489.5335, Florida Statutes Journeyman licensing, which the statute leaves to counties and municipalities, with a 75 percent floor and an hours or apprenticeship requirement. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Florida Building Code, current editions The Florida Building Commission's own page marking the 8th Edition (2023) as effective December 31, 2023, with one link out to the materials for the 2026 update. Read 5 September 2026. source