New York Electrician License Guide: NYC Master & Special Electrician Exams (2026)
New York State has no statewide electrician license at all. Licensing is entirely local — and New York City runs the largest, most structured program in the state through its Department of Buildings (DOB). The single most important fact for anyone studying for it: the NYC written exam is closed book. You cannot bring a code book, notes, or any reference material into the room. This guide covers exactly how NYC's Master and Special Electrician exams work, straight from the DOB/CPS HR Candidate Information Bulletin, plus what's changed with the city's brand-new 2025 Electrical Code.
Quick Answer
| Statewide license | None. New York has no statewide electrician license — it's entirely city-by-city. |
| NYC licensing authority | NYC Department of Buildings (DOB); exams developed and administered by CPS HR Consulting |
| License types | Master Electrician (any building/lot citywide) and Special Electrician (specific building/lot only) |
| Experience required | 7.5 years (min. 10,500 hours) within the prior 10 years, several qualifying paths |
| Exam format | Written (80 Q, 70% to pass, 3 hrs) then Practical (plan reading + 5 hands-on exercises) |
| Reference materials | Closed book — no materials of any kind allowed on either exam |
| Code edition (per last official bulletin) | NYC Electrical Code 2011 (based on 2008 NEC) — now superseded citywide as of Dec. 2025 |
| Current citywide code | 2025 NYC Electrical Code, based on 2020 NEC (Local Law 128 of 2024), effective 12/21/2025 |
| Exam fees | Written and practical application fees — see Fees section for the discrepancy between sources |
Why There's No "New York State" Electrician License
Unlike most states in this series, New York does not license electricians at the state level at all. Licensing authority sits entirely with individual municipalities. New York City runs by far the largest and most formalized program, through the Department of Buildings, and that's the focus of this guide. If you're searching for "the New York electrician exam," this is almost certainly what you mean — but if you work outside the five boroughs, your local city or county may have its own separate rules (see "Other New York Cities" below).
Who Regulates Electrical Work in NYC
The NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) issues two license types. Per the DOB's own candidate bulletin: "Master Electricians are licensed to perform electrical work as independent contractors in or on any buildings, lots or parts thereof in NYC. Special Electricians are licensed to perform electrical work in or on specific buildings, lots or parts thereof in NYC." DOB has contracted with CPS HR Consulting to develop and administer both the written and practical license exams — DOB issues the license, but a private testing firm runs the exam itself, and the written portion is proctored through CPS HR's partner, Pearson VUE.
A separate, unrelated exam to be aware of: the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) also runs a civil-service "Electrician" exam (Exam No. 6048 and similar), but that's for people applying to be employed as an electrician by a city agency — a government job posting, not a private contracting license. Holding a DOB Special Electrician license can actually help your civil-service candidacy through "Selective Certification," but the two exams are entirely separate processes run by different agencies.
Eligibility: 7.5 Years, Several Paths
Every applicant must be at least 21, able to read and write English, of good moral character, and have at least 7.5 years of experience (minimum 10,500 hours) within the 10 years before applying, in the installation, alteration, and repair of electrical wiring and appliances — obtained under the direct supervision of a licensed Master or Special Electrician (or a comparable arrangement for out-of-NYC experience). No more than 25% of that experience may come from outside the United States, unless DOB determines the foreign jurisdiction's code and licensing system is essentially equivalent.
On top of the base requirement, you must also meet one specific qualifying path, each with its own hour minimums — for example: a straight journeyman path (7.5 years / 10,500 hours with tools); a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering combined with a reduced experience requirement (3.5 years/4,900 hours for a bachelor's, 2.5 years/3,500 hours for a master's); a registered vocational/trade school or apprenticeship graduate path (5.5 years/7,700 hours); a partial-college-credit path; a partial-trade-school-credit path; or an electrical code inspector experience path. Each path has its own detailed credit rules for combining education and work experience — check the DOB bulletin against your specific background before applying.
The Exam: Written, Then Practical
You must pass the written exam before you're even eligible to apply for the practical exam.
| Exam | Format | Passing Score |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 80 multiple-choice questions, computer-based, 3 hours | 56/80 (70%) |
| Practical — Part 1 | Plan Reading exercise, 50 minutes | 71% |
| Practical — Part 2 | 5 hands-on exercises (wire/conduit bending, lights, starter, meters, motors), 20 min. each | 70% average across all 5 |
You must pass both Part 1 and Part 2 of the practical exam to pass overall. For the practical, you're required to bring your own architect's scale, twenty 6-foot alligator jumpers, a battery-powered continuity tester, safety glasses, and safety gloves — everything else (pencils, calculator, scratch paper) is provided.
The Big One: This Exam Is Closed Book
If you're used to the "bring your own tabbed and highlighted NEC" model most states use, NYC will surprise you. The DOB's own bulletin states it plainly: "This is not an open book examination; candidates are not allowed to bring reference materials into the testing site." The written exam's personal-items policy goes further — "Notes, books, calculators, pens and pencils are not permitted. You will have access to an online calculator." Nothing you own goes into that room. You need to have the relevant code sections memorized before test day, the same way test-takers in Maine face a fully closed-book Journeyman/Master exam.
The 2025 Code Change — What's Confirmed and What Isn't
The most recent official DOB/CPS HR Candidate Information Bulletin we could locate is dated 07/24/2023, and its written-exam content outline references "NEC 2008/NYC EC 2011" throughout — the New York City Electrical Code of 2011, itself based on the 2008 National Electrical Code. That's a genuinely old code cycle.
Since that bulletin was published, New York City passed Local Law 128 of 2024, adopting a new 2025 NYC Electrical Code based on the 2020 NEC, which took effect December 21, 2025 and formally replaces the 2011 code citywide. Given today's date, that means the code actually governing NYC electrical work has changed since the last exam bulletin we found was published — but we were not able to locate an updated post-transition Candidate Information Bulletin confirming the new written-exam content outline, section references, or whether pass points changed. Do not assume the 2011-code content outline above is still accurate — confirm the current outline directly with DOB or CPS HR (855-224-6977) before you study or apply.
Fees
Here's a case where our two official sources disagree with each other, and we're flagging it rather than picking one silently. The DOB/CPS HR Candidate Information Bulletin (dated 2023) lists the written exam fee at $525 and the practical exam fee at $350, paid by money order only. DOB's own current Master/Special Electrician licensing webpage lists application forms LIC41 (written) at $585 and LIC42 (practical) at $530 — noticeably higher. Fees likely increased since the bulletin was last dated; treat the DOB webpage figures as more current, but confirm the exact amount on your actual application form before paying.
Separately, per DOB's licensing page, once you pass both exams and the background investigation:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| License fee | $310.00 |
| Renewal fee | $60.00 |
| Original seal fee | $50.00 |
| Seal renewal fee | $30.00 |
| Late renewal fee | $310.00 |
License term is 1 year. None of these fees include the required background investigation fee, which is billed separately.
Retesting Rules
- You have 6 months from the date you submit your written exam application to actually sit for it, or you must reapply and pay again.
- Fail the written exam? Wait 14 days before reapplying. You can retake it up to 3 times within 6 months; after 3 fails in 6 months, you must wait a full 6 months before trying again.
- You have up to 24 months from your written-exam pass notification to pass the practical exam, and up to 6 months per practical application.
- Fail the practical? Wait 90 days before reapplying. You can take it up to 2 times within 12 months before a mandatory 6-month wait — though the bulletin notes there's no overall cap on total practical attempts.
- You can appeal a failing score if you missed passing by 5 points or fewer, within 30 days of notification.
Other New York Cities
Because New York has no state license, cities outside the five boroughs — including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers, and others — may run their own separate local electrical licensing programs with different boards, exams, and requirements entirely independent of NYC's DOB process. We have not yet verified those individual city programs; if you work outside NYC, confirm requirements with your specific city or county before assuming any part of this guide applies to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the New York electrician exam open book?
No, for NYC's Master and Special Electrician exams. The DOB's own bulletin states directly that reference materials of any kind are not allowed into the testing site, on either the written or practical exam. This is one of a small number of fully closed-book state/city electrician exams nationally.
What NEC edition does the NYC exam test?
The last official bulletin we could find (2023) cites the NYC Electrical Code 2011, based on the 2008 NEC. But New York City adopted a new 2025 NYC Electrical Code based on the 2020 NEC, effective December 21, 2025, which supersedes the 2011 code. We could not confirm whether DOB/CPS HR has published an updated exam content outline reflecting this change — confirm directly before studying.
Is there a New York State electrician license?
No. New York has no statewide license. Licensing is entirely municipal — NYC's Department of Buildings runs the largest program, and other NY cities may have their own separate, unverified-by-us requirements.
What's the difference between a Master Electrician and Special Electrician license in NYC?
A Master Electrician license permits electrical contracting work on any building or lot anywhere in NYC's five boroughs. A Special Electrician license permits work only on a specific building, lot, or facility.
How much does the NYC electrician exam cost?
Sources disagree: the 2023 DOB/CPS HR bulletin lists $525 (written) and $350 (practical); DOB's current webpage lists $585 (written, LIC41) and $530 (practical, LIC42). Confirm the current fee on your actual application form.
Study Materials
Because this is a closed-book exam, tabbed or highlighted code books — the kind of study aid we usually recommend for open-book state exams — won't help you on test day itself; what matters is what you've memorized going in. It's still worth studying from a current code reference while you prepare, but given the genuine uncertainty around exactly which code edition NYC's exam now tests post-2025 transition, we're not going to point you at one specific edition and call it definitive. Our general electrical code book collection is a reasonable study companion, but confirm the current NYC exam content outline with DOB/CPS HR before you finalize your prep.
Official Sources
- NYC DOB — Master & Special Electricians
- LIC41 — Written Exam Application
- LIC42 — Practical Exam Application
- 2025 NYC Electrical Code (official PDF)
This guide is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Licensing rules, fees, and exam content change — always confirm current requirements directly with the NYC Department of Buildings and CPS HR before applying, testing, or purchasing study materials.
