Tennessee, like Georgia, has no statewide journeyman or master electrician license. Instead it runs three separate tracks: a Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) credential for small jobs, a statewide Electrical Contractor (CE) license for larger work, and local journeyman/master cards issued by individual big cities. This guide covers the CE exam in full detail (it's the one most electricians eventually need), the LLE credential, and a testing-vendor change that just took effect this year.
Quick Answer: What Do You Need?
| Licensing authority | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Dept. of Commerce & Insurance) |
| License type covered here | CE – Electrical Contractor (statewide, for jobs $25,000+); also covers the LLE credential (jobs under $25,000, limited jurisdictions) |
| Testing provider | PSI through June 2026; ProV as of July 1, 2026 (mid-transition as of our last check) |
| CE exam format | 100 questions, 260 minutes, 73% (73 correct) to pass |
| Also required | Separate Business & Law exam (50 questions, 73% to pass) |
| NEC edition (standard CE exam) | 2017 — see the dedicated section below, this is not a typo |
| Exam fee | $57 per exam (CE trade portion and Business & Law are billed separately) |
Tennessee's Three Electrical Licensing Tracks
- Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE): a state credential for electrical work under $25,000 per project, but only usable in counties/cities that rely on the Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Division of Fire Prevention for permitting and inspection (rather than their own local codes department). You cannot act as a contractor with an LLE.
- Electrical Contractor (CE): the statewide license, required for any electrical project of $25,000 or more, and accepted everywhere in Tennessee regardless of local jurisdiction.
- Local journeyman/master licenses: issued independently by larger counties and cities that run their own codes departments — Nashville/Davidson, Memphis/Shelby, Knoxville/Knox, Chattanooga/Hamilton, and others. Requirements and exams vary by jurisdiction and are outside the scope of this guide.
If you're aiming to eventually run your own electrical business anywhere in the state, the CE license is almost always the end goal — that's the exam this guide covers in the most depth.
A Testing Vendor Just Changed (July 2026)
Worth knowing if you're scheduling soon: Tennessee's contractor exams (CE included) moved from PSI to ProV as the testing vendor effective July 1, 2026. Candidates already scheduled with PSI for a date after July 1 could keep that appointment or move to ProV; PSI continued administering already-booked exams into September 2026. New scheduling from July 1 onward goes through ProV at provexam.com. The official PSI-branded Candidate Information Bulletin we cite throughout this guide (revised 4/15/2026) predates that switch, so double-check current logistics, exam fees, and reference-list details directly with ProV or the Board before you schedule — content and format may shift slightly under the new vendor even where the underlying licensing rules haven't changed.
The CE — Electrical Contractor Exam
The CE exam is open-book, computer-based, and covers:
| Subject Area | Items |
|---|---|
| General Knowledge & Electrical Installation Requirements | 14 |
| Building Code Requirements | 5 |
| Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits | 10 |
| Overcurrent Protection | 4 |
| Grounding and Bonding | 10 |
| Conductors and Cables | 8 |
| Raceways and Boxes | 8 |
| Hazardous Locations, Special Occupancies & Special Equipment | 12 |
| Low Voltage, Alarms, Signaling & Communications | 7 |
| Lighting, Signs & General Use Equipment | 6 |
| OSHA and NFPA 70E Safety | 6 |
| Motors, Transformers, and Generators | 10 |
| Total | 100 questions, 260 minutes, 73% (73 items) to pass |
There's also a related CE-A,H – High Voltage Electrical Contractor classification (60 questions, 160 minutes, same 73% threshold) covering utility-scale distribution, transmission, and substation work — a much narrower, specialized exam most residential/commercial electricians won't need.
Why the CE Exam Still Tests the 2017 NEC
This surprised us enough that we double-checked it directly against the primary source rather than trusting a secondary summary: the Board's own Candidate Information Bulletin, revised as recently as April 15, 2026, lists the reference edition for the standard CE exam as:
- NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code, 2017 edition
- National Electrical Code (NEC) Handbook, 2017 edition
- NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2017 edition
That's three full code cycles behind current (2017 → 2020 → 2023 → 2026). We can't explain why the standard CE exam hasn't moved to a newer edition, and we'd normally be skeptical of a claim like this from a prep-site aggregator — but we pulled it directly from PSI's own bulletin, current as of a document revised this year. Do not buy the newest NEC edition assuming it's what the CE exam uses. Confirm directly with the Board (615-253-2144) or ProV before purchasing a reference — and note that the separate NASCLA-accredited path below tests a newer code if that's more useful to you.
What Books Are Allowed on the CE Exam?
- NFPA 70 – National Electrical Code, 2017, or the NEC Handbook, 2017
- NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2017, or the NFPA 70E Handbook, 2017
- International Building Code, 2021 (ICC)
- Code of Federal Regulations, 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), latest available amendments
- Ugly's Electrical References, 2011, 2014, or 2020 (the 2008 edition was retired 2/1/2021)
Tennessee is notably permissive on Ugly's — like Georgia, and unlike Massachusetts or Oklahoma, it's explicitly allowed here.
The Business & Law Exam
Every CE candidate must also separately pass the Business & Law Management exam: 50 questions, 140 minutes, 73% (37 items) to pass, $57 fee. It covers licensing requirements, estimating/bidding, business/financial management, tax law, labor law, project management/lien law, contracts, risk management, and environmental/safety topics. The only allowed reference is the Contractors' Guide to Business, Law and Project Management – Tennessee Edition, 4th Edition (NASCLA).
The NASCLA Alternate: A Newer-Code Option
If you want your trade-exam result to be portable to other states, Tennessee also accepts the NASCLA-Accredited Trade Examination for Electrical Contractors in place of the standard CE trade exam ($125 fee, 100 questions, 270 minutes, 75 correct to pass). Its reference list is meaningfully more current: candidates may use the 2020 or 2023 NEC (their choice), NFPA 70E (2017), the 2023 edition of Ugly's, OSHA 29 CFR 1926 and 1910, and several project-management references. Passing it lets you upload your transcript to NASCLA's National Examination Database (NED) for use in other participating states — useful if you plan to hold licenses in more than one state, and a way to sidestep the 2017-NEC question above entirely if that route fits your situation.
The LLE (Limited Licensed Electrician)
The LLE is a separate, narrower credential: it lets you perform electrical work under $25,000 per project, but only in jurisdictions that use the State Fire Marshal's office for inspections rather than a local codes department, and it doesn't allow you to act as a contractor. Based on our research, the LLE exam (administered by ProV as of the July 2026 vendor transition) runs 40 questions, 2 hours, with a 73% passing standard and a $53 fee, with no mandatory waiting period between retakes. We were not able to confirm the LLE's exact current reference list against a primary ProV bulletin — older PSI-era prep materials cite the 2017 NEC and Ugly's, consistent with the CE exam's edition, but we'd recommend confirming directly with the Board (615-253-2144) or ProV before buying a reference specifically for the LLE exam.
Tabs, Highlighting, and Notes
This rule is stated identically across every Tennessee contractor exam bulletin, and it's stricter than most states we've covered — there's no "notes allowed before the exam" carve-out at all:
- Highlighting, underlining, and indexing: allowed, done prior to the exam session.
- Handwritten notes: never allowed, at any time — not before the exam, not during it. "References may not be written in," full stop. A candidate caught writing in a reference will be reported to the Board.
- Tabs: permanent tabs only. Temporary tabs (Post-it style) are not allowed and must be removed before the exam begins.
- Loose papers: no additional papers, loose or attached, beyond the approved references.
- Nothing that has been written on — including books — may leave the exam room afterward.
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| CE trade portion exam | $57 |
| Business & Law exam | $57 |
| CE-A,H High Voltage trade exam | $57 |
| NASCLA Accredited Trade Exam (Electrical) | $125 |
| LLE exam (first time or retake) | $53 |
All exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and are forfeited if you don't test within 1 year of payment.
Retesting Rules
You can't book a new exam appointment the same day you tested. Fail on a Monday, and you can call the next day and typically retest as soon as Wednesday, subject to seat availability — there's no extended mandatory waiting period or required coursework stated in the Board's bulletin for CE retakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Tennessee journeyman electrician license?
Not at the state level. Journeyman and master licenses are issued locally by larger counties and cities. The state issues the LLE (for smaller jobs, limited jurisdictions) and the CE Electrical Contractor license (statewide).
What NEC edition should I study for the CE exam?
Per the Board's bulletin revised April 2026, the standard CE trade exam uses the 2017 NEC. If you take the NASCLA-accredited alternate trade exam instead, you can use the 2020 or 2023 NEC. Confirm directly before buying, especially given the mid-2026 vendor transition.
Can I bring Ugly's Electrical References?
Yes, on the standard CE exam (2011, 2014, or 2020 editions) and on the NASCLA alternate (2023 edition specifically).
Can I write notes in my codebook before the exam?
No — unlike several other states, Tennessee does not allow writing in references at any time, even before the exam. Highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs are fine.
Does Your Book Spot USA guarantee I'll pass?
No. We sell official, correctly-prepared reference materials — no book or study guide can guarantee an exam result, and we don't claim otherwise.
Get the Correct Codebook
Since the standard CE exam tests the 2017 NEC specifically, buying the newest edition could mean studying the wrong code. We carry the matching 2017 edition below — confirm your exact exam track with the Board or ProV first, since this may not apply if you're taking the NASCLA alternate or the LLE exam.
Taking the NASCLA alternate and need the 2023 NEC instead? Browse our full electrical code selection.
Official Sources
- Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors — Tennessee Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI Services LLC, revised 4/15/2026)
- Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance — Exam Information (tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license/exam-info.html)
- ProV Exam Services (provexam.com) — current testing vendor as of July 1, 2026
Your Book Spot USA is not affiliated with the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, PSI Services LLC, ProV, NASCLA, or NFPA. Candidate bulletins and licensing rules change — this page reflects our verification as of the date above. Spot something outdated? Let us know and we'll correct it.
