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Checked against primary sources 2026-11-13

Houston Electrician Rules: City Registration, Code and Exam Sites

TDLR issues the license you work under in Houston. The city adds a yearly registration for master electricians, electrical contractors and appliance installers, and it keeps its own set of NEC amendments.

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On this page
  1. Who registers electricians in Houston
  2. Code edition and Houston amendments
  3. Permits and the Permitting Center
  4. Exam sites near Houston
  5. Training programs in Houston
  6. Cities around Houston
  7. What this page cites

Who registers electricians in Houston

The state issues the license. Houston's Electrical Inspections section, part of Houston Public Works, asks master electricians, electrical contractors and appliance installers to register with it before they do electrical work in the city. Its registration page says the registration is valid for one year and that renewal is required.

The page asks for a notarized copy of form CE-1189, the Electrical State License Registration and Renewal form, with a copy of your Texas master electrician license and a copy of your Texas contractor license. It shows a Fees heading, and the text I read on 13 November 2026 gave no dollar amount under it.

Texas law limits what a city can collect from a licensed electrician, and our City rules page quotes the rule. If Houston asks you for a fee, ask Electrical Inspections what it covers before you pay.

Electrical Inspections is at 1002 Washington Ave., 4th Floor, Houston, TX 77002. The phone number is 832.394.8860, and the page gives its hours as 8 am to 4:30 pm.

Code edition and Houston amendments

The Houston Permitting Center posted a notice, last updated 14 December 2023, saying the 2023 National Electrical Code became effective in Texas on 1 September 2023. The notice says the city reviews electrical plans under it for applications submitted on or after that date.

The center's codes page lists Houston Administrative Amendments to the NEC for three editions: 2020, 2014 and 2011. Those were the editions named on the page when I read it.

The state exams moved to the 2026 NEC on 1 September 2026, according to the PSI candidate bulletin updated 15 September 2026. The Houston pages I read don't say which edition the city enforces for a permit pulled today, so ask the Permitting Center before you price a job. The state side of that question is on our page about which code edition applies.

Permits and the Permitting Center

Electrical permits run through the Houston Permitting Center at 1002 Washington Avenue, Houston, TX 77002. The center's main number is 832-394-9000.

Electrical Inspections, where you register, is on the 4th floor of the same address. Ask the center which permits your job needs and what they cost.

Exam sites near Houston

PSI lists four Houston test sites for the TDLR electrician exams:

Hours, license types and the application work the same everywhere in Texas. The hours calculator turns your logged hours into an exam date, and the license types page shows which license fits your work.

Training programs in Houston

The Houston Electrical JATC is a joint program of NECA and the IBEW. Its training center is at 108 Covern, Houston, TX 77061, and the phone number is (713) 649-2739. The program's page says it is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor as an apprenticeship training program, and it doesn't state how long the apprenticeship lasts.

IEC Texas Gulf Coast, at 601 N. Shepherd Drive, Suite 330, Houston, TX 77007 (346-521-5479), describes a four year apprenticeship with 8,000 hours of supervised on-the-job training and 576 classroom hours. Classes meet once a week from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Its page says the program is approved by the U.S. Department of Labor and TDLR.

San Jacinto College lists an Electrical Technology associate of applied science of 60 credits, about two years full time, and a 13 credit Electrical Installer certificate, both at its Central and North campuses. Our classes page explains which kinds of training credit hours toward a license.

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Cities around Houston

Houston's 2024 Census estimate is 2,390,125 people. Nearby cities with their 2024 Census estimates include Pasadena (149,617), Pearland (129,620), League City (118,456), Conroe (114,581), Sugar Land (109,851), Baytown (86,004), Missouri City (78,582) and Texas City (57,875). Each of them is its own city, so ask its permit office which code edition and registrations it uses.

San Antonio and Austin have their own pages: see San Antonio and Austin.

What this page cites

When this guide says NEC or National Electrical Code, it means the code published by the National Fire Protection Association, which holds both names as registered trademarks.

Trojan Digital Marketing publishes Texas Journeyman Prep independently. NFPA, TDLR, PSI Services and every licensing authority are unaffiliated with it, and none of them endorses or sponsors it.

The Texas exam is open book, so study from your own current copy of the NEC. This guide doesn't reprint the code.

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