Tennessee electrician license: who licenses, local cards, pay

Tennessee has no statewide journeyman electrician license. As of 2026, the Board for Licensing Contractors issues the Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE) for jobs under $25,000 where no local licensing exists, and the CE contractor classification for electrical work of $25,000 or more. Cities with their own codes offices license journeymen and masters. The median Tennessee electrician made $29.37 an hour in May 2025, per BLS.

So the card you need depends on two things: where the job is, and how big it is. For how Tennessee compares nationally, see our electrician license requirements in every state.

01Tennessee license facts, as of 2026

Rows marked come from Mike Holt Enterprises' state page, an exam-prep company that tracks every board. Confirm them with the board at (615) 741-2241 and with the local codes office.

02Which Tennessee license do you need?

Ask where the job is first, then how big it is:

1. Inside a city or county with its own codes office. The local license rules. Mike Holt reports the LLE isn't accepted in Davidson (Nashville), Shelby (Memphis), Knox (Knoxville) or Hamilton (Chattanooga), which run their own licensing and inspections. Those offices license journeymen and masters.
2. Where the state Division of Fire Prevention does inspections, under $25,000. You need the LLE.
3. Any job of $25,000 or more. The contractor needs the state CE classification.

Tennessee sits with the other states that don't license journeymen statewide. The difference here is the LLE, a state card for one person, but only for smaller jobs and only where no local office licenses.

03The Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE)

The board's LLE page says the license is "only required by electricians performing work in a municipality utilizing the Division of Fire Prevention," and it covers work under $25,000 per project. The requirements are set in T.C.A. 62-6-102(d) and 68-102-150.

What it takes, as of 2026:

• The trade exam. The LLE goes to individuals who pass the LLE trade exam, now given through Prov. Mike Holt reports an open-book exam of 40 questions in 120 minutes from the PSI days; confirm the current format with Prov.
• The application. An online initial application with photo ID and your Social Security number.
• The fee. $50 for an initial application.

The board's own advice: "Always first check with your local government to see if they accept the LLE license." Mike Holt reports LLE holders can't call themselves a contractor and renew every two years. Confirm both with the board.

04The CE electrical contractor license

Electrical work of $25,000 or more, labor and materials, needs a licensed contractor with the CE classification. Mike Holt describes it as comparable to a master's license, with a monetary limit set on the license.

Per the board, contractor applicants take the Tennessee Business and Law exam plus a trade exam for classifications like electrical. Exams are typically valid for two years. The NASCLA accredited exam is accepted for commercial electrical work.

Mike Holt reports the CE license is accepted statewide without extra local exams, but local permits, licensing, inspections and fees still apply. If a company asks you to qualify its CE license, that's your name and your exam on the line. Our guide on going from journeyman to electrical contractor covers what that jump looks like.

Exam switch to Prov

As of July 1, 2026, Prov administers the board's exams. PSI keeps exams that were already scheduled through September. New bookings go through Prov.

05Can you use an out-of-state license in Tennessee?

Not as a journeyman card, since Tennessee doesn't issue one. At the contractor level, Mike Holt reports trade exam waivers for contractors with an active license in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina. The North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors lists Tennessee on its own reciprocity page. You still take Tennessee's Business and Law exam.

Inside the state, a city card from Nashville won't automatically count in Memphis. Call the codes office before you start. Our Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia guides cover the neighbors' rules.

06CE and code

Mike Holt reports no continuing education requirement for LLE holders or contractors in Tennessee. City cards may set their own.

The same page lists the 2017 NEC for state adoption and exams. Cities with their own codes offices adopt their own editions, so the code on your job may be newer. Confirm with the board and the local office.

07Lots of work, and contractors are picky about who runs it

Tennessee is adding electricians fast. IEC, the open-shop electrical contractors' association, reports Tennessee electrician employment grew 56% from 2019 to 2025, the fastest of any state it named.

More work doesn't mean contractors take anyone. One national electrical contractor told us they want a licensed journeyman with five to seven years who can "do raceways, terminate, pull wire," someone they can hand the prints and say "this goes from point A to point B." In a state where the card is local, be ready to talk through the jobs you've run.

08What does a Tennessee electrician make?

The median Tennessee electrician made $29.37 an hour in May 2025, $1.01 below the national median of $30.38, per BLS OEWS. These are straight-time wages for all electricians, apprentices included. They leave out overtime, per diem and benefits, and they're market data, not what any one contractor will pay you.

Nashville has the most electricians, more than a third of the state's 17,070. But Chattanooga had the highest median of the four big metros, $4.32 above Nashville's (our math), even though Nashville's mean was higher. Knoxville's median sat $6.58 under Chattanooga's.

The statewide median annual wage was $61,090. Next door, the medians were $28.71 in Kentucky, $26.78 in Alabama and $28.04 in Georgia, same survey. Our journeyman electrician pay breakdown explains what moves a rate within a range.

Run your Pay Check to see what electricians with your license make near you. Takes about a minute and your boss never hears about it.

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