Licensing, definitions & eligibility: Virginia Journeyman Electrician (Tradesman) Practice Questions

Under Virginia law, which trades does the term "tradesman" cover?

Section 54.1-1128 defines a tradesman as an individual who works for the public for pay in the electrical, plumbing or heating, ventilation and air conditioning trades.

A helper with no license pulls wire on a job in Virginia. When is the helper exempt from tradesman licensing?

Section 54.1-1129(A) does not require a license of an individual working under the supervision of a tradesman licensed in the specialty being performed.

A licensed journeyman plumber must reconnect a few wires to a water heater he is replacing. What does Virginia law say?

Section 54.1-1129(A) says a holder of one specialty license does not need a license in another specialty for work incidental to the work done under his own license.

What is the minimum age to be licensed as a tradesman in Virginia?

Under 18VAC50-30-30, every applicant must be at least 18 years old.

An applicant has no formal vocational training. How much practical experience does Virginia require before the journeyman electrician exam?

The table in 18VAC50-30-39(B) allows a journeyman applicant with no formal training to qualify with eight years of practical experience in the trade.

An applicant has 240 hours of formal vocational training in the electrical trade. How many years of practical experience does the journeyman exam then require?

Under 18VAC50-30-39(B), 240 hours of formal vocational training plus four years of practical experience qualifies an applicant for the journeyman exam.

An applicant holds an associate degree from a two-year tradesman-related program. How much practical experience is needed for the journeyman exam?

The 18VAC50-30-39(B) table pairs an associate degree or a certificate from a program of at least two years with two years of practical experience.

A journeyman electrician wants to sit for the master electrician exam. How long must the journeyman license have been held?

Under 18VAC50-30-39(D), holding a valid journeyman license in the trade for at least one year qualifies an applicant for the master exam (nine years of experience is the other route).

Who is exempt from the Virginia journeyman examination?

18VAC50-30-50(B), following Va. Code 54.1-1131(A)(3), exempts from the journeyman exam an individual who completes an apprenticeship approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (formerly Labor and Industry).

When does the Virginia tradesman licensing article not apply to work on a single-family residence?

Section 54.1-1131(C) excludes work on a single-family residence valued under $250 when the individual does not hold himself out to the public as a tradesman (and work on vessels).