North Carolina Electrician Experience Calculator: Hours to Test
North Carolina asks for a total hour count and a floor of primary experience inside it, and the floor is what most applications turn on. Put your hours in and this gives you the first day both are satisfied for the classification you want.
How this was calculated
The method, and what each number rests on
North Carolina licenses electrical contracting businesses rather than individual electricians, so what this page computes is the day you can apply to sit the qualifying examination for a classification. Passing it makes you a qualified individual, and the license belongs to the business you are listed on.
The Board asks for two numbers at once. Unlimited is at least 9,000 hours of experience with at least 8,000 of them primary. Intermediate is 5,750 with 5,000 primary. Limited and every special restricted classification are 3,000 with 2,000 primary. That is why this page asks for your hours twice.
Primary experience is defined in the rules as working experience gained while engaged directly in the installation of electrical wiring and equipment governed by the National Electrical Code, or work activities directly related to it. Journeyman electricians, foremen, superintendents, estimators, inspectors, engineers with project supervision, maintenance electricians and military electricians at E-4 and above are credited at 100 percent, and a full time instructor at 80 percent.
Secondary experience is credited at a lower rate: apprentices in approved North Carolina programs at 100 percent, other apprentices at 80 percent, students completing NEC courses at 50 percent, engineers without supervisory responsibility at 50 percent, utility servicemen at 20 percent and utility linemen at 10 percent. This page counts hours you have already converted, so apply the rate before you type the number in.
The minimum age is 18, and the application also asks for written statements from at least two people attesting to your good character. Unlimited asks for two more statements about your ability to supervise and direct all electrical wiring. Neither is a date, so neither is computed here.
The date arithmetic is plain. Hours still to work divided by hours a week, rounded up to a whole week, added to your start date. Every week is treated the same, so overtime, layoffs and weather are yours to adjust, and nothing here says whether the Board will accept your hours.
What each one asks for
| What you are working toward | What it takes | The detail |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | 9,000 hours in total, 8,000 of them primary | Any electrical contracting project, whatever it is worth. |
| Intermediate | 5,750 hours in total, 5,000 of them primary | One project at a value the Board sets. The Board page prints $150,000 and G.S. 87-43.3 prints $200,000. |
| Limited | 3,000 hours in total, 2,000 of them primary | One project at a value the Board sets. The Board page prints $60,000 and G.S. 87-43.3 prints $100,000. |
| Residential Dwelling (SP-SFD) | 3,000 hours in total, 2,000 of them primary | A special restricted classification. |
| Fire Alarm / Low-Voltage (SP-FA/LV) | 3,000 hours in total, 2,000 of them primary | A special restricted classification. |
| The other special restricted classes | 3,000 hours in total, 2,000 of them primary | SP-PH, SP-WP, SP-ES, SP-EL and SP-SP. Each also asks for verification of employment with a related business. |
Questions people ask
How many hours does the Unlimited need?
It asks for 8,000 hours of primary experience inside a total of 9,000. The figure comes from 21 NCAC 18B, and the Board examination application.
Does anything I enter here leave my browser?
No. The arithmetic runs in the page and the numbers are saved in your own browser if you press save. They only leave the device if you use the email button, and then they go to the address you type and nowhere else.
Will the board accept the hours this page counts?
That is not a question a calculator can answer. This page works the published rule with the numbers you give it. Whether your own experience is documented well enough is a decision the board makes on the paperwork.
Why does the date move when I change the weekly hours?
Because the date is arithmetic: what you still owe divided by what you work in a week, rounded up to a whole week, added to your start date. Every week is treated the same, so overtime, layoffs and weather are yours to adjust.
Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown
Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
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