Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05
Hillsborough County
Tampa FL Electrician License: Classes and County Cards
Hillsborough County issues a journeyman electrician certificate of competency that proves your level without letting you contract. This page covers that certificate, the state license above it and the training around Tampa.
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On this page
The license a Tampa electrician needs
The license Florida issues is a contractor license from the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, certified for the whole state or registered for one jurisdiction. While you work for somebody who holds one, s. 489.503 covers you as an employee inside their scope.
Hillsborough states the local rule plainly on its contractor licensing page: local jurisdictions may issue local licenses for types that mirror a DBPR license, under Chapter 489.
The Hillsborough journeyman certificate
The county issues a journeyman electrician certificate of competency through Development Services, applied for on HillsGovHub, with [email protected] and (813) 272-5600 as the contacts.
The county is direct about what it isn't: the certificate does not permit the holder to perform work or enter into contracts on their own, so holders work under a licensed contractor's supervision.
The file wants the certificate of completion from a four year apprenticeship, test score documentation if you have already sat an approved exam, and the journeyman verification of construction experience form. Fees run $50 to start, which is not refundable, $100 on acceptance and a $70 one time registration. Once issued, the registration does not expire.
The county page names no exam vendor and no passing score, so confirm those before booking anything. The state floor in s. 489.5335 still applies: a proctored exam at 75 percent, a registered apprenticeship or 12,000 hours, and Florida Building Commission code coursework.
Where to train in Tampa
- Tampa Area Electrical Apprenticeship and Training Committee, 5625 Harney Road, Tampa, FL 33610, (813) 621-3002, training director David McCraw.
- IBEW Local 915, 5621 Harney Road, Tampa, (813) 621-6451, which links the Tampa Area Electrical JATC from its own site.
- The City of Tampa list of state approved apprenticeships names two registered electrical programs at that JATC: Tampa Electrical Residential Wireman, program FL003000002, and Tampa Electrical Telecommunications, program FL003000001, both at 5625 Harney Road. The same list carries Tampa Electric Company, program FL003020002, with line installer, substation electrician and field service engineer trades, the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of ABC offering electrician on (813) 879-8064, and RAMS, Inc. pre-apprenticeship offering electrician on (877) 533-7267.
- IEC Florida West Coast Chapter apprenticeship. Class locations include Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry, Hillsborough Community College Plant City, Pinellas Technical College Clearwater, Marchman Technical College in New Port Richey, and a distance learning option. The program asks for 8,000 hours of on the job training plus 180 classroom hours a year, class twice a week from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with entry at 18 or older with a diploma or GED and employment with a member contractor. Tuition is funded rather than charged, and books run $500 to $625 a year.
- ABC Florida Gulf Coast Chapter describes professional development training on its education page and does not name an electrical apprenticeship there.
Two Tampa technical colleges come up in searches and neither lists an electricity program on a page we could read, so we're not naming them as electrical schools. Erwin Technical College shows category headings only, career certificate programs, continuing education, GED and ESOL, and IET programs, with the individual programs behind further links. Call the college if you want its current list.
The state exam and where you sit it
The state exams run through Pearson VUE as computer based tests. DBPR says candidates can schedule within 72 hours after approval, by phone or through the Florida electrical program page.
Pearson VUE does not publish a static list of Florida centers for this program. Seats are found through the program test center locator, and the candidate information booklet points candidates the same way, so we're not printing an address we could not confirm.
What the work pays in Tampa
O*NET, republishing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives electricians in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area a median of $27.62 an hour, or $57,450 a year.
That's a shade above the Florida median of $27.52 an hour, or $57,250 a year, on the same page.
Your next move
If you are starting, apply to the JATC or the IEC chapter and take the job that comes with it. Both routes ask for a contractor employer, so the job and the school move together.
If you have four years behind you, open the Hillsborough certificate file and get the verification form signed while the employers are still easy to reach.
Questions people ask
Does Hillsborough County issue a journeyman electrician card?
Yes. Development Services issues a journeyman electrician certificate of competency through HillsGovHub. It proves your level and does not permit the holder to perform work or enter into contracts independently.
What does the Hillsborough journeyman certificate cost?
$50 to start the application, which is not refundable, $100 on acceptance and a $70 one time registration. Once issued, the registration does not expire.
What do I need to apply for it?
The certificate of completion for a four year apprenticeship, test score documentation from an approved agency if you already sat the exam, and the journeyman verification of construction experience form.
Where can I take electrician classes in Tampa?
The Tampa Area Electrical Apprenticeship and Training Committee at 5625 Harney Road runs the IBEW Local 915 apprenticeship, and the IEC Florida West Coast Chapter runs classes at Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry and Plant City, among other sites.
Which exam does the Hillsborough certificate use?
The county page names neither a vendor nor a passing score, so ask licensing at (813) 272-5600 before booking. The statute floor in s. 489.5335 is a proctored exam at 75 percent through a board approved provider.
What do electricians earn in Tampa?
O*NET, using Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro a median of $27.62 an hour, or $57,450 a year.
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.
What this page cites
- Hillsborough journeyman certificate of competency The documents, the fees and the limit on what the certificate allows. source
- Hillsborough contractor licensing The county's statement that local licenses may mirror DBPR license types under Chapter 489. source
- City of Tampa state approved apprenticeships The registered electrical programs in Tampa with their program numbers and contacts. source
- IEC Florida West Coast apprenticeship 8,000 hours plus 180 classroom hours a year, class locations and entry rules. source
- O*NET local wages for Florida electricians The Tampa area median, from Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.