How to Become an Electrician in Hawaii
Hawaii licenses individual electricians statewide through the DCCA's Board of Electricians and Plumbers. The Journey Worker license comes from a registered apprenticeship under a licensed Supervising Electrician, and above it sits the Supervising Electrician license. Confirm current hour totals with the board, as Hawaii has been updating them.
Licensing in Hawaii at a glance
- How it's licensed
- Statewide license through the Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA)
- Licensing authority
- Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA-PVL) →
Journey Worker Electrician — Complete a state-approved apprenticeship: roughly 8,000–10,000 hours of practical experience (about four to five years) under a licensed Supervising Electrician, plus classroom instruction (around 240 hours). Pass the exam.
Supervising Electrician — Additional experience as a licensed Journey Worker (about one more year / 2,000 hours), then the supervising exam.
Hawaii has been revising its hour requirements — verify the current totals with the DCCA before you apply.
Statewide through the DCCA
Hawaii licenses individual electricians statewide through the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Board of Electricians and Plumbers. The ladder is Journey Worker, then Supervising Electrician — the latter being the credential that lets you supervise others and run work.
The apprenticeship
The path is a state-approved apprenticeship under a licensed Supervising Electrician — practical experience over about four to five years plus classroom instruction. Hawaii has been updating its exact hour figures (you'll see both 8,000 and 10,000 cited), so confirm the current requirement with the DCCA before you apply. The core idea is unchanged: several years of supervised field experience plus schooling, then the exam.
Your next step
Get hired under a licensed Supervising Electrician, enroll in a registered apprenticeship, and log your hours and classroom time. Check the DCCA for the current hour total, then sit the Journey Worker exam. The national How to Become an Electrician guide covers the trade overall.
⚠️ Always verify current requirements
Licensing rules change and often vary by city or county. Before you count on anything here, confirm the current requirements directly with Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA-PVL).