Texas Journeyman PrepGetting licensed in Texas

Checked against primary sources 2026-08-23

Ninety days, after a declared disaster, for electricians licensed elsewhere

Texas has hurricanes, ice storms and floods, and this is the provision that lets help arrive legally.

On this page
  1. What it is
  2. The two conditions built into the statute
  3. Ninety days, and a renewal the rule does not put a number on
  4. Why this page exists
  5. What this page cites

What it is

Section 1305.1615(a) directs the commission to establish by rule the criteria for issuing an emergency license, following a disaster as defined in Government Code section 418.004, to a person licensed as an electrician in another state.

Subsection (b) sets the term: an emergency license expires on the ninetieth day after the date of issuance.

The rule side is 16 TAC 73.28.

The two conditions built into the statute

A declared disaster, using the Government Code definition rather than a general sense of emergency.

And an existing electrician license in another state. This is not a route for an unlicensed person who wants to help.

Ninety days, and a renewal the rule does not put a number on

We previously wrote that the license expires at ninety days and cannot be renewed. That was wrong, and the rule we were citing says the opposite. The page is corrected rather than quietly edited.

Section 1305.1615(c) lets the commission adopt rules providing for extension, and it did. Under 16 TAC 73.28(d)(3) an emergency license may be renewed for an additional ninety days if three things hold: the declared disaster and any applicable recovery period continue on the eightieth day of the license; the executive director determines at that time that a sufficient number of licensed persons is not available; and a completed renewal application is submitted.

The eightieth day is the one to mark on the calendar. The test is applied then, not at expiry, so a renewal decision is made while you are still working.

Why this page exists

Because it is the kind of provision nobody reads until the week they need it, and by then people are working out of a truck with no internet.

If you are an out-of-state electrician thinking about coming to help after a storm, the thing to know in advance is that a legal route exists, it is short, and it starts with the department rather than with a contractor.

What this page cites

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

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Bring your own current copy of the National Electrical Code. The Texas exam is open book.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.