How many questions are in the Washington Laws & Rules section?

17 questions in 1 hour, drawn from RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B. That is about 22% of the 77 scored questions on the (01) exam.

Do you have to pass the Laws & Rules section on its own?

Yes. 70% on each section separately. You retake only the section you fail. So you can ace the NEC and theory section and still fail the exam by missing the law section.

Can you use the Washington laws and rules in the exam?

Yes. Washington is open book and you bring your own. Allowed: the 2020 NEC, printed RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B in a binder, and any copyrighted book including question-and-answer books. Permanent highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs are fine. No handwritten notes, no sticky or removable tabs, and you cannot write in the book.

The Washington electrician exam Laws and Rules section

About a fifth of the Washington exam is a separate Washington Laws and Rules section, 17 questions on RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B. It covers licensing scopes, permits and inspection, supervision ratios, and renewal. You must pass it on its own at 70%, so it is not optional.

It is a separate section, scored on its own

The general journey level (01) exam is two scored sections, not one. The first is NEC & Theory, 60 questions in 3 hours. The second is Washington Laws and Rules, 17 questions in 1 hour. That law section is roughly 22% of the 77 scored questions. 70% on each section separately. You retake only the section you fail.

Why strong electricians fail it

Here is the trap. A guy who has been pulling wire for years walks in confident on the NEC and theory, then gets ambushed by 17 questions on state law he never studied. You can score well on the code section and still go home with a fail because you did not clear the law section at 70% on its own. This is the most underprepared part of the whole exam, and it is the part that has nothing to do with how good you are on the truck.

What RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B actually test

The Laws and Rules section comes from Washington's electrical law (RCW 19.28) and the administrative rules (WAC 296-46B). Expect questions on the license scopes and what an (01) general journeyman can and cannot do, supervision ratios, permits, inspection, contractor bonding, and how you keep the certificate current. None of it is in the NEC, so reading the code book harder will not move this score.

Licensing scopes and supervision ratios

A chunk of these questions is about who is allowed to do what and who has to be watching. Know the difference between the general (01) certificate and the specialty certificates, and know the supervision ratios cold: one journey level to one trainee, one specialty to two trainees, and a journey or specialty electrician on site for at least 75% of the time the crew is working. Ratio questions are easy points once you have memorized them, and easy misses if you guess.

Permits, inspection deadlines, and bonds

Expect questions on when an electrical permit is required, the deadlines for requesting inspection, and what has to happen before you cover work. There is also contractor side material, including the bond and insurance an electrical contractor has to carry. You do not have to run a shop to get tested on it.

Certificate renewal and continuing education

The renewal and CE rules are fair game too. The general journey level certificate renews every 3 years (on your birthdate), and 24 hours of continuing education per 3-year renewal, including 8 hours of NEC code update and 4 hours of RCW/WAC update. Know the cycle, the hour count, and the split, because those are the kind of clean factual questions that show up on the law section.

How to bring the law into the exam

Washington is open book and you bring your own materials. Open book, bring your own. Permanent highlighting, underlining, and permanent index tabs are allowed. Handwritten notes, sticky or removable tabs, and writing in the book are not allowed and are treated as a cheating attempt. Print RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B, put them in a binder, and add permanent tabs so you can find a scope or a ratio fast. See the full Washington requirements for the experience hours, fees, and retake rules around the exam.

Study the 2020 NEC, not the 2023

The exam is based on the 2020 NEC. Washington's adopted field code is the 2023 NEC (WAC 296-46B), and the 2026 NEC is set to take effect December 31, 2026. Study the 2020 NEC for the test. The law section references the WAC, and the WAC adopts the NEC with state amendments, so it pays to know which edition the test is actually written against. For this exam that is the 2020 NEC.

Find out if the law section is your weak spot.

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Official sources

L&I Electrical Examination Information. Confirms PSI administration, the 70%-per-section pass mark, open-book rules, and that the exam uses the 2020 NEC.
L&I Electrician Licensing & Requirements. The 8,000-hour (4,000 industrial/commercial) + 96-hour classroom requirement, 3-year renewal, and 24-hour CE rule.
WAC 296-46B (Washington electrical code adoption). Washington's electrical administrative code. Adopts the NEC with state amendments; the Laws & Rules exam section tests RCW 19.28 + WAC 296-46B.

Last reviewed June 2026.