Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05
Buncombe County
Asheville NC Electrician License: Classes and Exam Site
Asheville runs the longest apprenticeship in the state at five years, and it has a PSI test center in the city. The license at the end is the state's, and there is no western North Carolina card underneath it.
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On this page
The license an Asheville electrician needs
The license is the state's, not the city's. G.S. 87-43 says no person, partnership, firm or corporation may engage in electrical contracting in North Carolina without a license in the applicable classification from the State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, and there is no state journeyman or apprentice card underneath it.
If you work for somebody else, G.S. 87-43.1 exempts a bona fide employee of a Board licensee, so your employer's license covers your work. If you want to contract in your own name, the route is hours, the $125 application and examination fee, a grade of 70 on the examination and then the license application with its annual fee of $100 to $200.
What the city and county handle
Permits and inspections are local, licensing is not. We did not read an Asheville or Buncombe County permitting page this session, so this page does not say whether either asks for anything beyond the state license.
Call the local inspections office to check. The code enforced is the statewide one, and the Office of State Fire Marshal lists the 2020 North Carolina Electrical Code as current, effective November 1, 2021.
Where to train in Asheville
- IBEW Local 238, 46 New Leicester Hwy, Asheville, NC 28806. The local's jurisdiction covers Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey counties. The apprenticeship is a five year course of classroom hours and on the job training, with apprentices working five eight hour shifts a week and attending class two nights a week from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Applicants have to be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or GED with an Algebra credit, pass an aptitude test and be physically capable. The five step application ends with an interview, and the Apprenticeship Training Director is Joey Moore on (828) 505-0216.
- Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Electrical Systems Technology. An Associate in Applied Science of 69 credit hours, a diploma of 36 credit hours, and certificates of 12 to 18 credit hours each in Electrical Wiring, Building Instrumentation and Control, Electrical Construction, Electrical Fundamentals, Advanced Electrical Wiring and Solar Photovoltaic Energy Technology. Main campus in Asheville, with locations at Enka, Madison and Woodfin.
Why five years and not four
Most North Carolina programs run four years. Local 238's is five, which changes the arithmetic on your hours rather than the requirement itself.
The Board counts 2,000 hours as one creditable year, and approved North Carolina apprenticeship time credits at 100 percent as secondary experience under its rules. Five years of full time work covers the total for any classification, including the 9,000 hours Unlimited asks for.
The primary floor is the part to watch. Unlimited wants 8,000 of those hours to be primary experience, which is hands on the installation itself.
The test center
The Examination Information Handbook lists the Asheville PSI site at 1306 C Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28806, which is the only one in the western half of the state.
Approval opens a 90 day authorization period, and a cancellation protects the fee only with two days notice to PSI. Bring two forms of valid, non expired, signature bearing identification, one with a photograph.
The paper is open book. The required reference is the 2020 National Electrical Code, and NFPA 72 in the 2013 edition is allowed for some classifications.
What the work pays around Asheville
O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives a median of $26.25 an hour or $54,590 a year for electricians in the Asheville metro, below the statewide median of $27.31 an hour.
The BLS May 2025 metro release for Asheville puts construction and extraction occupations at 4.1 percent of local employment with a mean hourly wage of $25.90.
The two figures measure different things. The first is a median for electricians, and the second covers every construction and extraction occupation in the metro, so do not read them as a range for the same job.
Your next move in Asheville
If the union route appeals, the aptitude test and the interview are the gates, and the Training Director is the person to call. If college suits you better, A-B Tech's certificates are the shortest way into the subject.
Either way, check any employer on the Board's public search before you start, since the exemption that covers your work runs through their license.
Questions people ask
How long is the IBEW apprenticeship in Asheville?
Five years. IBEW Local 238 describes a five year course of classroom hours and on the job training, with apprentices working five eight hour shifts a week and attending class two nights a week from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm.
What do I need to apply to IBEW Local 238?
At least 18 years of age, a high school diploma or GED with an Algebra credit, a pass on an aptitude test and physical capability. The application runs in five steps and ends with an interview, and the Training Director is Joey Moore on (828) 505-0216.
Where is the PSI test center in Asheville?
The Board's Examination Information Handbook lists it at 1306 C Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28806. It is the only listed site in the western half of the state.
What electrical programs does A-B Tech run?
Electrical Systems Technology as an Associate in Applied Science of 69 credit hours, a diploma of 36 credit hours, and certificates of 12 to 18 credit hours each, including Solar Photovoltaic Energy Technology. Classes run at the Asheville campus and at Enka, Madison and Woodfin.
How much do electricians make in Asheville?
O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives a median of $26.25 an hour or $54,590 a year for the Asheville metro. The BLS May 2025 release puts all construction and extraction occupations there at a mean of $25.90 an hour.
Do I need an Asheville city electrician license?
The state Board license is the one the statute requires. We did not read an Asheville or Buncombe County permitting page this session, so we cannot say whether either asks for anything of its own. Call the local inspections office to check.
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
- IBEW Local 238 apprenticeship Publishes the five year structure, the class nights, the jurisdiction counties and the entry requirements. source
- Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Publishes the degree, diploma and certificate credit hours and the campus locations. source
- Examination Information Handbook Lists the Asheville PSI site, the identification rules and the references allowed in the examination. source
- 21 NCAC 18B Credits approved North Carolina apprenticeship at 100 percent secondary and treats 2,000 hours as one creditable year. source
- O*NET OnLine local wages for 47-2111 Gives the Asheville median for electricians, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. source
- BLS Asheville metro release, May 2025 Gives the construction and extraction mean hourly wage and its share of local employment. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.