No person, company, or corporation shall perform or allow any installations, alterations, or additions of electrical wiring or equipment or of a plumbing system within the City of Reno unless done by a person in possession of a valid journeyman certificate. 

Those performing apprentice electrician work or plumbing work in the City of Reno must have a card from an approved apprenticeship program. 

Here are three exceptions to the journeyman and apprentice requirement:

  1. Homeowners;

  2. Builders/Contractors must maintain a written agreement between the licensed contractor for the job site and all subordinate employees indicating the names, contact information, and copies of certifications of those responsible for providing direct supervision of all subordinate employees, which must be available on-site for City inspectors;

  3. Contractors with reciprocal licenses from another city/county/state/country. After working 12 months within the City limits, they must obtain the appropriate certification below (plumbing or electrician).

Please refer to Title 14 of the Reno Municipal Code for additional details on these requirements.

The plumbing journeyman exam is based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and is open book.

Exam process

  1. Apply to the Nevada Board of Plumbing Examiners (NBOPE) and include their fee. There is an application and full exam (in a computer lab or on paper) or a renewal form and shorter re-certification exam online.
  2. You will be notified by NBOPE if you qualify to take either exam, along with instructions on how to schedule the exam.
  3. Once you take the test and pass, you will be sent your journeyman or master journeyman plumber card.

For additional questions, contact NBOPE.

The International Code Council (ICC) offers the G17 and G18 electrician exams and can be found on the ICC website catalog.

  • The ICC’s G17-Journeyman Electrician or G18-Residential Electrician do not require pre-approval.
  • To find the exams, go to the ICC exam catalog and type G17 in "Search by Exam Title" area.  Alternatively, in the drop-downs select "Type: Contractor/Trade, State: National/All, and Category Trade: Electrical."
  • ESP will still recognize Reno exams with the passing score when applying for Reno ID cards from ESP.

ID Cards

Electrical Safety Professionals (ESP) will produce ID cards.

  • After passing the G17 or G18 electrician exam, apply to ESP. You will need to provide a copy of your exam score report when you apply for your ID card.
  • Current Reno ID cards issued through the ICC are still valid and recognized with ESP if it was issued from 2017-2020. ID cards are valid for a three-year period.
  • If an ID card has expired, it can be renewed within one year of the date of expiration.  Obtain the CEUs required for the renewal and submit the application.  The regular renewal fee is required in addition to a reinstatement fee.  If your ID Card has been expired for more than one year, you must take the exam again and have a passing score to obtain a new card.
  • Train and obtain Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to renew cards from any approved providers listed on the ESP website.

For ID questions, please contact ESP at (725) 214-6004, hherndon@proec.biz or mgrochol@proec.biz