What Is Washington Specialty 10?

Washington Labor & Industries classifies Door, Gate, and Similar Systems as specialty electrical certificate (10). The specialty may install, service, maintain, repair, or replace electrical operator wiring and equipment for covered systems.

Covered systems include more than garage-style doors. Washington rules specifically identify electric gates, doors, windows, awnings, movable partitions, curtains, and similar powered systems.

What Equipment Falls Inside the Specialty?

Washington's specialty definition includes a long list of operator-system components. Candidates should recognize both the equipment and the electrical role each part plays.

• Electric gate and door operators
• Window, awning, curtain, and movable-partition operators
• Control push buttons
• Key switches and keypads
• Pull cords
• Air and electric treadle devices
• Air and electric sensing edges
• Coil cords and take-up reels
• Clocks and timers
• Photoelectric cells
• Loop detectors
• Motion detectors
• Remote radios, receivers, and antennas
• Lock-out switches
• Stand-alone release devices with smoke detection
• Strobe lights and annunciators
• Control panels
• Wiring and conductor terminations

A useful study habit is to group components into operators, controls, sensors, safety devices, signaling devices, and wiring. That makes the system much easier to understand than memorizing one giant equipment list.

Low-Voltage Class 2 Systems Are Included

Specialty 10 includes low-voltage NEC Class 2 door, gate, and similar operator systems when the door/gate/similar operator system is not connected to other systems.

That last phrase matters. The specialty is focused on the operator system itself. Work that crosses into a different building system can trigger a different license or contractor requirement.

Study the difference between the door/gate operator control system and unrelated building systems. The exam can test scope just as seriously as it tests conductor rules.

Limited Branch Circuits From the Listed Operator Panel Are Included

Washington allows specialty 10 electricians to work on branch circuits that originate in a listed door/gate/similar systems electric operator control panel when the circuit supplies only components of the covered operator system.

The branch circuit must meet the specialty limits:

• It must not exceed 600 volts
• It must not exceed 20 amperes
• The supplied component must be within sight of the listed operator control panel
• The branch circuit must supply only door/gate/similar system components

Those numbers are worth memorizing because they define the boundary between specialty work and broader line-voltage work.

Line-Voltage Reconnection Is Limited Too

Specialty 10 also permits reconnection of line-voltage power to a listed door/gate/similar systems electric operator control panel, but only under specific limits.

• The existing branch-circuit or feeder characteristics cannot be modified
• The circuit or feeder cannot exceed 600 volts
• The circuit or feeder cannot exceed 20 amperes
• The conductor or conduit from the disconnecting means or junction box cannot exceed six feet

What Work Is Outside Specialty 10?

The scope exclusions are just as important as the allowed work. Washington says specialty 10 may not install, repair, or replace the line-voltage branch-circuit conductors, services, feeders, panelboards, or disconnect switches that supply the operator control panel.

Specialty 10 also excludes work governed by NEC Articles 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 510, 511, 513, 514, 515, and 516, which cover classified and hazardous-location work.

In plain language, if the job moves beyond the operator system into the building's upstream power distribution or into classified-location work, the specialty certificate is not enough.

The 720-Hour Exam Path

Door, Gate, and Similar Systems is one of Washington's 2,000-hour specialty categories, but candidates can become eligible for the specialty examination before completing all 2,000 hours.

The current Washington table requires 720 hours of qualifying work experience before examination eligibility.

What Happens After You Pass at 720 Hours?

After the candidate passes the appropriate specialty examination, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate for the specialty.

This allows the trainee to work without supervision in specialty 10 while completing the balance of the 2,000 hours needed for the full specialty electrician certificate.

The zero-percent-supervision certificate is limited in duration and cannot simply be renewed forever. If the candidate has not completed the required work experience before it expires, Washington rules require the worker to move to the applicable supervised status while finishing the remaining hours.

Complete 24 Hours of Basic Trainee Classes Before Full Certification

Labor & Industries currently says that before the nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate expires, the worker must complete 24 hours of approved electrical basic trainee classes.

The worker then submits the application for a 2,000-hour specialty electrician certificate when the full 2,000 hours have been earned.

These 24 basic trainee classroom hours are part of the path to the full specialty certificate. They should not be confused with the 24 hours of continuing education required later for certificate renewal.

Current Specialty 10 Electrician Exam at a Glance

The Exam Is Open Book and Uses the 2020 NEC

PSI's current Washington electrical bulletin states that all examinations are open book and that code questions are based on the 2020 National Electrical Code, current RCW 19.28, and current WAC 296-46B.

Candidates may use original copyrighted material, current Washington laws and rules in an acceptable format, and a silent nonprinting nonprogrammable calculator.

Permanent index tabs are allowed. Removable notes, Post-It-style tabs, and other repositionable notes are not allowed. References may not be written in during the examination.

For broader Washington electrical study resources, review the Washington Electrician collection from 1ExamPrep.

Current Specialty 10 Exam Blueprint

The separate Washington Codes section contains 17 questions on current Washington electrical laws and rules.

Overcurrent Protection Is a Major Study Area

The current blueprint assigns about four NEC/theory questions to overcurrent protection. That is a large share for a 30-question section.

Review:

• Overcurrent-device ratings
• Protection of conductors
• Branch-circuit protection
• Motor-related protection concepts
• Equipment protection
• When specialty 10 scope limits still control the work

Keep the specialty boundary in mind. Knowing how a breaker works does not mean specialty 10 lets you replace the upstream branch-circuit equipment that supplies the operator panel.

Grounding and Bonding Are Another Four Questions

Grounding and bonding are heavily represented on the NEC/theory section. Review equipment-grounding conductors, bonding paths, grounding of equipment, and proper connections.

Powered gates and doors combine moving metal equipment, motors, controls, outdoor exposure, and line-voltage connections. Good grounding and bonding are not decorative details.

Practice identifying the difference between grounding, bonding, and overcurrent protection. They work together, but they solve different electrical safety problems.

Wiring Methods Are the Largest NEC Category

The current electrician outline assigns about five questions to NEC 300-398 wiring methods. That makes it the largest named NEC category in the specialty 10 electrician section.

• Raceways
• Cables
• Boxes and fittings
• Support and securing
• Protection from physical damage
• Wet and damp locations
• Conductor installation
• Equipment connections

Door and gate systems often live in rough environments. Outdoor gates, vehicle areas, moving equipment, and exposed operator wiring make location and physical-protection rules especially important.

Motors, Transformers, and Operator Equipment Matter

Motors, HVAC, generators, and transformers contribute about four questions in the published NEC/theory outline. For specialty 10, focus heavily on motor and transformer concepts that relate to operator systems and controls.

• Motor circuits
• Motor protection basics
• Motor control concepts
• Transformers used in control systems
• Operator equipment ratings
• Control circuits
• Disconnecting and servicing concepts within the specialty boundary

The field equipment may look simple from the outside, but inside the operator cabinet there can be enough electrical hardware to keep your code book busy.

General Trade Knowledge and Theory Are About Five Questions

PSI expects a basic level of electrical theory knowledge in addition to code-book navigation. The current specialty 10 electrician outline assigns about five questions to general trade knowledge and theory.

• Voltage, current, resistance, and power
• Ohm's law
• Series and parallel concepts
• Basic AC theory
• Control-circuit concepts
• Basic electrical math
• Equipment ratings

A code book can tell you the rule. It cannot do every basic electrical calculation for you.

The 17-Question Washington Codes Section Is Not Optional

The Washington laws and rules section gets a full hour and contains 17 questions. This section deserves its own study schedule rather than being treated as an afterthought.

Focus on:

• Chapter 19.28 RCW
• Chapter 296-46B WAC
• Specialty certificate scope
• Trainee supervision rules
• Experience requirements
• Permits and inspections
• Contractor and certification requirements
• Renewal and continuing-education rules
• Responsibilities of electricians, trainees, administrators, and contractors

The scope language in WAC 296-46B-920 is especially important for specialty 10.

A Practical Open-Book Strategy

Specialty 10 is open book, but each section has its own clock. The NEC/theory section gives two hours for 30 questions, and the Washington Codes section gives one hour for 17 questions.

1. Know the scope cold. Do not waste time looking up the basic specialty boundary on every question.
2. Tab NEC 240, 250, 300-series wiring-method chapters, and motor/control sections.
3. Practice current RCW/WAC navigation separately.
4. Use theory practice so basic calculations do not become slow code searches.
5. Flag long questions and return later.
6. Read the exact voltage, amperage, distance, and system-type details before choosing an answer.

Specialty exams love small words and small numbers. "Within sight," "six feet," "20 amperes," and "600 volts" can change the answer completely.

Current PSI Scheduling and Retest Rules

Electrician candidates must first receive approval from Washington Labor & Industries before registering with PSI. The L&I eligibility notice provides the Exam Unique ID needed for scheduling.

The current PSI bulletin says candidates have one year from the approval date to pass all required examination sections.

After a failed attempt, the current bulletin requires a 14-day wait before retesting. After a third failed attempt, later attempts require a three-month wait from the last failure date.

The two specialty 10 sections are scheduled for the same examination day.

Current PSI Exam Fee

PSI's current time-based fee schedule lists $65 for a three-hour examination. Specialty 10 Electrician currently consists of a two-hour NEC/theory section plus a one-hour Washington Codes section, for three total hours.

PSI fees can change, so confirm the amount shown when you schedule.

Current Washington Application and Certificate Fees

Washington's electrical fee schedule changed effective July 1, 2026. The current WAC lists a $102.20 fee for the zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate pathway and a $114.60 fee for a journey-level, specialty, or reciprocal electrician application that includes the original certificate and processing fee.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Washington electrician certificates renew every three years and expire on the certificate holder's birthday. Depending on the issue date and birthday, the initial certificate is generally valid from about 25 to 36 months.

Specialty electricians currently need 24 hours of approved continuing education before renewal, including:

• 8 hours of code update
• 4 hours of RCW/WAC education
• 12 additional hours of approved continuing education

The current renewal fee is $92.60 online or $106.40 by mail, fax, or in person. Late renewal fees are higher.

A Practical Specialty 10 Study Plan

1. Start with WAC 296-46B-920 scope. Learn exactly what specialty 10 can and cannot do.
2. Study NEC 300-series wiring methods. This is the largest named NEC area.
3. Review NEC 240 overcurrent protection.
4. Review NEC 250 grounding and bonding.
5. Study motor and operator-control fundamentals.
6. Practice electrical theory and simple calculations.
7. Study current RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B separately.
8. Practice finding Washington scope and supervision rules quickly.
9. Take 30-question NEC/theory practice sets in two hours or less.
10. Take 17-question Washington-code practice sets in one hour or less.

Study the Operator System as One Electrical System

The easiest way to prepare is to trace the whole operator system from incoming power through the listed control panel, transformer or power supply, controls, safety sensors, motor, signaling devices, and final operator equipment.

Ask what happens when a sensing edge is activated, a photoelectric device is blocked, a loop detector calls for operation, a control transformer fails, a motor overload trips, a grounding connection is missing, or a wiring method is exposed to physical damage.

Review the Washington Door, Gate & Similar Systems Electrician collection for materials tied to this specialty. For broader Washington electrical preparation, use the Washington Electrician collection.

For licensing paperwork support, review 1ExamPrep application services. For books, exam preparation, licensing expenses, and related professional costs, review 1ExamPrep financing options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Washington's Door, Gate, and Similar Systems specialty electrician certificate is a focused credential for electrical operator systems used on powered gates, doors, windows, awnings, movable partitions, curtains, and similar equipment. It is specialty 10 under Washington's electrical certification rules.

The specialty is narrow, but it is not simple. The work can involve operator motors, control panels, push buttons, key switches, keypads, sensing edges, photoelectric sensors, loop detectors, motion detectors, radio receivers, timers, annunciators, strobe devices, conductors, raceways, grounding, bonding, overcurrent protection, and limited line-voltage connections.

Scope is one of the most important things to understand before the exam. Specialty 10 includes low-voltage NEC Class 2 operator systems when they are not connected to other systems. It also allows certain branch circuits originating in a listed operator control panel when they serve only system components, do not exceed 600 volts or 20 amperes, and supply a component within sight of the panel.

Limited reconnection of line voltage to a listed operator control panel is also permitted when the existing branch-circuit or feeder characteristics are not changed, the circuit does not exceed 600 volts or 20 amperes, and the conductor or conduit from the disconnect or junction box does not exceed six feet.

The certificate does not authorize general upstream electrical work. Specialty 10 cannot install, repair, or replace the line-voltage branch-circuit conductors, services, feeders, panelboards, or disconnect switches supplying the operator control panel. Classified-location work under the NEC articles identified by Washington is outside the specialty too.

The experience pathway is unusual because examination eligibility comes before full certification. Current Washington rules require 720 qualifying hours before a candidate can take the specialty exam. Until the exam is passed, the trainee must work under 100 percent supervision.

The full certificate requires 2,000 hours. After the exam is passed, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate that allows the worker to complete the remaining specialty experience without supervision. Before that modified certificate expires, the worker also needs 24 hours of approved basic electrical trainee classes and must submit the application for the full 2,000-hour specialty certificate.

The current PSI specialty 10 electrician examination has two sections. NEC and Theory contains 30 scored questions and allows two hours. Washington Codes contains 17 questions and allows one hour. The published outline therefore totals 47 scored questions, and PSI currently requires 70 percent to pass.

The exam is open book. The current PSI bulletin states that code questions are based on the 2020 National Electrical Code, current RCW 19.28, and current WAC 296-46B. Candidates can use original copyrighted references and acceptable Washington-law materials, but removable tabs are prohibited and references may not be written in during the exam.

The NEC/theory blueprint gives the most weight to wiring methods, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, motors and transformers, and general trade theory. Wiring methods contribute about five questions. Overcurrent protection and grounding/bonding each contribute about four. Motors, HVAC, generators, and transformers contribute about four, with general trade knowledge and theory contributing about five.

The 17-question Washington Codes section deserves equal respect. Learn WAC 296-46B-920 scope language, supervision rules, experience requirements, contractor and certification responsibilities, permits, inspections, renewal rules, and continuing education. Specialty questions often turn on what you are legally allowed to do, not only how to wire the equipment.

Washington's current electrical fee schedule became effective July 1, 2026. The current WAC lists $102.20 for the zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate pathway and $114.60 for the journey-level, specialty, or reciprocal electrician application that includes the original certificate and processing fee. Because some downloadable forms can show older amounts, check the live fee schedule before sending payment.

PSI's current time-based schedule lists $65 for a three-hour exam. Specialty 10 currently totals three hours between its two sections. Confirm the fee shown at scheduling because testing fees can change.

Once fully certified, the specialty electrician certificate renews every three years on the certificate holder's birthday. Current renewal requires 24 hours of approved continuing education, including 8 hours of code update and 4 hours of RCW/WAC education.

The strongest preparation plan combines four things: exact scope knowledge, NEC navigation, Washington-law navigation, and electrical theory. Study the operator system as one complete electrical system from incoming power to control panel, safety sensor, motor, and final operator. Then practice the legal boundary around that system until you can recognize it quickly.

Key Takeaways

• Washington specialty (10) covers defined electrical operator systems for doors, gates, windows, awnings, movable partitions, curtains, and similar equipment.
• Exam eligibility begins after 720 qualifying supervised hours, but the full specialty electrician certificate requires 2,000 hours.
• The current electrician exam has 30 NEC/Theory questions in 2 hours plus 17 Washington Codes questions in 1 hour, with a 70 percent passing score.
• The current exam is open book and based on the 2020 NEC, current RCW 19.28, and current WAC 296-46B.
• Scope limits matter: specialty 10 allows tightly limited operator-panel branch circuits and reconnections, but it does not authorize upstream services, feeders, panelboards, disconnects, or general branch-circuit installation.

Plain-Language Summary

Washington specialty 10 is the Door, Gate, and Similar Systems electrician certificate. It is for people who work on electrical operator systems for powered doors, gates, windows, awnings, movable partitions, curtains, and similar equipment.

The specialty can include operator motors, control panels, push buttons, key switches, keypads, pull cords, sensing edges, photoelectric sensors, loop detectors, motion detectors, radio receivers, timers, strobe lights, annunciators, and related wiring.

Specialty 10 also covers low-voltage NEC Class 2 operator systems when the system is not connected to other systems. It allows some limited line-voltage work, but the limits are strict.

A branch circuit that starts inside a listed door or gate operator control panel can supply only the covered system components. The circuit cannot exceed 600 volts or 20 amperes, and the supplied component must be within sight of the control panel.

Reconnection of line voltage to the listed operator control panel is allowed only if the existing branch-circuit or feeder characteristics are not changed, the circuit is no more than 600 volts and 20 amperes, and the connecting conductor or conduit is no longer than six feet.

The specialty does not let you install or replace the upstream service, feeder, panelboard, disconnect, or line-voltage branch-circuit conductors that supply the operator panel. It also does not cover the classified-location NEC work specifically excluded by Washington rules.

You can become eligible for the specialty 10 exam after 720 qualifying hours of supervised work. Until you pass the exam, Washington requires 100 percent supervision for this 2,000-hour specialty.

After you pass, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate. That lets you work without supervision in specialty 10 while you finish the experience needed for the full certificate.

The full specialty electrician certificate requires 2,000 hours. Before the modified zero-percent certificate expires, you also need 24 hours of approved electrical basic trainee classes and must submit the application for the 2,000-hour specialty certificate.

The current PSI exam has two sections. The NEC and Theory section has 30 questions and allows two hours. The Washington Codes section has 17 questions and allows one hour. The published outline therefore has 47 scored questions total.

You need 70 percent to pass. The exam is open book. PSI currently says the electrical-code questions are based on the 2020 National Electrical Code, current RCW 19.28, and current WAC 296-46B.

The biggest NEC study areas are wiring methods, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, motors and transformers, and general electrical theory. Learn the basics of voltage, current, resistance, power, motor controls, grounding, bonding, raceways, cable, boxes, conductor protection, and equipment ratings.

Do not ignore the Washington Codes section. Study the specialty scope in WAC 296-46B-920, trainee supervision, work-experience rules, electrician certification, contractor responsibilities, inspections, permits, continuing education, and renewal.

Washington electrician certificates renew every three years on your birthday. Current renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education, including 8 hours of code update and 4 hours of RCW/WAC education.

Use the Washington Door, Gate & Similar Systems Electrician collection from 1ExamPrep to organize your study around specialty scope, the 2020 NEC, Washington electrical laws and rules, operator systems, motors, controls, wiring methods, grounding, bonding, and exam navigation.