What Is Washington Specialty 07E?

Washington WAC identifies Equipment Repair as specialty 07E. The specialty is limited to servicing, maintaining, repairing, or replacing utilization equipment. The detailed definition comes from RCW 19.28.095.

That sounds short, but the definition of utilization equipment does a lot of heavy lifting. A technician should understand the equipment configuration, power source, listing or approval status, and whether the work stays inside the equipment-repair boundary.

How Washington Defines Utilization Equipment

For the 07E specialty, Washington defines qualifying utilization equipment with several specific features. The equipment must be self-contained on a single skid or frame, factory built to standardized sizes or types, and listed, field evaluated, or otherwise approved under Washington requirements.

It must also connect as a single unit to a single source of electrical power limited to a maximum of 600 volts. A separate single source of electrical control power may be used up to 250 volts.

Occupant Space-Heating Equipment Is Excluded

Washington's statutory definition of utilization equipment for this specialty specifically excludes devices used for occupant space heating by industrial, commercial, hospital, educational, public, private commercial, and other end users.

That means you should not assume that any self-contained electrical machine automatically belongs in 07E. Scope depends on both the equipment design and the type of equipment involved.

On the exam, scope questions can be deceptively simple. The machine may look familiar, but the legal definition decides whether 07E applies.

Like-in-Kind Equipment Replacement Is Allowed

Washington allows like-in-kind replacement of qualifying utilization equipment when the same unmodified electrical circuit is used to supply the replacement equipment.

The phrase same unmodified electrical circuit is important. If the job requires changing the building branch circuit, feeder characteristics, or upstream distribution, the work can leave the 07E specialty.

Think of 07E as allowing you to repair or replace the machine while preserving the existing premises electrical system, not redesigning the building around the new machine.

Internal Electrical Components Can Be Repaired or Replaced

The specialty includes like-in-kind replacement or repair of electrical components within qualifying utilization equipment.

Depending on the equipment, that can involve contactors, relays, overload devices, control transformers, motor components, switches, internal conductors, control devices, sensors, and other electrical parts that are part of the equipment itself.

This is one reason the PSI exam gives meaningful weight to motors, electrical equipment, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, wiring methods, and general electrical theory.

Remote Control Components Have a Narrow Like-in-Kind Allowance

Washington also includes like-in-kind replacement or repair of remote control components that are integral to the operation of the qualifying equipment.

The important word is integral. The allowance is not a blanket permit to install new building control systems or rewire remote control infrastructure.

When studying, separate the remote component itself from the interconnecting premises wiring. The component may be inside the 07E scope while installation or modification of interconnecting wiring can be outside it.

The Six-Foot Whip Rule

The 07E specialty permits disconnection, replacement, and reconnection of low-voltage control and line-voltage supply whips not over six feet in length, provided there are no modifications to the characteristics of the branch circuit.

That is a useful number to memorize. It appears directly in the statutory scope and helps distinguish equipment servicing from premises-wiring installation.

What 07E Does Not Allow

Washington clearly excludes several types of work from the equipment-repair specialty. The exclusions are some of the most important study material because they define when another electrician classification is needed.

• Installing, repairing, or modifying wiring that interconnects equipment or remote components
• Installing, repairing, or modifying branch-circuit conductors
• Services
• Feeders
• Panelboards
• Disconnect switches
• Motor control centers
• Remote magnetic starters or contactors
• Raceway and conductor systems interconnecting multiple pieces of equipment
• Electrical feeds into a power distribution unit
• Installation of conduits and raceways
• Plumbing work regulated under Washington plumbing law

The machine may be your patient. The building electrical system is not automatically part of the appointment.

Classified-Location Work Is Generally Outside 07E

The statutory scope excludes work governed by the listed hazardous and classified-location NEC articles, including Articles 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 510, 511, 513, 514, 515, and 516.

Washington's statute identifies an exception for electrical work in sewage pumping stations. Candidates should still study the scope language carefully because the PSI outline includes about one hazardous-locations question.

A smart exam strategy is to separate two questions: "What does the NEC require?" and "Does my 07E certificate authorize me to perform this work?" Those are not always the same question.

07E Requires 1,000 Hours Before Exam Eligibility

Washington classifies 07E as a 2,000-hour specialty, but the current experience table allows a trainee to become eligible for the specialty exam after 1,000 hours of qualifying experience.

Until the examination is passed, the trainee must work under 100 percent supervision by an electrician who is authorized to supervise the work.

What Happens After You Pass at 1,000 Hours?

Once you pass the 07E exam, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate. That certificate allows you to work without supervision in the 07E specialty while finishing the balance of the 2,000 hours required for full certification.

Washington allows only one zero-percent-supervision certificate in the specialty, and it is valid for no more than two years.

If you have not completed the required experience before that certificate expires, the rules require a 75-percent-supervision modified training certificate while you finish the remaining hours.

Document Your Hours Carefully

Labor & Industries verifies experience through affidavits and the trainee record. For a 2,000-hour specialty, the exam pathway begins with documented hours under the required supervision.

Keep clean records showing employer, dates, specialty classification, supervising electrician, hours worked, and the type of equipment-repair work performed.

Training-school credit can be limited, and 2,000-hour specialty experience generally does not become a shortcut into broader journey-level certification. The 07E path should be treated as its own specialty career track.

For help organizing licensing paperwork, review 1ExamPrep application services.

The Current 07E Electrician Exam at a Glance

Current 07E Equipment Repair Exam Blueprint

Wiring Methods and General Trade Knowledge & Theory are the two largest individual technical areas at about five questions each. Overcurrent Protection, Grounding & Bonding, and Motors/HVAC/Generators/ Transformers are about four questions each.

Wiring Methods Are About Five Questions

Even though 07E does not authorize general raceway installation, the exam still expects a working knowledge of wiring methods.

• Raceway and cable basics
• Boxes and fittings
• Conductor protection
• Flexible connections
• Wet and damp locations
• Physical protection
• Equipment wiring interfaces
• Recognizing when the job leaves the 07E scope

That last point matters. You can be tested on a code requirement even when the correct field decision is to stop and call an electrician with broader authority.

General Trade Knowledge and Theory Are About Five Questions

Equipment repair depends on understanding what the machine is doing electrically. The current outline assigns about five questions to general trade knowledge and theory.

• Voltage
• Current
• Resistance
• Power
• Ohm's law
• Series and parallel concepts
• Basic AC theory
• Control circuits
• Electrical troubleshooting
• Equipment ratings

Good troubleshooting starts with measurements and logic, not with replacing three parts and hoping the fourth one gets nervous.

Overcurrent Protection Is About Four Questions

NEC 240 gets about four questions in the current 07E technical outline. Review conductor protection, equipment protection, overcurrent-device ratings, and the relationship between equipment nameplates and protective devices.

Keep scope in mind. The exam may ask how overcurrent protection works, but 07E does not automatically authorize replacement or modification of upstream building overcurrent equipment.

Grounding and Bonding Are About Four Questions

NEC 250 contributes about four questions. Equipment repair technicians should understand equipment-grounding conductors, bonding paths, fault-current paths, grounding connections, and safe reconnection of listed equipment.

A self-contained machine can still have a metal frame, motors, controls, transformers, and line-voltage components. Proper grounding and bonding help turn a fault into a cleared fault instead of an unpleasant surprise.

Motors, Transformers, and Equipment Controls Are About Four Questions

NEC 430-450 contributes about four questions in the current outline. That makes sense for a specialty centered on equipment repair.

• Motor ratings
• Motor protection
• Overloads
• Control transformers
• Motor starters
• Contactors and relays
• Equipment nameplates
• Basic motor and control calculations

Learn to connect symptoms to components. A tripped overload, failed contactor, open control transformer, grounded motor winding, or incorrect supply condition can produce very different troubleshooting clues.

The Washington Codes Section Has 17 Questions

The Washington Codes section receives its own hour. For 07E, this section is where specialty scope, supervision, experience, permitting, certification, and state electrical rules become especially important.

Study:

• RCW 19.28.095 Equipment Repair scope
• WAC 296-46B-920 Specialty scope
• RCW 19.28.191 Experience and certification rules
• WAC 296-46B-945 Experience-hour table
• Trainee supervision
• Zero-percent and 75-percent modified training certificates
• Permits and inspections
• Electrical contractor requirements
• Certificate renewal
• Continuing education

Seventeen state-law questions is not a side dish. It is a full section with its own clock.

The Current Exam Is Open Book

PSI currently identifies Washington electrical examinations as open book. The bulletin says law, rule, and code questions are based on current RCW 19.28, current WAC 296-46B, and the 2020 National Electrical Code.

Original copyrighted material is allowed under PSI's reference rules. Washington RCW/WAC copies printed from the internet are acceptable when placed in a binder. Permanent index tabs, highlighting, and underlining are permitted before the exam.

Removable notes, Post-It-style tabs, and writing in the references during the examination are not allowed. A silent nonprinting nonprogrammable calculator is permitted.

Open-Book Strategy for a Fast Two-Section Exam

The 07E Electrician exam is fast. You have one hour for 30 NEC/Theory questions and one hour for 17 Washington Codes questions.

1. Know the 07E scope without searching. Memorize 600 volts, 250-volt control power, six-foot whips, and major exclusions.
2. Tab NEC 240, 250, 300-series wiring methods, and motor/control sections.
3. Practice RCW 19.28.095 separately. The equipment-repair definition is central.
4. Know WAC 296-46B-920 and WAC 296-46B-945.
5. Answer theory questions from knowledge when possible.
6. Flag long searches and come back.
7. Practice each section with its own time limit.

Open book helps, but there is not enough time to introduce yourself to the NEC on exam day.

Apply Through Labor & Industries Before PSI

Equipment Repair is a 2,000-hour specialty, so the in-state examination path starts with Labor & Industries. Candidates use the 0% Supervision Modified Electrical Training Certificate & Specialty Examination process.

L&I verifies the qualifying hours and issues examination eligibility. After approval, the candidate receives the information needed to schedule the exam with PSI.

PSI currently gives approved candidates one year from the approval date to pass all required examination sections.

Retest Rules

Under the current PSI bulletin, a failed attempt requires a 14-day wait before retesting.

After a third failed attempt, future attempts require a three-month wait from the most recent failure date.

Both required sections are scheduled for the same examination day.

Current PSI Exam Fee

PSI's current fee schedule charges by exam time for most Washington electrical examinations. A two-hour examination is currently listed at $55.

The 07E Electrician examination has one hour of NEC/Theory and one hour of Washington Codes, for two total section-hours.

Confirm the amount shown during PSI scheduling because testing fees can change.

Current Washington Certificate Fees

Washington's electrical fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists $102.20 for the zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate pathway.

The current journey-level, specialty, or reciprocal electrician application fee, including the original certificate and processing fee, is $114.60.

Renewal Is Every Three Years

Washington specialty electrician certificates renew every three years and expire on the certificate holder's birthdate.

The original certificate is issued so that it expires on a birthdate at least two years and not more than three years after the initial issue date.

Current renewal fees are $92.60 online or $106.40 by mail, fax, or in person. Current late renewal fees are higher.

Continuing Education Requires 24 Hours

Before renewal, Washington specialty electricians currently need 24 hours of approved continuing education.

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

If a certificate is more than 90 days expired, Washington generally requires reexamination before recertification.

A Practical 07E Study Plan

1. Learn the legal equipment definition first. RCW 19.28.095 is the heart of the specialty.
2. Memorize the major scope limits. 600-volt power, 250-volt separate control power, six-foot whips, and upstream exclusions.
3. Study NEC 300-series Wiring Methods. It is about five questions.
4. Practice General Trade Knowledge and Theory. It is another five questions.
5. Review NEC 240 Overcurrent Protection.
6. Review NEC 250 Grounding and Bonding.
7. Study motors, starters, controls, and transformers.
8. Study RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B as a separate exam subject.
9. Take 30-question technical practice sets in one hour.
10. Take 17-question Washington Codes practice sets in one hour.

Study the Machine and the Licensing Boundary Together

Equipment repair is easiest to understand when you study the whole machine. Trace incoming power to the machine connection, internal disconnecting or control equipment, transformers, motors, starters, relays, sensors, internal wiring, control devices, and the final load.

Then draw a legal boundary around the machine. Ask whether the next step involves a branch circuit, feeder, panelboard, building raceway, remote starter, interconnecting wiring, conduit installation, classified location, or plumbing work. If it does, the 07E answer may be "stop here."

Review the Washington Equipment Repair Electrician 07E collection for exam-focused preparation.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Washington's 07E Equipment Repair Electrician certificate is a focused specialty for technicians who service, maintain, repair, and replace qualifying utilization equipment. The specialty is useful in commercial and industrial settings where technicians need legal authority to work inside electrical equipment, but its limits are just as important as its permissions.

The legal definition of utilization equipment is the best place to start. Qualifying equipment is self-contained on a single skid or frame, factory built to standardized sizes or types, appropriately listed, field evaluated, or approved, and connected as one unit to a single source of electrical power up to 600 volts. A separate single source of control power may be up to 250 volts.

Washington also excludes occupant space-heating equipment from this utilization-equipment definition. That is a reminder that equipment shape alone does not determine the license scope. The legal definition controls.

The specialty permits like-in-kind replacement of the equipment when the same unmodified electrical circuit is used. It also permits like-in-kind repair or replacement of electrical components within the equipment and qualifying remote control components integral to the equipment's operation.

One of the most useful field limits is the six-foot whip rule. 07E allows disconnection, replacement, and reconnection of qualifying low-voltage control and line-voltage supply whips not over six feet long when the branch-circuit characteristics are unchanged.

The exclusions create the other half of the specialty. 07E does not authorize installation, repair, or modification of building branch-circuit conductors, services, feeders, panelboards, disconnect switches, motor control centers, remote magnetic starters or contactors, interconnecting raceway/conductor systems, power-distribution-unit feeds, or new conduits and raceways. Plumbing work is outside the specialty too.

The experience pathway is designed to let trainees test before completing every required hour. Equipment Repair currently requires 1,000 qualifying hours before examination eligibility and 2,000 total hours for full certification.

Before passing the exam, the trainee must work under 100 percent supervision. After passing, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate. That allows the trainee to work unsupervised in 07E while finishing the remaining experience. The zero-percent certificate is limited to one per specialty and no more than two years.

The full 2,000-hour certification path also includes 24 hours of approved basic trainee classroom instruction. If the trainee does not finish the required work experience before the zero-percent certificate expires, the rules provide a 75-percent-supervision modified training path while the remaining hours are completed.

The current PSI exam contains two sections. NEC and Theory has 30 scored questions and allows one hour. Washington Codes has 17 scored questions and allows one hour. That is 47 published scored questions across two testing hours. PSI currently requires 70 percent to pass.

Wiring Methods and General Trade Knowledge & Theory are the largest technical areas at about five questions each. Overcurrent Protection, Grounding & Bonding, and Motors/HVAC/Generators/Transformers each contribute about four questions.

The technical outline makes sense for equipment repair. A technician must understand flexible connections, internal wiring, motor circuits, controls, overcurrent protection, grounding, bonding, equipment ratings, and electrical theory. The exam also expects enough wiring-method knowledge to recognize both proper installation and when the job crosses outside the specialty.

The 17-question Washington Codes section is equally important. Study RCW 19.28.095, WAC 296-46B-920, WAC 296-46B-945, trainee supervision, modified training certificates, permits, inspections, certification rules, and renewal.

The current PSI bulletin identifies the exam as open book and says law, rule, and code questions are based on current RCW 19.28, current WAC 296-46B, and the 2020 National Electrical Code. Permanent tabs, highlighting, and underlining are allowed in qualifying references before the exam, while removable notes and writing during the examination are prohibited.

PSI's current time-based fee schedule lists $55 for a two-hour examination. Washington's current fee schedule 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.

Once fully certified, the 07E specialty electrician certificate renews every three years on the holder's birthdate. Current renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education, including 8 hours of code update, 4 hours of RCW/WAC, and 12 additional approved hours.

Strong 07E preparation combines equipment troubleshooting with licensing discipline. Learn the machine, learn the NEC rules that affect the machine, and learn the point where the machine ends and premises wiring begins. That boundary is not just exam trivia. It is the heart of the specialty.

Key Takeaways

• Washington 07E Equipment Repair is a 2,000-hour specialty, with exam eligibility after 1,000 qualifying supervised hours.
• Before passing, trainees work under 100 percent supervision. After passing, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate while remaining hours are completed.
• The current 07E Electrician exam has 30 NEC/Theory questions in 1 hour plus 17 Washington Codes questions in 1 hour, for 47 published scored questions.
• The exam is open book and currently uses the 2020 NEC, current RCW 19.28, and current WAC 296-46B, with a 70 percent passing requirement.
• The specialty centers on qualifying utilization equipment and tightly limits branch circuits, feeders, panelboards, disconnects, raceways, interconnecting wiring, and other premises electrical work.

Plain-Language Summary

Washington's 07E Equipment Repair Electrician certificate is for people who repair and service qualifying electrical utilization equipment.

The specialty is not the same as a general electrician certificate. It lets you work on qualifying equipment, but it does not give you general authority to install building branch circuits, feeders, panelboards, disconnects, or conduit systems.

Washington defines qualifying utilization equipment in a very specific way. It must be self-contained on a single skid or frame, factory built to standardized sizes or types, and properly listed, evaluated, or approved.

The machine connects as a single unit to one electrical power source up to 600 volts. It can also have a separate single control-power source up to 250 volts. Occupant space-heating equipment is excluded from the statutory utilization-equipment definition used for 07E.

07E allows like-in-kind replacement of the qualifying equipment when the same unmodified electrical circuit is used. It also allows like-in-kind repair or replacement of electrical components inside the equipment.

Certain remote control components that are integral to the equipment can also be repaired or replaced like in kind. The specialty also allows disconnection, replacement, and reconnection of qualifying low-voltage control and line-voltage supply whips up to six feet long when the branch-circuit characteristics are not changed.

The specialty does not allow you to install or modify the building branch circuit, service, feeder, panelboard, disconnect switch, motor control center, remote starter, interconnecting raceway, conduit system, or power feed into a power distribution unit.

Washington currently requires 1,000 hours of qualifying 07E work before exam eligibility. The full specialty certificate requires 2,000 hours.

Until you pass the exam, you must work under 100 percent supervision. After passing, Washington can issue a nonrenewable zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate so you can work unsupervised in 07E while finishing the rest of the 2,000 hours.

A 2,000-hour specialty also requires 24 hours of approved basic trainee classroom instruction. Keep your affidavits and experience records current because Labor & Industries uses them to verify eligibility.

The current 07E Electrician exam has two sections. NEC and Theory has 30 questions and gives you one hour. Washington Codes has 17 questions and gives you one hour. That is 47 published scored questions across two hours.

PSI currently requires 70 percent to pass. The exam is open book and uses the 2020 National Electrical Code, current RCW 19.28, and current WAC 296-46B.

The biggest technical subjects are Wiring Methods and General Trade Knowledge & Theory at about five questions each. Overcurrent Protection, Grounding & Bonding, and Motors/HVAC/Generators/ Transformers are about four questions each.

The Washington Codes section is important because it tests the rules that define your license. Study the 07E scope, experience requirements, supervision rules, modified training certificates, permits, inspections, certification, and renewal.

PSI currently lists $55 for a two-hour examination. Washington's current fee schedule lists $102.20 for the zero-percent-supervision modified training certificate and $114.60 for the journey-level, specialty, or reciprocal electrician application that includes the original certificate and processing fee.

The full 07E certificate renews every three years on your birthdate. Current renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education, including 8 hours of code update and 4 hours of RCW/WAC education.

Use the Washington Equipment Repair Electrician 07E collection from 1ExamPrep to organize your preparation around equipment-repair scope, NEC navigation, motors and controls, grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection, wiring methods, electrical theory, and Washington law.