How to Renew a New Mexico Electrical Certificate of Competence

In New Mexico, renewing your electrical journeyman or journeyman lineman certificate of competence can be a little complicated. You’d think that you would renew with the Construction Industries Division (CID) that issues and oversees your certification, but you’ll actually go through PSI, the same company that proctored the electrical exam you took to get your certificate in the first place.

To make things worse, info about how to renew is spread between the CID’s website, PSI’s website, and New Mexico Rules, Laws, and Building Codes. But don’t sweat. We’ve assembled all of the relevant information electrical linemen and journeymen need to know to renew their certificates.

The deadline

Your certificate expires every three years on the last day of the month it was initially issued.

You should get a renewal notice in the mail, but that hinges on the state having the right address on file for you. Your certificate expires every three years whether you get a reminder or not, so you might want to mark your calendar.

The continuing education

You might want to put that reminder date on your calendar for at least a few weeks before your renewal is due. That’s because you need to knock out some continuing education (CE) before you’ll be able to complete the renewal application.

The CID requires all journeyman electricians and journeyman lineman to take 16 hours of CE to be eligible for renewal. Eight of those hours need to focus on updates to the electrical code. The remaining eight hours can’t be on just anything, either. You need to make sure they focus on industry-related instruction.

To make sure your hours are on the required topics and will count toward your renewal, take them from a state-approved CE provider. That doesn’t mean you have to go sit in some seminar, though. The CID has greenlit some CE providers to offer the 16 hours of electrical CE (such as the training you'll find here) you need online and on-demand. This lets you do an hour here and there as you find time. You can even take hours from your tablet or phone.

The state requires you to submit proof of your CE with your renewal application, so make sure you hang onto the certificate of completion you get. You’ll need to send it in with your renewal.

The fee

Good news: renewing your journeyman certificate doesn’t cost too much. The fee is just $25. There’s a section at the end of the renewal form where you can input your Mastercard or Visa information to pay the fee.

The renewal application

Speaking of that renewal form, you can find it here. Scroll past the first page, which is just instructions on how to properly fill it out.

You might have already received a renewal application in the mail about a month before your renewal is due. You can use the form you got in the mail or print off that online PDF, whatever works best for you.

One thing to note: you’ll need to get the form notarized. Make sure you give yourself enough time to go visit a notary before you need to get your renewal in the mail.

Once you’ve got it all filled out, mail it or hand-deliver it to PSI at:

PSI

2820 Broadbent Pkwy, Ste. E&F

Albuquerque, NM 87107

Now you know everything that’s required to renew your electrical certificate in New Mexico. Mark your calendar, chip away at your CE, and you shouldn’t have any issues.