What does a Tennessee electrician license lookup show?

The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Electrical Limited License) public lookup is the authoritative source for Tennessee electrician verification. It's at https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractor.html. A successful lookup returns six core fields.

Field 1 — License number and status. Status values: Active (legal to operate), Inactive (license exists but holder is not currently practicing), Suspended (disciplinary), Expired (renewal lapsed), or Revoked (terminated). Only Active is acceptable for hiring.

Field 2 — Classification. Tennessee electricians are licensed under LLE Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE). This determines what kind of work the license authorizes. A electrician with the wrong classification for your project is operating outside their license, even if "Active."

Field 3 — Business name, owner, and address. Verify these match what the electrician gave you on their proposal. Mismatch means the electrician may be operating under a different DBA or using someone else's license.

Field 4 — Bond status. Tennessee requires a contractor bond as a condition of licensure. The lookup shows the bond amount and surety company. Limited Licensed Electrician required for projects under $25,000; Contractor License required over $25,000. A lapsed bond means the license is technically out of compliance.

Field 5 — Expiration and renewal status. License terms vary by state (1-2 years typical). A license that expires next month and shows no renewal in progress is a risk for projects that extend past the expiration date.

Field 6 — Disciplinary history. The lookup shows past board actions: citations, fines, suspensions, and any open complaints under investigation. One historical citation 10 years ago is different from three open complaints filed last quarter.

What the lookup does NOT show: liability insurance and workers' compensation status (usually separate carriers, ask for COIs), court judgments and liens in civil court, OSHA inspection history at the federal level, BBB complaints, and "phoenix" patterns where a dissolved entity reopens under a new name at the same address. Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) adds all of these to the picture.

Detailed Tennessee electrician licensing including class and threshold rules: earthmove.io/trust/license/electrician/tennessee.