How do I check if an electrician is licensed?

Electrical work has the strictest licensing requirements of any residential trade. Almost every state — including states without general contractor licensing — requires a state-issued electrician license. This is because electrical work is the highest-risk trade for fire, electrocution, and code violations.

State electrical license boards and license classes:

- California: C-10 Electrical Contractor (CSLB.ca.gov). Required for permitted electrical work. - Texas: TDLR Master Electrician, Journeyman Electrician, Apprentice (tdlr.texas.gov). Required statewide. - Florida: Certified Electrical Contractor (EC) or Registered Electrical Contractor (ER) (myfloridalicense.com). - New York: licensed at city/county level (NYC Department of Buildings, Westchester County DOB, etc.). - Illinois: licensed at city/county level (Chicago Department of Buildings). - Oregon: Licensed Electrician through Building Codes Division (oregon.gov/bcd). - Washington: L&I Electrical License (lni.wa.gov). - Arizona: K-11 Light Commercial and K-11 Residential through ROC. - North Carolina: NC Electrical Contractor License. - Georgia: Class I (Restricted) or Class II (Unrestricted) through the State Construction Industry Licensing Board.

License classes within electrical:

- Master Electrician: full scope, can pull permits, can be a contractor of record. - Journeyman Electrician: can perform work under a master's supervision. - Residential vs. Commercial: some states limit class to residential or commercial only. - Specialty classes: low-voltage, telecom, sign, instrumentation. These do NOT authorize general residential electrical work.

What to verify:

1. License status: must be "Active." 2. License class: must authorize the work being quoted. A low-voltage license cannot pull permits for a panel upgrade. 3. Qualifier match: the person doing the work or supervising must hold the license. 4. Insurance: electrical contractors typically carry $1M+ general liability plus workers' comp. 5. Permit history: an electrician who has pulled 50 panel upgrades in your county is more verifiable than one with no permit history.

What unlicensed electrical work costs you:

1. Permit fails. Inspector will not sign off. Work must be redone by a licensed electrician at your expense. 2. Insurance denial. If a fire is traced to unpermitted electrical work, your homeowner's policy may deny the claim. 3. Sale disclosure. You must disclose unpermitted work to buyers. Many buyers walk away. 4. Liability. If an electrocution happens, the unlicensed electrician has no insurance, and you may be personally liable.

Common scam: the GC says "I have a guy" for electrical, but the "guy" is unlicensed. The work passes initial inspection because the inspector doesn't check the license. Two years later, when you try to refinance or sell, the permit history shows no licensed electrician of record. Now you have to redo the work.

Defense: require the GC to name the licensed electrician of record BEFORE work begins. Verify the license at the state board. Confirm the licensed electrician (not just a worker) will be on site for permitted work.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) verifies electrical licenses across all 51 jurisdictions. Run a separate Groundcheck on the GC and on the electrical subcontractor — they are different entities with different license requirements.