How to Verify an Electrician License: CA, TX, and WA

Learning how to verify an electrician license means checking two records, not one: the business that contracts for the work and the individual who performs it. In California, Texas, and Washington those records live in different databases, use different names for the same tiers, and expire on different cycles. A contractor can hold a valid business license while the worker on site holds the wrong credential, and a certified individual cannot legally contract for work alone. This guide walks through the lookup in each state, explains what each tier actually authorizes, and lists the checks that matter before you hire, onboard, or pay.

Last reviewed October 30, 2026. This is an operational guide, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with the state board before you sign a contract.

What are you actually verifying when you check an electrician?

Three things, in order. First, legal authority: does the business hold an active license covering electrical contracting in that state? Second, scope: does the credential match the work, and does the individual on the job hold the matching certification? Third, financial backing: is the required bond or insurance still in force, under the same business name as your contract?

Most bad hires fail on the second item: a card, truck logo, or license number that belongs to a different tier, business, or state. The lookups below take about two minutes each and are free. Run them before the contract, not after the first invoice.

How do you verify an electrician license in California?

California splits the check across two agencies, and you need both. The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses the business. The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) certifies the individual worker. A C-10 Electrical classification on the CSLB record proves the company can contract for electrical work. It does not prove the person pulling wire is certified, and a DIR certification card does not authorize anyone to bid a job.

Start with the business at the CSLB license search: cslb.ca.gov/onlineservices/checklicenseII/checklicense.aspx. Search by license number, business name, or qualifier name. Confirm C-10 Electrical appears in the classification list, the status reads Active, and the $25,000 contractor bond is on file. A disciplinary bond is a separate flag: it usually means a prior revocation and reinstatement.

Then check the individual through the DIR Electrician Certification Status Search Tool, by the six-digit certification card number or by name. California certifies workers in five categories, and the category is the scope:

• General electrician: 8,000 hours of supervised work, the broadest certification, covering residential, commercial, and industrial work.
• Residential electrician: 4,800 hours, limited to residential buildings.
• Fire/life safety technician: 4,000 hours, limited to fire alarm and life safety systems.
• Voice data video technician: 4,000 hours, limited to low-voltage communications work.
• Non-residential lighting technician: 2,000 hours, limited to non-residential lighting.

A trainee registration is not a certification: trainees work only under a certified electrician.

How do you verify an electrician license in Texas?

Texas is the cleanest of the three lookups because one agency covers both sides. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses electrical contractors and individual electricians, and its free license search covers both: tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch. Search by license number, business name, or individual name, and run the business record and the individual record separately.

The business license is the Electrical Contractor license. It requires a licensed master electrician on staff who supervises all work, carries a $110 application fee, renews annually, and must maintain liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations. Our Texas electrical contractor license guide covers the separate enforcement search for past violations.

The individual tiers follow a strict hours ladder:

• Apprentice electrician: no exam and no experience requirement, $20, renewed annually, works only under supervision.
• Residential wireman: 4,000 hours of supervised on-the-job training, limited to one-to-four family dwellings.
• Journeyman electrician: 8,000 hours of supervised training (candidates may sit the exam at 7,000 hours but are licensed at 8,000), works under a master electrician's supervision.
• Master electrician: 12,000 total hours plus at least two years holding a journeyman license, the qualifying supervisor for an electrical contractor business.

The common Texas mistake is accepting an individual credential as a business license. A master electrician card alone does not authorize a business to contract for work. Confirm the business record is active, a master electrician is tied to it, and the insurance certificate names the same business as the license.

How do you verify an electrician license in Washington?

Washington layers the check, which is why it confuses people. A construction business registers with the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), but that registration is not an electrical license. Electrical work requires additional credentials on top of registration, for both the business and the individual. Start with L&I's Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business service, which surfaces registration, bond, insurance, workers' compensation, and trade credentials, then confirm the electrical credential itself rather than stopping at an active registration.

The individual ladder starts with an Electrical Trainee certificate, renewed every two years with 48 hours of approved classroom instruction in that period, under a certified electrician on the same job site. The broad credential is the 01 General Journey Level Electrician certification, historically built on 8,000 hours of supervised experience, at least 4,000 of them in new commercial or industrial installations, plus 96 hours of basic classroom instruction.

Here is the trap, and it changed recently: since July 1, 2026, new applicants for the 01 journey-level certification must complete a registered journey-level (01) apprenticeship, rather than assembling supervised hours on their own, per L&I's changes to becoming a journey level (01) electrician notice. Hours still matter, but for new applicants they must sit inside a registered program. If a Washington hire claims a self-logged hours path that started after that date, verify the apprenticeship enrollment, not just the hour total. Washington also offers 14 specialty categories with narrower scopes, so a specialty certification is not a substitute for a 01 on general work.

What red flags should stop a hire in any state?

• No record found. The number or name returns nothing in the official lookup. Treat this as unlicensed until proven otherwise.
• Expired, suspended, or revoked status. Only an active record authorizes work. Do not accept "renewal in progress" as a substitute.
• Wrong tier for the scope. A residential-only credential on a commercial job, a trainee working unsupervised, or a specialty certification outside its scope.
• Business record without the individual, or individual without the business. In all three states, hiring requires both sides to check out.
• Name mismatch. The entity on the contract is not the entity on the license or the insurance certificate. Pay only the licensed business.
• Lapsed bond or insurance. In California, confirm the $25,000 contractor bond is on file. In Texas, confirm coverage meets the $300,000/$600,000/$300,000 minimums. In Washington, confirm the registration bond and liability insurance are current in the L&I record.
• Out-of-state credential only. Electrician credentials do not transfer automatically. A Texas journeyman still needs California certification to work in California, and vice versa.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to verify an electrician license?

Yes, in all three states. The CSLB, TDLR, and L&I lookups are free and public, and none requires an account.

Can one person hold the license and another do the work?

Yes, and that is normal, as long as both credentials are valid. The business holds the contracting license, a qualifying individual anchors it, and the worker on site holds the certification for the scope performed. Verify all three roles, not just the name on the truck.

What if the electrician is licensed in another state?

Do not assume reciprocity. Check the state where the work will be performed, every time.

How often should a business recheck an electrician's license?

At onboarding, at every renewal anniversary, and before the next payment on a long project. Texas licenses renew annually and Washington trainee certificates every two years, while California certifications run on their own cycles. A credential active at onboarding can lapse mid-project. Our contractor onboarding verification checklist pairs the license check with identity, insurance, bond, W-9, and sanctions, and our how to verify a contractor license guide covers the check across all 50 states.

How do I automate electrician license checks at scale?

Manual lookups work for one hire. They break at volume: a two-minute check times hundreds of vendors is a full-time job, and records change between onboarding and the next project phase. StateLicense's Texas electrical contractor license verification reads the same official TDLR records in bulk, on a schedule, so an expiration or suspension surfaces before the next payment goes out.

Quick checklist before you hire an electrician

1. Get the business license number and the individual certification or license number.
2. Search the official state lookup: CSLB plus DIR in California, TDLR in Texas, L&I in Washington.
3. Confirm the business record is active, covers electrical work, and names the entity on your contract.
4. Confirm the individual credential is active and matches the scope: general versus residential versus specialty.
5. Confirm bond and insurance are current and under the same business name.
6. Check the enforcement or discipline history before signing a large contract.
7. Recheck at renewal dates and before the next payment on longer projects.

An electrician license check is a two-record habit: business plus individual, in the state where the work happens, on the day you hire.