Electrician Denver: $55 to $130 an Hour + Homeowner Exam

In Denver, a homeowner has to pass a test before doing their own wiring. The city's permit office says: "You will need to pass an exam before doing electrical, plumbing, or mechanical/HVAC work." On top of that, Denver licenses contractors separately from the state. Both rules matter when you hire someone or decide to do it yourself.

How much does an electrician cost in Denver

Two guides publish Denver prices. ConsumerAffairs updated its Denver page in September 2026 and Angi updated its Denver panel guide in July 2026. Where they cover the same thing, both are shown. Outlet and switch prices are in the electrical repair cost guide.

Denver prices as each guide publishes them.

Do this now: sparks, smoke, a downed line or a dead circuit

Work down this list in order; the first two are not jobs for an electrician.

1. Sparks, smoke or a burning smell: get everyone out and call 911 from outside. Do not stay to open the panel or look for the source.
2. A downed power line: stay far away, treat every wire as live and call 911, as FPL's power line safety guidance says; then report it to the electric utility. In Denver, that is Xcel Energy.
3. Water near outlets or the panel: shut off the breaker only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot. If you cannot, stay out of the room.
4. One circuit dead: unplug everything on it and reset the breaker one time. If it trips again, stop; breaker keeps tripping explains why.
5. Then call an electrician and ask for the service call fee before anyone is sent.

Is it an emergency? Signs you need an electrician today

Call today if you notice any of these warning signs from ESFI: an outlet or switch that is warm or discolored, sizzling or buzzing, a mild shock or tingle, flickering or dimming lights, or a breaker that trips again and again. Smoke or a burning smell is a 911 call first.

Lines down or a shutoff in high wind? Report it to Xcel Energy. Once the street has power again, anything still dead in the house is an electrician's job.

What can usually wait for a daytime visit: one dead outlet after you have pressed RESET on the nearest GFCI and checked the breaker, or a fixture that stopped working with no heat, smell or sound. That keeps you off night and weekend rates, which HomeGuide puts at $150 to $200 an hour. The emergency electrician guide covers after-hours calls.

Denver permits: the contractor license and the homeowner exam

Denver runs its own contractor licensing on top of the state's. The city's contractor licensing office (720-865-2770, [email protected]) says a Colorado electrical license substitutes for Denver's supervisor certificate, but the company still needs its Denver contractor license. Ask for both.

For homeowners, Denver requires the exam above, though a state license can substitute for it. You must do the work yourself unless you act as general contractor and hire Denver-licensed subcontractors. The Colorado State Electrical Board adds a state rule: you may wire your own home only if you do the work personally and the property is "not for sale, resale, or rent," with a permit from the state board or the local building department and an inspection before the wiring is covered.

Local rules and contacts for Denver, from official city, state and utility pages unless the source says otherwise.

The electrician license guide by state compares Colorado with five other states.

Xcel Energy outages, wind and shutoffs

Wind has caused Denver-area outages. On April 5, 2022, about 6,000 Xcel customers in metro Denver lost power after hours of hurricane-force wind, CBS Colorado reported. In December 2025, Xcel used Public Safety Power Shutoffs on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19 west of Denver under the National Weather Service's first "particularly dangerous situation" red flag warning for the Front Range, with winds to 96 mph, affecting more than 135,000 customers. Colorado Politics reported that Denver itself has not had a shutoff.

• Neighborhood out: report it to Xcel Energy.
• Line down after a wind storm: stay away, report it to Xcel, and call 911 if it is sparking, burning or someone is hurt.
• Smoke or a burning smell in the house: leave and call 911.
• Power is on outside but part of the house is dead: look at the breakers on the panel (leave the cover on), then call an electrician.
• Breaker trips when everything restarts: reset it once and call if it trips again.

For backup power, note one Denver rule: the city's solar permit page says an exterior battery or generator needs a zoning permit as well. Generator installation covers the rest. A breaker that will not stay on is covered in breaker keeps tripping.

Hiring a Denver electrician and where to complain

1. Ask for the Colorado electrical license number and the company's Denver contractor license.
2. Ask who pulls the Denver permit and whether it is in the price.
3. Ask for the dispatch fee and the hourly rate; ConsumerAffairs puts the fee at $100 to $200 locally.
4. For a charger or AC, ask whether the panel needs an upgrade.
5. Get the price in writing first.

Colorado has no state general contractor license, so consumer complaints go to the Colorado Attorney General at StopFraudColorado.gov or 800-222-4444. Home services and repair was the seventh largest complaint category there in 2024, with 915 of 24,473 complaints. The Denver DA's fraud hotline is 720-913-9179. Calls to the electrician line go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; how calls work.

Denver's fast SolarAPP+ permit is for licensed electricians only and can include storage and solar-related panel upgrades. For solar repairs, see the Denver solar service guide. For a panel, see electrical panel upgrade cost.