Electrician Houston: $50 to $130 an Hour + City Registration

Two grid events stand out in Houston. Hurricane Beryl knocked out power to 2.26 million CenterPoint customers in July 2024, which CenterPoint called the largest outage in its history, ABC13 reported. During Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, ERCOT directed CenterPoint to shed about 5,000 MW, which CenterPoint says was roughly 1.4 million homes and businesses. When the lights come back, the work that is left is on the house side of the meter, and that is an electrician's job.

Electrical permits and city registration in Houston

Houston adds its own layer on top of the state license. The Houston Permitting Center says: "Any person or business who wishes to perform electrical work within the City of Houston must register." Master electricians, electrical contractors and appliance installers all register before doing any work. A company needs a Texas master electrician license, a Texas contractor license and a notarized form CE-1189, and the registration lasts one year. The city's registration line is 832-394-8860.

The state side comes from TDLR. It says that inside city limits, electricians must follow the city's permitting rules, and state law lets cities make local amendments to the 2020 National Electrical Code. TDLR also says only a licensed electrical contractor with a designated master electrician may do work that needs a new or upgraded circuit. The electrician license table by state has the rest of the Texas rules. We did not find a city page that says whether a homeowner can pull their own electrical permit, so ask the company who will pull it and get that in writing.

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

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 at least 35 feet away and call CenterPoint at 713-207-2222, the number CenterPoint gives for downed lines.
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.

Power out on the whole street? That is CenterPoint's job: report it at 713-207-2222. If the power is back but the meter base or the wires on the house were damaged, that side 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.

How much does an electrician cost in Houston

No cost guide publishes a Houston electrician rate, so the figures below are national. Angi puts the average electrician job at $351, with most between $163 and $538, based on surveys of more than 30,000 customers; the electrical repair cost guide lists prices job by job. Angi also notes that urban rates often run $100 an hour or more, while rural rates sit near $50.

National figures. No Houston-specific electrician price was found in any cost guide.

After a hurricane, the after-hours row is the one that matters. HomeAdvisor says emergency calls run time-and-a-half to double the normal rate plus a trip charge of $100 or more. Ask for the service call fee and the hourly rate before anyone drives out, and ask whether the fee counts toward the first hour.

After a hurricane or freeze: CenterPoint or an electrician?

CenterPoint owns the poles and wires that bring power to the street. Oncor, a Texas wires utility, spells out where the split usually falls: the utility owns the pole, transformer and service line, while the homeowner owns the meter base, the wiring, the conduit and the weatherhead connection. Oncor says that if the customer's side is damaged, a private electrician must repair it before power is restored. Ask CenterPoint how it handles your case when you report the outage.

• Whole street dark: report it to CenterPoint at 713-207-2222 or 800-332-7143. An electrician cannot bring back grid power.
• Neighbors have power and you do not: look at the main breaker on the panel (leave the cover on), then call an electrician.
• Meter box or the pipe above it pulled off the wall: that is usually the homeowner's side, so stay away from it and call an electrician.
• Line down in the yard or street: CenterPoint says stay at least 35 feet away and call 713-207-2222.
• Smoke, fire or a burning smell: leave the house and call 911.

A breaker that trips again and again once power returns has its own guide: breaker keeps tripping. If two long outages in four years have you thinking about backup power, generator installation covers sizing, transfer switches and cost. A transfer switch or EV charger can also push an older panel past its limit; see electrical panel upgrade cost.

Houston electrician near me: what to check before you book

1. Is the company registered with the City of Houston this year? Registration renews every year.
2. What is the TDLR license number, and who is the master electrician on the account?
3. Will you pull the city permit, and is it in the price?
4. What is the service call fee, and does it count toward the first hour?
5. What do you charge at night or on a weekend?
6. Can I see the price in writing, parts and labor listed, before work starts?

TDLR takes complaints about electricians online; file within two years of the work. Calls to the electrician line go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job. How calls work explains the rest.

Solar wiring on a Houston roof

Solar is electrical work too, and the same city registration applies to the contractor who pulls the permit. If an inverter or solar breaker is the problem, the Houston solar service guide covers CenterPoint's rules for solar homes and who to call.