How to Choose an Electrician: 10 Questions, $100 to $200

Electrical license rules in eleven states, from our electrician license by state table (checked October 11, 2026). The full table covers all 50 states and DC.

When is an electrical problem an emergency?

Smoke, a burning smell, sparks or a hot panel are emergencies: get out and call 911 if anything is smoking, then call an electrician. ESFI lists dim and flickering lights, sizzling or buzzing sounds and breakers that trip repeatedly as signs to "contact a qualified electrician immediately".

• Now: burning smell, scorch marks, a buzzing or hot panel, or no power to heat, a refrigerator, a sump pump or medical equipment. See emergency electrician costs.
• This week: a breaker that trips again and again, flickering lights, a dead outlet. Time to compare two prices.
• Can wait: a panel upgrade, new circuits, an EV charger, more outlets. Get several written estimates and check every license.

If you call in a hurry, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule will not help later: it does not cover emergency sales or repairs you asked the company to come out for. Get the price before work starts.

How do I check an electrician's license?

Ask for the license number and look it up yourself on the state board's search; 43 of the 50 states and DC license electrical contractors statewide. Our electrician license by state table links the lookup for each one.

Check two things, not one. First, the business license: in Texas, TDLR licenses electrical contractors and requires a designated master electrician; in Arizona, the Registrar of Contractors licenses the business and there is no individual electrician license. Second, the person: 35 states also license individual electricians, often as master, journeyman or residential wireman. In Florida, a registered (ER) contractor can work only where it holds a local competency card, while a certified (EC) contractor can work statewide.

In eight states, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Vermont, electrical licensing is local, so the city or county building department is where you check. New York City's Department of Buildings licenses master electricians there. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says most states require electricians to be licensed. Local rules and lookups are on electricians in Houston, electricians in Los Angeles and electricians in Phoenix.

What questions should I ask an electrician before hiring?

Ask whether the license class covers the job, who will do the wiring, and who pulls the permit. Electrical licenses come in tiers, so these ten questions go further than "are you licensed?":

1. What is your license number, and is it a contractor license or an individual one? Most states license the business; our state table counts 35 that also license individual electricians.
2. Does your license class cover this job? Georgia's Class I stops at single-phase service up to 200 amps, and North Carolina's Limited license stops at $60,000 per project.
3. Who will be on site, and what license do they hold? California requires electricians working for C-10 contractors to be state certified or registered trainees; Maryland allows apprentices only under supervision.
4. Will you pull the permit and book the inspection? In Maine, the master or limited electrician doing the work pulls the permit. This Old House puts permits at $75 for simple jobs up to $900 for major rewiring.
5. What is the service call fee, and what is your minimum? HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor and Angi put the first visit at $100 to $200 including the first hour; Angi says minimums run 1 to 4 hours of labor.
6. Is there a trip fee on top? HomeGuide says some companies add $40 to $100 for travel.
7. Can I have a flat price in writing before work starts? The FTC says a written estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date and the price.
8. What do you charge after hours? HomeGuide puts nights and weekends at $150 to $200 an hour, and HomeAdvisor says emergency rates run time-and-a-half to double plus a trip charge of $100 or more.
9. Can you send proof of insurance? The FTC says to ask. Kentucky requires electrical contractors to carry at least $1,000,000 in general liability insurance.
10. What caused the problem, and how will you fix it rather than work around it? ESFI warns never to replace a fuse with one that has a larger amperage rating, calling it a very dangerous practice.

What are the red flags when hiring an electrician?

The red flags that matter most with electricians are skipped permits, unlicensed helpers and a bigger fuse as the fix. These come from ESFI, the FTC, state boards and Angi:

• Bigger fuse or breaker as the fix for nuisance trips. ESFI calls a larger fuse "a very dangerous practice"; a circuit that keeps tripping needs a diagnosis.
• No permit for a panel, a new circuit or an EV charger. Angi lists $50 to $300 for panel upgrade permits; a company that skips the permit also skips the inspection.
• They ask you to get the permit. The FTC names this as a scam sign.
• A license class that does not match the job. A Georgia Class I license, for example, does not cover three-phase work or service over 200 amps.
• Unlicensed help doing the wiring. Maryland says all electrical work must be done by a licensed master, journeyperson or supervised apprentice, and unlicensed work can bring fines up to $5,000.
• Cash only, or the whole price up front. An FTC scam sign.
• Pressure to decide on the spot, or a door-to-door pitch. Both are on the FTC's list.
• A job of $1,000 or more in California with no CSLB number. CSLB requires a license at that level or whenever a permit is needed.

How much should an electrician charge for the first visit?

Most electricians charge a $100 to $200 service call that includes the first hour, in HomeGuide's, HomeAdvisor's and Angi's figures. After that, HomeGuide puts hourly rates at $50 to $130 depending on license level: $40 to $70 for an apprentice, $50 to $100 for a journeyman and $90 to $130 or more for a master. HomeAdvisor's average electrical job is $351, with most between $163 and $538. Rates and minimums by city are on electrician cost per hour.

Permits and inspections are separate lines worth asking about. This Old House puts an electrical inspection at $125 to $500. A panel job is priced on electrical panel upgrade costs, and a charger on EV charger installation.

What should be in a written contract with an electrician?

The contract should name the electrician's license number, the work, materials, price, permit and dates, and the FTC adds that it should list name, address and phone. Specifics for electrical work:

• The permit and inspection, with who pulls it and whether the fee is in the price.
• Materials by name: panel brand and size, breaker types, wire gauge and length of run where it matters.
• A deposit limit where your state sets one. In California, CSLB caps the down payment at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract, whichever is less, and says never to sign for a progress payment larger than the work done.
• Your right to cancel, in writing, for in-home sales the FTC's three-day rule covers.
• No blanks. The FTC says to make sure no blank spaces remain, and to hold the final payment until the work is done and you are satisfied.

Where do I complain about an electrician?

Complain to the state or local licensing board first, then to your state attorney general or local consumer protection office, which the FTC names for unresolved disputes. Keep the contract, invoices and photos, and put follow-ups in writing.

• California: CSLB takes complaints against licensed and unlicensed contractors for up to four years.
• Arizona: the ROC takes complaints within two years of the last work on a repair, and its Recovery Fund can pay up to $30,000 per claimant on an owner-occupied home.
• Nevada: the NSCB Residential Recovery Fund pays up to $40,000 per claim for work by licensed contractors on owner-occupied single-family homes.
• Florida: file with DBPR.
• Local-license states: the city or county that issued the license, such as New York City's Department of Buildings.

How our electrician line fits in

Our electrician line connects you to an independent local company that pays us for the referral. We do not license, vet or rate those companies, so ask whoever answers for the license number and class, the permit plan and a written price, and check the license yourself. How calls work has the details.

What to do before you call an electrician

1. If you smell burning or see smoke, get out and call 911. Do not open a hot panel.
2. Note which lights, outlets or breakers are affected and when it started.
3. Find your panel's brand and amperage if you can do it safely, and photograph the label.
4. On the call, ask for the license number, the license class, the service call fee and the minimum.
5. Look the license up on the state or local search before the visit.
6. Get a written price that names the permit before any wiring starts.