New York electrical license requirements and insurance
To work for yourself as an electrician in New York, you need the Licensed Master Electrician (New York City) license. New York has 3 electrical license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. The state's minimum liability insurance is $1,000,000, and workers' comp is required from the first employee. The state does not ask for a bond.
1Who needs an electrical license in New York? What is this?
Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City): anyone doing repair or remodeling work on a home in New York City, which includes most residential electrical work. It comes from Consumer and Worker Protection, not the Department of Buildings
| License | Who needs it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed Master Electrician (New York City) | Anyone who takes electrical work in their own name anywhere in New York City | Electrical work as an independent contractor, in or on any building or lot in the city |
| Licensed Special Electrician (New York City) | An electrician who works only on particular buildings, usually for one owner or employer, rather than taking work from the public | Electrical work in or on the specific buildings, lots or parts of them named on the license. Not general contracting across the city |
| Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City) | Anyone doing repair or remodeling work on a home in New York City, which includes most residential electrical work. It comes from Consumer and Worker Protection, not the Department of Buildings | Construction, repair and remodeling work on any home or residential land in the city |
| Outside New York City | Anyone doing electrical work anywhere else in the state | There is no state license. Cities and counties license electricians in their own way, so ask the building department where the job is before you quote |
2Who issues electrician licenses in New York? What is this?
New York State has no electrical board. In New York City the Department of Buildings (DOB) licenses master and special electricians issues electrical licenses in New York.
See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state
| Name | New York State has no electrical board. In New York City the Department of Buildings (DOB) licenses master and special electricians |
|---|---|
| Website | nyc.gov |
| Look up a license | a810-bisweb.nyc.gov |
| Does the state license this trade? | None. New York State does not issue an electrical contractor license |
| Outside New York City | Your city or county licenses you. Buffalo, Rochester, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester each run their own rules. Ask your local building department before you quote a job |
The state writes the building code. Every city, town, village and county enforces it in its own area, and each may add a license of its own
3How to become an electrician in New York What is this?
New York has 4 licenses that matter to an electrician: Licensed Master Electrician (New York City), Licensed Special Electrician (New York City), Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City), Outside New York City. Each is below, with what you need before you apply.
| License | Experience required | Training required | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Master Electrician (New York City) | Four routes, and you need only one. Seven years of hands-on electrical work in the ten years before you apply. Or an electrical engineering degree plus three years in the five years before you apply. Or a New York State registered apprenticeship plus five years in the ten years before you apply. Or inspection work, which counts as half credit toward the seven years, up to two and a half years, with hands-on work making up the rest | None beyond the experience route you use | Yes, two of them. A written exam first, pass mark 70 percent, then a practical exam within 24 months of being told you passed the written one |
| Licensed Special Electrician (New York City) | The same routes and the same two years in New York City as the master license | — | Yes, the same written and practical exams |
| Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City) | — | — | Yes, a written exam |
| Outside New York City | — | — | — |
4How much does an electrical license cost in New York? What is this?
The government fees on this page add up to about $1,115 in New York. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.
| License | Retaking the exam | Renewal | Late renewal | Exam fee | First license | Your seal, first time | Licence fee, March to August of an even year | Licence fee, March to August of an odd year | Licence fee, September of an even year to February | Licence fee, September of an odd year to February | Practical exam | Renewal, your seal | Trust fund enrollment | Written exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Master Electrician (New York City) | — | $60 | $310 | — | $310 | $50 | — | — | — | — | $530 | $30 | — | $585 |
| Licensed Special Electrician (New York City) | — | $60 | $310 | — | $310 | $50 | — | — | — | — | $530 | $30 | — | $585 |
| Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City) | $50 | — | — | Included in the license fee, which covers two attempts | — | — | $100 | $200 | $50 | $150 | — | — | $200 | — |
Added up
| Government fees, added up | $1,115 |
|---|
Government fees only, and only the two exams. The first-license fee is not published. Does not include the Home Improvement Contractor license, insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or permits.
5How much electrical contractor insurance do you need in New York? What is this?
The least liability insurance New York lets an electrician work with is $1,000,000. Most customers ask for more. Workers' comp is required from the first employee.
| Minimum liability insurance | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Workers' comp required? | Yes |
| Disability insurance required? | Yes |
| Who this applies to | The licensed electrician and the electrical business |
New York City requires general liability, workers' compensation and disability insurance from every licensed electrician and electrical business. The certificate must name NYC Department of Buildings, Licensing and Exams Unit, 280 Broadway as the certificate holder, and workers' compensation cannot sit on the same form as the general liability
6Does New York check your credit for an electrician license? What is this?
New York does not check your credit for this license.
| Credit score you need | None found |
|---|
Nothing on the licensing pages read asks for a credit check, a net worth test or a financial statement
7Does an electrician need a bond in New York? What is this?
New York does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.
| Does the state require a bond? | No |
|---|---|
| Amount | Not listed yet |
No bond was found for the Department of Buildings electrician license. The separate Home Improvement Contractor license does have one, at $20,000, and you may post it instead of paying into the trust fund
8Federal rules that also apply What is this?
Rules from the US government that apply to an electrician in New York on top of the state's own.
| Federal license | None. There is no federal license or card for electrical work |
|---|---|
| Lead-safe certification |
|
9Where must a New York electrician show the license number? What is this?
In New York: we found no rule saying where an electrician's license number has to appear. New York City does set one for plumbers, so ask the Department of Buildings before you letter a van.
| The rule | We found no rule saying where an electrician's license number has to appear. New York City does set one for plumbers, so ask the Department of Buildings before you letter a van |
|---|
10Does an electrician charge sales tax on labor in New York? What is this?
Whether New York taxes your labor, your materials, or neither.
See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states
| What this tax is | New York taxes contractor work by asking one question. Did the job improve the property for good, or did it just keep it working |
|---|---|
| Capital improvement (a job that becomes part of the building) | No sales tax on your bill. Get a signed Certificate of Capital Improvement, form ST-124, from the customer and keep it for three years |
| The three tests for a capital improvement |
|
| Repair and maintenance work | You charge tax on the whole bill, labor and materials together. The state's own examples of this kind of work include fixing a broken railing and replacing a faucet |
| New buildings | Treated as a capital improvement. No tax on your bill |
| Materials on work that becomes part of the building | You pay sales tax at the supply house and you cannot buy them with a resale certificate. You are the final buyer, so build the tax into your price |
| Materials on taxable repairs | You pay tax at the supply house, charge the customer tax on the whole bill, then claim a credit for the tax you paid on your own return |
| Tax-exempt customers | A customer who is exempt from sales tax, such as a church, school, charity or government body, gives you a properly completed exemption certificate, and then you charge no tax |
| When you are the subcontractor | A main contractor buys your work with form ST-120.1 and charges the customer tax on the whole job |
| Tax rate | 4 percent state, plus the county or city rate. An extra 0.375 percent applies in the downstate commuter district |
11Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a New York electrician What is this?
If you are not paid in New York, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: not applicable before the lien.
| Who has to send a notice | Nobody. New York has no preliminary notice on private jobs. You file the lien first, then serve a copy |
|---|---|
| Send your notice by | Not applicable before the lien |
| File your lien by | File your notice of lien at the county clerk's office within eight months of the day the job ended (last day of work June 1 means you file by February 1) |
| Deadline for a single-family home | Four months on a single family home (last day of work June 1 means you file by October 1) |
| Retainage (money held back until the end) | If the lien is only for money held back, you get 90 days from the day that money was due to be released |
| Copy to the owner | Serve a copy on the owner between five days before and thirty days after you file. Then file proof of service with the county clerk within 35 days of filing, or the lien dies |
| Who can file a lien | Contractors, subcontractors, laborers and suppliers who worked with the owner's consent or at the request of the owner, an agent, a contractor or a subcontractor |
12How do you renew an electrical license in New York? What is this?
The Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City) renews every two years, ending 28 February in odd years.
| License | Renewal | Training hours each renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed Master Electrician (New York City) | Every year | — |
| Licensed Special Electrician (New York City) | Every year | — |
| Home Improvement Contractor license (New York City) | Every two years, ending 28 February in odd years | — |
Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.
13What catches people out in New York What is this?
The things people get wrong or do not expect about New York, in a few sentences.
- New York State issues no electrician license. Licensing is left to cities and counties, so the rules change when you cross a county line and New York City runs the biggest scheme of all.
- New York City has two licenses, and the difference is where you may work. A Master Electrician may take electrical work anywhere in the city. A Special Electrician may only work on the specific buildings named on the license.
- Most routes to the city license need seven years of electrical work in the ten years before you apply, and at least two of those years must have been in New York City itself. Experience somewhere else does not replace that.
- The exams cost more than most state licenses in the country. The written exam is $585 and the practical is $530, and you must pass the written one first.
- The license runs for one year, not the two or three most states use. Every renewal needs an eight-hour approved course.
- Electrical work that only keeps a property working is taxed in full, labor included. A job counts as a capital improvement, with no tax on your bill, only if it meets all three state tests and the customer signs form ST-124. You still pay tax on the materials when you buy them.
·5 official pages
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/obtain-a-master-and-special-electrician-license.page
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/master-electricians-special-electricians.page
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/master-and-special-electricians-license-renewal.page
- dos.ny.gov/building-standards-and-codes
- tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bulls/tg_bulletins/st/capital_improvements.htm
14Where these numbers come from
The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/obtain-a-master-and-special-electrician-license.page
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/master-electricians-special-electricians.page
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/master-and-special-electricians-license-renewal.page
- dos.ny.gov/building-standards-and-codes
- tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bulls/tg_bulletins/st/capital_improvements.htm
- nyc.gov/site/dca/businesses/license-checklist-home-improvement-contractor.page
- nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/licensing-insurance-guidelines.page
- epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-contractors
- tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bulls/tg_bulletins/st/repair_maintenance.htm
- tax.ny.gov/pubs_and_bulls/tg_bulletins/st/contractors-sales_tax_credits.htm
- tax.ny.gov/bus/st/rates.htm
- nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LIE/10
- nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LIE/11
- nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LIE/3