Trades by State
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Oregon electrical license requirements and insurance

To work for yourself as an electrician in Oregon, you need the CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs) license. Oregon has 5 electrical license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. The state's minimum liability insurance is $300,000, and workers' comp is required as soon as you pay one worker who is not an independent contractor. A $20,000 bond is required.

Who it applies to

1Who needs an electrical license in Oregon? What is this?

CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs): any business that does, bids on or advertises construction work in Oregon, including an electrical business. You need this on top of the electrical contractor license from the Building Codes Division

LicenseWho needs itWhat it covers
CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs)Any business that does, bids on or advertises construction work in Oregon, including an electrical business. You need this on top of the electrical contractor license from the Building Codes DivisionSet by the endorsement you pick. Most electrical businesses fit Residential Specialty Contractor, which allows up to two unrelated trades on homes and small commercial buildings. Add Commercial Specialty Contractor Level 2 for larger commercial work
Electrical Contractor License (the business license for electrical work)Any business that makes electrical installations for others. The law says you may not run an electrical business without itMaking electrical installations of any kind, through licensed electricians you employ
General Supervising ElectricianThe person who directs and signs for the work. Every electrical contractor must employ one full time. Only a supervising electrician may direct work on an electrical serviceAny electrical installation, and the supervision of journeymen and apprentices
General Journeyman ElectricianAnyone who does electrical work. A journeyman works under a general supervising electricianAny electrical installation, under the direction of a general supervising electrician
Limited Residential ElectricianA shorter path for people who will only wire homes. You still work under a general supervising electricianHouses, duplexes and apartment buildings up to three floors above ground
Electrical ApprenticeAnyone learning the trade. You must be in a registered apprenticeship and hold an apprentice licenseElectrical work beside a licensed electrician on the same job site and the same shift
Who runs it

2Who issues electrician licenses in Oregon? What is this?

Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, for the electrical licenses. The Construction Contractors Board (CCB) for the business license, bond and insurance issues electrical licenses in Oregon.

See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state

NameOregon Building Codes Division (BCD), part of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, for the electrical licenses. The Construction Contractors Board (CCB) for the business license, bond and insurance
Websiteoregon.gov
Contractor registrationoregon.gov
Look up a licensewww4.cbs.state.or.us
The lawORS chapter 479 (electrical safety law) and ORS chapter 701 (Construction Contractors Board)
The rulebookOAR chapter 918, divisions 30 and 282 (Building Codes Division) and OAR chapter 812 (Construction Contractors Board)

The CCB has its own license search at https://search.ccb.state.or.us/search/. You need both licenses, so check both.

Checked by a person against the official page
·4 official pages
Getting licensed

3How to become an electrician in Oregon What is this?

Oregon has 6 licenses that matter to an electrician: CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs), Electrical Contractor License (the business license for electrical work), General Supervising Electrician, General Journeyman Electrician, Limited Residential Electrician, Electrical Apprentice. Each is below, with what you need before you apply.

LicenseExperience requiredTraining requiredExam
CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs)None for a residential endorsement. Commercial Specialty Level 2 needs key employees with four years of experience between them. Level 1 needs eight years16 hours of pre-license classes from an approved provider, taken by your responsible managing individual (the owner or officer who stands behind the license)Yes. An open-book exam run by PSI. 80 multiple choice questions, three hours, and you need 56 right (70 percent)
Electrical Contractor License (the business license for electrical work)None for the business itself. You must employ, full time and without a break, at least one general supervising electrician. That person signs your permits and directs the workNoneNo
General Supervising ElectricianFour years as a general journeyman electrician, shown as 8,000 hours of journeyman workNone beyond the journeyman pathYes, a written exam. Passing score is 75 percent
General Journeyman ElectricianFour years as an apprentice, shown as 8,000 hours. At least 1,000 of those hours must be wiring homes, 1,000 on commercial buildings and 1,000 on industrial sitesPassing grades in 15 related classes, including electrical math, safety, blueprint reading, the National Electrical Code, and motors and generatorsYes, a written exam. Passing score is 75 percent
Limited Residential ElectricianTwo years as an apprentice or trainee in home wiring, shown as 4,000 hours. At least 2,000 of those hours must be wiring new homesPassing grades in 15 related classes, plus electrical safety and theory trainingYes, a written exam. Passing score is 75 percent. It runs 3 hours, 52 questions, open book
Electrical ApprenticeNone. Be 17 to apply and 18 to be registered. A general journeyman apprentice needs a high school diploma and a year of algebra or the equivalent with a C or better—No
What it costs

4How much does an electrical license cost in Oregon? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about $1,035 in Oregon. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

LicenseApplicationFirst licenseRenewalYearly license feeExam sitting (paid to PSI)
CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs)$400—$400—$60
Electrical Contractor License (the business license for electrical work)—$375$375$125—
General Supervising Electrician—$100$100——
General Journeyman Electrician—$100$100——
Limited Residential Electrician—$100$100——

Added up

Government fees, added up$1,035

Does not include the two electrician exam fees, the 16-hour CCB class, the bond premium, insurance, workers' comp, tools, a vehicle or permits

Our estimate
Insurance

5How much electrical contractor insurance do you need in Oregon? What is this?

The least liability insurance Oregon lets an electrician work with is $300,000. Most customers ask for more. Workers' comp is required as soon as you pay one worker who is not an independent contractor.

Minimum liability insurance$300,000
Type of policyPublic liability, personal injury and property damage insurance, per occurrence. The amount depends on your CCB endorsement
Liability insurance by license sizeResidential Specialty Contractor $300,000 per occurrence. Residential General Contractor $500,000 per occurrence. Commercial Specialty Contractor Level 2 $500,000 per occurrence. Commercial Specialty Level 1 $1,000,000 aggregate
Who this applies toThe business that holds the CCB license
Who must be named on the certificateYou must show the CCB proof of insurance when you apply and at every renewal. Insurance agents can send it through the CCB's online proof system
Workers' comp required?Yes, as soon as you pay one worker who is not an independent contractor. An electrical contractor must employ a supervising electrician, so most electrical businesses need it from day one
Who can opt out
  • A sole owner with no employees does not need it and can hold the CCB license in the exempt class.
  • A partner, an LLC member or a corporate officer with a substantial share of a CCB licensed business is not counted as a covered worker.
  • That holds even when they do the construction work themselves.
  • No election is needed.
  • The number treated this way is capped at two, or one for every ten employees if that is more.
  • Without the CCB license the opposite applies and they would be covered
Workers' comp: if you skip it
  • Twice the premium you should have paid, with a minimum of $1,000.
  • Then up to $250 a day until you comply.
  • If a worker is hurt while you are uninsured you pay the claim yourself
Workers' comp: what to knowYou buy the policy from any of more than 300 private insurers licensed in Oregon. If none will take you, the Oregon Assigned Risk Plan will
Checked by a person against the official page
·11 official pages
Money checks

6Does Oregon check your credit for an electrician license? What is this?

Oregon does not check your credit for this license.

Credit score you needNone. Neither the CCB nor the Building Codes Division asks for a credit score, a net worth figure or a financial statement
What the application asks about money
  • The application does ask one money question.
  • For every owner, partner, member and officer, you must attach any court judgment that is still unpaid on the day you apply.
  • It counts if it was entered in the last five years and relates to construction work.
  • An unpaid bankruptcy or a debt to a public body counts too
If your score is lowerNone is asked for
How we know
  • The CCB licensing rules run to more than forty sections.
  • They cover bonds, insurance, fees and the exempt class, and none asks for a credit check or a financial statement.
  • The electrical licensing rules ask for experience and a supervising electrician, not money
Checked by a person against the official page
·2 official pages
Bonds

7Does an electrician need a bond in Oregon? What is this?

Oregon requires a bond of $20,000. A bond is a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish the job.

Does the state require a bond?Yes
Amount$20,000

The CCB bond (a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish or do bad work) depends on your endorsement. Residential Specialty Contractor $20,000. Residential General Contractor $25,000. Commercial Specialty Contractor Level 2 $25,000, Level 1 $55,000. Commercial General Level 1 $80,000. Amounts went up by $5,000 on 1 January 2024. A public works job over $100,000 needs a separate $30,000 public works bond. The Building Codes Division asks for no bond of its own.

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·4 official pages
Showing your number

8Where must an Oregon electrician show the license number? What is this?

In Oregon: any home job over $2,000 needs a written contract, and the contract must carry your name, address, phone number and CCB license number, legible and in dark ink. It must also say the customer can complain to the CCB. Hand over the Consumer Protection Notice, the Notice of Procedure and the Information Notice to Owner on or before the day you sign, and keep proof for two years.

On quotes, contracts, and invoices
  • Any home job over $2,000 needs a written contract, and the contract must carry your name, address, phone number and CCB license number, legible and in dark ink.
  • It must also say the customer can complain to the CCB.
  • Hand over the Consumer Protection Notice, the Notice of Procedure and the Information Notice to Owner on or before the day you sign, and keep proof for two years
On ads
  • Your CCB number goes in every ad.
  • That means newspaper ads, phone directories, business cards, letterhead, site signs and your website.
  • A radio ad must say the number out loud.
  • A TV ad must show it on screen.
  • Promotional gifts like pens and caps, and a fixed sign at your own premises, are the only exceptions
On your vehicles
  • Yes.
  • The advertising rule ends with a catch-all covering all other written or visual advertising, so the lettering on your van must carry your CCB number.
  • Only two things are let off, a permanently fixed sign at your own premises that mainly shows your business name, and promotional gifts such as pens, cups and clothing
Where the license itself must beYour electrical contractor license must be on show at each place of business, and a copy is fine if you have more than one
If you forgetUp to $5,000 per offense from the CCB. For some listed offenses the first fine is $500 to $1,000 and the second $1,000 to $2,000
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·7 official pages
Tax

9Does an electrician charge sales tax on labor in Oregon? What is this?

In Oregon, no sales tax. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states

What this tax isOregon has no sales tax. The Department of Revenue says the state has no general sales or use tax
LaborNo sales tax
MaterialsNo sales tax when you buy wire, panels or fixtures and none when you bill them
Tax rate0 percent
Do you register to collect tax?You do not register to collect sales tax. Oregon taxes business income instead, so ask an accountant about income tax and any local business taxes where you work
Checked by a person against the official page·oregon.gov
Getting paid

10Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for an Oregon electrician What is this?

If you are not paid in Oregon, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: send it in your first week. The notice only protects work done from eight working days before you mail it (weekends and holidays do not count). If you first deliver on Monday March 2 and mail the notice on Friday March 13, work before Tuesday March 3 is not covered.

The order things have to happen in, counted in days
  1. Day 0
    Your first day on the job

    The clock starts here.

  2. Day 75
    File your lien

    File the claim of lien with the county recorder within 75 days of your last day of work or delivery, or 75 days after the whole job is finished, whichever comes first (last day of work on June 1 means the lien is filed by August 15)

Each day count is counted from the day the rule beside it names, which is not always the same day. Read the sentence under each one.

Who has to send a notice
  • Anyone who supplies labor, materials or equipment to a home job and was not hired by the owner sends a Notice of Right to a Lien.
  • If the owner hired you, you do not send it.
  • On a commercial job people who supply labor, or labor and materials, or rent equipment, do not send it either
Send your notice by
  • Send it in your first week.
  • The notice only protects work done from eight working days before you mail it (weekends and holidays do not count).
  • If you first deliver on Monday March 2 and mail the notice on Friday March 13, work before Tuesday March 3 is not covered
File your lien byFile the claim of lien with the county recorder within 75 days of your last day of work or delivery, or 75 days after the whole job is finished, whichever comes first (last day of work on June 1 means the lien is filed by August 15)
Copy to the ownerWithin 20 days of filing the lien, mail a copy to the owner and to any lender. If you skip this you lose your costs and attorney fees when you go to court
Written notice you must give the customer
  • On any home job over $2,000 the contractor who deals with the owner must give the Information Notice to Owner about construction liens.
  • Miss it and you cannot file a lien on that job, and the CCB can fine you up to $5,000.
  • You also cannot file a lien at all unless your CCB license was valid when you bid and the whole time you worked
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·5 official pages
Keeping it

11How do you renew an electrical license in Oregon? What is this?

The CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs) renews every two years.

LicenseRenewalTraining hours each renewal
CCB contractor license (the business license every contractor needs)Every two years—
Electrical Contractor License (the business license for electrical work)Every three years. All three years are billed at once—
General Supervising ElectricianEvery three years—
General Journeyman ElectricianEvery three years—
Limited Residential ElectricianEvery three years—
Electrical ApprenticeRuns with your apprenticeship—

Renewal fees are in what the license costs. The official page for each license is linked under how you get it.

Watch out

12What catches people out in Oregon What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about Oregon, in a few sentences.

  • An electrical business cannot open without a general supervising electrician on the payroll full time. That person needs 8,000 hours as a journeyman first, so the path from apprentice to owner is eight years.
  • The trade license and the business license come from different agencies. The Building Codes Division charges $375 for a three-year electrical contractor license, and the Construction Contractors Board charges $400 for two years on top.
  • Your CCB number has to be spoken in a radio ad, shown in a TV ad, and printed on business cards, letterhead and site signs.
  • Skip the Information Notice to Owner on a home job over $2,000 and you cannot lien that job, whatever else you did right.
  • There is no sales tax in Oregon, so a bill for wire, a panel and labor carries no tax line.
Checked by a person against the official page
·7 official pages

13Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.

  1. oregon.gov/bcd/licensing/Pages/index.aspx
  2. oregon.gov/bcd/licensing/Pages/search.aspx
  3. oregon.gov/ccb/Pages/index.aspx
  4. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-030-0015
  5. oregon.gov/ccb/Pages/CCB%20License.aspx
  6. oregon.gov/ccb/Pages/Proposed-Fee-Increase.aspx
  7. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0131
  8. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0290
  9. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.084
  10. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0142
  11. apps.oregon.gov/SOS/LicenseDirectory/LicenseDetail/592
  12. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_479.840
  13. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-282-0010
  14. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_479.620
  15. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-030-0210
  16. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_479.630
  17. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-282-0140
  18. oregon.gov/bcd/licensing/Pages/exam.aspx
  19. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-030-0120
  20. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-282-0170
  21. apps.oregon.gov/SOS/LicenseDirectory/LicenseDetail/626
  22. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-282-0180
  23. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-030-0125
  24. apps.oregon.gov/SOS/LicenseDirectory/LicenseDetail/591
  25. apps.oregon.gov/SOS/LicenseDirectory/LicenseDetail/140
  26. apps.oregon.gov/SOS/LicenseDirectory/LicenseDetail/179
  27. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_918-282-0270
  28. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_656.027
  29. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0221
  30. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.081
  31. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.073
  32. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0250
  33. wcd.oregon.gov/employer/Pages/compensation-insurance-overview.aspx
  34. wcd.oregon.gov/employer/Pages/penalties.aspx
  35. wcd.oregon.gov/employer/Pages/how-to-buy-it.aspx
  36. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_chapter_812_division_3
  37. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_chapter_918_division_282
  38. oregon.gov/ccb/Pages/Licensing.aspx
  39. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-003-0120
  40. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-012-0110
  41. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.305
  42. oregon.public.law/rules/oar_812-012-0130
  43. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.992
  44. oregon.gov/dor/programs/businesses/Pages/sales-tax.aspx
  45. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_87.021
  46. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_87.035
  47. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_87.039
  48. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_87.093
  49. oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_701.131