Texas electrical license requirements and insurance
To work for yourself as an electrician in Texas, you need the Master Electrician license. Texas has 6 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 your choice. The state does not ask for a bond.
1Who needs an electrical license in Texas? What is this?
Electrical Contractor: the business license. Anyone who offers or takes on electrical work in their own name needs this, on top of the personal licenses
| License | Who needs it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician | Anyone learning the trade. You register before you start and you work under someone licensed | Electrical work under the supervision of a journeyman, master or residential wireman |
| Residential Wireman | Anyone doing electrical work on homes who is not yet a journeyman | Electrical installations in single-family and multifamily homes, up to four stories. Not commercial or industrial work |
| Journeyman Electrician | The working electrician's license. Lets you do electrical work for a licensed contractor without someone watching you | All electrical work, under a licensed electrical contractor. You cannot take the job in your own name with this alone |
| Master Electrician | The license behind a business. You need this before your company can hold an Electrical Contractor license | All electrical work, and you may be the Master Electrician of Record for one contractor |
| Electrical Contractor | The business license. Anyone who offers or takes on electrical work in their own name needs this, on top of the personal licenses | Taking electrical work, pulling permits, and employing licensed electricians |
| Other licenses the same program issues | Trades close enough to electrical work that the same office handles them | — |
2Who issues electrician licenses in Texas? What is this?
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), Electrical Safety and Licensing Program issues electrical licenses in Texas.
See how this compares in every state: How to check a contractor's license, state by state
| Name | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), Electrical Safety and Licensing Program |
|---|---|
| Website | tdlr.texas.gov |
| Look up a license | vo.licensing.hpc.texas.gov |
| The law | Texas Occupations Code chapter 1305 |
| The rulebook | 16 Texas Administrative Code chapter 73 |
One state license covers the whole state. Cities cannot make you hold a second electrical license, but they still issue permits and inspect the work.
3How to become an electrician in Texas What is this?
Texas has 6 licenses that matter to an electrician: Apprentice Electrician, Residential Wireman, Journeyman Electrician, Master Electrician, Electrical Contractor, Other licenses the same program issues. Each is below, with what you need before you apply.
| License | Experience required | Training required | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician | None. This is where the hours start counting | None to register | No |
| Residential Wireman | 4,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician | None beyond the hours | Yes, a state exam |
| Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician. You may sit the exam once you reach 7,000 hours, but the license comes at 8,000 | None beyond the hours | Yes, a state exam |
| Master Electrician | Two years holding a Texas Journeyman Electrician license, plus 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician | None beyond the hours | Yes, a state exam |
| Electrical Contractor | None for the business itself. The knowledge comes from the Master Electrician of Record | — | No exam for the contractor license itself |
| Other licenses the same program issues | — | — | — |
4How much does an electrical license cost in Texas? What is this?
The government fees on this page add up to about $155 in Texas. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.
| License | Application | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician | $20 | $20 |
| Residential Wireman | $20 | $20 |
| Journeyman Electrician | $30 | $30 |
| Master Electrician | $45 | $45 |
| Electrical Contractor | $110 | $110 |
| Other licenses the same program issues | — | — |
Added up
| Government fees, added up | $155 |
|---|
Government fees only. Does not include the exam sittings, insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or city permits.
5How much electrical contractor insurance do you need in Texas? What is this?
The least liability insurance Texas lets an electrician work with is $300,000. Most customers ask for more. Workers' comp is your choice.
| Minimum liability insurance | $300,000 |
|---|---|
| Per claim | $300,000 |
| Per year, all claims | $600,000 |
| Cover for finished work | $300,000 |
| Type of policy | Commercial general liability, covering property damage and bodily injury together |
| Who this applies to | The Electrical Contractor, meaning the business. The individual licenses do not carry their own requirement |
| Who must be named on the certificate | Not stated in the rule. You file proof of coverage with your application, and you must give a customer your insurer's details if they ask |
| Workers' comp required? | No |
| Workers' comp: what to know | Texas does not make private employers carry workers' comp. If you go without it you must tell the state Division of Workers' Compensation that you have opted out, and report any injury that costs more than one day of work |
6Does Texas check your credit for an electrician license? What is this?
Texas does not check your credit for this license.
| Credit score you need | None. Texas does not check your credit for this license |
|---|---|
| If your score is lower | Not needed |
| How we know | The electrician rules run to twenty-seven sections, and none of them covers a bond, a surety, financial responsibility, net worth or credit. The only money test is the insurance in rule 73.40 |
7Does an electrician need a bond in Texas? What is this?
Texas 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 |
The state does not ask for one. Some cities do before they let you pull permits, so check with your city.
8Federal rules that also apply What is this?
Rules from the US government that apply to an electrician in Texas on top of the state's own.
| Federal license | None. There is no federal license or card for electrical work. The state license is the one you need |
|---|---|
| Lead-safe certification |
|
| Who runs it | The EPA runs the renovation program in Texas. Texas is not on the EPA's list of states authorized to run their own |
9Where must a Texas electrician show the license number? What is this?
In Texas: every proposal, invoice and written contract carries the contractor's name, address, phone number and license number. It also carries a line saying the work is regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, with that department's address and phone number.
| On your vehicles |
|
|---|---|
| On ads | Every ad that seeks electrical work carries the contractor's name and license number. A few are let off, including nationally placed television ads, which instead say license numbers are available on request, phone book listings that give only contact details, and cheap promotional items |
| On quotes, contracts, and invoices | Every proposal, invoice and written contract carries the contractor's name, address, phone number and license number. It also carries a line saying the work is regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, with that department's address and phone number |
10Does an electrician charge sales tax on labor in Texas? What is this?
In Texas, 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
| Labor on homes (repairs and remodels) | No sales tax |
|---|---|
| Repairs and remodels on businesses | You charge tax on the whole bill, labor and materials |
| Labor on new buildings | No sales tax |
| Materials, when you quote one total price | You pay tax when you buy the materials and do not charge the customer |
| Materials, when you list them separately | You buy materials tax-free with a resale certificate and charge the customer tax on them |
11Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Texas electrician What is this?
If you are not paid in Texas, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: the 15th of the third month after the month you did the work (work done in January means notice by April 15).
| Who has to send a notice | Subcontractors and suppliers who were hired by the contractor, not by the property owner |
|---|---|
| Business jobs: send your notice by | The 15th of the third month after the month you did the work (work done in January means notice by April 15) |
| Home jobs: send your notice by | The 15th of the second month after the month you did the work (work done in January means notice by March 15) |
| Business jobs: file your lien by | The 15th of the fourth month after your last day of work |
| Home jobs: file your lien by | The 15th of the third month after your last day of work |
12How do you renew an electrical license in Texas? What is this?
The Electrical Contractor renews every year. No training hours are required.
| License | Renewal | Training hours each renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice Electrician | Every year | — |
| Residential Wireman | Every year | — |
| Journeyman Electrician | Every year | — |
| Master Electrician | Every year | — |
| Electrical Contractor | Every year | — |
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 Texas What is this?
The things people get wrong or do not expect about Texas, in a few sentences.
- Texas licenses the person and the business separately. You need a Master Electrician license to hold the knowledge, and an Electrical Contractor license for the company that takes the money. One person can hold both.
- Every electrical contractor has to name a Master Electrician of Record. If that person leaves, you have thirty business days to tell the state, and the company cannot take new electrical work without one.
- Your license number goes on both sides of every work vehicle, in letters at least two inches high, with the letters TECL in front of it. Plumbers use a different prefix, so the two trades are not interchangeable.
- Licenses renew every year, not every two. Four hours of continuing education before each renewal. Contractors and residential appliance installers are the two that need none.
- Low-voltage work is outside this license. Class 2 and Class 3 circuits, fire alarm wiring, phone and data cabling and fiber are all named as exempt, so a separate set of rules covers them.
- Workers' comp is optional in Texas. If you go without it you have to tell the state you have opted out.
14Where these numbers come from
The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.
- tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/
- law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/16-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-73-51
- texas.public.law/statutes/tex._occ._code_section_1305.003
- tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/elecce.htm
- tdi.texas.gov/wc/employer/index.html
- law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/title-16/part-4/chapter-73
- law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/16-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-73-80
- tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/apply/individuals/wireman.htm
- tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/apply/individuals/journeyman-electrician.htm
- tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/apply/individuals/master-electrician.htm
- tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/elecfaq.htm
- law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/16-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-73-30
- law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/16-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-73-40
- epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-contractors
- epa.gov/lead/lead-renovation-repair-and-painting-program
- comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/94-116.php
- texas.public.law/statutes/tex._prop._code_section_53.056
- texas.public.law/statutes/tex._prop._code_section_53.052