Washington electrical license requirements and insurance

To work for yourself as an electrician in Washington, you need the General Electrical Contractor License (01) license. Washington has 6 electrical license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. Workers' comp is required once you have employees. A $4,000 bond is required.

Checked by the Trades by State editor on 2026-09-16 Based on 22 official pages, listed at the bottom Something wrong? Tell us

License you need: General Electrical Contractor License (01) Renew Every 2 years (the license expires 24 months after the day it is issued)
Insurance you must carry: None. L&I encourages an electrical contractor to carry liability insurance but does not require it and keeps no record of it liability, at least
Workers' comp: Required as soon as you hire anyone
Credit score: None or take a 14-hour course
To protect your pay, send notice by: Send it early. The notice only protects work done in the 60 days before you send it, so anything older is lost (work started on March 1 and notice sent on June 1 covers only work from April 2 onward). On a new single-family house it covers only the 10 days before the notice

Turn this into a checklist

1 What stands out in Washington for an electrician What is this?

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

An electrical business does not have to register as a contractor as well. The contractor registration law exempts a certified electrician working inside the scope of that certificate, so most electrical-only companies hold the electrical license alone. Take on work outside electrical and you may need the registration too.
L&I does not make an electrical contractor carry liability insurance and keeps no record of it. The $4,000 bond is the only money the state asks you to put up.
On general electrical work a certified electrician may have only one trainee with them. On specialty work it is two. Either way they must be on the same job site for at least 75 percent of the working day.
The general journey level card takes 8,000 hours, and 4,000 of those must be on new industrial or commercial installations. A two-year college program in the trade can stand in for two of the years.
You need 96 hours of classroom instruction before you can even sit the general electrician exam. The 4,000-hour specialties need 48 hours.
Your company cannot hold the license by itself. You have to name a certified electrical administrator or master electrician to L&I, and that person answers for the company following the electrical rules.

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

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), Electrical Program issues electrical licenses in Washington.

Name	Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), Electrical Program
Website	https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-licensing-exams-education/electrical-contractor
Look up a license	https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/
The law	RCW chapter 19.28 (electrical installations)
The rulebook	WAC chapter 296-46B (electrical safety standards, administration and installation)

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3 Washington electrician license requirements and fees What is this?

Washington has 6 license types that matter to an electrician. The General Electrical Contractor License (01) needs none for the business itself.

General Electrical Contractor License (01)

The business. It is illegal to advertise, bid, offer, or carry out work that installs or maintains wires or equipment carrying electric current without one

What you can work on

All types of electrical and telecommunications installation, plus the minor plumbing allowed by RCW 18.106.150. No limit on building type, voltage, or size

Experience required

None for the business itself

Training required

None for the business itself

Exam

No for the business. The administrator you name has to pass an exam

Other requirements

A $4,000 surety bond or a cash deposit, a named electrical administrator or master electrician, and a UBI account number for the business

Contractor registration

Usually not needed as well.
The contractor registration law exempts an electrician certified by the state while working inside the scope of that certificate.
Register as a contractor too if your business also does non-electrical work

Fees

Application	$353.9
Renewal by mail	$353.9
Renewal online	$306.2
Getting a lapsed license back	71.5

Renewal

Every 2 years (the license expires 24 months after the day it is issued)

Training hours each year

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Specialty Electrical Contractor License

A business that only works in one narrower part of the trade and wants a cheaper, narrower license than the general one

License groups

The codes are 02 residential, 03 pump and irrigation, 03A domestic pump, 04 signs, and 06 limited energy system.
Then 06A HVAC and refrigeration, 06B HVAC and refrigeration restricted, and 07 nonresidential maintenance.
Then 07A nonresidential lighting maintenance and retrofit, 07B residential maintenance, and 07C restricted nonresidential maintenance.
Last, 07D appliance repair, 07E equipment repair, 09 telecommunications, and 10 door, gate and similar systems

What you can work on

Each one is limited to its own work, buildings, voltage and amperage. Read the subsection for the code you want before you apply

Other requirements

The same $4,000 bond, administrator and UBI as the general license. The administrator must be certified in your specialty

Fees

Application	$353.9
Renewal by mail	$353.9
Renewal online	$306.2

Renewal

Every 2 years

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Electrical Administrator or Master Electrician Certificate

One person at the company, named to L&I, who answers for the business following the electrical rules. Without one the contractor license cannot be issued. It can be an administrator, or a master electrician instead

What you can work on

The administrator must be certified for the same category as the license, general or the specialty you hold

Two different routes

They are not the same test.
Anyone may sit the administrator exam; the rule sets no experience or qualification to take it.
A master electrician certificate is the other route, and that one does have experience requirements of its own

How long it lasts

Your first administrator certificate runs to a birthday between one and three years away. After that it renews every three years

Exam

Yes, an L&I exam. No experience is needed to sit the administrator one

Fees

Administrator exam	44.2
Administrator certificate	$160
Renewal by mail	$202.2
Renewal online	$175.7

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General Journey Level Electrician Certificate (01)

Each electrician doing the work. Nobody may work in the electrical construction trade without a certificate or a trainee card

What you can work on

All types of electrical and telecommunications installation

Experience required

8,000 hours as a trainee, of which 4,000 must be on new industrial or commercial installations and no more than 4,000 may come from specialty work. A two-year electrical program at a public community or technical college can replace two years of the work

Experience from another state

An out-of-state journey level certificate won by examination and backed by 8,000 hours, 16,000 hours of out-of-state trade experience, or 8,000 hours served in an armed forces construction battalion

Training required

96 hours of basic classroom instruction before you can sit the exam

Exam

Yes, an L&I electrician exam

Fees

Exam	80.3
First license	$114.6
Renewal by mail	$106.4
Renewal online	92.6
Late renewal	$212.9
Getting a lapsed license back	33.5

Renewal

Every 3 years, on your birthday

Training hours each renewal

About training hours

At least 8 hours on the code update and at least 4 hours on the state electrical laws and rules. The rest can be any approved class

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Specialty Electrician Certificate

An electrician who works in one narrow part of the trade rather than across all of it

License groups

4,000 hours and 48 hours of classroom instruction for 02 residential, 03 pump and irrigation, 04 signs, 06 limited energy system, 06A HVAC and refrigeration, and 07 nonresidential maintenance. 2,000 hours for 03A domestic well, 06B HVAC and refrigeration restricted, 07A nonresidential lighting maintenance and retrofit, and 07B residential maintenance. Also 07C restricted nonresidential maintenance, 07D appliance repair, 07E equipment repair, and 10 door, gate and similar systems

Experience required

The 4,000-hour specialties are supervised at least 75 percent of the time. The 2,000-hour ones are supervised the whole time until you pass the exam

Exam

Yes, an L&I electrician exam

Fees

Exam	80.3
First license	$114.6
Renewal by mail	$106.4
Renewal online	92.6

Renewal

Every 3 years

Training hours each renewal

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Electrical Training Certificate

Everyone learning the trade. You cannot touch electrical work in Washington without a trainee card or an electrician certificate

What you can work on

Electrical work under the supervision of a certified electrician

Supervision rule

A certified electrician must be on the same job site for at least 75 percent of each working day.
On general work that electrician may have one trainee.
On specialty work, two.
Either can supervise up to four students on an approved program

Experience required

None to start

Training required

48 hours of approved classroom instruction on the electrical law, the national electrical code, or electrical theory, shown at each renewal

Exam

Fees

Trainee certificate	56
Trainee certificate, online	48.1
Renewal by mail	67.9
Renewal online	59.2

Renewal

Every 2 years

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4 How much insurance does an electrician need in Washington? What is this?

What Washington requires you to carry before you work.

Minimum liability insurance	None. L&I encourages an electrical contractor to carry liability insurance but does not require it and keeps no record of it
Who this applies to	The electrical contractor license on its own. If your business also registers as a contractor for non-electrical work, that registration does need insurance
If you also register as a contractor	$200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or one combined limit of $250,000. The certificate is filed with L&I, and a lapse suspends the registration until a new policy is filed
Workers' comp required?	Yes, as soon as you hire one employee. Coverage comes only from the L&I state fund. Private workers' comp policies are not allowed in Washington
Who can opt out	Sole proprietors, partners, LLC members, and corporate officers who own shares, sit on the board, and run the business day to day are excluded. A private company can also exclude up to eight officers. Any of them can buy optional coverage from L&I

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5 Does Washington check your credit for an electrician license? What is this?

Washington does not check your credit for this license.

Credit score you need	None
If your score is lower	Instead of the surety bond you can file a cash deposit or other negotiable security that L&I will accept

Checked by a person against the official page·app.leg.wa.gov

6 Does an electrician need a bond in Washington? What is this?

Washington requires a bond of $4,000. 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	$4,000
About the bond	If your business also registers as a contractor for non-electrical work, that registration carries its own bond on top, $15,000 for a specialty contractor or $30,000 for a general contractor. Cities may ask for more before they let you pull permits

A $4,000 surety bond (a promise, backed by an insurance company, that people can be paid if you do not pay for labor or materials or your work causes damage), or a cash deposit instead. It covers wages, employee benefits, materials used on the job, and damage caused by your failure

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7 Federal rules that also apply What is this?

Rules from the US government that apply to an electrician in Washington on top of the state's own.

Federal license	None. No federal license covers electrical contracting. The L&I contractor license and the electrician certificate are the ones you need
Lead-safe certification	If you are paid to disturb painted surfaces in a home, child care center or preschool built before 1978, your business must be EPA lead-safe certified and the work led by a certified renovator
The small-job exception	Work that disturbs 6 square feet or less of painted surface in a room, or 20 square feet or less outside, does not count. Running a cable through an old wall often falls under that. Replacing a window never does, nor does knocking out painted surfaces, nor any of the practices the rule bans. Jobs in the same room within 30 days are added together

Federal workplace safety rules also apply to your crew

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8 Where must a Washington electrician show the license number? What is this?

In Washington: the electrical law does not tell you to print your license number on ads, vehicles, or contracts. It does make it illegal to advertise, bid, or offer electrical work without holding the license.

The rule	The electrical law does not tell you to print your license number on ads, vehicles, or contracts. It does make it illegal to advertise, bid, or offer electrical work without holding the license
On ads	If your business also registers as a contractor for non-electrical work, every ad that shows your name or address must show that registration number, and so must every flyer or mailer sent to homeowners. Vehicle signs and signs on your own building are exempt
If you forget	Under the contractor registration law, up to $10,000 per violation after a hearing. Not charged for an honest mistake
Written notice you must give the customer	This one belongs to the contractor registration law, not the electrical law. It binds you only if your business also holds a contractor registration. Then you hand the customer a written statement about bonds, insurance and liens before starting a home job of $1,000 or more, or a commercial job of $1,000 to $60,000. Without it there is no lien on that job

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

In Washington, taxed. Same rule as above. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Sales tax on labor for plumbers and HVAC contractors by state

Building for a customer	You charge retail sales tax on the whole contract price, labor and materials, and show it as a separate line on the invoice. This is called retail or custom construction and covers most jobs an electrical company does for a homeowner or a business
Labor on homes (repairs and remodels)	Taxed. Same rule as above
Repairs and remodels on businesses	Taxed. Same rule as above
Labor on new buildings	Taxed when you work for the landowner or a prime contractor. Building on land you own to sell (speculative building) is taxed differently
Materials	You buy materials that become part of the building tax-free with a reseller permit. You pay sales tax on tools, supplies, and anything you use up on the job
Business and occupation tax	Your gross receipts from custom construction are also taxed under the Retailing B&O classification, a tax on the business itself that you do not pass to the customer
Tax rate	6.5 percent state rate plus the local rate for the job site

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10 Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Washington electrician What is this?

If you are not paid in Washington, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: send it early. The notice only protects work done in the 60 days before you send it, so anything older is lost (work started on March 1 and notice sent on June 1 covers only work from April 2 onward). On a new single-family house it covers only the 10 days before the notice.

Who has to send a notice	On most jobs, three groups do not have to send one. Someone hired by the property owner. A worker claiming only for their own labor. And a subcontractor hired directly by the prime contractor. Everyone else furnishing services, materials, or equipment sends the owner a notice of a right to claim a lien
The exception that catches people out	Repair, alteration, or remodeling of a home the owner lives in, or its garage, works the other way. There, anyone who did not contract directly with that owner must send them the notice, including a subcontractor hired by the prime. Send it, or you have no lien on that house
What the lien reaches on a home the owner lives in	Only money the owner has not yet paid the prime contractor when your notice arrives. If the owner has already paid the prime in full, there is nothing for your lien to reach
Send your notice by	Send it early. The notice only protects work done in the 60 days before you send it, so anything older is lost (work started on March 1 and notice sent on June 1 covers only work from April 2 onward). On a new single-family house it covers only the 10 days before the notice
File your lien by	Record the lien with the county where the property sits within 90 days of your last day of work or last delivery (last work on June 1 means the lien is recorded by August 30)

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11 How much does it cost to become an electrician in Washington? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about $809 in Washington. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

Government fees, added up	$809

One person starting alone. Trainee card $56, the electrician exam $80.30, the journey level card $114.60, the contractor license $353.90, the administrator exam $44.20, and the administrator certificate $160. Does not include the $4,000 bond premium, insurance, workers' comp, classroom hours, tools, a vehicle, or city permits

Our estimate

12Where these numbers come from

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