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Electrician/California/Licensing

California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement

How to become an electrician in California

2,000On-the-job hours · Nonresidential Lighting Technician11The lowest of the five hours figures here. The others require more, and each one says how many.

California licenses individual electricians. You need a state license in your own name to do this work here, whoever you work for.

Every requirement on this page belongs to a license class the state names itself. Each one has its own experience requirements, fees and exam rules. There are seven of them here, so read the one you are aiming at rather than the page as a whole.

What California licenses

If you work for an employerThe stateCalifornia licenses you individually as an electrician.
If you run the contracting businessThe stateThe business also needs its own contractor license.

Both answers come directly from the state licensing authority.

01

At a glance

Nonresidential Lighting Technician2,000 hours on the job
General Electrician8,000 hours on the job
The exam fee$100
02

Requirements and steps

We use the state's published licensing requirements throughout this page. If the state doesn't publish a requirement, we don't guess.

1

Figure out which license you need

There are two different licensing paths here: one for people working as electricians, and one for the contracting business. If you're starting your career, focus on the worker license first. You may need the one for the business later, if you decide to run the contracting business yourself.

2

Choose the license class you're working toward

Each license class below has its own experience requirements, fees and exam rules. Start with the class you're working toward: everything below depends on it. We use the state's official license names, so you'll see the same terms on its forms.

3

Build the required experience

The experience requirements for each license are quoted below exactly as the state publishes them. The licensing authority decides whether your experience qualifies, so keep your own record from day one and make sure your employer can verify your hours.

4

Take the exam

If your license requires an exam, the exam name and its fee are listed under that license class. The licensing authority and the testing company are often different organizations, so the exam fee is often paid to the testing company. That's why the exam fee may appear in the candidate bulletin instead of the fee schedule.

5

Apply, pay, and keep it current

Each license class below lists the fees the state publishes for it. Renewal varies by class too, so check the renewal period and fee for the class you are working toward rather than for the trade as a whole.

03

If you want to do the work

Six of California's licenses are held by the worker. Each is a separate license with its own experience requirements, fees and exam rules.

General Electrician8

Held by the worker · issued by the state

8,000 hours on the job.11 720 hours in a classroom.12 $75 to apply.15 $100 to take the exam.15 CPS HR Consulting, delivered through Pearson VUE, under contract to the Labor Commissioner's Office administers the exam.14 You renew this every three years, for $100, with 32 hours of approved continuing education.16

Worth knowingThese hours are one of two routes, not a floor everybody clears. Finish an approved apprenticeship in this classification and you do not count hours at all. No single kind of work fills the 8,000 either: wiring, stock room and finish work each have their own cap.

Worth knowingThese are the trainee hours that get you to the test, not part of the certification itself. Finish an approved apprenticeship and they never apply to you. Four other categories publish a waiver here and this one does not.

Worth knowing$100 is charged each time you take it, not once per license. Fail twice and you have paid it three times.

The body that issues this class of license3California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
Where that body publishes this class of license3https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/electricaltrade.html

The state doesn't list a license fee or states that recognize it.

Residential Electrician8

Held by the worker · issued by the state

4,800 hours on the job.11 480 hours in a classroom.17 $75 to apply.15 $100 to take the exam.15 CPS HR Consulting, delivered through Pearson VUE, under contract to the Labor Commissioner's Office administers the exam.14 You renew this every three years, for $100, with 32 hours of approved continuing education.16

Worth knowingThese hours are one of two routes, not a floor everybody clears. Finish an approved apprenticeship in this classification and you do not count hours at all. Residential wiring alone can fill all 4,800.

Worth knowingThese are the trainee hours that get you to the test, not part of the certification itself. Finish an approved apprenticeship and they never apply to you. Reach the job hours first, while you are still enrolled, and the state says you can take the exam without finishing them.

Worth knowing$100 is charged each time you take it, not once per license. Fail twice and you have paid it three times.

The body that issues this class of license3California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
Where that body publishes this class of license3https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/electricaltrade.html

The state doesn't list a license fee or states that recognize it.

Fire/Life Safety Technician8

Held by the worker · issued by the state

4,000 hours on the job.11 480 hours in a classroom.18 $75 to apply.15 $100 to take the exam.15 CPS HR Consulting, delivered through Pearson VUE, under contract to the Labor Commissioner's Office administers the exam.14 You renew this every three years, for $100, with 32 hours of approved continuing education.16

Worth knowingThese hours are one of two routes, not a floor everybody clears. Finish an approved apprenticeship in this classification and you do not count hours at all. NICET Level II certification in fire alarm systems replaces all 4,000 of them.

Worth knowingThese are the trainee hours that get you to the test, not part of the certification itself. Finish an approved apprenticeship and they never apply to you. Reach the job hours first, while you are still enrolled, and the state says you can take the exam without finishing them.

Worth knowing$100 is charged each time you take it, not once per license. Fail twice and you have paid it three times.

The body that issues this class of license3California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
Where that body publishes this class of license3https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/electricaltrade.html

The state doesn't list a license fee or states that recognize it.

Voice Data Video Technician8

Held by the worker · issued by the state

4,000 hours on the job.11 480 hours in a classroom.19 $75 to apply.15 $100 to take the exam.15 CPS HR Consulting, delivered through Pearson VUE, under contract to the Labor Commissioner's Office administers the exam.14 You renew this every three years, for $100, with 32 hours of approved continuing education.16

Worth knowingThese hours are one of two routes, not a floor everybody clears. Finish an approved apprenticeship in this classification and you do not count hours at all. Installation work alone can fill all 4,000.

Worth knowingThese are the trainee hours that get you to the test, not part of the certification itself. Finish an approved apprenticeship and they never apply to you. Reach the job hours first, while you are still enrolled, and the state says you can take the exam without finishing them.

Worth knowing$100 is charged each time you take it, not once per license. Fail twice and you have paid it three times.

The body that issues this class of license3California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
Where that body publishes this class of license3https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/electricaltrade.html

The state doesn't list a license fee or states that recognize it.

Nonresidential Lighting Technician8

Held by the worker · issued by the state

2,000 hours on the job.11 180 hours in a classroom.20 $75 to apply.15 $100 to take the exam.15 CPS HR Consulting, delivered through Pearson VUE, under contract to the Labor Commissioner's Office administers the exam.14 You renew this every three years, for $100, with 32 hours of approved continuing education.16

Worth knowingThese hours are one of two routes, not a floor everybody clears. Finish an approved apprenticeship in this classification and you do not count hours at all. No single kind of work fills the 2,000, so you will always mix at least two.

Worth knowingThe state publishes a range here, 180 to 240 hours, and 180 is the low end. These are the trainee hours that get you to the test, not part of the certification itself. Finish an approved apprenticeship and they never apply to you. Reach the job hours first, while you are still enrolled, and the state says you can take the exam without finishing them.

Worth knowing$100 is charged each time you take it, not once per license. Fail twice and you have paid it three times.

The body that issues this class of license3California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
Where that body publishes this class of license3https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/electricaltrade.html

The state doesn't list a license fee or states that recognize it.

Electrician Trainee9

Held by the worker · issued by the state

150 hours in a classroom.22 $25 to apply.15 You renew this every year. The published renewal requirements do not list any additional hours requirement.23

Worth knowingThese 150 hours are due every year to keep your trainee registration, not a total you finish once. The total belongs to whichever certification you are working toward, and it differs for each one.

Electrician Trainee

The person either has completed or is enrolled in an approved curriculum of classroom instruction. The employer attests that the person shall be under the direct supervision of an electrician certified pursuant to Section 108 who is responsible for supervising no more than one uncertified person.21

The body that issues this class of license3California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
Where that body publishes this class of license24https://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/ECU/ElectricalTrainee.htm

The state doesn't list job hours, an exam name, who runs it, an exam fee, a license fee or a reciprocity list either way.

04

Apprenticeship and hours

There are five license levels here, and each is a separate license. The hours below are totals for each license, not additional hours on top of the last one. Six of them also count classroom hours, and those are counted apart from the job.

  1. 2,000Nonresidential Lighting Technician11
  2. 4,000Fire/Life Safety Technician11
  3. 4,000Voice Data Video Technician11
  4. 4,800Residential Electrician11
  5. 8,000General Electrician11

General Electrician

General Electrician: 8000 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code. The 8000 hours must consist of work in two or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 8000 hour total are as follows:11

Residential Electrician

Residential Electrician: 4800 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor installing, constructing, or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electric Code. The 4800 hours must consist of work in one or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 4800 hour total are as follows:11

Fire/Life Safety Technician

Fire/Life Safety Technician: 4000 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor, involving the installation, construction or maintenance of systems as covered in Article 760 of the National Electrical Code. The 4000 hours must consist of work in one or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 4000 hour total are as follows: The experience requirement for Fire/Life Safety Technician may also be satisfied by proof of NICET certification in Fire Alarm Systems at Level II or above.11

Voice Data Video Technician

Voice Data Video Technician: 4000 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor installing, constructing or maintaining any system that falls within the scope of National Electrical Code, Articles 725, 770 (non-composite cables only), 800 (non-hybrid cables only), 810 and 820. The 4000 hours must consist of work in one or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 4000 hour total are as follows:11

Nonresidential Lighting Technician

Nonresidential Lighting Technician: 2,000 hours of work installing, repairing and maintaining nonresidential lighting while employed by a C-10 electrical contractor engaged in the business of nonresidential lighting maintenance and retrofit installations. The 2,000 hours must consist of work in one or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted towards the 2,000 hour total are as follows:11

Not published for any class here: whether the hours can be earned online.

05

What it pays

Among the electricians on a payroll in California, half earn more than $36.62 an hour and half earn less. The federal wage survey puts the annual figure at $76,160.7

  1. $22.50The bottom tenth earn this or less7
  2. $67.47The top tenth earn this or more7

These figures cover every experience level, from first-year apprentices to workers with decades on the job, so this is not what an apprentice earns. The survey counts 73,310 of these jobs. Self-employed workers are not included in the survey.7

The yearly figure assumes 2,080 paid hours, which is full time with no long gaps. Actual earnings can be lower where work is interrupted or seasonal.

Figures from the federal wage survey for May 2025, read 2026-08-16. The survey’s state file is a spreadsheet in a zip, not a web page.

06

If you want to run an electrical business

This credential applies if you plan to take work in your own name. It is issued to the business itself rather than to any one person.

C-10 - Electrical Contractor4

Held by the business · issued by the state

$450 to apply.28 $200 for the license itself.29 PSI Exams administers the exam.27

Worth knowingThat $200 is the fee for a sole owner. Any other business form pays $350. Veterans who were not dishonourably discharged pay half of whichever applies.

C-10 - Electrical Contractor

You must have at least four (4) years of experience, in the class you are applying for, to qualify to take the examination. Credit for experience is given only for experience at a journey level or as a foreman, supervising employee, contractor, or owner-builder.25

The renewal term and fee depend on which of these applies to you. Find yours below.30

Every two years
$720
Applies only to partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies and joint ventures holding the licence on active status - the fee is the $700 active renewal plus the $20 the board charges only C-10 contractors.
Every two years
$470
Applies only to sole owners holding the licence on active status - the fee is the $450 active renewal plus the $20 the board charges only C-10 contractors.
Every four years
$500
Applies only to partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies and joint ventures that have put the licence on inactive status, which may not bid or contract for work while it is inactive.
Every four years
$300
Applies only to sole owners who have put the licence on inactive status, who may not bid or contract for work while it is inactive.

The published renewal requirements do not list any additional hours requirement. Each option applies only to the licensees it names.

The body that issues this class of license4Contractors State License Board
Where that body publishes this class of license4https://www.cslb.ca.gov/about_us/library/licensing_classifications/Licensing_Classifications_Detail.aspx?Class=C10

CSLB doesn't list job hours or an exam fee.

07

The examination

CPS HR Consulting, delivered through Pearson VUE, under contract to the Labor Commissioner's Office and PSI Exams administer the exams on this page between them. The exam provider sets the exam content, publishes the study material and sets retake fees. Use the official exam names below when you look for study material, application instructions or retake information. Exam fees are listed with each class above.

General Electrician
Certification Examination13
Residential Electrician
Certification Examination13
Fire/Life Safety Technician
Certification Examination13
Voice Data Video Technician
Certification Examination13
Nonresidential Lighting Technician
Certification Examination13
C-10 - Electrical Contractor
Law and Business examination, plus the C-10 Electrical trade examination26
08

The licensing office, and how to reach it

Two agencies here, and both are right. One certifies the worker and the other licenses the business. Calling the wrong one gets you an answer about the other license, so check which of the two you need before you call. Both are named below.

California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement3

Licenses the worker.

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/electricaltrade.html

Contractors State License Board4

Licenses the business.

https://www.cslb.ca.gov/about_us/library/licensing_classifications/Licensing_Classifications_Detail.aspx?Class=C10

Check a license

These are the state's own searches, so what comes back is the register itself rather than somebody's copy of it.

the worker: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/ElectCert/electcertsearch.asp5

the business: https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspx6

The state doesn't list the agency behind this trade or a page for that agency.

09

Bringing a license in, and taking one out

California publishes a list of the states whose licenses it recognizes, class by class, and the lists are below. It does not publish the other direction: whether another state recognizes a license from California is that state's decision. Moving to California? Contact California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and ask whether your current license will be recognized. Leaving? Contact the licensing authority in the state where you plan to work.

C-10 - Electrical Contractor: California accepts a license toward it from Arizona31

C-10 - Electrical Contractor: accepted the other way by Nevada32

10

Questions people ask

Do you need a license to work as an electrician in California?

California licenses individual electricians. You need a state license in your own name to do this work here, whoever you work for. California licenses electrician contractors as well. Taking work in your own name, rather than working for somebody who holds that license, needs a second and different one.

How many years does it take to become an electrician in California?

California publishes an hours figure for five of the seven license classes here: Nonresidential Lighting Technician, 2,000 hours on the job, Fire/Life Safety Technician, 4,000 hours on the job, Voice Data Video Technician, 4,000 hours on the job, Residential Electrician, 4,800 hours on the job and General Electrician, 8,000 hours on the job. Each figure belongs to the class it is named under and to no other. The state does not publish a working week, so nothing here turns hours into months. How fast you get there depends on how many you work in a year.

Do electricians make good money in CA?

The middle half of the electricians on a payroll in California earn between $28.50 and $49.52 an hour, and half of all of them earn more than $36.62. These are straight-time figures, before any overtime, at every experience level, counted by the federal wage survey in May 2025. Self-employed workers are not included in them.7

Can electricians make $100 an hour?

The top tenth of electricians on a payroll in California earn above $67.47 an hour, which over a 2,080-hour year comes to more than $140,340. Those are straight-time figures: overtime pay is outside them, and so are self-employed workers. The federal wage survey counts what the top tenth earn above, not how many reach any figure past it.7

How much does an electrician license cost in California?

The state publishes these: $75 to apply for General Electrician, $75 to apply for Residential Electrician, $75 to apply for Fire/Life Safety Technician, $75 to apply for Voice Data Video Technician, $75 to apply for Nonresidential Lighting Technician, $25 to apply for Electrician Trainee, $450 to apply for C-10 - Electrical Contractor and $200 to be issued C-10 - Electrical Contractor. Each is per class, not per trade. None of them is the exam: where a vendor administers the exam, that fee is the vendor's and lives in its own bulletin.

Can I use an electrician license from another state in California?

Yes, for some. California recognizes a license toward C-10 - Electrical Contractor from Arizona. This is the inbound direction only, and it says nothing about taking a license from here somewhere else. The conditions attached, such as how long you have held yours, are published by the state rather than in the list.

How long does it take to become an electrician?

There is no national answer. Any page that gives you one is averaging states whose requirements differ by thousands of hours. Licensing is set state by state, and in some states city by city, so the honest version of this question has a place in it. What is the same everywhere is the shape: you learn on the job, the hours that count are the ones somebody signs for, and the clock starts the day the work does.

Can you become an electrician with no experience?

Yes, and that is the ordinary way in. These trades are learned at work rather than before it, which is why boards mostly require time on the job. What you cannot skip is the paperwork: the hours that count are the ones somebody signs for, so the question to ask an employer is who signs, not whether they will train you.

Is 30 too old to become an electrician?

No. Boards set a minimum age, not a maximum. No board on these pages sets an upper limit, and where age shows up at all it is a floor. The real question at 30 is money: an apprenticeship pays you while you learn and school charges you while you learn. That difference usually decides it.

How hard is the electrician licensing exam?

None of the boards on these pages publishes a pass rate. The useful question is who administers the exam: that organization sells the reference material for it and sets what a retake costs.

11

Sources

  1. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=108.2Read 2026-08-14
  2. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=7065Read 2026-08-14
  3. https://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/ECU/ElectricalTrade_Fees.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  4. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/about_us/library/licensing_classifications/Licensing_Classifications_Detail.aspx?Class=C10Read 2026-08-14
  5. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/ElectCert/electcertsearch.aspRead 2026-08-17
  6. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspxRead 2026-08-17
  7. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25st.zipRead 2026-08-16
  8. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/291_0.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  9. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/290_1.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  10. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=108Read 2026-08-14
  11. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/291_1.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  12. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/2a.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  13. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/291_3.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  14. https://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/ECU/ECU_TestInfo.htmRead 2026-08-14
  15. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/292_0.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  16. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/291_5.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  17. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/2b.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  18. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/2c.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  19. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/2d.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  20. https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/2e.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  21. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=108.4Read 2026-08-14
  22. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/296_2.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  23. https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/296_1.htmlRead 2026-08-14
  24. https://www.dir.ca.gov/DLSE/ECU/ElectricalTrainee.htmRead 2026-08-14
  25. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/applicants/contractors_license/exam_application/experience_for_exam.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  26. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/applicants/contractors_license/exam_application/Studying_For_Exam.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  27. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/applicants/contractors_license/exam_application/Application_Accepted.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  28. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/about_us/library/fees.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  29. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/applicants/contractors_license/exam_application/Issuing_My_License.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  30. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/maintain_license/renew_license/general_renewal_information.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  31. https://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/applicants/reciprocity/reciprocal_classifications_list.aspxRead 2026-08-14
  32. https://www.nvcontractorsboard.com/licensing/licensure-by-endorsement/Read 2026-08-14