STATE LICENSE
RequiredTexas Department of Licensing and Regulat…
The Texas Electrical Safety and Licensing Act (Occupations Code Chapter 1305) makes it unlawful for a person or business to perform or offer to perform electrical work without the appropriate license. Two licenses stack: the company holds the Electrical Contractor license, and every individual doing the work holds an apprentice, residential wireman, journeyman, or master license in their own name.
The contractor license is not an exam — it is a structure. Section 1305.159 requires the applicant to be, or to employ, a licensed Master Electrician, to prove financial responsibility, and to either carry workers' compensation or formally elect not to. TDLR sets the financial-responsibility figure at $300,000 per occurrence / $600,000 aggregate, and a Master Electrician may be assigned to only one contractor unless they own more than half the business.
The trade-off Texas gives you for holding a state license is that cities cannot charge you twice. Section 1305.201(f) bars a municipality from collecting a permit, registration, or administrative fee from a state-licensed electrician — building permit fees are the one carve-out — and Section 1305.201(b) bars a city from making a state licensee sit a municipal exam.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Texas preempts the money but not the codes. Cities may require electrical permits and inspections, adopt local amendments to the National Electrical Code, and issue municipal licenses — but § 1305.201(f) forbids charging a state-licensed electrician a permit, registration or administrative fee (building permit fees excepted), and § 1305.201(b) forbids requiring a municipal exam of a state licensee. Work outside city limits must still meet standards at least as stringent as the state electrical code (§ 1305.201(e)). A city may ask TDLR to suspend a licensee working in its jurisdiction (§ 1305.252).
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Texas county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of September 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Contractor and individual licenses alike run one year from issuance. Let the contractor license lapse past 18 months and the renewal fee doubles to $220 and must be mailed in.
A Master Electrician may be assigned to only one electrical contractor at a time unless they own more than 50 percent of the business — so 'borrowing' a master's license for a second company is not available.
Section 1305.201(f) prohibits a municipality from collecting a permit, registration, or administrative fee from a state-licensed electrician. Building permit fees remain payable.
A practical sequence for a new electrical contractor in Texas. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Performing electrical work without a license, or employing someone who lacks the required license, is a criminal offense — and TDLR treats it as a Class C violation, its most serious enforcement band.
TDLR's penalty matrix treats electrical work performed while the license is expired as a Class B violation.
Where the program statute sets no cap, the Occupations Code default applies and each day is a separate violation.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on September 2026.
Pending verification: PSI examination fees for the journeyman and master electrician exams — TDLR points to the Candidate Information Bulletin rather than publishing an amount · Apprentice and residential wireman application fee amounts
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.