Do you need a license to do electrical work in California?

Yes. In California, an electrical contractor needs a C-10 electrical contractor license from the Contractors State License Board, and a person who works as an electrician for a C-10 contractor must be certified by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. The certifications are general electrician, fire/life safety technician, residential electrician, voice data video technician and nonresidential lighting technician. Registered apprentices are exempt from certification, and the qualifying person for the C-10 license need not also be certified. This is Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7028, 7058, 7000.5; Cal. Lab. Code §§ 108, 108.2; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 832.10.

WhatCalifornia
Electrician licenseC-10 contractor license + electrician certification

Source

Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7028, 7058, 7000.5; Cal. Lab. Code §§ 108, 108.2; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 832.10

Read the statute in the California Codes (California Legislative Information): leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

The linked sections open Justia’s free copy of the code, because the state’s own site has no stable address for each section.

Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps each license with its issuing state, its expiry date and the last four digits of its number, and the business is warned before one lapses — on the website and both phone apps. A customer finding a pro on Seayora sees whether a license is on file.

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