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

Yes. In Oregon, a business that makes electrical installations must hold an electrical contractor’s license, and the person who makes an installation needs a supervising, journeyman or limited residential electrician’s license from the Department of Consumer and Business Services. A person may do electrical work without a license on residential or farm property that they or an immediate family member own if it is not intended for sale, exchange, lease or rent. On a residence that is rented, that exemption covers only maintenance of existing installations, not new installations or substantial alterations, although a landlord or the landlord’s agent or employee may replace a garbage disposal, dishwasher or electric water heater with a similar appliance of 30 amps or less, single phase. This is ORS 479.540, 479.620, 479.630.

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Electrician licenseState electrical contractor + electrician licenses

Source

ORS 479.540, 479.620, 479.630

Read the statute in the Oregon Revised Statutes (Oregon State Legislature): oregonlegislature.gov.

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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