How do you become an electrician in California?

Get four years of journey-level or higher experience in the C-10 electrical trade within the last ten years. Submit the exam application to CSLB with the $450 application fee. Pass the Law and Business exam and the C-10 electrical trade exam. The rest of the steps are on this page.

Do you need an electrical license in California?

Yes. California requires a CSLB contractor license for electrical jobs that need a permit, use workers, or total $1,000 or more. Electrical contractors get the C-10 classification.

How much experience does California require?

Four full years of journey-level, foreman, supervisor or contractor experience in the classification within the last ten years. Up to three years can be credited for training, apprenticeship or education.

How much do electricians make in California?

The median was $36.62 an hour, or $76,160 a year, in May 2025, from the BLS wage survey. The national median was $30.38.

Who runs apprenticeships in California?

Both: California has a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, and the federal Office of Apprenticeship also works there. Programs themselves are sponsored by employers, unions and trade groups.

How to Become an Electrician in California: Steps, License and Pay

The short version for California

California requires a CSLB contractor license for electrical jobs that need a permit, use workers, or total $1,000 or more.
Four full years of journey-level, foreman, supervisor or contractor experience in the classification within the last ten years. Up to three years can be credited for training, apprenticeship or education.
Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
Pay runs from about $22.50 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of electricians to $67.47 for the top tenth.
Jobs are projected to grow 13.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally.

The path in California, step by step

California licenses electrical work at the state level through the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

Get four years of journey-level or higher experience in the C-10 electrical trade within the last ten years.
Submit the exam application to CSLB with the $450 application fee.
Pass the Law and Business exam and the C-10 electrical trade exam.
Complete the asbestos open-book exam.
File the $25,000 contractor bond and workers' compensation proof or exemption, and pay the initial license fee.
Renew every two years.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: electrical license in California.

Finding an apprenticeship in California

California appears on both of the Labor Department's lists: it has a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, and the federal Office of Apprenticeship works there too. Apprenticeship.gov lists the California Apprenticeship Office as a contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Most electricians learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship. Each year brings about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction.

License levels and exams in California

The license to aim for: C-10 Electrical Contractor.

Trade exam. Yes. The C-10 Electrical trade exam, plus the Law and Business exam.

Business exam. Yes. The Law and Business exam.

Keeping it. Every two years when active.

License	What it covers
C-10 Electrical	Installs and connects wiring, fixtures, raceways, conduits, solar photovoltaic cells and other electrical equipment.

What the California license costs

The fees the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

Fee	Amount
Original application (one classification)	$450
Initial license fee, sole owner (covers two years)	$200
Initial license fee, non-sole owner	$350
Active timely renewal, sole owner, C-10	$470

What electricians earn in California

The median electrician in California earned $36.62 an hour in May 2025, 15th of 51 states, with 73,310 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in California earned under $28.50 an hour and a tenth under $22.50. At the top, a quarter earned over $49.52 and a tenth over $67.47.

Pay level	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$22.50	$46,800
25th percentile	$28.50	$59,280
Median	$36.62	$76,160
75th percentile	$49.52	$103,000
90th percentile	$67.47	$140,340

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: electrician salary in California.

Jobs ahead in California

California's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 78,200 in 2022 to 88,600 in 2032, a change of 13.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 8,310 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 13.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 22nd of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group electricians.

Starting your own electrician business in California

To contract on your own in California, the license is the C-10 Electrical Contractor.

Insurance. Workers' compensation insurance, or an exemption form if you have no employees.

Bond. A $25,000 contractor bond. A separate $25,000 Bond of Qualifying Individual may be needed for an RME or RMO.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the California median of $36.62 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $134.90 per billable hour. Try your own in the electrician labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start an electrical business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.

Where this comes from

The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is California's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.

Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become an electrician.

How to become an electrician in California