Do you need a state license in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide electrical license. Any license you need comes from the city or county where the job is, so the rules can change from one town to the next.
Some of Pennsylvania's municipalities license electricians, so check with the city or township where you work. Philadelphia, for example, issues an Electrical Contractor license: you need four years of electrical work for a licensed company, a passing score on the Philadelphia Electrical Contractor exam given by the International Code Council, 8 hours of NFPA 70 coursework, $500,000 per occurrence general liability, $300,000 auto liability and workers comp. The license fee is $262 and renewal is $202.
How to get set up in Pennsylvania, step by step
- Ask the city or township where you will work whether it licenses electricians.
- In Philadelphia, document four years of electrical work for a licensed company.
- In Philadelphia, pass the Electrical Contractor exam given by the International Code Council and take 8 hours of NFPA 70 coursework.
- Get the insurance the city requires and apply for the license online.
- If you do home improvement work of $5,000 or more a year, register with the Attorney General.
What it costs in Pennsylvania
There is no state license fee for electrical work in Pennsylvania. Ask the city or county where you work about any local fees.
Good to know in Pennsylvania
- Electrical contractors who do home improvement work on private homes must also register with the Pennsylvania Attorney General as home improvement contractors.
- State law still lets towns keep testing based licensing for electricians and plumbers that was in effect on July 1, 2009.
Once you are cleared to work
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for an electrician near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how electrical contractors run on Koira.