How to Get an Electrician License in Florida: EC and ER Explained

To get an electrician license in Florida, you earn one of two credentials from the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB): the statewide EC (Certified Electrical Contractor) or the local ER (Registered Electrical Contractor). You qualify through one of several experience routes, pass the ECLB exam through Pearson VUE, carry the required insurance, and pay the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's (DBPR) fees before the certificate or registration issues.

For the company side of Florida licensing, start with our Florida contractor license guide, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

At a glance Issued by: the ECLB within DBPR, under Chapter 489, Part II, Florida Statutes. EC: statewide certificate; state exam in two open book parts, 75 percent on each. ER: state registration of a local certificate of competency, valid only in that area. Experience: one of five routes; the supervisor or contractor route is 4 years within the last 8 years. Fees: a $196 exam application and a $67.25 exam fee to DBPR, then $296 when the certificate issues.

Who Needs an Electrical License in Florida

Florida requires a license for electrical contracting of almost any size. Chapter 489, Part II, Florida Statutes covers the work, and electrical does not carry the kind of minor-job dollar exemption some other trades have.

The one carve-out is for owners. Under section 489.503, a property owner may wire a farm outbuilding, a single-family or duplex home they will occupy, or a commercial building with aggregate construction costs under $75,000, without a license, as long as the property is not intended for sale or to be occupied by tenants.

Everyone else doing electrical work for pay needs an EC, an ER, or must work as an employee under someone who holds one. A company that wants to contract needs a qualifying agent who holds the EC or ER, a role covered later in this guide.

EC vs ER: The Two State Electrical Contractor Licenses

Section 489.505 defines both. A certificate is a "geographically unlimited" certificate of competency, and a certified electrical contractor holds one. A registered electrical contractor registered with DBPR after meeting the competency requirements of a local jurisdiction and may contract only in the jurisdiction the registration covers.

Registration notes

• Local license first: under section 489.513(3), an ER applicant files proof of a current local certificate of competency and a passed local exam. Where the area gives no exam, a 75 percent score on a substantially equivalent exam plus 3 years of technical experience qualifies.
• Adding an area: meet the other county's rules, then file that local license with DBPR under section 489.513(5); the DBPR FAQ lists a $25 fee to add a county.
• Alarm work: an ER must subcontract the alarm portion of a contract, except raceways, unless it also holds an alarm license, under section 489.537(2)(b).

The certified license is the one to target if your company works in more than one county. Section 489.537(3)(a) bars local governments from adding licensure requirements for a certified electrical contractor, and section 489.511(6) voids any earlier registration once the certificate issues.

Every License Code the ECLB Issues

The ECLB licenses electrical contractors, alarm system contractors and specialty electrical contractors. The letters on the license tell you which one and whether it is statewide.

Under section 489.505, alarm I covers all alarm systems and alarm II all but fire; section 489.537(7) puts certified alarm work inside the scope of a certified unlimited electrical contractor.

Experience Routes to Qualify for the EC

Any person at least 18 years of age may take the certification exam, under section 489.511(1)(a). To be certified you must be of good moral character, pass the exam and meet one of these experience routes from section 489.511(1)(b)3:

• Management: at least 3 years of proven management experience in the trade within the last 6 years; education can count for no more than half.
• Supervisor or contractor: at least 4 years as a supervisor or contractor in the trade within the last 8 years, or 4 years as a supervisor in electrical or alarm work in the United States Armed Forces.
• Training and technical education: at least 6 years of comprehensive training, technical education or supervisory experience within the last 12 years, including qualifying military or government work.
• Engineer: licensed for 3 years as a professional engineer qualified in electrical engineering within the last 12 years.
• Combination: any mix of the first three routes that totals 6 years.

The statute defines a supervisor as someone with the general duty of overseeing the technical work who can perform that work without supervision. Rule 61G6-5.003 adds that at least 40 percent of an EC applicant's experience must be three phase service work; alarm I applicants need 40 percent in fire alarm systems, and alarm II applicants 40 percent in other alarm systems.

Proving it. The rule asks for a list of contracts with each job's description, location, owner and general contractor, plus statements from other people listing your experience, with W-2 forms. A Florida certified contractor you worked for can verify your years on the application's employer form instead of the job list.

Specialty Certifications Under Rule 61G6-7.001

Section 489.511(4) lets the board create optional statewide specialty categories, and Rule 61G6-7.001, last amended September 25, 2024, sets six of them. To sit for a specialty exam you must show 6 years of comprehensive training, technical education or broad experience in that type of work.

• Residential electrical: 1 to 4 family homes of no more than 2 stories, limited to a single phase, 400 ampere single service.
• Limited energy systems: wiring, fiber optics and equipment not over 98 volts (RMS), excluding alarm systems.
• Sign: electrical and non electrical signs and outline lighting, stopping at the last disconnect.
• Lighting maintenance: lighting fixtures on buildings, signs, billboards, roadways and parking lots.
• Utility line: transmission, distribution and substation work for electric utilities and cooperatives.
• Two way radio communications enhancement: in building radio systems not over 98 volts (RMS), not connected to a fire alarm panel.

What's on the Florida Electrical Exam

DBPR has retained Pearson VUE to schedule, administer, score and report the computer based electrical exams. You apply to DBPR first; you become eligible to schedule within 72 hours after the application is approved, and you may sit for either part any time after approval.

Under Rule 61G6-6.001, the combined exam content runs about 60 percent technical knowledge, 33 percent general business and 7 percent safety. The DBPR Candidate Information Booklet breaks the Technical/Safety part, for the Unlimited Electrical Contractor certification, into nine subject areas:

Exam notes

• Business section subjects: 50 questions spread across payroll and sales tax law (6 to 8), estimating and bidding (5 to 7), contracting laws and rules (5 to 7), contracts and agreements (4 to 6), insurance and bonding (4 to 6), financial statements (4 to 6), cash flow and scheduling (3 to 5 each), personnel management (3 to 5), management accounting (2 to 4) and purchasing control (0 to 2).
• Open book: bring the code books on DBPR's approved reference list. Each part may carry five or more unscored pilot questions.
• Reference edition: today's exams test the 2023 National Electrical Code. DBPR's own candidate booklet confirms the 2026 NEC edition, and several other updated references, become effective for the exam on August 21, 2027.
• Score life: a passing score is valid for 3 years from the exam date under Rule 61G6-6.017.
• Retakes: the Business part can be taken up to three times per approval; each Technical/Safety retake needs a new application, under Rule 61G6-6.005.
• Business credit: an active certified CILB contractor can use the CILB business and finance score, and an ECLB licensee adding a category skips the business part, if not under investigation or disciplined beyond a citation.

The Licensing Steps in Order

1. Pick the category and the route. Match your years to one route in section 489.511, including the 40 percent three phase rule.
2. Build the experience file. Collect W-2 forms, the job list or a Florida employer's verification, and statements from others.
3. Pull credit reports and financials. Personal and business credit reports and a financial statement, each within 12 months.
4. File the exam application with DBPR. Pay the $196 application fee and the $67.25 exam fee.
5. Schedule and pass both parts. Book with Pearson VUE once approved and score 75 percent on each within 3 years.
6. Bind insurance and workers' compensation. Name the ECLB as certificate holder at the Rule 61G6-5.008 limits.
7. Apply for the license. Pay the $296 certification fee, with the business application if you will qualify a company.
8. Put the number to work. Section 489.521(7) requires it on every permit application, proposal and advertisement.

Want the Application Done for You?

Steps 2 through 7 are where applications stall: an experience file DBPR will accept, a financial statement dated correctly, an insurance certificate that names the ECLB exactly as the rule requires.

The Licensing Company's License Application Processing prepares and submits your Florida electrical contractor application. The service opens with an eligibility audit before anything is filed, builds a document checklist and works the pieces with you, prepares and reviews every state form line by line, submits it the way DBPR requires, and answers the board's paperwork questions and resubmits until the board decides.

It is a flat $999 per state application, paid up front. State fees, exam fees, background checks and fingerprinting are paid to the state, not to us.

Call 615-219-2110 or start at License Application Processing. The service does not promise approval, does not promise a timeline, and does not sit the exam for you.

If you cannot yet meet one of the experience routes on your own work history, a certified Florida electrical contractor can qualify your company while you build toward your own license. See the qualifying agent section below for how that works.

What It Costs to Get Licensed

The board sets its fees in Rule 61G6-8.001, last amended August 28, 2022. Pearson VUE's administration fees come from DBPR's computer based testing fee sheet, updated July 2024.

Fee notes

• Unlicensed activity fee: the certification, registration and renewal amounts include the $5 fee Rule 61G6-8.001(14) adds at licensure and renewal, as the ECLB FAQ lists them.
• Refunds: the application fee is nonrefundable under section 489.509; the exam fee is refunded if you are found ineligible to sit.
• Other costs: insurance, credit reports and reference books are priced by outside vendors. Confirm every fee with DBPR before you pay.

Insurance, Net Worth and Credit

Section 489.515(1)(b) makes insurance and financial responsibility a condition of certification. Rule 61G6-5.008 requires public liability and property damage coverage, including completed operations and products, in these minimums:

The certificate of insurance must name the ECLB as certificate holder and show the exact name of the qualified business. You must also carry workers' compensation under Chapter 440 or attest that you will obtain an exemption within 30 days after the license issues, under section 489.515(3)(b). The board audits at least 10 percent of licensees at random.

Net worth. A business applicant files a financial statement prepared within 12 months of filing. Rule 61G6-5.004 sets the minimum net worth at $10,000 for unlimited electrical and alarm contractors and $5,000 for specialty contractors.

Credit. You file a credit report on yourself and one on the business, each dated within 12 months. Under Rule 61G6-5.005, the board weighs bankruptcies and unpaid construction judgments in the past five years and tax liens, for you, the officers and 10 percent shareholders.

How Long It Takes

Florida's Administrative Procedure Act sets the outer limit. Under section 120.60(1), DBPR must approve or deny a completed application within 90 days, or the application is considered approved unless the agency has already moved to deny it.

Inside that window you control the pace that matters most. Pearson VUE opens scheduling within 72 hours after DBPR approves your exam application, and a passing score stays valid for 3 years under Rule 61G6-6.017. How quickly you move from a passing score to a filed certification application sets your actual timeline more than DBPR's processing does.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Every ECLB license renews by August 31 of even numbered years. Section 489.517 requires proof of continuing education, and Rule 61G6-9.004 sets the hours for both EC and ER holders:

• Electrical contractors: 11 hours each biennium, with 1 hour each in business practices, workers' compensation, workplace safety, and Florida laws and rules, plus 7 technical hours that include 1 hour of an advanced Florida Building Code module.
• Alarm work: electrical contractors who do alarm contracting add 2 hours of false alarm prevention.
• Alarm and specialty contractors: 7 hours each biennium.
• First renewal: no hours if you were licensed less than 12 months before the deadline; if 12 months or more, 5 hours for electrical contractors and 4 hours for alarm or specialty contractors.
• Home study: up to 4 hours may come from home study courses.

How a Company Gets Licensed: The Qualifying Agent

In Florida the license belongs to a person, and a business contracts through that person. Section 489.521(5) says at least one officer or supervising employee must be qualified under Part II for the business to contract in its category. When a business applies, the certificate issues in the qualifying agent's name with the business name noted on it, under section 489.521(2)(a)1 and (3)(d).

Under section 489.522, all primary qualifying agents are jointly and equally responsible for supervising all operations, all field work at all sites, and financial matters. A primary qualifying agent holds approval authority for the company's checks, payments, drafts and contracts, which Rule 61G6-5.004(4) repeats.

Losing the qualifier starts a clock. A qualifier who stops qualifying a business must tell the board within 30 days. If that person was the only qualifier, the business has 60 days to qualify another, and section 489.531(1)(g) makes it unlawful to keep operating after those 60 days without a new primary qualifying agent. The departing agent also has 60 days to transfer the license, qualify as an individual or go inactive, under section 489.522(1)(b).

The qualifier angle for your company. A qualifying agent qualifies the company, as an owner or a full time W-2 employee who actually supervises the work; it is not a document you buy, and it is not a license whose holder stays uninvolved in the work. If no one inside your company holds the certificate, a certified Florida electrical contractor can serve as your qualifying agent and qualify the company with DBPR, holding the approval authority over checks, payments, drafts and contracts that section 489.522(2)(c) requires. That is the model The Licensing Company, led by industry authorities Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, has built its practice on. Our Florida qualifying agent guide covers the forms, and you can match with a certified Florida electrical contractor here.

Qualifying a Second Business

Section 489.521(8) lets a certified contractor qualify more than one business, but not automatically. The licensee pays a fee equal to the original certification fee and must show supervisory ability and the financial responsibility of each business, plus the capacity and intent to supervise each one as section 489.522(1) requires.

The board can revoke a second qualification if supervision fails. Under Rule 61G6-5.006, the application must reach the board 30 calendar days before a board meeting, and Rule 61G6-8.001(13) sets its application fee at $246. For how other states treat this, see our electrical contractor qualifying agent guide.

Journeyman and Master Electrician Licensing Is Local

The ECLB FAQ is direct: DBPR does not license or regulate the journeyman license, so a journeyman applies to the county or city licensing office. There is no statewide journeyman or master electrician license issued by DBPR; where a county uses the word "master," it is that county's own local certificate, not a state credential.

The state does set a floor. Under section 489.5335, a county or city may issue an electrical journeyman license to someone who:

• Scored at least 75 percent on a proctored journeyman exam the board approves
• Completed a registered, state approved apprenticeship or has at least 12,000 hours of on the job training in the trade
• Completed specialized and advanced module coursework approved by the Florida Building Commission for the discipline

Counties and cities must recognize a journeyman license another Florida county or city issued. Miami-Dade issues journeyman electrician certificates of competency on three years of proven experience, Hillsborough County's journeyman certificate allows work only under a licensed electrical contractor, and Pinellas County renews its journeyman licenses every year, with licenses expiring September 30.

Under section 489.537(3)(f), a local government may require one electrical journeyman on a commercial or industrial new construction site of 50,000 gross square feet or more when work over 77 volts is under way. Years worked under a local journeyman card can count as broad experience toward the 6 year route in Rule 61G6-5.003(1)(c).

Moving From ER to EC, or Into Florida From Another State

Registered to certified. Section 489.514 lets a registered contractor convert to the matching certificate without the state exam. You need a valid registered local license in the category, a passed written, proctored exam the board finds substantially similar (the statute names several makers, including Professional Testing, Inc.), and at least 5 years of active, non probation time as a contractor in that category. A past revocation, or a suspension or fine over $500 in the last 5 years, disqualifies you.

Endorsement. Under section 489.511(5), the board certifies by endorsement an applicant who passed a substantially equivalent exam or holds another state's substantially equivalent license. A contractor licensed elsewhere for at least 10 years can apply while that license is active or within 2 years after, and must finish a 2 hour Florida Building Code course.

Penalties for Unlicensed Electrical Work

Section 489.531 bars contracting or advertising as an electrical contractor without a certificate or registration. A violation is a first degree misdemeanor; for an unlicensed person, a repeat violation or one during a declared state of emergency is a third degree felony.

Related Florida Guides for Electrical and Low Voltage Work

Electrical contracting is only one of the Florida licenses an electrical firm may touch. If your crews also install alarm systems, read the Florida alarm system contractor license guide. For the Board's own contractor path in detail, see the Florida electrical contractor license guide.

Companies that also install sprinklers or extinguishers fall under the State Fire Marshal instead of the ECLB. The Florida fire sprinkler contractor license guide and the Florida fire extinguisher dealer license guide cover those classes, and the Florida specialty contractor categories page lists the other specialty licenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get an electrician license in Florida? You qualify for the EC or ER credential through one of the experience routes in section 489.511, pass the ECLB exam through Pearson VUE at 75 percent on each part, carry the required insurance, and apply to DBPR. A journeyman credential, by contrast, comes from your county or city, not the state.

What does ER mean on a Florida electrical license? ER stands for Registered Electrical Contractor. It is a state registration of a local county or city certificate of competency, and it lets the holder contract only in the areas where that local license is valid. To work statewide, the holder needs the certified EC license.

What is an EC license in Florida? EC is the Certified Electrical Contractor license, a statewide certificate issued by DBPR on the ECLB's approval. It requires one of the experience routes in section 489.511, a passing score of 75 percent on both parts of the state exam, insurance, and a financial review.

What is on the Florida electrical contractor exam? The Business part has 50 questions on topics like payroll tax law, estimating and contracts. The Technical/Safety part has 100 questions weighted toward wiring and protection, alarms and limited energy, and general theory, under the content outline in the DBPR Candidate Information Booklet.

Does Florida have a state journeyman or master electrician license? No. DBPR does not license journeymen or master electricians; counties and cities do, under the minimum standards in section 489.5335. A journeyman or master license from one Florida county or city must be recognized by the others.

How long does it take to get a Florida electrical contractor license? DBPR has up to 90 days to act on a completed application under section 120.60(1), but the time you control, between a passing exam score and filing your certification application, usually decides your actual timeline.

Can an ER work in another county? Only after meeting that county's local rules and adding the area to the state registration under section 489.513(5). Without that, the registration covers only the areas listed on it.

How long is a passing exam score good for? Three years from the exam date, under Rule 61G6-6.017. Both parts are open book, so bring the references on DBPR's approved list.

Talk With a Florida Licensing Specialist

Whether you are working toward your own EC or need a certified electrical contractor to qualify your company now, our team can map the route with you. Call 615-219-2110 or start at Hire a Qualifying Agent. If you would rather have the paperwork itself handled, see License Application Processing.

Related guides: the Florida general contractor license, the Florida plumbing license, the Florida HVAC license, how to get an electrical contractor license and every state.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-10-07.

• DBPR Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board
• ECLB Frequently Asked Questions
• DBPR Electrical Examinations
• DBPR Candidate Information Booklet, Electrical Contractors' Licensure Examinations, effective February 2026
• DBPR Computer Based Testing Administration and Review Fees, updated July 2024
• Florida Statutes s. 120.60, Licensing
• Florida Statutes s. 489.503, Exemptions
• Florida Statutes s. 489.505, Definitions
• Florida Statutes s. 489.509, Fees
• Florida Statutes s. 489.511, Certification and endorsement
• Florida Statutes s. 489.513, Registration
• Florida Statutes s. 489.514, Certification for registered contractors
• Florida Statutes s. 489.515, Issuance of certificates and registrations
• Florida Statutes s. 489.517, Renewal and continuing education
• Florida Statutes s. 489.521, Business organizations and qualifying agents
• Florida Statutes s. 489.522, Qualifying agents and responsibilities
• Florida Statutes s. 489.531, Prohibitions and penalties
• Florida Statutes s. 489.5335, Journeyman reciprocity and standards
• Florida Statutes s. 489.537, Application of this part
• Rule 61G6-5.003, Requirements for Certification
• Rule 61G6-5.004, Requirement for Business Organizations
• Rule 61G6-5.005, Financial Responsibility
• Rule 61G6-5.006, Additional New Business Entity or Transfers
• Rule 61G6-5.008, Public Liability and Workers' Compensation Insurance
• Rule 61G6-6.001, Certification Examination Requirements
• Rule 61G6-6.005, Reexamination
• Rule 61G6-6.017, Examination Scores
• Rule 61G6-7.001, Specialty Electrical Contractors
• Rule 61G6-8.001, Fees
• Rule 61G6-9.004, Continuing Education Requirements for Renewal
• Miami-Dade County Electrical Licenses
• Hillsborough County Journeyman Electrician or Plumber Certificate of Competency
• Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board