Electricians in Texas

These are national figures from HomeGuide, which gives no Texas-only rates. Treat them as a yardstick for the written quotes you collect here.

Because the service call covers the first hour, a short fix and a fifty-minute one cost about the same. Group small jobs, such as a dead outlet, a new fixture and a tripping breaker, into one visit. Large projects, at $2,000 to $10,000 or more, are where written quotes from more than one licensed contractor matter most.

One Texas rule shapes the bill. Under Occupations Code §1305.201(f), a city may not charge a state-licensed electrician a registration, administrative or similar fee, though it can still collect a building permit fee. A permit fee on the quote is normal; a city registration fee passed on to you is a reason to ask. For a panel replacement, ask whether your city requires a permit and inspection and who will pull it.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses electricians under Occupations Code Chapter 1305. Anyone who performs, or offers to perform, non-exempt electrical work in Texas must be licensed and do the work through a licensed electrical contractor. Licenses are valid for one year and renew annually.

Texas electrician license levels

Chapter 1305 also licenses master and journeyman sign electricians, maintenance electricians, journeyman industrial electricians, journeyman linemen, electrical sign contractors, and residential appliance installers and installation contractors.

Electrical contractor insurance in Texas

An electrical contractor must carry business liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations. It must also carry workers' compensation or formally elect not to, by filing a notice of no coverage with the Texas Department of Insurance. A master electrician can be assigned to only one contractor unless they own more than half of the business.

TDLR's License Data Search finds an electrician or electrical contractor by name or license number. It shows active licenses only; if a license doesn't come up, TDLR's customer service line is 800-803-9202. Search by license number when you have one: the number from the truck or the bid points to one license, while a business name can return several.

Check both layers: the person doing the work and the contractor they work through. An apprentice or journeyman on your job must be working through a licensed contractor, so search the company's contractor license as well as the individual's.

Texas also gives you a check from the driveway. Under §1305.166, an electrical contractor must show its business name and TDLR license number on both sides of every vehicle it owns, in letters at least two inches high. A truck with no number, or a number that doesn't match the search, is worth a question before work starts.

A TDLR license is valid throughout Texas, and a city may not make a state licensee take a local exam. Cities may still issue municipal licenses and require inspections.

The city lists on this site are ranked on public review data, explained in our terms of service. The ranking doesn't check licenses, so run the lookup whichever electrician you choose.

Texas law (§1305.101) requires TDLR to adopt each new edition of the National Electrical Code, which the National Fire Protection Association publishes every three years. TDLR adopted the 2026 NEC as the state electrical code effective September 1, 2026, with a limited exception to the ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) rule for certain outdoor outlets. The 2023 NEC had applied since September 1, 2023.

Cities apply the code through their own permits. Houston, for example, reviews electrical permit applications submitted on or after September 1, 2026 against the 2026 code; other cities set their own procedures. Under §1305.201 a city may require inspections and adopt local amendments to the NEC, and electrical work inside city limits must follow local ordinances. Work in unincorporated areas must meet standards at least as stringent as the state code.

On any wiring job, ask two questions: which code edition the permit will be reviewed under, and when the inspection is booked.

The GFCI exception matters to AC owners. TDLR's March 2026 proposal described it as covering outdoor HVAC outlets, so ask the electrician how the new code applies to the outlet at your outdoor unit.

Homeowners. Chapter 1305 doesn't cover electrical work on a home by the person who owns and lives in it, when the work isn't specifically regulated by a city ordinance. If your city regulates the work, the exemption doesn't help, so call the building department before you start.

Appliance cords. TDLR says attaching an appliance power cord in a home always needs a Residential Appliance Installer license, unless the cord was installed at the factory or by an authorized manufacturer's representative.

Plumbers. A licensed plumber may disconnect and reconnect a plumbing appliance, such as a water heater, on an existing circuit. Extending or replacing the wiring is electrician's work. The plumbers guide covers how TSBPE licenses plumbers.

Complaints about a Texas electrician go to TDLR through its online complaint process. Where a city or region runs its own electrical licensing program, TDLR says to contact that local authority first.

Put the contractor's license number, the job address, the dates, and copies of the contract and invoices in the complaint. Photos of the work help too.

A complaint works best with paper behind it. Before you sign, get the contract in writing with the contractor's TDLR license number, the scope, the permit, the price and the payment schedule. Ask how much is due up front, and tie later payments to finished stages such as a passed inspection.

Keep the permit number and the final inspection record with the house papers.

1. Search the electrical contractor and the electrician on TDLR's License Data Search.
2. Confirm the license is current: Texas electrician licenses renew every year, so an old card isn't proof.
3. Match the license number on the truck to the search result.
4. Ask for proof of liability insurance, and for workers' compensation cover or the TDI notice of no coverage.
5. For larger jobs, get written quotes from more than one licensed contractor with the permit fee shown.
6. Ask who pulls the permit and whether the city will inspect under the 2026 NEC.
7. For an appliance hookup in a home, check the installer's license covers attaching the cord.
8. Query any city registration fee on the bill: cities can't charge licensed electricians one, though permit fees are allowed.

Ask whether an AC job includes any new electrical work and who is licensed to do it. The AC repair and HVAC guide covers the separate TDLR license for that trade.

Each city page lists local electricians ranked on review data and adds the local permit and license checks.

Electricians in Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas, Garland, Irving, Grand Prairie, Carrollton, Richardson, Fort Worth, Arlington, Grapevine, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Denton, Flower Mound, Rockwall, Weatherford, Burleson. Region guide: Dallas-Fort Worth.

Electricians in North Texas and Texoma

Sherman, Wichita Falls. Region guide: North Texas and Texoma.

Electricians in Houston and the Gulf Coast

Houston, Cypress, Baytown, Katy, Sugar Land, Conroe, The Woodlands, Pearland, League City, Galveston. Region guide: Houston and the Gulf Coast.

Electricians in Southeast Texas

Beaumont. Region guide: Southeast Texas.

Electricians in East Texas

Tyler, Longview. Region guide: East Texas.

Electricians in Austin and the Hill Country corridor

Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Dripping Springs. Region guide: Austin and the Hill Country corridor.

Electricians in Central Texas

Killeen, Waco. Region guide: Central Texas.

Electricians in San Antonio and the Hill Country

San Antonio, New Braunfels, Boerne. Region guide: San Antonio and the Hill Country.

Electricians in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley

Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville, Harlingen. Region guide: South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

Electricians in West Texas

El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, San Angelo. Region guide: West Texas.

Electricians in Panhandle and South Plains

Lubbock, Amarillo. Region guide: Panhandle and South Plains.