Electricians in Fort Worth

TDLR licenses Texas electricians, and anyone doing non-exempt electrical work must work through a licensed electrical contractor. That contractor must be, or employ, a Master Electrician, which takes at least 12,000 hours of supervised training plus two years as a journeyman. A Journeyman needs 8,000 hours, and a Residential Wireman 4,000. Licenses renew every year.

Fort Worth requires firms pulling electrical permits to have a registration on file with Development Services, and the electrical registration requires a Texas electrical contractor license. Texas law bars a city from charging a state-licensed electrician a registration or similar fee, though a building permit fee is allowed, and it bars cities from making a state licensee sit a local exam.

Spotting a licensed Fort Worth electrical contractor

• The business name and TDLR license number on both sides of every company vehicle, in letters at least two inches high.
• Liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate.
• Workers' compensation, or a notice of no coverage filed with TDI.

Confirm the license on TDLR's License Data Search by name or number.

Texas adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code as the state code effective September 1, 2026, with a limited exception to the GFCI rule for certain outdoor outlets. The 2023 edition applied from September 1, 2023 until then. Cities may also adopt local amendments and require inspections, and electrical work inside city limits follows the local ordinance.

Ask the electrician which code edition the permit will be reviewed under and whether the job needs an inspection before drywall goes up. State licensing law doesn't cover wiring by an owner who lives in the home, but only where no city ordinance regulates that work. Fort Worth's registration exemption covers homestead owners doing their own work, so check the city's permit rules with Development Services before you start.

Appliances and the Fort Worth service line

Attaching an appliance power cord needs a TDLR Residential Appliance Installer license unless the factory fitted it. Oncor lists Fort Worth among the cities it serves, though some edge areas may be on a co-op, so check your address. In Oncor's area, the service line from the pole to your house is yours to maintain; Oncor asks you to request a temporary disconnect, which carries a charge, before work near it.

Backyard pools bring their own license line. TDLR says a Residential Appliance Installer may replace pool pumps, motors, heaters, underwater lights and GFCIs on the load side of the control center, but a new or upgraded circuit for that equipment can only be offered by a licensed electrical contractor with a designated master electrician. If a pool company quotes a new circuit, ask whose electrical license covers it.

Storms are the other trigger. After hail or wind, Oncor prunes only what it needs to restore power and leaves cleanup of limbs it didn't bring down to the owner. If a tree is leaning into lines, call Oncor at 888-313-6862, or 911 if there is fire or sparking.

HomeGuide's national figures (February 2026) put electricians at $50 to $130 an hour, with a $100 to $200 service call covering the first hour and small jobs at $150 to $600. Replacing a panel with a 200-amp panel runs $1,400 to $2,800 including labor. Those are U.S. averages, so get written quotes from Fort Worth electricians that list the permit fee. The Texas electrician guide has the full cost and license breakdown.

A panel upgrade often comes with a new AC or EV charger. Pair this page with Fort Worth AC repair if the outdoor unit needs a new circuit, and compare Arlington electricians for a second quote. The Fort Worth guide covers city permits.