Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

A guide to the Board's search

NC Electrical License Lookup: How to Verify a License

The State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors runs a free public search for licenses and a separate one for continuing education credits. This page explains what each returns, what the classification means, and where the search stops.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

Where the search lives

The Board's public license search sits on its ARLS system at arls-public.ncbeec.org. It is free and it needs no account.

Licensees use a different door. The ARLS login is where renewal and record changes happen, and it is not the page you want for checking somebody else.

We are not the Board and we do not host a copy of its data. Use the Board's own search, so you see the current record rather than a snapshot.

What to check, and why it matters

Two questions are worth asking of any result. Is the license current, and is the classification wide enough for the job in front of it?

The classification carries a project value ceiling. Limited covers a single project up to $60,000 on the Board's page with equipment rated at a maximum of 600 volts, Intermediate up to $150,000, and Unlimited any value. The statute prints higher figures for the first two, which is covered on our classification page.

Special restricted licenses are scoped by work type instead. A Fire Alarm and Low-Voltage license is not a general electrical license, and neither is a Swimming Pool or Electric Sign license.

Why an employee should check too

G.S. 87-43.1 covers you as a bona fide employee of a licensee of the Board. That protection is only as good as your employer's license.

Check the company before you take the job, and check it again if you hear that the renewal was missed. The Board's late renewal fee is $25, so a lapse is usually an oversight rather than a decision, but the exemption still depends on the record.

Look for the listed qualified individual

A license needs a person behind it. G.S. 87-43 requires at least one listed qualified individual regularly on active duty at each separate place of business, with the specific duty and authority to supervise and direct the electrical contracting done there.

If a branch office has no listed qualified individual, that is a question for the Board rather than for the crew. The Board publishes an Add or Drop Qualified Individual form for the changes that keep the record straight.

When the free search is not enough

Another state, a bonding company or a general contractor may ask for an official verification rather than a screenshot. That is a paid service.

The Board charges $25.00 for a verification of license, and publishes a License Verification Order Form on its forms page. A duplicate license certificate is $15.00 and a permanent decorative certificate is $15.00.

The continuing education search

A second public search shows continuing education credits recorded against a record. Licensees use it to confirm a sponsor reported their hours before renewal.

Since renewal depends on completed hours for each annual license period, that search is worth a look every spring rather than on the last day.

Where the search stops

The Board's search covers Board licenses. It does not cover apprenticeship completion cards, which belong to the programs that issue them, and it does not cover the City of Raleigh journeyman certificate, which is examined by a city board.

It also says nothing about permits or inspections. Those run through county and city inspection departments under the statewide code.

Questions people ask

How do I look up a North Carolina electrical contractor license?

Use the Board's free public search on its ARLS system. No account is needed. The result shows the license and its classification, which is the pair of facts worth checking before work starts.

Is the North Carolina electrical license lookup free?

The public search is free. An official verification of license, which other states and bonding companies often ask for, costs $25.00 and uses the Board's License Verification Order Form.

How do I check an electrician rather than a company?

North Carolina licenses businesses and certifies qualified individuals, so the record you want is usually the company license and the listed qualified individual on it. There is no state journeyman card to look up.

What does the classification on a license mean?

It sets what the licensee may take on. Limited covers a single project up to $60,000 on the Board's page with equipment at a maximum of 600 volts, Intermediate up to $150,000 and Unlimited any value. Special restricted classes are scoped to a type of work instead.

Can I check an electrician's continuing education?

Yes. The Board runs a separate public search for continuing education credits recorded against a record, alongside a search for approved classes and sponsors.

Does the search show the Raleigh journeyman certificate?

No. That certificate is examined by the City of Raleigh Electrical Examining Board, not by the state Board, so it does not appear in the state search.

What this page cites

• NCBEEC public license search The Board's free ARLS search for licenses and their classifications. source
• G.S. 87-43 Requires a listed qualified individual regularly on active duty at each separate place of business. source
• NCBEEC fees and services Prices the verification of license at $25.00 and the duplicate license at $15.00. source
• NCBEEC continuing education credit search The Board's public search for continuing education credits on a record. source
• City of Raleigh Electrical Examining Board Shows that the Raleigh journeyman certificate is examined by a city board rather than the state Board. source