Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

The license that lets you contract

North Carolina Electrical Contractor License: The Rules

This is the license itself. It sits on the company, it is activated by a person who passed the Board's examination, and at Intermediate and Unlimited it needs a statement of bonding ability. Here is the sequence, the paperwork and the money.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The license has two halves

G.S. 87-43 puts the license on the person, partnership, firm or corporation engaging in electrical contracting. It also says at least one listed qualified individual has to be 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.

G.S. 87-41.1 defines the qualified individual as someone who has passed the Board's examination and been certified. A listed qualified individual is that person once their name is attached to a licensee.

So a one person shop is really two records: the company license and the individual certification that activates it.

Before you apply

Pick the classification by the largest single project you expect to take, then check the hours. Limited asks for 3,000 hours with 2,000 primary, Intermediate for 5,750 with 5,000 primary and Unlimited for 9,000 with 8,000 primary.

Collect two character statements. The examination application asks for written statements from at least two people attesting to your good character, on the Board's Character Statement form.

Unlimited applicants collect two more. The Supervise and Direct form asks each witness to certify their opinion that you can satisfactorily supervise and direct all electrical wiring and installation work in the Unlimited classification, and it accepts co-workers, employers and professional associates as witnesses.

The examination step

File the examination application with the $125 application and examination fee, which the Board says is not refundable. Approval opens a 90 day authorization period to sit the paper.

The Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited examinations are 100 multiple choice questions with a maximum of six hours, open book, and the pass mark is a grade of 70. PSI delivers them at seven North Carolina sites.

Fail and you wait. The handbook says a person who fails cannot take another examination in the same classification until three months after the date of the failed attempt, and the Board's examinations page states the same rule as 90 days.

The license application

Passing is not the license. The new license application is a separate filing, and it carries the annual license fee: $100 Limited, $150 Intermediate, $200 Unlimited, $100 for each special restricted classification.

Intermediate and Unlimited also need a statement of bonding ability. The Board's application uses $60,001 for Intermediate and $150,001 for Unlimited.

Once the license is issued, the qualified individual is listed on it. The Board publishes an Add or Drop Qualified Individual form and a Drop Company form on its forms page for the changes that follow.

The Laws and Rules class you owe in year one

A newly listed qualified individual has to complete the Board's free four hour Laws and Rules of Electrical Contracting class within 12 months. The Board states that in its reciprocity packets and runs the class itself.

The class schedule page says the sessions run 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, are free, are first come first served, and can be attended in person or online. Online attendees need a computer with camera and video capability or they get no credit, and anyone sent as part of a disciplinary action gets no credit either.

The class is worth four hours of classroom continuing education, so it does double duty in the first year.

Other routes in

Ten states have reciprocal agreements with North Carolina, which waives the technical examination but still asks for a 25 question North Carolina laws, rules and business practices test at 70 percent. The reciprocity page has the list and the paperwork.

The Board also publishes a License Application for NASCLA Qualified Individuals and a Military License Application with its own employer statement form, both on the forms page. G.S. 93B-15.1 is the military licensing statute the Board points to.

Staying licensed

Renewal is annual, the late renewal fee is $25, and the Board's continuing education requirement falls on every listed qualified individual for each annual license period.

Hours are eight for Unlimited, Intermediate, Limited and Residential Dwelling, and four for the other special restricted classes. At least half of them have to come from in person classroom or seminar attendance, a floor that has applied to renewals since July 1, 2008.

If you stop contracting for a while, the Board publishes a Request Inactive Status form and a License Reactivation Application rather than making you start over.

Questions people ask

Who holds the North Carolina electrical contractor license, the person or the company?

The company. G.S. 87-43 licenses the person, partnership, firm or corporation that engages in electrical contracting, and requires a listed qualified individual on active duty at each separate place of business to supervise and direct the work.

What does it cost to get an NC electrical contractor license?

The application and examination fee is $125 and is not refundable. The annual license fee that follows is $100 for Limited, $150 for Intermediate, $200 for Unlimited and $100 for each special restricted classification.

Do I need a bond for a North Carolina electrical contractor license?

The Board asks for a statement of bonding ability to activate an Intermediate or Unlimited license. The application uses $60,001 for Intermediate and $150,001 for Unlimited. Limited does not carry that requirement on the application.

How long after failing can I retake the NC contractor exam?

Three months. The Examination Information Handbook says a person who fails is not eligible to take another examination in the same classification until three months after the date of the failed examination, and the Board's exam page states the same rule as a 90 day wait.

How long is my exam approval good for?

Ninety days. The handbook gives a 90 day authorization period from the date of approval, and says an appointment can be cancelled and rescheduled without losing the fee if PSI gets the notice two days before the scheduled date.

Do I have to take a class after I am listed as the qualified individual?

Yes. A newly listed qualified individual has to complete the Board's free four hour Laws and Rules class within 12 months. It also counts as four classroom hours of continuing education.

Can my company hold a license if I move to another firm?

The license needs a listed qualified individual to stay active, so the Board publishes an Add or Drop Qualified Individual form and a Drop Company form for that change. File the paperwork before the person leaves rather than after.

What this page cites

• G.S. 87-43 and G.S. 87-41.1 Put the license on the business and define the qualified individual and the listed qualified individual. source
• NCBEEC new license application Sets the annual license fee by classification and the bonding statement amounts for Intermediate and Unlimited. source
• Examination Information Handbook Gives the 100 question format, the 90 day authorization period, the cancellation rule and the three month retake wait. source
• NCBEEC classes page Describes the free four hour Laws and Rules class, its times and its continuing education value. source
• NCBEEC continuing education page Puts the continuing education duty on every listed qualified individual and sets the hours and the classroom floor. source
• NCBEEC forms page Lists the add and drop, upgrade, downgrade, inactive status, reactivation, NASCLA and military applications by name. source