Pen-and-ink Texas scene: a tall utility pole with a bucket truck on one side, a storefront with a lit sign in the middle, and a windmill beside a water tower on the other.

Texas electrical license types

which Texas
electrical license
do you need?

The business license, the master of record and the crew, plainly.

get started

MARKETS WE PLACE THROUGH

the short answer

Texas licenses the electrical contracting business through TDLR, and that business must employ a licensed Master Electrician of record. Electrical sign work is a separate contractor category with its own Master Sign Electrician, and journeymen and apprentices hold individual licenses beneath the business.

the Texas electrical licenses.

Who holds which license, in plain words.

Electrical Contractor: The business license. It covers designing, installing, repairing or altering wires used for light, heat, power or signaling, and it must employ a Master Electrician of record.
Master Electrician: The individual assigned to the contractor, who may also own it. A master can generally be assigned to one contractor, unless TDLR’s ownership exception applies.
Electrical Sign Contractor: A separate business category for electrical sign work, with a Master Sign Electrician assigned to it.
Journeyman and apprentice: Individual licenses and registrations for the people doing the work, beneath the business and its master.
Liability insurance: The contractor business carries at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate and $300,000 products and completed operations aggregate.
TDLR’s insurance rule

Sources: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, TDLR form ELC‑LIC‑003. Last reviewed September 2026.

what to know before
you bid in Texas.

If your master leaves.
TDLR requires the contractor to tell the department and name a replacement master within the period it sets. That doesn’t update your insurance, so tell us too if ownership, supervision or the work changes.
One name on everything.
The certificate, the policy and TDLR’s record should all show the same electrical contractor business. A master’s own license doesn’t replace the business license.

good to know.

Straight answers on Texas electrical licenses.

What electrical license does a Texas contractor need?

Texas licenses the electrical contracting business through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The business must employ a licensed Master Electrician of record, who may also own it, and the master’s own license doesn’t replace the business license. Electrical sign work is a separate category, and journeymen and apprentices hold individual licenses.

Can I use my own Master Electrician license for my contracting business?

Yes, as the master of record, but the business still needs its own license. TDLR requires an Electrical Contractor to employ a licensed Master Electrician, who may also own the business, and limits a master to one contractor unless the ownership exception applies. Make sure your insurance names the licensed business and describes its work.

What if my Texas Master Electrician of record leaves?

TDLR requires the contractor to notify the department and designate a replacement master within a set number of business days. Check the current form and instructions with TDLR. The licensing change doesn’t update your insurance on its own, so tell your broker if ownership, supervision, employees or the kinds of jobs change too.

Sources: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Last reviewed September 2026.

Insurance words, in plain English: waiver of subrogation · certificate of insurance · additional insured · primary and noncontributory · hold harmless agreement · contractual liability · per-project aggregate · completed operations