Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

Twenty answers

Florida Electrician License Questions: Answered, Cited

These are the questions Florida electricians type, answered short, with the statute, the board page or the county document behind each one. Where two sources disagree, both are named.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

Do I need a license to do electrical work in Florida?

Not if you work for somebody who holds one. Section 489.503 exempts an employee acting inside the scope of the license held by the certificate holder or registrant who employs them, with permission, so long as they do not claim credentials they do not hold.

Contracting is different. Section 489.516 says nobody who is not certified or registered may engage in the business of contracting in Florida.

Is there a state journeyman electrician license in Florida?

No. Florida licenses electrical contractors through DBPR, and s. 489.5335 treats journeyman licensing as something counties and municipalities do.

Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Duval all issue journeyman cards. Orange County doesn't.

Is there a master electrician license in Florida?

Not from the state. Master electrician is a county credential. Miami-Dade runs master levels for electrician, burglar alarm, fire alarm, sign, low voltage, electric utility and TV antenna work through its Construction Trades Qualifying Board.

The state credential above a county card is the electrical contractor license, certified or registered.

What is the difference between a certified and a registered contractor?

Certified licenses let the holder contract anywhere in Florida. Registered licenses are limited to the jurisdiction whose local competency card the person holds, as the board FAQ puts it.

Section 489.513 adds that a registered contractor may contract only in the area and for the type of work the registration covers, unless further local licenses are obtained.

How do I get an electrical contractor license in Florida?

Meet one of the experience paths in s. 489.511, apply on form ECLB 8 to sit the exam, pass the technical and business parts at 75 percent, then file for the license on form ECLB 1.

That checklist asks for a personal credit report, a business credit report, a financial statement showing a net worth of at least $10,000, and exam scores no older than three years.

How long does it take to become an electrician in Florida?

Apprenticeship is four years and about 8,000 hours at the JATCs and IEC chapters. County journeyman cards land around then: three years of experience in Miami-Dade, four in Broward and Pinellas.

The state contractor license needs one of the s. 489.511 paths, and four years as a foreman, supervisor or contractor inside an eight year window is the common one.

How many hours do I need for a Florida journeyman card?

Section 489.5335 sets the floor at a registered, state approved apprenticeship or at least 12,000 hours of on the job training, plus a proctored exam at 75 percent and Florida Building Commission code coursework.

Counties count it their own way. The Pinellas application takes four years, or four years of full time employment at 2,000 hours a year, or a mix adding to 8,000 hours.

Do I have to register as an apprentice in Florida?

No. Florida has no apprentice license and no state apprentice card. Your employer's license covers your work under s. 489.503.

What gets registered is the program. The Department of Education Office of Apprenticeship is the state apprenticeship agency, and county rules ask for a registered, state approved program.

What does a Florida electrical contractor license cost?

The certified examination application is $263.25, the computer based exam fee to the vendor is $123.75 and a retake is $67.25. The initial certified license is $296.00 and the initial registered license is $151.00.

Application fees aren't refundable. Section 489.509 caps the initial application and examination at $400.

When does my Florida electrical license expire?

August 31 of every even numbered year. The cycle is biennial for certificate holders and registrants alike.

The board asks for two things before that date: the continuing education finished and the renewal fee paid. Renewal runs $296 certified active, $121 registered active or $51 inactive, with a $25.00 delinquent fee.

How much continuing education does a Florida electrical contractor need?

Eleven hours per two year cycle for certified and registered electrical contractors, and seven for alarm and specialty contractors, on the board's table.

The board's table and s. 489.517 describe the electrical eleven differently: the table says 6 technical plus 1 Florida laws and rules, and the statute says 7 technical. Plan for both and confirm with your provider.

Which NEC edition does the Florida exam use?

The approved reference list names NFPA 70, 2023 edition, as reference RN9 for the electrical contractor exams, with the 2026 edition scheduled to become the reference on August 21, 2027.

County exams can sit further back. Miami-Dade's exam descriptions tie its journeyman electrician exam to the 2017 NEC.

How many questions is the Florida electrical contractor exam?

The candidate information booklet gives the business exam 50 questions in 2.5 hours, and the unlimited electrical, residential, alarm I and II, limited energy, sign, lighting maintenance and utility line exams 100 questions in 5 hours each.

DBPR describes the exam as two parts, technical and safety plus business.

What is the passing score on the Florida electrical exam?

Seventy five percent on both sections, per the candidate information booklet. Passing scores stay valid for three years from the examination date.

An applicant who already holds a current certified license in another category does not have to retake the business and finance exam.

Is the Florida electrical exam open book, and can I tab my code book?

It's open book, and DBPR says candidates are encouraged to bring approved reference materials from the reference list.

Permanently attached tabs may be used. Post-it notes, pull off labels and removable tabs are not allowed, no scratch paper or study notes are permitted, and a PDF reference has to be printed and bound in a spiral notebook or a binder with three or more holes.

How many times can I retake the Florida electrical exam?

The booklet allows three attempts at the business section, after which the candidate has to reapply. Each failure of the technical and safety section means reapplying to the department for a new authorization to test.

Section 489.511 says the board sets the frequency of attempts and may require additional education after three unsuccessful ones. A retake is $67.25.

Does Florida have reciprocity with other states?

No agreements. The board's reciprocity document says it recognizes certain out of state examinations as substantially equivalent for endorsement instead.

California, Georgia and North Carolina are recognized for both parts. Colorado, NASCLA, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas are recognized for one part each. Those nine rows are the whole matrix, so a license from any other state leaves you sitting both Florida sections.

Does my county journeyman card work in another Florida county?

Yes. Section 489.5335 says counties and municipalities must recognize a person as a journeyman in the electrical and alarm system trades if a Florida county or municipality issued that license.

You'll still file. Broward asks the issuing county for a sealed letter with the exam score and testing agency, and Palm Beach asks that the experience meet or beat its own with scores of at least 75 percent.

Can I do electrical work on my own home in Florida?

Section 489.503(6) exempts owners doing work on their own single family or duplex residence, on farm outbuildings, or on commercial buildings under $75,000, where the structure is for the owner's own use and not offered for sale or lease. It does not bar you from selling later. What it says is that selling or leasing, or offering to sell or lease, more than one such structure within one year of finishing it is prima facie evidence the construction was undertaken for sale or lease, which is what takes the exemption away.

Permits still apply. Orange County, for example, takes an owner builder disclosure statement before a homeowner pulls an electrical permit.

How much do electricians make in Florida?

O*NET, republishing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives Florida electricians a median of $27.52 an hour or $57,250 a year.

Metro medians on the same page: Jacksonville $28.02, the Miami area $28.19, the Tampa area $27.62, Tallahassee $26.00 and the Orlando area $24.43 an hour.

What this page cites

• Section 489.5335, Florida Statutes The county journeyman standards and the cross county recognition rule. source
• Section 489.511, Florida Statutes Age, experience paths, the certification exam and attempts. source
• Section 489.503, Florida Statutes Who may do electrical work without a license, including employees and owner builders. source
• ECLB frequently asked questions Fees, insurance minimums, the three year score life and the renewal figures. source
• Candidate information booklet Question counts, times, the 75 percent pass mark, tabbing rules and retakes. source
• Approved reference list The 2023 NEC as the exam reference, with the 2026 edition arriving August 21, 2027. source
• O*NET local wages for Florida electricians State and metro medians from Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. source