Electrician licenses in
West Virginia
West Virginia licenses electricians statewide.
Official search run by West Virginia State Fire Marshal, Regulatory and Licensing Division at sfm-permit-public.wvoasis.gov.
What the license should say
In West Virginia you'll see one of these on an electrician's card, bid or truck:
- Master Electrician
- Individual with at least two years of electrical work experience who is competent to design electrical systems and supervise journeyman electricians.
- Journeyman Electrician
- Individual with at least one year of experience who may install wiring and equipment but may not design electrical systems.
- Specialty Electrician
- Individual qualified to perform electrical work in a limited or specialized area.
- Electrical Contractor
- Person, firm or corporation in the business of electrical work that employs master electricians, journeyman electricians or other related workers.
Hiring a company, not a person?
An electrical contractor employs State Fire Marshal licensed master or journeyman electricians (W. Va. Code 29-3B-2) and needs a Contractor Licensing Board license in the electrical classification when a job costs $5,000 or more residential or $25,000 or more commercial (30-42-3 and 30-42-5).
Doing it yourself
W. Va. Code 29-3B-3 requires no license for a person who performs electrical work on property owned or leased by that person or that person's immediate family.
Before you hire
- Contractor licensing in West Virginia (small-job limits, bonds, permits)
- How to check a license in West Virginia, step by step
- Before-you-hire checklist (one page, free PDF)
- File a complaint about an electrician (opens official site)
Keep this handy
We'll email you the one-page before-you-hire checklist, plus occasional tips on hiring safely.