Certified vs. Licensed Electrician in Florida: The Difference

In Florida, "licensed electrician" covers two different things. A State Certified Electrical Contractor holds an EC license and can work anywhere in Florida. A Registered Electrical Contractor holds an ER license and can only work in the specific county or city that registered them. Both are legitimately licensed. They are not equivalent.

Most homeowners never learn this distinction, and most advertising does not explain it. Here is what it actually means for your job.

State Certified (EC): valid statewide

A Certified Electrical Contractor has passed the Florida state examination administered through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, met the experience requirements, and carries the insurance and financial responsibility the state requires.

An EC license number is good in all 67 counties. If a contractor is certified, they can pull a permit in Hernando, Pasco, Citrus, Hillsborough or anywhere else without additional local registration.

Faulkner Electric holds Florida State Certified Electrical Contractor license EC13006813 .

Registered (ER): valid only where registered

A Registered Electrical Contractor has met a local jurisdiction's requirements rather than the state examination. Their license is tied to that jurisdiction. An ER contractor registered in Pasco County generally cannot pull a permit in Hernando County without registering there separately.

This is not a knock on their work. Plenty of excellent electricians hold ER licenses. But it matters if your property sits near a county line, or if you own property in more than one county.

Contractor license versus individual credentials

There is a second layer that gets confused with the first. A contractor license (EC or ER) belongs to the business and authorizes it to contract for work and pull permits. Journeyman and Master Electrician are credentials held by individual people, showing their level of training and experience.

A company can hold an EC license and staff the truck with apprentices. A Master Electrician can work for a company that holds no contractor license at all. Ideally you want both: a properly licensed contractor, and experienced people actually doing the work.

Billy Faulkner III is a Master Electrician, and the company holds the state EC license.

How to check any contractor in about thirty seconds

Go to myfloridalicense.com and search by license number or business name. You will see the license type, whether it is EC or ER, the status, the expiration date, and any disciplinary history.

Things worth noting when you look:

• The license should be Active , not "Current, Inactive" or "Null and Void"
• The name on the license should match the company that quoted you
• An EC number means statewide certification, an ER number means local registration
• Check whether there is disciplinary history attached

If a contractor will not give you a license number, that answers your question.

Why this matters more than it sounds

Permits are the practical consequence. If the work needs a permit and your contractor is not licensed to pull one in your county, one of two things happens: the job gets delayed while they register, or it gets done without a permit.

Unpermitted electrical work is the kind of problem that surfaces years later. It shows up when you sell the house and the buyer's inspector finds a panel with no permit history. It shows up when you file an insurance claim after an electrical fire and the carrier asks who did the work and under what permit.

Insurance is the other consequence. If a contractor is not properly licensed, their liability coverage may not respond to a claim. That leaves you as the deep pocket.

What to ask

• What is your license number, and is it EC or ER?
• Are you licensed to pull permits in my county?
• Does this job require a permit, and are you pulling it?
• Who will actually be doing the work, and what are their credentials?
• Can you provide a certificate of insurance?

About Faulkner Electric

We have been wiring homes and businesses in West Central Florida since 1973. Family owned, Florida State Certified Electrical Contractor EC13006813 , and licensed to pull permits anywhere in the state.

We serve Spring Hill, Hudson, Brooksville, Weeki Wachee, New Port Richey, Trinity, Tarpon Springs, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and the surrounding communities.

Call 727-842-4920 for a free estimate.