California

Electrician license in California

What it takes to hold a General Electrician certification in California, from the California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit).

  • 8,000Supervised work hours
  • $100Exam fee
  • 30Registered apprenticeship sponsors
  • $76,160Median pay in California

Requirements

General Electrician certification requirements

Supervised work hours8,000
ExamGeneral Electrician exam, 100 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass; 60-day wait to retest
Exam fee$100
Application fee$75
RenewalEvery 3 years
Renewal fee$100
General Electrician certification · California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit). Blank items are not published by the board, so we leave them out.

The steps

  1. Log 8,000 hours of supervised work.
  2. Apply to the California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit) ($75 application fee).
  3. General Electrician exam, 100 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass; 60-day wait to retest.
  4. Keep it current: every 3 years.

Check the board before you apply: California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit).

Apprenticeships

Registered apprenticeship sponsors in California

30 registered apprenticeship sponsors in California match this trade in the DOL partner file. Most of the supervised hours can be earned inside a paid registered apprenticeship; see where to apply for an apprenticeship in California on RegisteredTradeSchools.com. A listing is not confirmation of current openings.

Pay

What licensed electricians earn in California

Median $76,160, bottom 10% $46,800, top 10% $140,340 (BLS OEWS May 2025). Full California pay breakdown.

Get training programs and tuition near you

Free. Tell us where you are and we'll point you to listed programs in California, with tuition where it is published.

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By the HighPayingTrades Data Team · Updated

Sources

Figures as of BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (released 2026-05-15) and BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (released 2026-08-27).

  • Licensing: California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit), https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/291_1.html, retrieved 2026-11-04.
  • Licensing: California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit), https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/292_0.html, retrieved 2026-11-04.
  • Licensing: California DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Electrician Certification Unit), https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/ECU_FAQ.htm, retrieved 2026-11-04.
  • Apprenticeship sponsor counts: U.S. DOL Office of Apprenticeship partner sponsors file (CSV), retrieved 2026-11-04. Matched to the trade by keywords in the organization name; the file has no occupation field and no openings status.
  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15.

Compiled by the HighPayingTrades Data Team. Items a board does not publish are left out, not estimated. Last checked 2026-11-04.