How to Check a Wisconsin Electrician's License Before You Hire

The law in one paragraph

Wisconsin statute 101.862 says nobody may install, repair or maintain electrical wiring unless licensed as an electrician (or enrolled as a registered electrician) by the Department of Safety and Professional Services. A non-master has to work under a master electrician, who is responsible for the work at all times, and a business doing electrical work has needed an Electrical Contractor licence since April 1, 2014. The one exemption is a homeowner working on a house they own and live in, unless a local rule says otherwise (Wis. Stat. 101.862).

The credentials

• Master Electrician. Can be responsible for any electrical work. To sit the exam, a candidate needs an electrical engineering degree, 12 months as a licensed journeyman, or at least 60 months and 10,000 hours of wiring experience (DSPS).
• Journeyman Electrician. Licensed to do the work under a master.
• Residential Master and Residential Journeyman. Limited to dwellings and detached accessory structures like garages, carports, gazebos and pools (SPS 305.40).
• Electrical Contractor. The licence the business holds.

How to look one up

1. Open the state's LicensE credential lookup (license.wi.gov).
2. Search the person's name, and separately the business name.
3. Check that the credential is active and is the right kind for the job (a residential credential covers a house, not a store).
4. For a service or panel job in Janesville, make sure a Master Electrician is named: the city requires one to pull that permit.

Why it matters on a Janesville job

The licence decides who may pull the permit. Janesville reserves service and feeder work on a single-family home for a Wisconsin licensed Master Electrician (City of Janesville), and state code says a master may not start permitted work until the permit is issued (SPS 305.43). A quote for a panel upgrade that does not mention the permit is a quote to ask more questions about. The rest of the questions are in hiring a Janesville electrician; small jobs are on electrical repairs.