Why use a licensed electrical contractor? First a licensed contractor is required to have at least 4 years of journey level experience before you can even apply for your contractor's license. Then a licensed electrical contractor must pass an extensive 2 part examination before getting a license. The first part of the test consists of contracting law the second part of the test consist of knowledge of the trade. Then a contractor is fingerprinted and undergoes a criminal background check before his contractor’s license is issued. If you hire someone unlicensed it could be someone who does not meet any of these requirements. If you hire someone licensed you can ask to see their license and ID this will let you know that they are licensed and that they are the person that they say they are.

       If you hire a licensed contractor you can check on the status of their license by going to cslb.ca.gov. By checking a license you can find out if their license is active or inactive or suspended for some reason? By checking a contractor’s license you can also see if they carry workmen’s comp if they have employees. This can give you a lot of insight as to who is working in your home. I spend a lot of time repairing electrical work that other people have done I am guessing that this work was probably not done by a licensed contractor. In a lot of the cases I found that people will spend just as much for someone unlicensed as they will for a licensed electrical contractor. One of the most important reasons to hire a licensed electrical contractor is that it gives you recourse if you believe the job was not done properly. All of that being said there may be some unlicensed contractors that do good work but do you want to take that chance???

Thanks John