Electricians in Philadelphia: city licenses, permits and old houses
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What is different about hiring an electrician in Philadelphia?
The city licenses electricians, requires a licensed contractor for work done under an electrical permit, and has a great deal of very old housing. Pennsylvania itself has no electrician license, so in Philadelphia the city's rules are the ones that count.
What does it take to hold a Philadelphia electrical license?
The Department of Licenses and Inspections says the Electrical Contractor License is needed to do electrical work in the city, low-voltage wiring included. To qualify, an applicant needs:
- at least four years of employment doing electrical work for a licensed company, with two years of electrical education counting as one year and education replacing no more than two;
- a pass on the Philadelphia Electrical Contractor Examination, which the International Code Council administers;
- at least eight hours of coursework in the current edition of NFPA 70 in the 12 months before applying;
- insurance of at least $500,000 general liability per occurrence and $300,000 automobile liability, plus workers' compensation.
The license is renewed every year, and each renewal needs another eight hours of code coursework and active insurance. There is one specialty to know about: electrical contractors who install, upgrade or repair electric vehicle chargers must hold Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program certification, and from July 1, 2026 the contractor named on any permit that includes a charger must have it on file with the city.
Who may do the work?
A licensed electrical contractor. The city's electrical permit page says so in one line: a licensed electrical contractor must perform all electrical work, with an active license, city taxes paid and insurance on file. Any property owner or authorized agent may apply for the permit, but a copy of the signed contract between owner and licensed contractor must be submitted, and an application filed by someone else needs a statement on the contractor's letterhead confirming the contractor is on the job.
Who inspects it?
Not the city's own staff. The permit page says the owner or the owner's agent must hire a licensed electrical inspection agency to perform all inspections. The city issues separate licenses for electrical inspection agencies and for individuals who inspect electrical work, listed on its trade licenses page. Ask your electrician which agency they use and whether its fee is in the quote.
Which jobs need a permit, and which may not?
The permit page lists installation, alteration, renewal, replacement and repair of electrical systems as needing one. It then names work that may not, under the city's code: minor repairs and maintenance such as replacing lamps, circuit breakers and fuses; repairing or replacing switches, lamp sockets and receptacles; and replacing light fixtures to existing conditions. Utility equipment and low-voltage wiring in one- and two-family homes may also be exempt.
For larger home jobs the city has a quicker route. Work on a one- or two-family house with a connected load under 200 amps, a service of 200 amps or less, and charger installations that meet the city's standard can go through as EZ permits without plans. Three more things can come up:
- a separate PECO service and meter application, for work on the service;
- a separate building permit for renovations, which must be issued before the electrical permit;
- a Department of Public Health permit for an emergency generator.
Why do the houses matter?
Because so many are old. The Census Bureau estimates that 39.9 percent of the city's 748,270 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, against 25.0 percent statewide, and only 6.2 percent since 2010. The Electrical Safety Foundation dates knob-and-tube wiring to the 1800s through the 1930s and describes it as a fire hazard today because it is ungrounded. A prewar Philadelphia house may still have some, behind walls that have been altered many times.
Those houses also predate 1978, and the Environmental Protection Agency requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home to be certified in lead-safe work practices. The rule also reaches owners who rent out their homes, which matters in a city where the Census counts 48.2 percent of occupied homes as rented.
If something outside fails, PECO's equipment responsibility page says the utility owns the service wire and the meter, while the homeowner owns the weather head, the meter box and the service entrance cable.
How do you check a contractor in Philadelphia?
With the city's own tools. The L&I lookup lists every actively licensed contractor and any licensing violations; the city also publishes a list of revoked and suspended licenses, and a permit lookup. The city's contractor guidance asks owners to make sure the permits have been obtained and posted on the property before work begins, and has a form to report an unlicensed contractor or unpermitted work. Questions go to 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside the city.
What Pennsylvania requires of electricians sets out the state rules that apply here as well, and electricians serving the city are on the Philadelphia electricians page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Get an Electrical Contractor License, City of Philadelphia
- Get an Electrical Permit, City of Philadelphia
- Trade licenses, City of Philadelphia
- Find a licensed contractor and contractor information, City of Philadelphia
- Understanding Your Home Electrical System, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Equipment Responsibility, PECO