When hiring a licensed electrician in the Kansas City metropolitan area – how do you find out if the electrician is licensed? Why is it important that you hired a licensed electrician and not just a random handy-man? All Current Electric has a few insights to share.

Why You Should Hire A Licensed Electrician
Bottom line – you should ALWAYS hire a professional licensed electrician for electrical work in your home. We understand that you may want to save money on any electrical work you need but money should not be your first consideration. Not only because of the nature of the work which can be dangerous but because any residential electrical work that isn’t done correctly can lead to disaster – fire – and your homeowner’s insurance policy usually will not cover work done by an unlicensed person. Someone who is licensed/certified is your assurance that he or she knows what they are doing and that alone is enough incentive to not risk your home and people’s lives by hiring someone who is not trained and certified in the field.

Requirements For Becoming A Licensed Electrician
Becoming a licensed electrician requires a lot of training. In some cases a journeyman electrician must complete five years of education in addition to 10,000 hours of on-the-job training where electricians learn how to work with electrical systems safely within the scope of their state’s and city’s laws and codes. As building codes vary by state and community, the National Electrical Code is the minimum standard for electrical licensing in most states. A licensed electrician will have a complete knowledge and understanding of their locality’s code requirements and whether or not a permit is required.

Ask the Contractor the Right Questions

Don’t just take the contractor’s word for it that he is a licensed electrician. Questions to ask are:

• Are you licensed, bonded and insured? Make sure the contractor holds a valid electrical contractor’s license, is bonded and insured. Ask to see some proof.
• How many years of experience do you have as a licensed electrician? Experience is always the best teacher. A person can have a lot of education, but no actual experience. Knowing the codebook isn’t proof that the electrical worker knows how to implement it.
• Will you be doing the electrical work or will it be sub-contracted out? Confirm whether the owner will do the work, or use employees or subcontractors. If the owner isn’t onsite, the employees should be journeyman electricians, not apprentices in training. An apprentice has to be supervised by a licensed professional.
• If subcontractors are used, homeowners may have legal liability if subcontractors are not covered under the contractor’s insurance.
• Do you have a business license? Along with a valid electrician’s license, check if the contractor is licensed to operate in your area, and follow up to confirm the license is current.
• Do you offer a warranty on the work you provide? Ask if parts or labor or both are under warranty. How long is the warranty effective? A good electrician will offer a warranty.

How to Verify if an Electrician is Licensed
How can you find out if your electrician is licensed and operating within the scope of his license? Essentially, there are at least five sources of information that will help you verify a license.

• Ask the electrician to see his license. Using the number on the license you can verify with the city or state if it’s a valid license.
• Your city’s licensing department can also verify if an electrician is certified to perform electrical work in your community. Obtain the information using the electrician’s full name.
• Ask for proof of liability insurance. The insurance company can verify the license.
• Each state has different licensing requirements and sources of verification. Your state’s Department of Labor can also provide this information. 
• Obtain verification from the company the electrician is employed by.

Electrical work in Kansas and Missouri can be performed under a licensed electrician. It could be a contractor, a master electrician or any other official license. For more information you can see Permits and Licenses page (note contractor is a different category than other electrician licenses).

When you need the services of a local licensed electrician give All Current Electric a call at 913-825-3506, or visit us ONLINE. 

• How to Become an Electrician in Missouri

• How to Become an Electrician in Kansas