Electrical

Need a licensed electrician to qualify your company in Florida?

You have the electricians, the work and the customers asking. What you don't have is a Florida electrical contractor's license behind the company, and without one you can't even bid on electrical work. A licensed electrical contractor can qualify your company and take real responsibility for that work. Here is how it works, what it costs, and what to watch for.

General information about Florida law, not legal advice. Speak to a Florida construction attorney before entering any qualifying arrangement.

The short answer

Yes. A licensed electrical contractor can serve as your company's qualifying agent so the company can contract for electrical work legally. Electrical work is licensed under its own board, separate from the one that covers general contractors, roofers and plumbers, so some of the rules are different.

Electrical has its own board and its own rules

Electrical contractors are covered by a separate part of Florida's contractor law, with its own board, the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board. A general contractor's license doesn't cover electrical work: under Statute 489.113, a general, building or residential contractor has to hand electrical work to a licensed electrical contractor.

A certified electrical license, the kind that starts with EC, covers the whole state.
A registered electrical license only covers the area it was issued for.
Some specialty work, like alarm systems, has its own license categories under the same board.

Even a bid counts

Under Statute 489.505, offering, bidding on, or claiming you can do electrical contracting counts as contracting. So a company without an electrical qualifier shouldn't be quoting electrical work at all, not just holding off on doing it.

What a electrical qualifier actually does

The qualifier is not a name on a form. Florida holds them responsible for supervising your electrical work, and the state looks at whether that supervision is real.

They are filed with the state licensing department as your company's qualifying agent.
They oversee your jobs, permits and inspections. Not on every job every day, but genuinely involved.
They are tied to your company through W-2 employment, ownership, or a written agreement.

W-2, ownership, or an agreement

What it costs

Three costs, kept apart.

Paid to the qualifier

Their pay

Agreed between you and the electrician. It depends on how many jobs you run, how organized your company is, and how much supervision you need. We don't publish a range, because the number only means something once both sides know the work.

Paid to the state

Filing fees

The state's own filing fees, paid to the state licensing department directly.

Paid to QualiFind

Only after a yes

Nothing to apply or to be on the platform. You only pay once we've found you a qualifier who has said yes, and if the introduction doesn't happen, you can have it back.

If your qualifier leaves

Under Statute 489.521, the qualifier has to tell the state within 30 days that they've left. If they were your only qualifier, the company has 60 days to qualify someone new.

If nobody new is qualified in that time, the board decides the company is no longer qualified to do electrical contracting.
Start looking the day you know. Sixty days goes faster than it sounds.

Warning signs

A electrician who offers to "rent" you their license number for a monthly check, with no involvement in your jobs. That is illegal for both of you under Statute 489.127.
Anyone who says yes before asking about your crews, your insurance or the jobs you run.
No written agreement. If the duties aren't written down, neither side is protected.

Get started

Tell us about your company.

Licensed electrical contractors have already applied to QualiFind as qualifiers. Every qualifier's license is checked against the state's records, and you're matched by trade, area and the way you work.

Start your application

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Does my general contractor license cover electrical work?+

No. Florida requires electrical work to be done under a licensed electrical contractor, unless you also hold an electrical license yourself.

Can a electrician from another part of Florida qualify my company?+

A certified license covers the whole state, so yes, as long as real supervision is realistic at that distance. A registered license only covers the area that issued it.

How long does it take?+

Plan in weeks, not days. You need to find the right person, both sides need to do real checking, the terms have to be agreed, and the qualifier has to be filed with the state.

Is an alarm or low-voltage company different?+

Alarm system work has its own license categories under the same electrical board. Tell us what your company does and we'll look for the right license.

Can I get my own electrical license later?+

Yes. A real qualifying arrangement is the legal bridge. You run and build the company now, under a real qualifier, and work toward your own license on a realistic timeline.

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