Florida electrician license: who licenses, local cards, pay

Florida has no statewide journeyman electrician license. The state licenses electrical contractors through the DBPR Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, and counties and cities may issue journeyman cards under Florida Statute 489.5335. The median Florida electrician made $27.52 an hour in May 2025, per BLS.

A lot of pages online get this wrong. Here it is plain, as of 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the Florida Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board and with the building department in the county where you'll work. For the national picture, see our electrician license requirements in every state.

01Florida license facts at a glance

02Who licenses electricians in Florida?

The state licenses the business, and local government licenses the hand. That's the short version.

The Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board issues two kinds of contractor licenses. A certified Electrical Contractor (EC) license works statewide. A registered Electrical Contractor (ER) license only works in the cities or counties where it's registered. The board also licenses alarm system and specialty contractors. Its page doesn't mention journeymen at all.

Florida is one of several states without a statewide journeyman license. In those states, the contractor's license and the local rules decide who can pull permits and run work.

03How do you get a Florida journeyman card?

F.S. 489.5335 says counties and municipalities "are authorized to issue" journeyman licenses. Where they do, you need all three of these:

1. Pass the exam. At least 75% on a proctored Block and Associates journeyman exam, or another proctored exam the board approves.
2. Show the experience. Finish a registered, state-approved apprenticeship, or show "at least 12,000 hours of on-the-job training" in the trade.
3. Finish the coursework. Complete the specialized and advanced module coursework approved by the Florida Building Commission. If the licensing office allows it, you can show proof within 6 months after you're certified.

The 12,000 hours is the trap for hands without an apprenticeship. At 2,000 straight-time hours a year, that's 6 years of work (our math: 12,000 divided by 2,000). Keep pay stubs and employer letters as you go.

Not every county issues or requires a journeyman card. Call the building department where the job is before you assume either way.

Your card follows you inside Florida, not into it

The statute is clear on this part. Counties and cities "must recognize a person as a journeyman" if any Florida county or city licensed that person in the same trade. A card from one Florida county is good in the next one over.

An out-of-state journeyman license gets no such treatment. The statute only covers cards issued by Florida counties and cities, so plan on testing like everyone else, or working under a licensed contractor where the county allows it. Ask the county before you move. Our guide to transferring an electrician license covers what to gather before you move.

04What about the Florida contractor license?

You only need it to contract work in your own name. Under F.S. 489.511, you qualify for the certified EC exam with one of these:

• 3 years of management experience within the last 6 years
• 4 years as a supervisor or contractor in the trade within the last 8 years
• 6 years of training, technical or supervisory experience within the last 12 years
• 3 years as a licensed professional engineer in electrical, within the last 12 years
• A mix of the first three adding up to 6 years

State contractor exams run through Pearson VUE. Certified and registered electrical contractors owe 11 hours of CE every two years. A certified EC who does alarm work adds 2 hours of false-alarm prevention. Licenses expire August 31 of every even year. Our post on going from journeyman to electrical contractor covers whether the jump pays.

Contractor endorsement instead of reciprocity

The board's endorsement list states it "does not have reciprocal licensing agreements with any other state." It does accept some exams as equal to Florida's:

A few more states get partial credit, so you take one of the two Florida exams. Tennessee's CE-A exam was added for the business exam in October 2025. There's also a 10-year route. If you've held an electrical contractor license in another state for 10 years, you can apply while it's active or within 2 years after. You'll also need a 2-hour Florida Building Code course. The Georgia electrician license guide covers how the Georgia classes work.

05Which code does Florida use?

Florida adopts the NEC through the Florida Building Code. Secondary sources say the 8th edition (2023) uses the 2020 NEC and the 9th edition (2026) moves to the 2023 NEC. Confirm the effective date with the board or your county before you study for a test or bid a job. [Secondary, confirm with the board]

06What does a Florida electrician make?

The median Florida electrician made $27.52 an hour in May 2025, below the national median of $30.38. These are BLS OEWS straight-time wages for all electricians, apprentices included. They leave out overtime, per diem and benefits, and they're market data, not what any one contractor will pay you.

Florida pay is bunched tight. The middle half of Florida electricians made $22.91 to $29.76, and the top 10% started at $37.10. Nationally the top 10% starts at $52.17. Orlando's median is $3.59 an hour under Jacksonville's (our math: $28.02 minus $24.43). Same state, same card, different check.

That spread is why the whole package matters more than the rate here: hours, overtime, per diem if you travel, and how long the job runs. Florida had 49,700 electricians on payroll and a $57,250 median annual wage. Our journeyman electrician pay breakdown explains what moves a rate inside those ranges.

Run your Pay Check to see what electricians with your license make near you. Takes about a minute and your boss never hears about it.

07How contractors check you with no state card

With no state journeyman license to look up, contractors lean harder on what you can show. One national electrical contractor told us their spec for a journeyman is 5 to 7 years in, able to do raceway, pull wire and terminate. Bring your county card if you have one, your apprenticeship papers or hours, and the names of jobs you ran.

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