California C-10 Electrical Contractor License: Scope, Verification, and the Two Credentials to Check

The C-10 classification covers electrical work: wiring, raceways, fixtures, panels, and the systems that generate, transmit, transform, or use electrical energy. That scope includes solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and battery energy storage systems (BESS), with no size cap or special conditions attached to the C-10.

That breadth is why the C-10 is the safe credential for a solar-plus-battery project. A C-46 solar contractor's battery authority is much narrower: under a February 2026 legal settlement, a C-46 may install and service batteries up to 80 kWh only alongside solar systems it installs or originally installed. Standalone battery retrofits, batteries added to another company's system, and systems of 80 kWh or more require a C-10 (or an A or B licensee acting within its own scope).

California splits electrical regulation across two agencies. CSLB licenses the C-10 contracting business. The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), through the Labor Commissioner's Electrician Certification Unit, certifies the individual electricians who perform electrical work for C-10 contractors. There are five certification categories (General Electrician, Residential Electrician, Fire/Life Safety Technician, Voice Data Video Technician, and Non-Residential Lighting Technician), and uncertified workers must generally be registered apprentices or registered trainees working under a certified electrician's supervision.

There is no California 'journeyman electrician license' to look up: the state issues electrician certifications and trainee registrations, not journeyman licenses. If a search sends you hunting for a journeyman license lookup, that's why you can't find one. You can verify a worker's credential through the DIR's Electrician Certification Search, which works from the certification or trainee number rather than a free-text name search, so ask the electrician for their number.

Any project where labor, materials, and all other items total $1,000 or more must be performed by a CSLB-licensed contractor. The threshold rose from $500 to $1,000 on January 1, 2025 under Assembly Bill 2622 (Business & Professions Code §7048). Below $1,000, a narrow minor-work exemption can apply only if the job is casual, minor, and standalone (not part of a larger project), requires no building permit of any kind, no one is employed on the job, and any advertising discloses that the person is not licensed.

Panel upgrades, new circuits, and service changes also require a permit, which a licensed contractor pulls in their own name. For anything beyond a minor repair, look for an Active C-10 (or a B General Building license where the scope qualifies).

Confirm the license is Active and the C-10 classification is listed, either on the CSLB "Check a License" tool or on the contractor's profile in this directory. CSLB license numbers are six or seven digits; match the number and the business name to your contract and bid. Check that the $25,000 contractor bond is on file (Business & Professions Code §7071.6) and that workers' compensation coverage, or a valid exemption, is shown.

For the workers doing the job, you can separately confirm individual certification through the DIR's Electrician Certification Search (have the worker's certification or trainee number ready). Browse Active C-10 electrical contractors by city in the California electrical directory and see each one's dated CSLB status before you hire.

A electrical contractor must carry workers' compensation insurance for any employees. A contractor that genuinely works alone can currently file a no-employee exemption, so the CSLB record may show an exemption rather than a policy: confirm one or the other before you hire. Since January 1, 2026 (SB 291), a licensee caught employing workers without coverage faces minimum penalties of $10,000 per violation for a sole owner and $20,000 per violation for a partnership, corporation, or LLC, and cannot renew without current coverage.

Senate Bill 1455 will extend that requirement to every CSLB licensee, regardless of employees, on January 1, 2028, with CSLB's exemption-verification process due by January 1, 2027. Five high-risk classifications already carry no exemption at all, C-8 (concrete), C-20 (HVAC), C-22 (asbestos abatement), C-39 (roofing), and C-61/D-49 (tree service), and must hold coverage regardless of employees.