Idaho electrical license: what your contractor license lets you do, and your first 30 days

Published November 3, 2026 · Rules checked against Idaho Code title 54 chapter 10, the Electrical Board rules (IDAPA 24.39.10) and DOPL's own pages and forms on November 3, 2026

• Free. The full 30-day checklist is on this page, and the printable version (Google Docs, Word or PDF) comes by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Every rule here links to the statute, rule, DOPL page or utility page it comes from. Ask DOPL or an Idaho attorney before you bet a job on my reading.

Your Idaho electrical contractor license lets your business contract for any electrical work in the state, new work or repairs, houses or commercial buildings, with no dollar cap, as long as a licensed electrician does or directly supervises the work and it's covered by a permit.^1,4,5 The license rests on one person, your supervising electrician: a master, or a journeyman with more than 2,000 hours as a licensed journeyman, designated to your company and nobody else's. To issue it, DOPL wanted proof of $300,000 of liability insurance and workers' comp if you have employees. There's no bond.^3,4

Where it stops: gas piping to a generator or range, the plumbing side of a water heater, and any non-electrical construction over $2,000 unless you also register with the Contractors Board. And in 19 cities and one county (Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls among them) the local government issues your permit and inspects your work instead of the state.^12,14,19 The rest of this page is the first month: permits, the utility, your helpers, the numbers that go on your ads, and the dates that expire.

The whole 30-day checklist is further down this page. It's also a printable sheet with tick boxes and blanks for your license, permit, policy and utility account numbers: make your own copy in Google Docs (lands in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

"What exactly does this license I have allow me to do now?" a newly licensed contractor asked r/electricians.³⁴ He was in Louisiana, but it's the right question in any state. The pages that rank for "Idaho electrical license" are DOPL's own, an exam school and ServiceTitan's licensing guide, and all of them are about getting the license. None says what to do in the month after. That's this page.

What your Idaho electrical contractor license covers

Idaho licenses the business and the people separately. The electrical contractor license belongs to the company (or to you, if you're licensed as a sole proprietor). It lets the company sell, bid and sign for electrical work. The electrician licenses belong to people, and they're what lets anyone pick up a tool. Neither one transfers: sell the company or change its legal form and the new entity applies on its own.^1,3

Three rules set the edges of the contractor license:

• Your scope follows your electrician: "A contractor's allowable scope of work is the same as the scope of its licensed employee." With a master or journeyman as your supervising electrician, that's everything.⁴
• Repairs count. "Contracting work includes electrical maintenance or repair work, in addition to new electrical installations," and there's no small-job or like-for-like exemption for a contractor.⁴
• Idaho has no job-size tiers for electrical work. The one ceiling is public work: a state, city or school project estimated at $100,000 or more also needs a public works contractor license, unless you're a sub under a Class A or higher licensee on a subcontract under $100,000.¹⁵

Idaho electrical license classes, and what each one allows

Sources for the table: the electrical chapter's definitions, qualifications, terms and fees, the board's rules, DOPL's fee table, and DOPL's October 8 notice moving the board to two-year licenses.^{1,2,4,6,7,8,9} A master doesn't also need a journeyman license, and gets one at no extra cost anyway.

Your supervising electrician

The contractor license is only as good as the person behind it. The rules:

• One person, one company. "Each contractor shall designate one supervising electrician," and that person "shall not represent any other applicant for a contractor's license," and can't use two licenses to cover two companies.⁴
• DOPL's application takes either an Idaho master or a journeyman who has worked more than 2,000 hours while holding the journeyman license, with a work verification form to prove it.³
• The statute says the business "shall employ a full-time journeyman electrician with over two thousand (2,000) hours of documented experience as a licensed journeyman electrician or a master electrician," unless the owner holds that license himself. The rules add that the supervising electrician "must be available during working hours."^4,5
• If they leave, you stop. Tell DOPL in writing within 10 business days. Until a new supervising electrician is designated, "The contractor may not purchase permits or make electrical installations."⁴

If you're the master or journeyman yourself, this section is short: you're your own supervising electrician, as long as your own license stays active.⁴ If you hired someone else's license to get started, read those four lines again. The person signing carries the risk with you. One electrician put it bluntly in a July 2026 thread on what masters charge to sign for a company: "You could end up behind bars because of someone else's mistake made under work done in your name."³⁷ A separate article covers that deal in full.

Apprentices, helpers and who can work alone

A licensed journeyman or master can work alone on any job, and a residential electrician can work alone in a residential setting. Everyone else needs a licensed electrician watching.^2,5

• Register apprentices before they start. Working as an apprentice without a current registration is unlawful, and DOPL won't count hours worked while a registration was lapsed.^5,18
• Apprentices, trainees and provisional journeymen work "only under the constant on-the-job supervision and training" of a licensed electrician.⁴
• The ratio in a residential setting is one residential electrician, journeyman or master to no more than six apprentices. Anywhere else it's one journeyman or master to no more than two. No ratio for an apprentice past 6,000 hours who's enrolled in or has finished a board-approved program. Cities and counties can't change these numbers.⁵
• "Knowing employment of a person who does not hold an active license or registration to perform electrical work" is a separate violation, with its own civil penalty.⁴

Owner advice on the first hire runs one way: "It's tempting to get an apprentice as they're cheaper. Don't! Get a tradesman first. They can work while you stay at home and chase work for them."³⁶ In Idaho a journeyman also raises your apprentice limit on commercial jobs, where each licensed electrician can carry only two. Workers' comp starts with that first employee (more below).

Where your Idaho electrical license stops

These are the edges a new electrical contractor hits first. Each one has a rule behind it.

• Gas piping is HVAC or plumbing work in Idaho. The HVAC chapter lists "Fuel piping" among the work an HVAC or plumbing certificate covers, and its definition of an HVAC system includes gas piping.¹² On a standby generator you set the unit, the transfer switch and the circuits; a certificate holder runs the gas line.
• You wire the water heater. The water and gas connections need a plumbing certificate (or HVAC, for the gas side).^12,13
• You can wire all of the HVAC equipment, condenser and furnace included. HVAC licensees may also do the last piece themselves, under their own permit: the circuit from an in-sight disconnect to the unit, up to 50 feet, and 24-volt controls on equipment of five tons or less.¹¹ The line set and ductwork are theirs. So is a ducted range hood in a house: the law lets electrical licensees install ventilating fans "except ducted range hoods in residences." A bath fan or a ductless electric space heater is yours.¹²
• Data, phone, audio-visual, intercom, PA and antenna systems need no license of any type. Fire and security alarms, class 2 and 3 signaling, nurse call and similar "limited energy" work in buildings other than one- and two-family homes needs a limited energy license, and a journeyman or master license covers that.^1,4
• Solar is covered by your journeyman or master license. A separate limited license exists for PV installers with NABCEP certification, limited to the DC side or the AC side up to the combiner.⁴
• Idaho isn't an EPA-authorized state, so EPA runs the lead-safe renovation rule here, and it covers "all firms, even sole proprietorships." In a home built before 1978, cutting into more than 6 square feet of painted surface in a room (20 outside) needs an EPA-certified firm and a certified renovator.¹⁶
• Your electrical license exempts you from the Contractors Board registration only while you stay inside electrical work. Framing a wall or remodeling a bathroom over $2,000 needs the registration too. It costs $120 to start, and my Idaho contractor license page covers it.¹⁴

Idaho electrical permits: who pulls them and who inspects

DOPL issues electrical permits and inspects everywhere in Idaho, except in cities and counties that adopt their own electrical program and actually inspect.¹⁷ DOPL's permit map (its data last edited September 29, 2026) lists these for electrical:¹⁹

Not sure about an address? DOPL's map takes the address and gives you the permit office. Two things hold everywhere. Your state license is the only license you need: no city or county may require its own electrical license or registration, or charge you a fee to work there.¹ Pocatello, for one, just asks for a copy of your state license.²¹ And cities may still set "stricter public safety rules," so a city inspector can want things a state inspector wouldn't.¹

The rules on a DOPL permit

• "All electrical permits shall be purchased before work is commenced." DOPL's FAQ says a permit is required "when any electrical, plumbing or HVAC work is performed."^4,18
• A job in an existing house is $65 per inspection. A new one-family house runs $130 (up to 1,500 square feet) to $325, plus $65 per 1,000 square feet over 4,500. Commercial and other work is $60 plus 2% of the wiring cost up to $10,000, on a sliding scale above that. Reinspection is $65, a virtual inspection $45.⁴
• Request inspections in eDOPL or on the voice line, 208-334-3950; next-day requests close at 7 p.m.¹⁸ Nothing gets covered until the inspector approves it for cover, and the job ID sticker stays posted where it can be seen.^4,18
• New in 2026: if an inspection you requested isn't done within 48 business hours, you may hire a qualified third-party inspector and get the inspection fee back. If a job fails and the inspector doesn't give you a reason within three business days, you get 10% of the fee back. This applies to cities and counties too.¹⁷
• A permit lasts 365 days from purchase; another year costs $65. A transfer to another contractor needs the original holder's notarized consent and a $45 fee.⁴
• A state inspector who finds unpermitted work issues an enforcement permit at double the fee, on top of the civil penalty for not getting a permit.^4,18

Put the permit on the quote as its own line. One owner says it still scares customers ("We keep it as a separate line item on the estimate, but none the less is scares clients a lot of times"), but the alternative is worse, and the rules make it a separate violation to misstate permit or inspection fees to a customer.^4,40

The homeowner exemption

A property owner may do noncommercial electrical work on their own primary or secondary residence and its outbuildings without a license, on a homeowner permit.¹¹ DOPL issues those only "when they themselves are doing electrical work," so you can't work under a customer's homeowner permit.¹⁸ Boise is stricter: its homeowner permit goes only to an owner on the deed who lives in the house and does the work "without assistance from others."²⁰ If a customer pulled one and wants you to finish, you buy your own permit.

Idaho Power, Avista and Rocky Mountain Power: the utility side

No power supplier in Idaho may energize a new or changed installation until it has passed inspection. Two exceptions need a licensed contractor's permit first: temporary power for construction, and restoring a service to protect life or property. A contractor who energizes early under those "assumes full responsibility for the installation."^4,17,22 In practice that puts the inspection between you and the reconnect on every panel swap and service upgrade. Plan the day around it.

• Idaho Power (most of southern Idaho). Service upgrades, new services and temporary power go in through the Construction Requests portal. For a panel change, call before you start (208-388-2323 in the Boise area, 800-488-6151 elsewhere). Disconnect and reconnect are free with at least 24 hours' notice on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and "the installation must be inspected and tagged before Idaho Power can reconnect it." Extra trips and extra work on its side can be billed.²³
• Avista (much of North Idaho). Use the Request a Construction Job form if "You want to upgrade, alter or move your existing electric or natural gas service or meter."²⁵
• Rocky Mountain Power (parts of East Idaho). The builders and contractors page has the Builder Service Request and the builder support line, 1-800-469-3981.²⁶
• For co-ops and city utilities, ask each one how it wants service changes requested and what it needs before it energizes. Northern Lights, for one, won't energize a new service in Bonner County until the county's Building Location Permit is approved.²⁷
• For solar on Idaho Power, the customer generation application ($100, non-refundable) comes before the install; Idaho Power reviews it within 7 business days. After the state or city inspection passes, you file the System Verification Form and Idaho Power visits within 10 business days to set the meter.²⁴ DOPL's inspectors want a one-line diagram and spec sheets on site, and a service upgrade for the system goes on its own permit.²⁸
• Before any trench, call 811 at least two business days ahead.^19,23

Utility waits are where service jobs stall. One owner on r/electricians: "I have 3 underground service I need a disconnect/reconnect scheduled and I'm going on 2 months now with nothing."³⁸ Set up the portal logins in your first week, before a customer is waiting on one.

Can I take this job? Common Idaho electrical jobs

Your first 30 days: the Idaho electrical contractor checklist

This is the whole list. The printable version has the same items with tick boxes and blanks for the numbers permit counters, utilities and general contractors ask for. An owner's version of the same list, from a thread on what to do after the exam: "Master license, contractor license, business license, workers comp insurance, liability insurance. Have a dependable truck and then start doing 'side work' full time."³⁵

Week 1: licenses and people

1. Look up the company license and your supervising electrician's license in DOPL's license search. Write down both expiry dates. Business licenses issued since October 30, 2026 expire on the original issue date, at least two years out; electrician licenses run three years and expire on the holder's birthday.^6,8
2. Confirm the supervising electrician setup: designated to your company only, available during working hours, and a plan for who steps in if they leave (DOPL must hear within 10 business days).⁴
3. Register every apprentice before their first day, and check every helper who touches wire holds a license or registration.^5,18
4. Decide whether you'll take any non-electrical construction over $2,000. If yes, get the Contractors Board registration ($120) first.¹⁴
5. Bidding public work? A project estimated at $100,000 or more also needs a public works contractor license, unless you're a sub under a Class A or higher licensee on a subcontract under $100,000.¹⁵

Week 1 to 2: business, insurance and tax

6. Keep the $300,000 liability certificate on file, in the business name if the license is the company's. DOPL asks for it again at every renewal.^3,9
7. Workers' comp from your first employee. The owner of a sole proprietorship, working partners and LLC members, and corporate officer-directors with 10% or more are exempt.²⁹
8. Register with the Tax Commission through Idaho Business Registration: a withholding account once you have employees (the same application sets up the Department of Labor and Industrial Commission accounts), and a seller's permit if you sell parts you don't install. On materials you install, you're the consumer: pay sales tax when you buy them.³⁰
9. If you'll work in pre-1978 homes, get the EPA lead-safe firm certification and a certified renovator.¹⁶

Week 2: permits and utilities

10. Set up eDOPL for permits and inspections, then an account in each city portal where you'll work (Boise, Meridian, Nampa and the rest in the table above).^7,19
11. Create the Idaho Power Construction Requests login, bookmark Avista's construction job form or Rocky Mountain Power's builder request, and save the phone numbers.^23,25,26
12. Call your local co-op or city utility and ask how it wants service changes requested.²⁷
13. Line up subs for gas piping and plumbing, so you can quote a generator or water heater the same day.¹²
14. Tell the crew: 811 at least two business days before any trench, and on Idaho Power solar jobs, nothing goes on the roof until the customer generation application is approved.^19,23,24

Week 3 to 4: ads, quotes and contracts

15. Put your electrical contractor license number in every ad: website, Google profile, social pages, directories, flyers, door hangers. The rule names "newspaper, telephone directory, community flier ads or notices; telephone, television, radio, internet, or door-to-door solicitations," and it isn't a closed list, so the truck gets it too.⁴
16. Add the license number and a permit line to your quote and invoice template.
17. For homeowner contracts over $2,000, give the Idaho Code 45-525 disclosure before the contract is signed. It's not needed when the homeowner calls you for an emergency or a necessary electrical repair. If you ever file a lien on the job, the signed acknowledgment has to go with it. My Idaho contract template includes the disclosure page.³¹

The calendar

18. Renewal dates for the company license, each electrician, each apprentice registration, the liability policy and workers' comp, each with a reminder 60 days ahead. DOPL lets you renew up to 60 days early.⁸
19. Before renewal, clear every civil penalty, unpaid permit fee and open correction notice. DOPL won't renew the license until they're resolved.⁹
20. Continuing education: none required for journeyman or master renewals since 2025.¹⁰

What crossing the line costs in Idaho

• Unlicensed electrical work is a misdemeanor. On top of that, the board's rules set a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per count. The statute allows rules up to $3,000 per violation, and "Each day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense."^4,32
• Each of these is its own count: no permit, an unposted permit or no inspection request; knowingly employing an unlicensed person; apprentices without the required supervision; not fixing corrections in time; misstating permit fees to a customer; and advertising without your license number.⁴
• The electrical chapter says nothing about whether an unlicensed contractor can sue to collect. Idaho's Supreme Court has said "a contract prohibited by law is illegal and unenforceable," and that a court applying that rule "denies enforcement of the contract, leaving the parties where it finds them." That was a public works license case, and I found no Idaho case on an electrical license, so treat it as a risk to plan around.³³
• Construction outside your license without the Contractors Board registration is a misdemeanor (a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both), with no lien rights and no lawsuit to collect unless you prove you were registered or exempt the whole time.¹⁴
• Going without workers' comp when you're required to have it is a misdemeanor, with a penalty of $25 a day or $2 per employee per day (whichever is more), and the officers or LLC managers who should have bought it are personally liable for an injured worker's benefits.²⁹
• The $300,000 policy is a condition of the license: let it lapse and you can't renew. Whether a claim on unlicensed or unpermitted work gets paid depends on your policy's wording. I found no Idaho rule on it, so ask your agent and get the answer in writing.^2,9
• Lead-safe violations on a pre-1978 house can cost up to $49,772 each under federal law.¹⁶

More for new electrical contractors

• How much to charge per hour: service call, first hour and hourly rate, with a free rate sheet.
• Flat rate, per opening or hourly: how electricians price each kind of job, with a free price sheet.
• 200 amp service upgrade checklist: scope, permit, utility, inspection and price.
• Someone asked to use your master license: what being a company's qualifier pays, and what it can cost you.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel won't track your license, your insurance or your permits. It has no field for a license number, a policy expiry date or a permit, and it doesn't connect to eDOPL, a city portal or a utility. Two things in it help with this list. The quote terms and the invoice footer are set once in the shop settings and copied onto every new quote and invoice the customer sees, so your license number goes in once and shows up everywhere after that. And checklists attach to each quote for your own use (customers never see them), so you can make a permit-and-inspection checklist template and add it to every quote for work that needs a permit. The rest is the everyday side of the business: requests, quotes with options and on-screen signatures, scheduling, invoices and card payments. The Free plan covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team; Pro is $29 a month for unlimited estimates and invoices. Details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Does an electrician need a license in Idaho?

Yes. Anyone who does electrical work for pay needs an Idaho journeyman, master or residential electrician license, a limited installer license for one category, or an apprentice registration with a licensed electrician supervising, and any business that contracts for electrical work needs an electrical contractor license from DOPL. The main exceptions are a property owner doing noncommercial work on their own primary or secondary residence (with a homeowner permit), a maintenance electrician doing like-for-like work on the employer's own premises, and the utilities. Data, phone, audio-visual, intercom and antenna wiring needs no license of any kind.

What are the Idaho electrical contractor license requirements?

The business names one supervising electrician: an Idaho master, or a journeyman with more than 2,000 hours worked as a licensed journeyman. That person may not represent any other contractor. The designee passes DOPL's contractor exam, then the business shows proof of $300,000 of liability insurance in its own name and workers' compensation unless exempt, and pays a $15 application fee and a $125 license fee. There is no bond. New licenses issued since October 30, 2026 run at least two years.

Do I need an electrical permit for small jobs in Idaho?

Assume yes. DOPL's answer to when a permit is required is any electrical, plumbing or HVAC work, and the Electrical Board's rules count maintenance and repair as contracting work. In areas DOPL covers, a job in an existing house costs $65 per inspection, the permit has to be bought before work starts, and work found without one gets an enforcement permit at double the fee. Nineteen cities, Boise, Meridian and Nampa among them, plus Bonneville County, issue their own electrical permits and set their own fees.

Does an Idaho electrical contractor need to register with the Idaho Contractors Board?

Not for electrical work. Idaho Code 54-5205 exempts people licensed under the electrical chapter, and DOPL's Contractors Board FAQ says licensed electrical contractors don't register unless they contract beyond the scope of their license. Take on framing, drywall or a whole remodel over $2,000 and you need the registration too ($120 to start). Without it you can't file a lien or sue to collect on that work.

How many apprentices can a journeyman supervise in Idaho?

In a residential setting (houses, duplexes, townhouses and multifamily buildings up to three stories), one residential electrician, journeyman or master may supervise up to six apprentices. Anywhere else the limit is one journeyman or master to two apprentices. No ratio applies to an apprentice with 6,000 or more hours who is enrolled in or has finished a board-approved program, but every apprentice still works under constant on-the-job supervision. Cities and counties can't set different ratios.

Does Idaho require continuing education to renew an electrical license?

No, not since 2025. The Electrical Board's proposed rules kept a 24-hour requirement, but the House Business Committee approved them with an amendment that removed continuing education, and the board's May 2025 minutes record the rules as final and in effect. The current rule chapter has no continuing education section. Renewal still needs the fee, and for a contractor, proof of the $300,000 liability policy, workers' comp if it applies, and no unpaid penalties, permit fees or open correction notices.

Who inspects electrical work in Boise, Meridian and Coeur d'Alene?

Boise and Meridian run their own electrical permits and inspections, as do Nampa, Caldwell, Eagle, Kuna, Star, Middleton, Idaho Falls, Ammon, Iona, Rexburg, Pocatello, Chubbuck, Twin Falls, Burley, Lewiston, Moscow, Post Falls and Bonneville County, according to DOPL's permit map. Coeur d'Alene, Garden City, Hayden and Sandpoint use DOPL for electrical, as does every area not on that list. Your state license is good everywhere, and no city may charge you its own electrical license fee.

Sources

1. Idaho Code 54-1002, "License essential to engage in business, licensure authority exclusive to the state": (1) contractor and limited contractor licenses; (2) a master "may act as a residential electrician or journeyman electrician"; (3) a master or journeyman "may act as a limited electrical installer"; (5) "no local jurisdiction shall have the authority to require additional licensure or registration or to require payment of any fees in order for any licensee or registrant to engage in the electrical construction trade within the local jurisdiction," and "Nothing in this chapter shall restrict a city or county from imposing stricter public safety rules." Idaho Code 54-1003(2): "No licenses or registrations granted hereunder shall be transferable." legislature.idaho.gov (chapter 10 text as of the 2026 session), read November 3, 2026.
2. Idaho Code 54-1003A, definitions: (1) an electrical contractor, "prior to being issued a license, shall be required to provide proof of liability insurance in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) and proof of worker's compensation insurance if applicable"; (3) residential electrician; (4) apprentice "under the constant on-the-job supervision"; (7) and (8) limited installer and limited contractor; (12) "residential setting means one (1) and two (2) family dwellings, townhouses, and multi-family structures up to three (3) stories." legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
3. DOPL, Electrical Contractor Application (revised July 9, 2024): licensed "as an individual or as a business entity"; individual: "Completed 2,000 hours of work while holding an Electrical Journeyman license; or Hold an active Idaho Master license"; entity employs an Idaho journeyman (2,000 hours) or master; "After passing the examination, all applicants must submit proof of: 1. $300,000 liability insurance; and 2. Worker's compensation insurance, unless exempted"; insurance "in the business name" for an entity; "$125 license fee"; $15 processing fee; designee certifies "I am a full-time supervisory employee." No bond on the form. dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
4. IDAPA 24.39.10, Rules of the Idaho Electrical Board (current edition, June 2026): 100.03 a master needn't hold a journeyman license; 100.05 "Each contractor shall designate one supervising electrician," who "shall not represent any other applicant," and after a termination "the contractor will notify the Division in writing within ten (10) business days" and "may not purchase permits or make electrical installations unless another duly qualified supervising electrician is designated"; 200.01 "Contracting work includes electrical maintenance or repair work"; 200.02 "A contractor's allowable scope of work is the same as the scope of its licensed employee"; 200.03 supervising electrician "must be available during working hours," and apprentices work "only under the constant on-the-job supervision and training"; 200.04 energizing before inspection, "assumes full responsibility"; 200.05 limited categories, including limited energy and "no license of any type is required for ... data communication systems"; 300 civil penalty "not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each separate count or offense," including .04 "Knowing employment of a person who does not hold an active license or registration," .06 permits and inspections, .08 "Misrepresentation of the permit or inspection fees to the customer," .09 advertising "without including the contractor license number"; 500.01 "All electrical permits shall be purchased before work is commenced," nothing concealed before approval, 365-day permits, $65 renewal, $45 transfer; 500.02 to .05 fees: existing dwelling "$65 per inspection," new one-family $130 to $325 plus $65 per 1,000 sq ft over 4,500, other installations "$60 plus 2%" up to $10,000 of wiring cost, reinspection $65, virtual inspection $45. adminrules.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
5. Idaho Code 54-1010: (1) all installations "done by or under the direct supervision of a licensed residential electrician, licensed journeyman electrician, or licensed master electrician"; (2) "The individual owner of an electrical contracting business shall employ a full-time journeyman electrician with over two thousand (2,000) hours of documented experience as a licensed journeyman electrician or a master electrician," unless the owner acts as his own; (3) apprentice registration required; ratios 1 to 6 in a residential setting and 1 to 2 elsewhere; no ratio past 6,000 hours with an approved program; (5) local governments can't adopt different requirements. legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
6. Idaho Code 54-1007 (master after "not less than four (4) years" as a licensed journeyman and a free journeyman license with it; 16,000-hour journeyman route; residential electrician 4,000 hours and a two-year course) and 54-1008 (electrician licenses three years, expiring on the birthday; contractor licenses two years; apprentice registrations two years, "No person shall be issued an apprentice license for more than five (5) two (2) year periods"; provisional journeyman six months). legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
7. DOPL, Idaho Electrical Board: "On October 30, 2026, big changes are on the way! DOPL will be transitioning the Electrical Board to biennial licensure"; fee table (application $15; contractor $125, renewal $100; journeyman $55, renewal $45, 3 years; master $65, renewal $45, 3 years; limited contractor $125; limited installer $55; apprentice $15); links to eDOPL, the permit map and inspection requests. dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
8. DOPL news, "Big changes are on the way!" (October 8, 2026): from October 30, 2026, a 2-year renewal cycle; licenses "will ultimately expire on the original issue date of that license (if issued for a business) or on the licensee's birthday (if issued for an individual)"; "All new applicants will be issued at least a 2-year license"; "the licensing renewal fee will double"; renew "up to 60 days prior to your license expiration." dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
9. Idaho Code 54-1013 (renewal requires the fee, "all outstanding civil penalties, and permit or other fees, have been paid in full, and all outstanding correction notices have been satisfactorily resolved," and for contractors "proof of liability insurance in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) ... and proof of worker's compensation insurance ... if applicable"; revival within one year) and 54-1014 (fees). legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
10. Idaho Electrical Board, minutes of May 6, 2025: "The House Business Committee voted to approve the rules, but with the amendment that removed the continuing education (CE) requirements. The rules were passed as amended and are final and in effect." dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026. The current rule chapter (source 4) has no continuing education section.
11. Idaho Code 54-1016: (2)(a) licensing doesn't apply to "Any property owner performing noncommercial electrical work in the owner's primary or secondary residence or associated outbuildings"; (2)(b) maintenance electricians, like-for-like on the employer's premises; (3)(b)(ii) HVAC licensees may install "Electrical connections to HVAC equipment from the disconnecting means to the unit as long as the disconnect is in sight from the unit and the circuit ... is no more than fifty (50) feet long"; (3)(c) "control wiring of twenty-four (24) volts or less for HVAC equipment of five (5) tons or less"; (4) an HVAC or plumbing permit covering part of the electrical work satisfies the electrical permit. legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
12. Idaho Code 54-5003(8) (an HVAC system includes "gas piping, venting, ductwork and controls") and 54-5015(4): (b) HVAC or electrical license holders may install electric space heaters with no ductwork, the in-sight disconnect-to-unit connection, and "(iii) Ventilating fans, except ducted range hoods in residences"; (c) "Individuals holding either an HVAC certification or plumbing certification to install: ... (ii) Fuel piping." legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
13. Idaho Code 54-2610: unlawful "to engage in the business, trade, practice or work of plumbing" without a state certificate of competency. legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
14. Idaho Code 54-5205(1) (people licensed under chapter 10 needn't register "so long as such person is not acting with the intent to evade this chapter"); DOPL Contractors Board FAQ (licensed electrical contractors "do not have to register, unless you are engaged in contracting beyond the scope of your license"; registration for jobs "exceeding $2000.00 (materials & labor)"); DOPL Contractors Board fees from July 1, 2026 (initial $120); Idaho Code 54-5208 (unregistered: "conclusively waived any right to place a lien") and 54-5217 (misdemeanor, fine up to $1,000 or up to six months in jail; no action to collect without "alleging and proving that he was a duly registered contractor, or that he was otherwise exempt"). legislature.idaho.gov, dopl.idaho.gov/con/con-faq, dopl.idaho.gov/con, read November 3, 2026.
15. Idaho Code 54-1903(9) (no public works license for "any single project involving any number of trades or crafts with an estimated cost of less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)") and (12) (a subcontractor under a Class Unlimited, AAA, AA or A licensee "if the value of the subcontracted work is less than one hundred thousand dollars"). legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
16. EPA, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (Idaho is not among the authorized states; "This includes all firms, even sole proprietorships"), epa.gov; 40 CFR 745.83, minor repair and maintenance: "6 square feet or less of painted surface per room for interior activities or 20 square feet or less of painted surface for exterior activities," law.cornell.edu; 40 CFR 19.4, TSCA civil penalty $49,772, law.cornell.edu. All read November 3, 2026.
17. Idaho Code 54-1001B (state inspection doesn't apply in cities or counties with their own ordinance and inspections), 54-1004A (added 2026: "If an inspection requested by a permit holder is not performed within forty-eight (48) business hours, such permit holder shall be authorized to hire a third-party inspector," fee refunded; 10% refund when a failed inspection gets no reason within three business days) and 54-1005(3) (a power supplier "shall not connect with or energize any electrical installation ... unless an inspection has been conducted and resulted as 'passed'"). legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
18. DOPL, Electrical FAQs: unlicensed work "subject to civil penalties"; "Hours worked without being actively registered as an apprentice will not count towards the required OJT time"; a permit "is required when any electrical, plumbing or HVAC work is performed"; homeowner permits only "when they themselves are doing electrical work on their primary or secondary residence"; enforcement permit fees "are double the original amount due to the failure to permit"; job identification sticker posted "in a prominently visible location"; inspection line 208-334-3950, next-day requests until 7 p.m.; reinspection $65. dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
19. DOPL, Permits and Inspections (permits bought online "Based on location"; call 811 before excavating), dopl.idaho.gov; DOPL's permit map and its data layer "Idaho Cities and Counties with links to Plumbing HVAC and electrical permitting information" (last edited September 29, 2026), where the electrical link for Ammon, Boise, Burley, Caldwell, Chubbuck, Eagle, Idaho Falls, Iona, Kuna, Lewiston, Meridian, Middleton, Moscow, Nampa, Pocatello, Post Falls, Rexburg, Star, Twin Falls and Bonneville County goes to the local government and every other city and county to eDOPL, idaho.maps.arcgis.com. Read November 3, 2026.
20. City of Boise, Residential Electrical (424): "The Homeowner's Electrical Permit may only be issued to homeowners performing basic electrical work without assistance from others. They must be listed as the homeowner of record on the deed, and live in the home in order to perform the work." cityofboise.org, read November 3, 2026.
21. City of Pocatello, Contractor Licenses (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026): "Electrical Contractor ... N/A," "Requires a copy of State of Idaho license." pocatello.gov, read November 3, 2026.
22. DOPL, Electrical Connection and Energization notice (February 6, 2023): a permit and inspection "are always required prior to energization by the power supplier" for new services and for "Existing Systems: where electrical work or installations are made that require the power supplier to deenergize the service"; early energizing only for temporary construction services and "Emergency" restoration under a licensed contractor's permit. dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
23. Idaho Power, Service Request Forms ("Request new electrical service extensions, upgrade an existing service") and Construction FAQ, idahopower.com; "Changing an Existing Electrical Service" (linked from the FAQ): free disconnect and reconnect with "at least 24 hours notice" during "weekdays between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm"; "the installation must be inspected and tagged before Idaho Power can reconnect it"; "Call Idaho Power before you begin any work. In the Boise area: 388-2323 All other areas: 800-488-6151"; "call Dig-Line at least two business days prior to any digging," docs.idahopower.com. Read November 3, 2026.
24. Idaho Power, Apply to Connect Your System: "customer generation application with the non-refundable $100 application fee"; "Idaho Power will review the project within 7 business days"; install "once you've received approval"; after "a state or city electrical inspection, submit the System Verification Form," site visit "within 10 business days." idahopower.com, read November 3, 2026.
25. Avista, Request a Construction Job: "You need to complete this form if: You want to run new service. You want to upgrade, alter or move your existing electric or natural gas service or meter." myavista.com, read November 3, 2026.
26. Rocky Mountain Power, Builders & Contractors: "Call the builder support line at 1-800-469-3981 to get started"; Builder Service Request; electric service requirements. rockymountainpower.net, read November 3, 2026.
27. Northern Lights, Inc., Electrical Permits and Local Governments: "Bonner County requires an approved Building Location Permit before Northern Lights can energize a new service." nli.coop, read November 3, 2026.
28. DOPL, Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Systems On-Site Electrical Inspection Requirements (May 24, 2022): one-line diagram, specification sheets, load calculations and attic photos at inspection; "Where Service changes and/or upgrades are required and/or done, they shall be done under a separate permit." dopl.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
29. Idaho Code 72-301(1) ("Every employer shall secure the payment of compensation"), 72-212(6) (exempt: "the owner of a sole proprietorship; ... a working member of a partnership or a limited liability company; ... an officer of a corporation who ... owns not less than ten percent (10%)" and is a director) and 72-319 (misdemeanor; officers and LLC managers "personally liable"; penalty of "two dollars ($2.00) for each employee for each day or twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each day ... whichever is greater"). legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
30. Idaho State Tax Commission, Contractors Working in Idaho ("contractors are the consumers (end users) of all the goods they use"; electricians "are usually both contractors and retailers," and collect sales tax on items they sell but don't install) and Getting Tax Permits ("Idaho requires businesses to register for certain tax permits using the Idaho Business Registration (IBR) process"; with employees, "a income tax withholding account and permits from the Idaho Department of Labor and the Industrial Commission"). tax.idaho.gov, tax.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
31. Idaho Code 45-525 (disclosure before any contract "in an amount exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000)" with a homeowner; (6) not for homeowner-initiated emergencies or "necessary repairs to an electrical, plumbing or water system of the homeowner") and 45-507(3)(e) (a lien claim includes "the required proof of disclosure and acknowledgment of receipt"). legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
32. Idaho Code 54-1017: unlicensed work "shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. In addition ... subject to the civil penalties established by administrative rule, but not to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) per violation. Each day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense." legislature.idaho.gov, read November 3, 2026.
33. Trees v. Kersey, 138 Idaho 3, 56 P.3d 765 (2002): "The general rule is that a contract prohibited by law is illegal and unenforceable"; the illegality doctrine "denies enforcement of the contract, leaving the parties where it finds them." A public works license case; the court allowed a fraud claim as an exception. courtlistener.com, read November 3, 2026.
34. r/electricians, a newly licensed Louisiana contractor (December 16, 2024): "What exactly does this license I have allow me to do now?" reddit.com, from Deepsel's electrical research (checked November 2, 2026).
35. r/electricians comment, answering what to do after the exam (May 6, 2025): "Master license, contractor license, business license, workers comp insurance, liability insurance. Have a dependable truck and then start doing 'side work' full time." reddit.com, checked November 2, 2026.
36. r/electricians comment (January 8, 2025): "It's tempting to get an apprentice as they're cheaper. Don't! Get a tradesman first. They can work while you stay at home and chase work for them." reddit.com, checked November 2, 2026.
37. r/electricians, "Master electrician fees" (July 11, 2026): "You could end up behind bars because of someone else's mistake made under work done in your name." reddit.com, checked November 2, 2026.
38. r/electricians comment (August 13, 2024): "I have 3 underground service I need a disconnect/reconnect scheduled and I'm going on 2 months now with nothing." reddit.com, checked November 2, 2026.
39. r/electricians comment from a one-man shop (May 9, 2025): "Once I pull a permit for a new mast the local inspector will fail it unless the meter socket is brought up to current code with a disconnect." reddit.com, checked November 2, 2026.
40. r/electricians, on billing permits (March 25, 2025): "We keep it as a separate line item on the estimate, but none the less is scares clients a lot of times." reddit.com, checked November 2, 2026.