Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05
San Diego County
San Diego CA Electrician License: Classes and Exam Site
San Diego runs a union training institute, a merit shop chapter, a WECA center and a community college on the state approved list, and it has a contractor test center inside the city. The card itself still comes from Sacramento.
Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed
On this page
The license a San Diego electrician needs
The card comes from the state, not the city. The Department of Industrial Relations certifies electricians in five classifications, and an electrician who makes connections of greater than 100 volt amps for a C-10 contractor holds one of those cards or a trainee registration.
Contracting is the other half. The Contractors State License Board issues the C-10 Electrical license to the business, on four years of journey level experience and two exams of its own.
What the city handles
San Diego issues no electrician license of its own. It controls the permit instead. The city states that an electrical permit can only be issued to a licensed California state contractor authorized to do electrical installations, or to the property owner or lessee, and it offers a Simple No-plan Electrical Permit for minor work.
On larger projects the paperwork gets heavier. For residential projects of 20 or more units, commercial and industrial developments of 20,000 square feet or more, and public right of way permits, the permit holder supplies verification for every contractor and subcontractor: workers compensation information, the state contractor license number, category and expiration, a city business license number and expiration, tax identification numbers, and information on pending or prior labor enforcement actions.
Where to train in San Diego
- IBEW Local 569 and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Electrical Training Institute, 4675 Viewridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123, (858) 569-6633, open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4:30pm. The local describes a Journeyman Wireman classification built on over 11,000 hours of combined classroom and field experience and a Journeyman Soundman classification at over 6,400 hours, with journeymen expected to take 18 training hours a year. Military applicants can come through Helmets to Hardhats.
- ABC San Diego runs an electrical apprenticeship. Applicants must be at least 18, and electrical applicants need proof of completing an algebra class with a C grade or higher. The DIR list carries it as school #104, Chabot College and ABC San Diego, 13825 Kirkham Way, Poway, CA 92064.
- WECA San Diego Training Center, 6212 Ferris Square, San Diego, CA 92121.
- San Diego City College, 1313 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101, DIR approved school #103. Its electricity program offers a Certificate of Achievement or an Associate in Science, teaches work to the National Electrical Code, prepares students to apply for the state certification exam, and offers courses intended to satisfy the state re-certification requirements.
Those schools are approved by the State of California. This site is not one of them, and nothing here counts as trainee instruction or renewal hours.
Where the exams are given
The certification exam is delivered by CPS HR Consulting through Pearson VUE for exams on or after June 1, 2026. Candidates receive an authorization to test by email and pick a site inside the Pearson VUE scheduling system, and neither the Candidate Information Bulletin nor the state test information page publishes a list of California test center cities.
For the contractor exams, San Diego is on the Board's test center list. Each exam runs 3 and a half hours, both are closed book, and scheduling goes through PSI online or at (877) 392-6422. A cancellation inside 48 hours forfeits the appointment.
What the work pays around San Diego
The median for electricians in the San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad area is $36.62 an hour and $76,160 a year, from O*NET OnLine citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. That matches the statewide median.
The Bureau's own May 2025 metro release puts construction and extraction occupations at 4.3 percent of local employment with a mean of $36.54 an hour, across the whole group rather than electricians alone.
Your next move in San Diego
Line up work with a C-10 contractor, since those are the only hours that count. Then choose your classroom route: the union institute, the ABC apprenticeship, WECA or the college.
If you are already certified and renewal is coming, San Diego City College says its department offers courses intended to satisfy the state re-certification requirements, which is one way to cover the 32 hours.
Questions people ask
Does San Diego have its own electrician license?
No. The city controls permits rather than licenses. An electrical permit can only be issued to a licensed California state contractor authorized to do electrical installations, or to the property owner or lessee.
Where do I take the contractor exam in San Diego?
San Diego is on the Contractors State License Board test center list. Each exam runs 3 and a half hours, both are closed book, and scheduling goes through PSI online or at (877) 392-6422.
How do I join the IBEW Local 569 apprenticeship?
Through the San Diego and Imperial Counties Electrical Training Institute at 4675 Viewridge Avenue, phone (858) 569-6633. The local describes the Journeyman Wireman classification as over 11,000 hours of combined classroom and field experience.
What are the entry requirements for the ABC San Diego electrical apprenticeship?
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, and electrical applicants need proof of completing an algebra class with a C grade or higher. The program appears on the DIR approved school list as school #104.
Can I do my continuing education in San Diego?
San Diego City College states that its department offers courses intended to satisfy the state re-certification requirements for electricians working for or as a C-10 electrical contractor. Renewal asks for 32 hours every three years.
What do electricians earn in San Diego?
The median for the San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad area is $36.62 an hour and $76,160 a year, from O*NET OnLine citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, which matches the state median.
Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown
Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
What this page cites
- San Diego electrical permit States who an electrical permit can be issued to and describes the simple no-plan permit. source
- San Diego contractor verification Lists the license, insurance and tax information required on larger projects. source
- IBEW Local 569 training Describes the training institute, its address, its classifications and the yearly training expectation. source
- San Diego City College electricity Describes the certificate and degree, exam preparation and re-certification courses. source
- CSLB examination FAQ Lists San Diego among the contractor test centers and sets the exam rules. source
- O*NET OnLine local wages, 47-2111 Metro median wages for electricians, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.