California Electrician PrepCertification, exam and code, in one place

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco CA Electrician License: Classes and Exam

San Francisco adds one step the rest of the state does not: contractors register with the Department of Building Inspection before they can file electrical permits online. The certification card itself is still a state document.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. The license a San Francisco electrician needs
  2. What the city handles
  3. Where to train in San Francisco
  4. Where the exams are given
  5. What the work pays around San Francisco
  6. Your next move in San Francisco
  7. Questions people ask
  8. What this page cites

The license a San Francisco 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 Francisco requires contractors to register with the Department of Building Inspection to file permits online. To register, an electrical contractor first holds one of the state licenses C10, C7, C45, C46, D28 or D34 from the Contractors State License Board, and applications go to DBIOnlineServices@sfgov.org. A surcharge of up to 2.5 percent, with a minimum of $2.00, applies to electrical, plumbing and boiler permit filings.

The city states that you must be a licensed contractor registered with the City of San Francisco to apply for an electrical permit online. The one exception is that only owner-installers of stand-alone single family dwellings may apply for an electrical permit to do the work themselves.

The city's Electrical Inspection Division states that San Francisco enforces the 2025 California Electrical Code.

Where to train in San Francisco

The state approves those schools, and this site is not one of them. 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.

San Francisco is on the Board's contractor test center list, along with Union City, Walnut Creek and Santa Clara around the bay. Each contractor exam runs 3 and a half hours, both are closed book, and PSI handles scheduling.

What the work pays around San Francisco

The median for electricians in the San Francisco, Oakland and Fremont area is $44.63 an hour and $92,830 a year, from O*NET OnLine citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. That sits well above the state median of $36.62 an hour.

The Bureau's May 2025 metro release puts construction and extraction occupations at 3.6 percent of local employment and $43.66 mean hourly, across the whole group.

Your next move in San Francisco

With the SFJATC closed to applications as read for this page, the practical routes are a job with a C-10 contractor plus trainee registration, or a program across the bay. The Oakland page covers the Alameda County JATC and Laney College.

If you already hold a C-10 and plan to work in the city, get the Department of Building Inspection registration done before you need a permit, not after.

Questions people ask

Do I need a San Francisco electrician license?

No separate city electrician license exists. The certification card is a state document, and the city requirement is contractor registration with the Department of Building Inspection before you can file electrical permits online.

How do I register as a contractor in San Francisco?

Hold one of the state licenses C10, C7, C45, C46, D28 or D34, then apply through DBIOnlineServices@sfgov.org. A surcharge of up to 2.5 percent, with a minimum of $2.00, applies to electrical permit filings.

Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit in San Francisco?

Only in one case. The city states that only owner-installers of stand-alone single family dwellings may apply for an electrical permit to do the work themselves. Everyone else files through a registered licensed contractor.

Is the San Francisco IBEW apprenticeship open?

As read for this page, the San Francisco Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee is not currently accepting applications and has announced no dates for the next application period. Check the SFJATC site before planning around it.

Which code edition does San Francisco use?

The city's Electrical Inspection Division states that San Francisco enforces the 2025 California Electrical Code, which took effect statewide on January 1, 2026 and is built on the 2023 National Electrical Code.

What do electricians earn in San Francisco?

The median for the San Francisco, Oakland and Fremont area is $44.63 an hour and $92,830 a year, from O*NET OnLine citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data.

Put it to the test

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.

Start the free practice testSee the $79 question bank

All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

Free, weekly

One exam question a week, worked all the way through

One original question in the California style, the arithmetic worked, the code section named, and a short note whenever a California licensing or code rule moves. Unsubscribe in one click.