Electrician red flags in Washington

License red flags

• A handyman or general remodeler offers to "do the wiring." In Washington, a business may not advertise, bid or do electrical work without an L&I electrical contractor license. (RCW 19.28.041)
• The company cannot name its master electrician or administrator. Every electrical contractor must designate one. (RCW 19.28.041)
• The person at your door has no certificate of competency. Anyone doing electrical work needs one: master journey level, journey level, master specialty or specialty. (RCW 19.28.161)
• A trainee shows up alone. Trainees need on-site supervision, at one trainee per certified journey-level electrician. (RCW 19.28.161)
• A license number that will not come up on L&I Verify, or that you only get after they arrive.

Permit red flags

• "You don't need a permit for that" on a panel, a new circuit or a service change. Ask who issues permits at your address and whether they will file.
• "We file with L&I" for a Seattle or Bellevue address. Both cities run their own electrical permits and inspections. (L&I)
• They ask you to pull the permit yourself. L&I lists that as a contractor warning sign. (L&I F625-084-000)

Money and pressure

L&I's warning list for contractors applies here too: (L&I)

• cash only, a large deposit, or full payment before the work;
• payment to a personal name instead of the business;
• a "sign today" price;
• no written contract or complete bid.

Night-call red flags

• No price until the work is done. Get the price by text before they start.
• A full rewire pitched at midnight. Ask for a make-safe visit now and a written daytime quote for the rest.

Next

Look up the company and the electrician on L&I Verify. For what each license means, read Washington electrician licenses, explained. For price lines, see what a fair electrician quote includes.