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ELECTRICAL TRADELICENSES

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Trade Licenses

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Licenses

Electrical Trade License

The City of Pittsburgh requires an Electrical Trade License to perform electrical work within the City of Pittsburgh.

Trade licenses are issued for the purposes of verifying an individual's qualifications for performing trade work. Trade licenses are issued to indivuals, not companies. In order to obtain permits, trade license holders must further provide a tax compliance letter from the City Finance Department, a certificate of general liability insurance, and evidence of worker's comp insurance or an affidavit of exemption, as outlined in our Rules and Regulations.

WONDERING HOW MUCH YOUR LICENSE COSTS? 

 All Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections fees change annually. Consult the Current Fee Schedule for new applications, renewals, and late fees.  

LATE FEES

A 60 day grace period begins when your license expires. A late fee will be charged 30 days after your license expires. If your license is not renewed within 60 days of expiration, it is considered lapsed and closed. All contractor and trade licenses expire a year from the date of issuance. 

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

New Licensees:

  • A copy of proof of passing the certified standardized test.
  • A resume or documentation establishing a minimum of six (6) years of a combination of experience and education.
  • Non-Expired Government Issued Photo ID.

Renewal:

  • Proof of completing eight (8) hours of CEUs within the previous twelve (12) months from the license renewal date.
  • Non-Expired Government Issued Photo ID.

RESOURCES

How to Schedule Your Exam

  1. Click the link here, select "Non-authorized Candidates" and follow these instructions to schedule your exam
  2. Type or paste one of the following codes in the form entry box beneath the "Available Exams" heading: T16, G16, or F16 and hit Enter/Return. This will bring up a link for your chosen version of the National Standard Master Electrician Exam. 
  3. Clicking this link will bring up the test details. View the testing policies for this exam and click "Schedule this Exam".
  4. You will have to create an account with Pearson Vue prior to scheduling and paying for your exam. Once you create your non-authorized contractors account, return to the exam page. 
  5. Schedule and pay for your exam. Print out confirmations of your scheduled exam and payment. Make sure to arrive early for your exam on your test date. 
  6. All ICC exams are proctored by Pearson Vue, and can be scheduled through their website.
  7. PLI will accept all exam versions that meet the requirement through the ICC; the applicant should choose the exam that covers the most recent code year adopted by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (“UCC”).
    Available versions include:
    • The National Standard Master Electrical - T16 
      • ((exam references the NFPA 70®: National Electrical Code® (NEC®), 2020 Edition; and Ugly's Electrical References (any edition).  View the exam bulletin for a detailed breakdown of test content.
    • The National Standard Master Electrical - G16 
      • ((exam references the NFPA 70®: National Electrical Code® (NEC®), 2017 Edition; and Ugly's Electrical References (any edition).  View the exam bulletin for a detailed breakdown of test content.
    • The National Standard Master Electrical - F16 
      • ((exam references the NFPA 70®: National Electrical Code® (NEC®), 2014 Edition; and Ugly's Electrical References (any edition).  View the exam bulletin for a detailed breakdown of test content.
    • PLI will also accept previous versions of this exam, or a passing score letter from the Pittsburgh-proctored exam, to be evaluated by the License Officer.

Continuing Education Credits

  • PLI will accept relevant continuing education credits from accredited institutions as listed by:
    1. The ICC Preferred Provider’s Directory. For a full list of current providers, visit https://ppp.iccsafe.org, and click on “Providers Directory.”
    2. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s (PA - DLI) UCC continuing education providers. For a list of current providers, visit www.dli.pa.gov/ucc, and click on the “Continuing Education Providers” link.
    3. For Stationary Power Engineers, relevant trainings provided by the International Union of Operating Engineers (“IUOE”) and relevant Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) courses.
    4. Relevant trainings provided by trade-specific union and apprenticeship programs are accepted.
    5. PLI will review requests outside the above categories on a case by case basis