How to Check an Oregon Electrician's License (CCB and BCD)

Oregon law requires anyone who bids on or does work as a contractor to hold a current license from the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) with the right endorsement (ORS 701.021). Work on a home needs a residential endorsement.

Electrical work needs a second license. The Building Codes Division (BCD) says: "For electrical or plumbing work, contractors are required to have a CCB license and the appropriate BCD electrical or plumbing contractor's license." Under ORS 479.620, a business may not make electrical installations, or advertise that it is licensed to make them, without an electrical contractor's license.

BCD asks homeowners to check both licenses before the work begins. Portland's residential permit page says the same thing: contractors doing electrical work need a CCB license and a BCD electrical license, and the permit application must list the license numbers.

Start with the CCB number. Oregon rules require contractors to show it on their website, business cards, bids and contracts (OAR 812-003-0120).

The CCB says its license check can tell you if the contractor is actively licensed and has a surety bond, if it gave proof of liability insurance when first licensed and at renewal, if it carries workers' compensation insurance, if it is licensed to work on pre-1978 homes that could contain lead-based paint, and if it had any complaints or disciplinary actions filed with the CCB in the past 10 years.

1. Open the CCB license search and look up the business. Have its CCB number ready.
2. Check that the license is active and that the name on the record matches the business you are talking to.
3. Look at the bond, liability insurance and workers' compensation details.
4. Look at the complaint and discipline history for the past 10 years.
5. If you have questions, the CCB says you can call 503-378-4621 to verify information and ask about any complaint history.

Each CCB endorsement has a required surety bond and a minimum amount of liability insurance. For a residential general contractor, Oregon law sets a $25,000 bond and liability insurance of at least $500,000. For a residential specialty contractor, it is a $20,000 bond and at least $300,000 of insurance (ORS 701.081).

Many contractors carry more insurance than the minimum. In the CCB Active Licenses data for November 8, 2026, most residential general and residential specialty records list $1,000,000 of liability insurance.

The bond is not insurance for your project. The CCB says "The only path to access a contractor's bond is through a signed judgment from the court," and that the amount available through a bond is limited.

A CCB record also shows Exempt or Nonexempt. This is the workers' compensation class. Under ORS 701.035, a business with one or more employees is in the nonexempt class. A business that does not meet the nonexempt rules is exempt.

A CCB license alone is not enough for electrical work, so check the BCD license as a separate step.

For electrical permits that cover all fixture types, Portland Permitting & Development looks for "a BCD Electrical Contractor's License that has the letter C with a number behind it." In the BCD data, most of these numbers look like C followed by digits. Some use a longer form with a dash that ends in C.

Other BCD contractor licenses, such as limited energy (CLE) or limited sign (CLS), cover only some kinds of electrical work. Portland says holders of these licenses "can pull permits but they're limited."

1. Open the BCD license holder search.
2. Choose the search by individual name, business name or license number.
3. Look for an electrical contractor license (type C) in the business's name.
4. If you cannot find it, BCD lists license.bcd@dcbs.oregon.gov as its contact for license searches.

The contractor license belongs to the business. The people doing the work need their own BCD licenses. Oregon law requires a supervising electrician's license to direct or supervise electrical work, a supervising or journeyman electrician's license to make electrical installations, and an apprentice license for apprentices (ORS 479.620).

General supervising electrician (S): has passed a state exam and has at least four years of experience as a general journeyman electrician.

General journeyman electrician (J): has passed a state exam and has at least four years of experience as an apprentice, including at least 1,000 hours of wiring on single or multifamily dwellings.

Limited residential electrician (LR): may do electrical work only on single and multifamily dwellings no more than three floors above grade.

An electrical contractor must continuously employ at least one full-time general supervising electrician (OAR 918-282-0010). For a contractor's permit, that supervising electrician of record signs the permit before an inspection is requested (ORS 479.560).

You can look up an individual electrician's license in the same BCD license holder search.

Oregon law says no one may work on a new electrical installation without a permit, except in the cases ORS 479.540 allows (ORS 479.550).

In Portland, residential electrical permits come from Portland Permitting & Development. The city lists jobs that need one, including adding a light fixture or an outlet, changing a fuse box to circuit breakers, replacing a service panel and running new wiring. It also says "An electrical permit is still required even if a building permit is not." Fixing an appliance cord, replacing a fuse or replacing an existing appliance does not need a permit.

Depending on the job, inspections can include rough-in (before the new wiring is covered), service (after panel or meter work) and final. Portland says every permit needs the final inspection, "199 Final Electrical Permit," to close. Permits expire if more than 180 days pass between inspections.

A homeowner may do electrical work in Portland only in a home they own and live in. This does not cover a rental, a property for sale or lease, or an ADU.

1. Ask the contractor for the permit number before the work starts.
2. Ask which inspections your job needs, and make sure the final inspection is done.
3. For questions before an inspection, call Portland Residential Inspections at 503-823-7388.

The CCB can help mediate a dispute between you and a contractor, but only if the contractor is licensed. Before you file a complaint, you must give the contractor 30 days' Pre-Complaint Notice by certified mail.

For work on an existing home, the CCB must receive the complaint within one year from the date the work was substantially completed or the date work ceased. The CCB says there is a $50 processing fee for most complaints. The CCB Consumer Protection page lists the deadlines and forms.

If a contractor is working without the required licenses, BCD says you can file a complaint.

This guide describes public rules and official lookup tools. It is not legal advice.

Our Portland electrician ranking lists only businesses that we matched, on the run date, to a license in the CCB Active Licenses dataset and to an active BCD C-Electrical Contractor license. Both datasets are public records on data.oregon.gov.

From the CCB record, the score uses the date the license was first issued and whether a bond amount and a liability insurance amount are listed with an expiry date on or after the run date. The first-issued date is not the age of the business, and the data does not show whether the license was held without a break.

We do not check complaint history, because the CCB lookup does not allow automated access. Use the CCB license search for that. We also do not check permits, the licenses of individual electricians, or the quality of anyone's work. We did not inspect work, call businesses or hire anyone.

A business that is not on our list may still hold both licenses. Our matching uses public data and has limits. Check the licenses yourself with the steps above before you hire.

Read the full method on How we rank.

1. Oregon Building Codes Division: Getting licensed work (accessed 2026-11-08)
2. Oregon Construction Contractors Board: Consumer Tools (accessed 2026-11-08)
3. Oregon Construction Contractors Board: Consumer Protection (accessed 2026-11-08)
4. Oregon Building Codes Division: License holder search (accessed 2026-11-08)
5. ORS chapter 701, Construction Contractors and Contracts (2025 edition) (accessed 2026-11-08)
6. ORS chapter 479, Protection of Buildings; Electrical Safety (2025 edition) (accessed 2026-11-08)
7. OAR 812-003-0120, License Required to Advertise (Oregon Public Law) (accessed 2026-11-08)
8. OAR 918-282-0010, Electrical Contractor License (Oregon Public Law) (accessed 2026-11-08)
9. Portland Permitting & Development: Residential Electrical Permits (accessed 2026-11-08)
10. Portland Permitting & Development: Contractor License Requirements (accessed 2026-11-08)
11. CCB Active Licenses dataset (data.oregon.gov) (accessed 2026-11-08)
12. BCD Active Contractor/Individual Licenses dataset (data.oregon.gov) (accessed 2026-11-08)

Next: see how Portland electricians compare on these records in our Portland electrician ranking, or read how we rank.