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Questions to ask before you hire an electrician in Dallas

A panel upgrade for an EV charger in a 1950s Lakewood ranch, a standby generator after the last ice storm, or a hail-battered service mast that Oncor won’t reconnect until it passes inspection — Dallas electrical jobs run through a specific chain of state licenses, City registration, permits, and utility steps. Texas licenses electricians and electrical contractors through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR); inside Dallas city limits, the contracting business must also be registered with the City, and only a registered master electrician can pull the electrical permit in the City’s DallasNow system; and Oncor controls the meter even though a separate retail electric provider sends your bill. Use these questions to compare Dallas-area electricians on verified credentials, permit practice, and a written scope — not just who can come out today.

Questions to ask

1. What is your TDLR electrical contractor license number, and is your company registered with the City of Dallas as an electrical contractor?

Why it matters: In Texas, non-exempt electrical work has to be done by licensed people working through a TDLR-licensed electrical contractor. To hold that license, the business must be a master electrician or employ one, carry the business liability insurance TDLR requires, and either show workers’ compensation coverage or file the state’s notice that it has elected not to carry it. Inside Dallas city limits there is a second layer: the Dallas Electrical Code (Chapter 56) says no one may engage in electrical contracting in the city without registering with the City, and the business must be qualified by a master electrician who is an owner or employee and actively supervises its daily operation. The City’s electrical contractor registration notice says its permitting system will not issue a permit to a contractor that isn’t registered, whose registration has expired, or whose insurance has expired. Check the contractor and the master electrician on the TDLR license search, then check the City registration in DallasNow: the City’s Planning & Development guide says no account is needed — choose Contractor Registration, then Search Applications, search by business name or registration number, and confirm the status is Active and the registration covers electrical work. Chapter 56 also requires each registered electrical contractor’s work vehicles to show the City-assigned number (the same as its registration number) on both sides, which is a quick reality check when the truck pulls up.

2. Who will actually do the work at my house, and what Texas license does each person hold?

Why it matters: Unlike Arizona, Texas licenses individual electricians as well as the business. TDLR licenses journeyman electricians, who work under the general supervision of a master electrician; residential wiremen, who are licensed only for single-family and multifamily dwellings up to four stories; and apprentices, who must be registered and supervised. Dallas adds its own on-site rule: Chapter 56 says that whenever permitted electrical work is being done, a qualified electrician of the proper classification must be present on site and directly supervising, and the City’s guide notes that journeyman electricians can’t pull permits on their own — they work under a registered master electrician. Ask who will be on-site, what license each person holds, whether they are employees or subcontractors, and who supervises apprentices. Every license type shows up on the TDLR license search, so you can check names before work starts.

3. Will you pull the City of Dallas residential electrical permit in DallasNow, who requests the inspections, and are permit and inspection fees in your price?

Why it matters: The City’s Planning & Development guide says an electrical trade permit is required for any wiring, panel upgrades, new circuits, service changes, or other electrical work on a building, and that only a registered master electrician can pull it; the City’s permitting FAQ adds that permits are required for electrical work unless Chapter 52 of the Dallas City Code exempts it. Dallas does allow a narrow homeowner path: under Chapter 56, an owner may personally do electrical work on a homestead they own and live in only after filing approved plans, passing a written or oral exam given by the City, and getting the permit — and the homeowner may not hire anyone to help with permitted work. So a contractor who asks to put the permit in your name is asking you to take on a responsibility the City reserves for owners doing their own work; the City’s guide lists “just use the Homeowner’s Exemption” as a red flag. Ask the contractor to say in writing whether your job needs a permit, who files it in DallasNow and requests the inspections, whether permit, inspection, and any re-inspection fees are included, and, if they say no permit is needed, which exemption applies. The City’s April 2025 letter to contractors also says equipment that must be inspected while energized requires an electrician of the proper classification on site to open it. Confirm your actual jurisdiction first: a Dallas mailing address doesn’t guarantee you’re inside Dallas city limits, and Highland Park, University Park, Irving, Garland, Richardson, Plano, and other nearby cities run their own permit offices.

4. If the job means pulling the meter, how will you clear it with Oncor first — and who arranges reconnection after inspection?

Why it matters: In most of Dallas, your retail electric provider bills you, but Oncor owns the meter and the delivery lines. The Dallas Electrical Code says only authorized Oncor employees may make the connection between Oncor’s service conductors and your service-entrance conductors, including when a meter is newly installed or relocated. Oncor’s Electric Service Guidelines say a qualified electrician must contact Oncor’s electrician line before removing a self-contained meter and give the company name, contact, address, the work to be done, whether an inspection is required, and the dates the meter will be pulled and replaced; Oncor then comes back to inspect and reseal the meter. If the work isn’t finished on the planned date, the customer or electrician has to contact Oncor to avoid a charge, and Oncor says an unauthorized meter removal results in a charge to the customer under its tariff — so a contractor who just cuts the seal can leave you with the bill. Only Oncor may remove a meter lock (Oncor asks for one business day’s notice), and electricians can submit temporary disconnect and reconnect requests through Oncor’s Electrician Connect portal. Ask who makes each request, the planned dates, how long you’ll be without power, and whether waiting on the City inspection and Oncor reconnection is built into the schedule and price. If your power comes from a municipal utility or electric cooperative instead of Oncor, ask about that utility’s own rules.

5. Which edition of the National Electrical Code, with which Dallas amendments, will my permit be inspected under — and are you working to it?

Why it matters: Texas sets a statewide electrical code. TDLR adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code effective September 1, 2026, with a limited exception on ground-fault (GFCI) protection for certain outdoor outlets, and TDLR’s electrical newsletter, The Texas Circuit, says that from that date all non-exempt electrical work in Texas, inside city limits or not, must be done to the 2026 NEC, and that cities may amend the state code but not adopt one below the state minimum. Dallas’s own Chapter 56 adopted the 2023 NEC with Dallas amendments, effective May 23, 2025, and as of October 2026 the City’s Electrical Section page still lists the 2023 NEC. Some Dallas amendments matter for homeowners: a load calculation must be provided to the City on request when an electrical installation is modified, and the City’s letter to contractors flags items such as GFCI protection for all kitchen receptacles, surge protection on feeders that supply dwellings, and an emergency disconnect when service equipment is replaced. Ask the contractor which edition and amendments the City will inspect your permit against, whether AFCI, GFCI, surge protection, or an emergency disconnect applies to your scope, and whether any of that is priced in. “We’ve always done it this way” is not a plan.

6. If I want an EV charger, will you run a load calculation and pull the electrical permit, and does my panel have the capacity?

Why it matters: A hardwired charger or a new 240-volt circuit is new wiring, and the City’s Planning & Development guide lists new circuits, panel upgrades, and service changes among the work that needs an electrical permit pulled by a registered master electrician. Dallas’s Chapter 56 amendments also say a load calculation must be provided to the City on request when an electrical installation is modified. Ask for a written load calculation on your existing panel before you buy a charger, whether a panel or service upgrade is needed (which brings in Oncor, see question 4), the circuit size and charger amperage they recommend, where the charger and conduit will run, whether the charger will be on its own circuit, and who registers the equipment warranty. If you plan to plug a charger into an existing outlet, ask the electrician to confirm the outlet and circuit are rated for that use. A low bid that skips load math can leave you with a charger you can’t fully use — or a surprise mid-job upgrade.

7. For a standby generator, home battery, or solar backup, which permit path are you using, and what will the City still permit and inspect?

Why it matters: Backup power rules changed recently. The City’s Service First Bulletin #204 explains how Dallas applies Texas Senate Bills 1202 and 1252 (effective September 1, 2025). Under SB 1252, the City can’t regulate or inspect the backup portion of a residential system that provides no more than 50 kilowatts or stores no more than 100 kilowatt-hours, but it still enforces zoning and building codes, and it requires a separate stand-alone electrical permit for any change to your normal premise wiring — including service rebuilds with transfer switches or relays, service or emergency disconnects, surge protective devices, new or relocated feeders and branch circuits, panelboard work, and grounding or bonding changes. Under SB 1202, a licensed electrical inspector or master electrician hired by the contractor can review plans and do inspections instead of the City for home backup installations of 600 volts or less; a project has to stay on whichever path it starts on, and the City says it will not perform an electrical review or inspection of the backup system on the third-party path. Dallas also requires a signed homeowner letter for that path acknowledging that the contractor hired the third party, releasing the City from liability, and noting that third-party review or inspection firms aren’t required to carry insurance. Read that letter before you sign it. Oncor’s Electric Service Guidelines require a generator transfer switch to sit on the load side of the meter base, never in series with the meter and base. Ask who sizes the generator or battery and transfer equipment to your actual loads, who runs any gas line and pulls that permit, who the third-party reviewer would be, and where the unit will sit relative to property lines and your neighbors.

8. After storm, vehicle, or fire damage, will you repair my service equipment and request the City power release so Oncor can reconnect?

Why it matters: When hail, wind, ice, or a falling limb rips the service mast or meter base off the house, the repair often falls on you. Oncor says the weatherhead, the wiring to and from the meter, and the meter base are the owner’s responsibility; you call Oncor for a temporary hazardous disconnect, a licensed electrician makes the repair, and where the city requires an inspection, the city confirms the passed inspection to Oncor before you call Oncor to reconnect. Dallas has an Emergency Release Policy for storm, vehicle, fire, and meter damage: the City may release power before inspection, but only at the inspector’s discretion and with no guarantee; the request must come from a licensed contractor registered with the City; the home must be occupied or only temporarily vacant because of the outage; and the contractor must get the electrical permit before or by the next working day after the repair and request the inspection. Releases handled after business hours carry an added fee on the permit. The City’s letter to contractors also says service conductors or equipment damaged by storm, accident, or fire may be restored to their original safe condition without having to be upsized to the current minimum service rating, so ask whether an upgrade is truly required or just recommended. Ask whether the contractor is registered with Dallas (out-of-town storm crews often aren’t), whether they’ll request the release and pull the permit, and whether they’ll document the damage with photos for your insurance claim.

9. Given Dallas’s older neighborhoods, hail, and summer heat, how will you check the panel, wiring, and grounding before quoting a full fix?

Why it matters: Many Dallas homes, especially in older neighborhoods such as Oak Cliff, East Dallas, and Lakewood, still have older panels (including brands such as Federal Pacific or Zinsco that many electricians recommend replacing), aluminum branch wiring from some decades, two-prong ungrounded outlets, or services too small for today’s air conditioning, EV, and kitchen loads. North Texas hail and wind can also damage service masts, outdoor disconnects, and conduit, and long summer heat waves keep air-conditioning circuits loaded for months. A bid that only swaps the failed breaker can miss the bigger condition, and a bid that jumps straight to a full panel replacement may be more than you need. Ask whether they will inspect the panel brand and age, wiring type, grounding and bonding, and available capacity; whether they recommend repair, partial rewire, or a service upgrade, and why; and whether surge protection is part of the scope. Require a stop-and-call process before any extra work begins.

10. Will we have a written contract, and will you give me the Texas residential construction disclosure statement before I sign?

Why it matters: Texas Property Code Chapter 53 requires the original contractor on a residential construction contract to give the owner a disclosure statement before the contract is signed (§53.255). That statement tells you to get the scope, timeline, price, and payment terms in writing; warns that oral promises left out of the written agreement may not be enforceable; and explains how subcontractor and supplier lien claims work, including the rule on reserving 10 percent of the contract price. If the job is on your homestead, a contractor’s lien on it generally requires a written contract signed before work begins, signed by both spouses if you’re married, and filed with the county clerk (§53.254). Before final payment, ask for the final bills-paid affidavit described in §53.259 so you have the contractor’s written statement that subcontractors and suppliers have been paid. These are complicated rules; if you’re signing a large contract or receive a lien notice, talk to a Texas attorney.

11. What does the written estimate include, how do you handle after-hours calls, and can you give me recent Dallas references?

Why it matters: “Fix the outlets” is not a scope. A good quote lists the circuits affected, breaker sizes, wire type and gauge, device brands (for example AFCI or GFCI breakers), any panel or service work, permit and inspection fees, Oncor coordination, debris disposal, and cleanup, plus the labor warranty in writing separate from the manufacturer’s warranty. Ask what after-hours, weekend, or post-storm rates apply and what the minimum call-out fee is. Then ask for two or three recent local references for similar jobs — ideally a similar house type and part of town (an Oak Cliff bungalow rewire, a North Dallas panel upgrade, an EV circuit, a generator hookup). References tell you about punctuality, permit follow-through, cleanup, and whether the work passed inspection the first time.

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Next-step checklist

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