Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

The letters and the limits

NC Electrical License Classifications: What Each Allows

The Board issues ten classifications. Three of them are graded by the value of a single project, and seven are graded by the kind of work. This page gives the scope, the hours and the annual fee for each, and flags the one number the state's own sources disagree about.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

How the grading works

The three main classifications are not skill tiers. They are ceilings on the value of a single electrical contracting project, so a Limited licensee and an Unlimited licensee can do the same kind of work at different sizes.

The seven special restricted classifications work the other way. They are scoped to a phase of the trade, and G.S. 87-43.3 lets the Board create them for work of a special, limited nature and for firms whose primary business is not electrical contracting.

Limited

The Board's licensing page says Limited allows a single electrical contracting project of a value not in excess of $60,000, with equipment rated at a maximum of 600 volts. The annual license fee is $100.

The statute reads differently on both numbers. G.S. 87-43.3 puts the project value at $100,000 and the equipment rating at not more than 1,000 volts. See the section below before you rely on either pair.

Experience for the examination is at least 3,000 hours, of which at least 2,000 have to be primary experience.

No statement of bonding ability is required to activate a Limited license. That requirement starts at Intermediate.

Intermediate

Intermediate allows a single project of a value not in excess of $150,000, and the annual license fee is $150.

Experience is at least 5,750 hours, of which at least 5,000 have to be primary. That is the sharpest jump in the whole table, since the primary floor more than doubles between Limited and Intermediate.

Activating an Intermediate license needs a statement of bonding ability. The Board's 2025 application asks for one written for $60,001.

Unlimited

Unlimited allows any electrical contracting project regardless of value, and the annual license fee is $200.

Experience is at least 9,000 hours, of which at least 8,000 have to be primary. Unlimited applicants also file written statements from at least two people attesting to their ability to supervise and direct all electrical wiring, on the Board's Supervise and Direct form.

Activation needs a statement of bonding ability written for $150,001.

The limits two state sources disagree about

The Board's site prints $60,000 for Limited and $150,000 for Intermediate. G.S. 87-43.3, with a history line ending at 2022-11 and 2024-49, prints $100,000 for Limited and $200,000 for Intermediate.

The two sources split on voltage as well. The Board's licensing page caps Limited equipment at 600 volts. The statute caps it at not more than 1,000 volts, which is the same figure the 2026 code uses as its own dividing line.

The statute qualifies both figures with the words "as established by the Board", which is the likely reason the two differ. The Board's own 2025 application still builds its bonding statements on $60,001 and $150,001, which points the same way.

We could not confirm which figure the Board enforces today, so treat the lower pair as the working limit and call the Board before you bid anything between them.

The seven special restricted classifications

Each of these carries a $100 annual license fee, and each asks for at least 3,000 hours of experience with at least 2,000 primary.

• SP-SFD, Residential Dwelling
• SP-FA/LV, Fire Alarm and Low-Voltage
• SP-PH, Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning
• SP-SP, Swimming Pool
• SP-WP, Groundwater Pump
• SP-ES, Electric Sign
• SP-EL, Elevator

SP-EL, SP-PH, SP-WP, SP-ES and SP-SP applicants also file verification of employment with a related business. The written scopes live in Section .0800 of the Board's rules.

The examination is not the same length for each

The Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited papers are 100 multiple choice questions with a maximum of six hours.

Fire Alarm and Low-Voltage is 50 questions in a maximum of three hours. The other special restricted papers are 40 questions in a maximum of three hours, and Swimming Pool Bonding is 25 questions in a maximum of one hour.

The pass mark is the same everywhere. The Board's rules put it at a minimum grade of 70 out of a possible 100 on any qualifying examination.

Moving between classifications

The Board publishes a License Upgrade Application and a License Downgrade Application, both listed on its forms page. An upgrade means meeting the hours and sitting the examination for the higher classification.

A license can also be put on inactive status with the Request Inactive Status form, and brought back with the License Reactivation Application. Both are on the same page.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited in NC?

The value of a single project, and for Limited a voltage ceiling too. The Board's page puts Limited at $60,000 with equipment at a maximum of 600 volts, Intermediate at $150,000 and Unlimited at any value. G.S. 87-43.3 reads $100,000 and 1,000 volts for Limited, so check with the Board. The annual fees are $100, $150 and $200.

Which North Carolina electrical license needs a bond?

Intermediate and Unlimited. The Board asks for a statement of bonding ability to activate either one, written for $60,001 at Intermediate and $150,001 at Unlimited. Limited and the special restricted classes do not carry that requirement on the application.

What does SP-SFD cover?

It is the Residential Dwelling special restricted classification. The scope is written in Section .0800 of the Board's rules, the annual fee is $100, and the experience requirement is 3,000 hours with 2,000 primary.

How many questions is the SP-FA/LV exam?

Fifty multiple choice questions with a maximum of three hours, which is half the length of the Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited paper. The pass mark is still a grade of 70.

Is the Limited project limit $60,000 or $100,000?

The two state sources disagree, on the dollars and on the volts. The Board's page says $60,000 and a maximum of 600 volts. G.S. 87-43.3 says $100,000 and not more than 1,000 volts, with the value left to the Board to establish. The Board's 2025 application still uses a $60,001 bonding figure at Intermediate, so ask the Board before relying on the higher numbers.

Can one company hold more than one classification?

The Board publishes upgrade and downgrade applications rather than a combination form, so the practical route is to apply for the classification you need. Ask the Board's licensing staff how your existing certification carries across before you file.

What this page cites

• NCBEEC licensing page Prints the scope and the annual fee for Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited and the seven special restricted classifications. source
• G.S. 87-43.3 Sets the classifications in statute with higher dollar figures and the phrase as established by the Board, and authorizes the special restricted licenses. source
• NCBEEC examination application Gives the hour requirement for each classification and the extra statements Unlimited applicants file. source
• NCBEEC new license application Carries the bonding statement amounts of $60,001 for Intermediate and $150,001 for Unlimited. source
• Examination Information Handbook Gives the question count and time limit for each classification's examination. source