Apply for a New Electrical Sign Contractor License

Electrical Sign Contractors are licensed to engage in the business of designing, manufacturing, installing, connecting, reconnecting, or servicing an electric sign, cold cathode, neon gas tubing, or outline gas tubing, or altering electric sign wiring or conductors either inside or outside of a building.

Master Sign Electrician of Record

An Electrical Sign Contractor licensee must either employ a licensed Master Electrician or Master Sign Electrician at their business. Electrical Sign Contractors may also hold a Master Electrician license or a Master Sign Electrician license themselves.

A Master Electrician or Master Sign Electrician’s license may only be assigned to a single Electrical Sign Contractor, unless the Master Electrician/Master Sign Electrician owns more than 50 percent of the electrical sign contracting business.

Changing Your Master Sign Electrician of Record

When your Master Electrician or Master Sign Electrician of record leaves employment with your business, you must notify the department and designate a new Master Electrician or Master Sign Electrician of record within thirty business days from the date of separation.

You may submit this notification by mail on an Electrical Contractor Notice of Change and Duplicate License Request (PDF).

Insurance Requirements

Liability Insurance Coverage

Electrical sign contractors must maintain the required limits of business liability insurance:

• Minimum $300,000 per occurrence (combined for property damage and bodily injury);
• Minimum $600,000 aggregate (total amount the policy will pay for property damage and bodily injury coverage); and
• Minimum $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operation

Use the Electrical Contractor Certificate of Insurance Form (PDF) to provide proof of liability insurance coverage. This form should be included with your completed application materials.

Worker’s Compensation Insurance

You must provide one of the following with your completed application materials:

• Proof of having obtained workers' compensation insurance, or
• A certificate of authority to self-insure, or
• A statement that you have elected not to obtain workers' compensation insurance pursuant to Subchapter A, Chapter 406, Labor Code.
  • If you elect to not obtain worker’s compensation insurance, you must have on file with the Texas Department of Insurance a completed Employer Notice of No Coverage or Termination of Coverage Form (DWC Form-005).
  • For more information or to request an initial application packet, contact Division of Workers’ Compensation Self-insurance Regulation by calling (512) 804-4345 or faxing (512) 804-4346 during normal business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday CST.

Application and Fee

Submit a completed Electrical Contractor or Electrical Sign Contractor License Application (PDF) with the non-refundable $110 application fee to:

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
PO Box 12157
Austin TX, 78711-2157

Electrician licenses are valid for one year from the date of issuance and must be renewed annually. Renewals may be completed online.

Applicants with Criminal Convictions

If you have ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (other than a minor traffic violation) or pleaded guilty or no contest (resulting in a deferred adjudication) to any in-state, out-of-state or federal criminal offense, you must provide a completed Criminal History Questionnaire (PDF) along with your application materials.

The department will conduct a criminal history background check, including fingerprinting, on all persons who apply for or renew a license. Criminal convictions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Licenses may be denied based on the nature of the conviction and how long prior to the application the conviction occurred. Depending on your criminal history, a review can take from one to six weeks to complete.

Individuals may request TDLR review their criminal background before actually applying for a license. TDLR uses the same process for this pre-application evaluation as the process described below. See the Criminal History Evaluation Letter page for more information.

Please see the Guidelines for License Applicants with Criminal Convictions, which describe the process that TDLR uses to determine whether a criminal conviction renders an applicant an unsuitable candidate for the license, or whether a conviction warrants revocation or suspension of a license previously granted.