Renew an Electrical Contractor License
Master 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 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 Requirement
An Electrical Sign Contractor must maintain the required minimum amounts of business liability insurance:
- $300,000 per occurrence (combined for property damage and bodily injury)
- $600,000 aggregate (total amount the policy will pay for property damage and bodily injury coverage)
- $300,000 aggregate for products and completed operations
Renewal Application
Complete an online renewal application and include the non-refundable $110 renewal fee.
Renewal of Expired Licenses
If your license has expired within the past 18 months, then you may renew online by paying an increased fee, as shown below.
If your license has been expired for over 18 months, but less than 3 years, you must apply by mail. Submit a completed Electrical Sign Contractor License Application Form (PDF), completing only the first 2 pages of the application form. Also include a completed Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal Form (PDF) and include the renewal fee.
A certificate of insurance must be attached to your application. The name/assumed business name on the certificate of liability insurance must match the business name on your application.
Your fee will depend on how long your license has been expired:
Date of Expiration |
Fee |
90 days or less |
$165 |
91 days – 18 months |
$220 |
18 – 36 months ** |
$220 |
36+ months *** |
N/A |
** Licenses that have been expired for over 18 months must include a completed Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal Form (PDF).
*** Licenses that have been expired for over 3 years cannot be renewed, and you will need to re-apply for a license as a new applicant.
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 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.