Low-voltage work looks harmless, but in Washington it is licensed electrical work when someone is paid to do it. There is no separate state “alarm license” or “smart home integrator license”. The license that matters is L&I’s electrical contractor (EC) license, and its specialty decides which jobs a company may do.
The rule
RCW 19.28.041 makes it unlawful to “advertise, offer to do work, submit a bid, engage in, conduct, or carry on the business of installing or maintaining wires or equipment to convey electric current” without an L&I electrical contractor license. That includes low-voltage wiring.
- Bond: every EC license needs a $4,000 bond with the state.
- Insurance: L&I’s rules set liability insurance minimums for telecommunications contractors ($20,000 property damage, $50,000 per person, $100,000 for injury to more than one person). For other EC licenses, ask for a certificate of insurance and check it yourself.
- People: L&I says licensed electrical contractors provide certified electricians. Verify shows the firm’s license; ask who will do the work.
The specialties, in plain words
These are L&I’s specialty codes (WAC 296-46B-920), in our own words:
- 01, general: all types of electrical and telecommunications work. Covers everything below.
- 02, residential: low-voltage, telecommunications and line-voltage (120/240-volt) wiring in one- and two-family homes and some low-rise multifamily buildings. L&I lists doorbells, intercoms, fire alarms and burglar alarms among the low-voltage systems it covers.
- 06, limited energy: low-voltage circuits only, in all buildings: intrusion alarms, fire alarm signaling, telecommunications, lighting control systems, amplified sound and energy management. An 06 contractor may reconnect a like-for-like power supply inside an equipment cabinet, but may not run or modify the 120-volt circuit.
- 09, telecommunications: network, phone and coax cabling, pathways, satellite and antenna systems, and closed-circuit cameras only “if there is no integration of line or low-voltage controls”. It does not cover alarms, access control, lighting control or stand-alone amplified sound.
- 10, door, gate and similar systems: electric gate, door, window and awning operators and their keypads, sensors and controls, not connected to other systems.
A contractor registration (CC) from L&I, such as the locks and security specialty, does not on its own cover any of the wiring work above.
Which license for which job
| Job | License specialty that covers it |
|---|---|
| Wired burglar alarm, keypads, door contacts | 06, 02 or 01 |
| PoE cameras with pan/tilt/zoom, or tied to an alarm or door | 06, 02 or 01 |
| Fixed cameras with no controls | 09, 06, 02 or 01 |
| Ethernet, coax, Wi-Fi access point cabling | 09, 06, 02 or 01 |
| Speaker wire, home theater, whole-home audio | 06, 02 or 01 (not 09) |
| Lighting keypads and central lighting control | 06, 02 or 01 |
| Smart switches, dimmers, hardwired smoke/CO alarms (120 V) | 02 or 01 only |
| Replacing a wired doorbell with a video doorbell | 06, 02 or 01 |
| Electric strikes, keypad entry, video intercoms | 06, 02 or 01 |
| Driveway gate operators | 10, 02 or 01 |
This table is our reading of WAC 296-46B-920. It is also the rule this directory uses for every listing.
Permits and the Class B label
- A permit is the default for installing or altering electrical systems, including low-voltage ones (WAC 296-46B-901). Like-for-like replacement of a few items, such as up to five switches or a single small battery, is exempt.
- Class B label. Licensed contractors can use L&I’s Class B random-inspection process for small jobs, including Class 2 or 3 wiring for “thermostat, audio, security, burglar alarm, intercom, amplified sound, public address, or access control systems” of up to 20 devices or 5,000 square feet. It does not cover fire alarm or lighting control systems, which need a regular permit. The label must be posted before work starts. Only licensed contractors can use it.
- Network cabling. Telecommunications work inside the dwelling units of houses, duplexes and apartments needs no permit or inspection.
- Who issues permits. L&I in most places. About two dozen cities (including Seattle, Bellevue, Spokane, Everett, Vancouver and Kirkland) and Tacoma Power’s service area issue their own electrical permits. L&I’s city list has the full set.
- Ask who pulls it. L&I advises homeowners to make sure the contractor has bought the required permits and got the inspections.
What a handyman may legally do
No license is needed to plug things in. L&I’s rules exclude firms that install listed plug-and-cord equipment from licensing, and exempt low-voltage garage door circuits on a listed Class 2 power supply. Our reading of the rules (not an L&I ruling):
- Fine without an EC license: setting up plug-in hubs, mesh Wi-Fi and smart speakers; mounting and pairing battery-powered cameras, doorbells, sensors and smart locks; app, network and Home Assistant setup with no new cabling.
- Needs a licensed contractor when done for pay: running any cable in walls (Ethernet, speaker, alarm or PoE camera cable), replacing a wired doorbell, wiring an alarm panel, installing smart switches or hardwired smoke alarms, and installing electric strikes.
A business that advertises or bids on that work without the license breaks the law, even if it never does the job.
Doing it yourself
RCW 19.28.261 lets you do electrical work on your own home without a license, unless it’s a new building for rent or sale, or you sell within 12 months of getting the property. A friend or relative may help if nobody is paid or presents themselves as being in the trade. Permit rules still apply.
How to look up a license
- Ask for the company’s legal name and L&I license number.
- Search it on L&I Verify.
- Check: an Electrical Contractor license, status active, not expired, with a specialty from the table above, and a current bond.
- Look at violations, lapses and suspensions.
- Compare the name and UBI with your contract.
Every installer in this directory must hold an active EC license with a specialty that covers each category it is listed in. We check it with L&I automatically before publishing and every week, and listings show L&I’s public record for the last five years. See how we list.