Best Electrical Companies in Lorain, OH (2026)

The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) licenses electrical contractors for commercial work; it does not issue journeyman licenses. Residential electrical contractors are regulated by local building departments, and state law lets those departments require the OCILB license for residential work.

Search the OCILB eLicense Center by name or license number and choose the electrical contractor (EL) license type. The result shows whether the license is active. Also ask your city building department whether the contractor is registered there.

Applicants must be at least 18, have at least five years of experience in the trade (or be an Ohio-registered engineer with three years of construction business experience in the trade) and pass the state examination. License holders must complete continuing education, and for the electrical trade half of those hours must cover the code.

One-, two- and three-family homes follow the Residential Code of Ohio, adopted by the Ohio Board of Building Standards. Its electrical chapter is based on the 2023 National Electrical Code with Ohio changes and took effect on April 15, 2024.

Most new circuits, panel upgrades and wiring changes need a permit from your local building department, while minor repairs such as replacing a bulb usually do not. In Columbus, for example, only an OCILB-licensed contractor registered with Building and Zoning Services or the homeowner who lives in the house may pull an electrical permit.

Rules vary by city. Columbus and Dayton let an owner who lives in a single-family home do the work after getting a permit, but rental properties and duplexes need a contractor registered with the city.

The City of Cincinnati contracts electrical permits, plan review and inspections to The Inspection Bureau, Inc. (IBI), so your electrical contractor files the permit with IBI.