Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Electrician

Hiring an electrician is one of those decisions where the cost of getting it wrong is a lot higher than the cost of the job itself. Bad electrical work doesn't always announce itself. It can sit quietly behind a wall for years and then show up as a failed home inspection, a denied insurance claim, or something far worse. The good news is that a handful of the right questions, asked before anyone starts work, will tell you almost everything you need to know about whether you're dealing with a professional or a problem.

Here are the questions worth asking any electrician before you hire them — what a good answer sounds like, and why each one matters.

Are You Licensed, Bonded, and Insured — and Can You Prove It?

This is the first question, and it's not one to take on faith. Any electrician can say yes. A professional will happily show you.

In Oregon specifically, this question has a wrinkle most homeowners don't know about, and it's worth understanding because it separates a truly qualified electrician from someone who just sounds like one. Oregon uses a three-agency licensing system. General contractors are licensed through the Construction Contractors Board, but electrical work requires a separate trade license through the Building Codes Division. That means an outfit can hold a valid contractor license and still not be properly licensed to do electrical work. When you ask about licensing, you're not just confirming a piece of paper exists — you're confirming they hold the right one for the job.

"Bonded" and "insured" are two different protections, and both matter. A surety bond protects you if the work is left incomplete or done defectively. Liability insurance covers property damage or injury that happens during the job. Here's the part almost nobody checks: in Oregon, a license can show as active while the bond or insurance behind it has quietly lapsed. They renew on separate schedules, and a contractor can be fully licensed on paper and completely uncovered in practice.

How to actually verify it

• Ask for their license number directly. In Oregon, contractors are required to display it on estimates, contracts, and advertising.
• Look it up yourself before you sign anything. You can verify license status, bond, and insurance through the state's online tools at no cost.
• Check the expiration dates, not just whether coverage exists. A bond that expired last week still shows up on the record.
• Confirm the business name on the paperwork matches exactly what the electrician told you.

At Coy Electric, we're fully licensed, bonded, and insured, and we're glad to provide our credentials up front — and if you'd like a professional electrical inspection to confirm the state of your existing wiring, we're happy to walk you through it. After 52 years in business, we'd rather you check than wonder.

Will You Give Me a Written Estimate?

A verbal "it'll probably run you a few hundred bucks" is not an estimate. It's a guess you can't hold anyone to.

A written estimate does two things. It forces the electrician to actually think through the scope of your job before quoting it, and it gives you a document to compare against the final bill. When the number at the end matches the number at the start, that's not luck — that's a professional who quoted honestly. When it doesn't, a written estimate is your evidence that something changed.

This matters even more in Oregon, where state law requires a written contract for residential projects over $2,000. So for any significant job, a written agreement isn't just good practice — it's the standard you're entitled to expect.

A good answer to this question is an immediate yes, with no hesitation and no pressure to commit before you've seen it in writing. Be wary of anyone who wants a decision or a deposit before they'll put the scope and price on paper.

Do You Pull Permits for Work That Requires Them?

This is the question that trips up the most homeowners, because skipping permits can feel like a convenient shortcut. It saves a little time and a little money right now. It can cost you enormously later.

Permits exist so that an independent inspector confirms the work was done safely and up to code. When an electrician skips that step, you lose that verification entirely — and the consequences show up at the worst possible moments:

• When you sell your home. Unpermitted electrical work is a red flag for buyers and inspectors. It can delay a sale, lower your price, or send buyers walking. Appraisers often won't count unpermitted work toward your home's value at all.
• When you file an insurance claim. If an electrical issue traces back to unpermitted work, your insurer may deny the claim or, in some cases, cancel your policy. An electrical fire in an improperly wired room can become entirely your financial burden.
• When the city finds out. Some municipalities can fine you, require retroactive permits, or in the worst cases make you tear out and redo the work.
• When it comes to safety. This is the real reason permits exist. Improperly installed electrical work often looks completely fine and functions for years. Sometimes the first warning sign is a fire or a shock.

An electrician who offers to skip the permit "to save you money" is not doing you a favor. They're transferring their risk onto you. A professional pulls the permits, schedules the inspection, and hands you the paperwork — which, worth noting, is exactly what you'll want in your files when you eventually sell. At Coy Electric, we pull permits on the work that requires them, every time. It protects you, and it protects the integrity of the work.

How Do You Handle Pricing, and What's Included?

Notice this question isn't "what's your hourly rate?" The hourly rate, on its own, tells you very little about what a job will actually cost. What you want to understand is how pricing works and what's included.

Good questions to ask here:

• Is this quoted as a flat price for the job, or hourly? If hourly, what's the estimate for total hours?
• Does the price include materials, or are those separate?
• Are permit fees included in the estimate or added on?
• Is there a service call or diagnostic fee, and does it go toward the work if I hire you?
• If you find something unexpected once you open things up, how is that handled?

The point of these questions isn't to find the cheapest electrician. It's to find the one whose pricing is transparent and whose estimate you can trust. Fair, honest pricing means no surprises — the number you agreed to is the number you pay, unless the scope genuinely changes and they tell you before doing the extra work. That's the standard we hold ourselves to at Coy Electric, and it's a reasonable one to expect from anyone you hire.

Be cautious of a quote that comes in dramatically lower than everyone else's. In electrical work, the lowball bid often means one of a few things: they're not carrying proper insurance, they're planning to skip permits, or the low number is bait that grows once the work is underway.

Do You Stand Behind Your Work?

The last question is simple: what happens if something isn't right after you've packed up and left?

A professional electrician stands behind what they install. That might take the form of a workmanship guarantee, a warranty on the labor, or simply a clear commitment to make it right. What you're listening for is confidence and specificity. An electrician who's sure of their work has no problem telling you what they'll do if you're not satisfied. One who gets vague or defensive is telling you something too.

At Coy Electric, we back our work with a satisfaction guarantee — because when you've been doing this in the same community for over five decades, your reputation is the business. We can't afford to leave a job that isn't right, and we wouldn't want to.

A Quick Checklist to Take With You

Before you hire any electrician, run through these:

• Are you licensed, bonded, and insured — and can I verify it myself? (In Oregon, confirm the electrical trade license, not just a contractor license.)
• Will you give me a written estimate before any work begins?
• Do you pull permits for work that requires them?
• How does your pricing work, and what's included?
• Do you stand behind your work if something isn't right?

If an electrician answers all five clearly and without hesitation, you're very likely in good hands. If they dodge, rush you, or push back on any of them, keep looking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I verify an electrician is licensed in Oregon?

Ask for their license number, which Oregon requires contractors to display on estimates and contracts, then look it up through the state's online verification tools. Confirm the license is active, check that the bond and insurance haven't expired, and make sure they hold the electrical trade license through the Building Codes Division, not just a general contractor license.

Why does it matter if an electrician pulls permits?

Permits trigger an independent inspection that confirms the work is safe and up to code. Skipping them can cause problems when you sell your home, lead to denied insurance claims if something goes wrong, result in fines from the city, and — most importantly — leave unsafe work unverified behind your walls.

Should I just hire the cheapest electrician?

Not necessarily. A quote that's dramatically lower than others can signal missing insurance, skipped permits, or a price that will climb once work begins. It's better to compare written estimates from licensed electricians and weigh price alongside credentials, guarantees, and reputation.

Is a written estimate really necessary?

Yes. A written estimate makes the electrician define the scope and price before starting, and gives you something to hold the final bill against. In Oregon, a written contract is legally required for residential projects over $2,000.

If you're in the Portland area and want to work with an electrician who checks every box on this list, get in touch with Coy Electric. We're licensed, bonded, and insured, we provide written estimates, we pull the permits your job requires, and we back our work with a satisfaction guarantee — with same-day service available when you need it.

Published July 1, 2026