Bellevue electrical in numbers
| What we measured | Bellevue |
|---|---|
| Electrical permits, three years | 8,025 |
| Firms | 781 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 493 |
| Firms with an active L&I record | 90.3% |
| Usual days from permit to close | 45 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 83.3% |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 69.1% / 95.6% |
| Firms under 70% closed | 15 of 139 |
| Firms with exactly one permit | 247 (31.6%) |
Filing peaks in July (index 121) and is lowest in November (74). Bellevue's electrical permits carry no job value; for national ranges see electrical work cost.
Which license a Bellevue electrician needs
Washington licenses electrical contractors through the Department of Labor & Industries. L&I's electrical contractor page requires "A certified, assigned electrical administrator or master electrician" and a $4,000 surety bond (read 23 October 2026). A general contractor registration does not cover electrical work. Bellevue adds a City business license and asks for the contractor's Washington license number on the permit application.
The five-minute check: ask for the L&I electrical contractor number, search it on L&I Verify, and check the license is active, the name matches your quote, and there are no lawsuits against the bond. Ask who will be on site and look up their electrician certificates too. More in the Bellevue contractor license lookup.
The permit rule for electrical work in Bellevue
Bellevue's work requiring permits page says "A permit is required for adding or moving electrical circuits and for changes to the service panel", while "We do not require a permit for replacing an appliance with a similar appliance in the same location" (read 23 October 2026). A panel upgrade, an EV charger circuit or a heat pump circuit is permit work. Search your address on MyBuildingPermit Check Status (choose Bellevue, then the Location tab) once the job is booked; the permit should name your electrician. Other cities: do I need a permit for electrical work.
Red flags in the Bellevue record
- A closed share under 69.1%. That is the 10th-percentile line among the 139 Bellevue electrical firms with 10 or more permits; 15 close under 70%. Ask about the open ones by address.
- An L&I record that is not active. 66 electrical firms on Bellevue permits (8.5%) held one that had expired or been suspended.
- A general or specialty registration but no electrical contractor license. Wiring needs the electrical license.
- A firm that stopped filing. 27 firms with 5 or more permits filed none in the last 12 months.
- Lawsuits against the bond on the L&I Verify record.
The busiest Bellevue electrical firms in the last 12 months
Ranked by Bellevue electrical permits in the last 12 months of the window; firms trading under a person's name are left out of this table and are on the compare list. Volume, not quality: several of the busiest are heating and plumbing companies rather than electrical shops.
| Firm | Permits, last 12 months | Permits, three years | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Energy Svcs Co LLC | 120 | 337 | 75.8% |
| Provident Electric Inc | 85 | 357 | 98.9% |
| All Climate Heating & A/C | 83 | 227 | 92.3% |
| Greenwood Htng & Home Services | 65 | 201 | 70.8% |
The compare list shows every firm's L&I status, closed share and days to close.
See every Bellevue electrician by L&I status and permits closed →
What the Bellevue record does not tell you
"Closed" means the City closed the permit; Bellevue loads finals with a lag, so the newest permits look less closed than they are. Our L&I status is the latest record for the firm's UBI at our build; a license can lapse after that, so run Verify the week you sign. Bellevue's electrical permits carry no job value. The national checklist is in hiring an electrician; Seattle's version of this page is hiring an electrician in Seattle, and state rules are in how to check a contractor's license in Washington.
How we know this
Permits are City of Bellevue electrical permits on single-family homes and condo units, 2023-10 to 2026-09. "Closed" uses permits a year or more old; days to close is the median from issue to final. Percentile and under-70% figures use electrical firms with 10 or more permits. The busiest-firm table ranks by permits in the last 12 months. License status is the latest L&I record for the firm's UBI, preferring the electrical license. L&I and City text is quoted from their own pages, read 23 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Bellevue permits on single-family homes and condo units, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I choose an electrician in Bellevue?
Check the firm's Washington L&I electrical contractor license on L&I Verify, make sure it pulls the City of Bellevue electrical permit, and read its Bellevue record: 83.3% of electrical permits a year or more old were closed, and the 10th-percentile busy firm closed 69.1%.
- Does an electrician need a license in Bellevue?
Yes, a Washington L&I electrical contractor license, which requires an assigned administrator or master electrician and a $4,000 bond. Bellevue also asks for a City business license and the contractor's state license number on the permit application.
- Do I need a permit to add a circuit or replace a panel in Bellevue?
Yes. Bellevue says a permit is required for adding or moving electrical circuits and for changes to the service panel. Replacing an appliance with a similar one in the same location does not need a permit.
- How long does an electrical permit take to close in Bellevue?
The usual Bellevue electrical permit closed 45 days after issue. Ask who books the final inspection.
- How many Bellevue electricians have a problem license?
66 of the 781 electrical firms on Bellevue permits (8.5%) held an L&I record that had expired or been suspended by the time of our build; 90.3% were active.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Contractor red flags, including the three you can see in the public record
- Hiring an electrician: 5 red flags and 10 questions, checked against electrical permits in 45 cities
- Hiring an electrician in Austin: the TDLR license, the permit, and what 24,000 electrical permits show
- Hiring an electrician in Chicago: the city license, the express permit, and what 12,000 electrical permits show
- Hiring an electrician in New York City: the DOB license, the permit, and what 50,000 electrical permits show
- Hiring an electrician in Pittsburgh: the City electrical trade license, the permit, and what 4,600 electrical permits show
For one city
- Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business — Washington L&I (2026-10-23)
- Electrical Contractor — Washington L&I (2026-10-23)
- Work requiring permits — City of Bellevue, WA (2026-10-23)
- Getting Started (hiring a contractor) — City of Bellevue Development Services (2026-10-23)
- Permit Status — MyBuildingPermit (2026-10-23)