Greensboro electrical in numbers
| What we measured | Greensboro |
|---|---|
| Electrical permits, three years | 17,544 |
| Firms | 942 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 593 |
| Usual days from permit to final | 52 |
| Reached final (permits a year or more old) | 93.9% |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 79.3% / 98.9% |
| Firms under 70% reached final | 10 of 233 |
| Firms with exactly one permit | 300 (31.8%) |
Filing peaks in March (index 118) and is lowest in December (79). For national price ranges, see electrical work cost.
Which license a Greensboro electrician needs
North Carolina licenses electrical contractors through the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (NCBEEC); the City of Greensboro issues the permits. The license class (Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited, or a special restricted license) caps the size of job a firm may take, and a general contractor's license does not cover electrical work.
The five-minute check: ask for the license number, search it on NCBEEC's Verify License Search, and check the status, the class and that the company matches your quote. More in the Greensboro contractor license lookup.
The permit rule for electrical work in Greensboro
The rule is state law. G.S. 160D-1110 requires a permit for "The installation, extension, alteration, or general repair of any electrical wiring, devices, appliances, or equipment". In a one- or two-family home it exempts "repair or replacement of electrical lighting fixtures or devices, such as receptacles and lighting switches", when the replacement has the same voltage and the same or less amperage and "The work is performed by a person licensed under G.S. 87-43" (read 23 October 2026). A panel, a new circuit, an EV charger or a generator hookup is permit work.
Greensboro issues electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits separately, so a remodel can carry several. Look up your address on the City's GSO BI Scheduler, whose help page says it finds "Permits and Inspections by Address or Permit Number"; the electrical permit should name your electrician. Panel rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for an electrical panel upgrade.
Red flags in the Greensboro record
- A final share under 79.3%. That is the 10th-percentile line among the 233 Greensboro electricians with 10 or more permits; 10 finish under 70%. Ask about the open ones by address.
- One permit and gone. 300 electrical firms (31.8%) filed exactly one permit in three years.
- A firm that stopped filing. 37 firms with 5 or more permits filed none in the last 12 months.
- A class too small for the job, or a general contractor's license offered for electrical work.
- An offer to skip the permit for anything beyond a like-for-like fixture or device swap.
The busiest Greensboro electricians in the last 12 months
Ranked by Greensboro electrical permits in the last 12 months of the window. Volume, not quality; several of the busiest wire new homes for builders.
| Firm | Permits, last 12 months | Permits, three years | Reached final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman Electric | 718 | 1,381 | 98.7% |
| Nova Power & Light, LLC | 396 | 1,042 | 95.6% |
| F&D Electric of South Carolina | 238 | 472 | 99.9% |
| Hodges Electric Inc | 197 | 510 | 95.6% |
| Arroyo Electric | 155 | 426 | 99.4% |
The five busiest hold 22.0% of the city's electrical permits. The compare list shows every firm's final share and days to final.
See every Greensboro electrician by permits finished →
What the Greensboro record does not tell you
"Reached final" means the City's inspector signed the work off; expired permits count against a firm. Greensboro's electrical permits carry no job value, so we cannot show prices. We have not matched permits to NCBEEC's license file, so our pages show no license status. Our file is the City of Greensboro only; addresses outside city limits are not in it. The national checklist is in hiring an electrician, and state rules in how to check a contractor's license in North Carolina.
How we know this
Permits are City of Greensboro electrical permits on homes, 2023-10 to 2026-09. "Reached final" uses permits a year or more old with a final inspection made; days to final 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. No license status is shown. The statute is quoted from the General Assembly's site and City text from its own pages, read 23 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Greensboro building and trade permits, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I choose an electrician in Greensboro?
Check the firm's license on the NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors' search and that its class covers the job, make sure it pulls the City electrical permit, and read its Greensboro record: 93.9% of electrical permits a year or more old reached final, and the 10th-percentile busy firm reached 79.3%.
- Does an electrician need a license in Greensboro?
Yes, a state license from the NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. Its classes (Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited and special restricted) cap the size of job. The City of Greensboro issues permits, not licenses.
- Do I need a permit to replace a panel or add a circuit in Greensboro?
Yes. NC law (G.S. 160D-1110) requires a permit for installing, extending, altering or repairing electrical wiring and equipment. In a one- or two-family home, only like-for-like replacement of lighting fixtures and devices such as receptacles and switches, by a licensed person, is exempt.
- How long does an electrical permit take to close in Greensboro?
The usual Greensboro electrical permit reached final 52 days after issue. One still open months after the job is out of the ordinary.
- Who are the busiest electricians in Greensboro?
By permits in the last 12 months, Freeman Electric led with 718. The five busiest hold 22.0% of Greensboro's electrical permits; 300 firms filed exactly one.
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
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- Hiring an electrician in Bellevue, WA: the L&I electrical license, the permit, and what 8,000 electrical permits show
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