Did You Know? Idaho’s New Electrical Licensing Laws May Put Your Home at Risk

North Woods Electric LLC | Serving Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, and Beyond

The state of Idaho recently made it easier to obtain an electrical license—but that doesn’t mean everyone holding one has the skill, knowledge, or experience to do the job right. In fact, these changes mean that less experienced electricians are now legally allowed to pull permits and work on your home—without the years of training and testing once required.

So, here’s the question every homeowner should be asking:

Is your electrician qualified—or just licensed?

The Difference Between a Master Electrician and a "Hack"

At North Woods Electric, we’ve been in the industry long enough to see the good, the bad, and the downright dangerous. We’re not talking about competition—we’re talking about safety.

Our master electrician has:

25+ years of hands-on experience
Advanced certifications and training
Knowledge of current NEC (National Electrical Code) standards
The expertise to pull the correct permits and work within legal and safe parameters

Compare that to someone who just met the minimum hour requirements and walked into a license with no continuing education, no inspection experience, and no understanding of evolving code. That’s not only risky—it’s reckless.

As one local writer put it, “A HACK electrician is unsure of the laws and electrical codes, doesn’t pull permits, and undercuts the professionals who keep buildings legal and safe.”

What Could Go Wrong?

We often get calls from homeowners who had work done by a low-bidder “electrician” who:

Didn’t pull permits
Skirted code to save time
Left behind dangerous installations
Walked off the job after inspection red flags

Guess who has to clean it up?(You guessed it. The homeowner—and us.)

Ask These 5 Questions Before Hiring an Electrician

How many years have you been licensed?
Do you hold a Master Electrician License?
What kind of work have you done—residential, commercial, new builds?
Will you pull the proper permits for this job?
Are you familiar with local electrical codes and inspection requirements?

If they hesitate on any of these—you should too.

Experience is the Right Choice.

At North Woods Electric LLC, we’re a small, experienced outfit that believes in doing it right the first time. We don’t cut corners. We don’t skip permits. And we don’t leave you with surprises.

We serve the North Idaho community with pride, honesty, and decades of electrical expertise. Whether it’s a generator install, a full rewire, a shop buildout, or troubleshooting a mystery short—we’ve got the tools, the knowledge, and the codebook.

Final Thought: Cheap is Expensive. Safe is Smart.

Your home deserves more than a minimum-hours rookie with a license. It deserves a Master Electrician. Call North Woods Electric LLC today for expert work you can trust.