In Western Australia, the law requires that all electrical work is carried out by a person who holds the relevant electrical licence. Unlicensed electrical work is prohibited due to the risks to public safety.

It is important that you check that the contractor and the person carrying out the work hold the necessary licences.

By law, licensed electrical contractors must employ licensed electricians to carry out electrical work on their behalf. Only licensed electricians meet the required competency standards. These include appropriate competencies in work practices, equipment and installation.

To ensure the safety of the general public, an enforcement process exists to ensure that only those who are competent maintain their licences.

Only licensed electrical contractors are authorised to certify that the work completed by their electricians complies with all applicable regulations and standards.

All licensed electrical contractors are required to display their respective licence numbers on all advertisements. This includes but is not limited to media advertisements, signs or stickers on their vehicles.

To check the validity of an electrical contractor’s licence, please visit Find a gas fitter, electrician or plumber.

An electrical contractors licence can be identified by the prefix 'EC' at the start of the licence number. An electricians licence number will begin with 'EW'.

Alternatively, the Licensing Office can be contacted by telephone on 6251 2000.

When any electrical installing work (excluding maintenance work and like-for-like replacement of electrical equipment) is carried out, the electrical contractor must provide a copy of the electrical safety certificate to the customer within 28 days of completing the work. Only a licensed electrical contractor can issue such a certificate.

The issue of this certificate is mandatory for all types of electrical installing work (excluding maintenance work and like-for-like replacement of electrical equipment). It is your guarantee that the work as been carried out by a licensed electrical contractor, is safe and complies with applicable safety standards. It is strongly recommended that you keep the electrical safety certificate in a safe place with other important records.

If you do not receive an electrical safety certificate within 28 days, please contact your electrical contractor to request one. If for some reason it is not provided immediately, please notify your local network operator. In most cases, depending on your location, your network operator will be either Western Power 13 13 51 or Horizon Power 13 23 51.