How to Renew an Electrical License in Suffolk County, New York

In June 2019, the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing & Consumer Affairs changed things for licensed electricians. Specifically, per Suffolk County Code, Chapter 563, Article XI, you need to get continuing education (CE) completed before you can be eligible to renew.

It might feel like an added hassle, but you want to be sure you clearly understand how to renew your license. Working under a revoked license can land you with a fine of $750 on the first offense, then $1,500 each time thereafter. What’s more, get caught working without the proper licensing and you’ll be required to register with the County’s Wall of Shame.

To help you keep your license active, we built this guide. You can use it to meet the renewal requirements for master and restricted electrical licenses in Suffolk County, New York.

When to renew

Electrical licenses stay good for two years in Suffolk County.
Your license expires on the last day of the month it was issued every 24 months.

So if you got your license in June, it expires on June 30 every two years. If you got it in October, it expires on Halloween every other year.

To make sure you don’t miss your deadline, put a reminder on your calendar. Don’t necessarily mark down the date your license expires, though. You might want to put something on the calendar a few weeks prior so you have time to complete the required CE.

Continuing education for electricians in Suffolk County

To reiterate, since June 2019, electrical licensees have needed to get some CE hours done before they can be eligible to renew. The number of hours you need depends on the type of license you have.

Master electricians need eight hours of CE per two-year renewal period.

Restricted electricians need four hours during the two-year window. That’s true for all of the following license types:

Restricted electricians for HVAC (RE1)
Oil and gas burning equipment electricians (RE3)
Signs and lighting systems electricians (RE4)
Communications cable installers (RE5)

You can’t just take your hours anywhere. County code requires you to get your CE from an education provider that they’ve approved.

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you need to head back to school in the way you might be picturing. The Department has given some CE providers the go-ahead to offer their electrical CE online through on-demand classes (such as those offered at this link). This gives you the flexibility to take your hours whenever you’ve got time using your home or office computer, your tablet, or even your smartphone.

When you’re done, you’ll get a certificate of completion. Hang onto that because the county requires proof of CE for renewal.

The renewal fee

You have one last hoop to jump through to be ready to renew: gathering up the funds to pay the renewal fee. If you have a restricted license, the fee is $100 per year, which means you’ll pay $200 for the two-year period. For master electricians, it’s $200 per year, or $400 total.

If you run into any trouble during the renewal process, you can always reach out to the Department at consumer.affairs@suffolkcountyny.gov. Include your full name, mailing address, and phone number in the email.