50-State Energy Licensing Compliance Guide

Learn about licensing requirements for energy industry companies.
High-voltage power lines

Companies that perform energy-related services face a number of licensing and regulatory challenges. Renewal and reporting requirements are ongoing so compliance is important at every stage of business.

Following professional licensing requirements is key to maintaining your legal authority to operate. Up-to-date licensing allows you to enter markets quickly and reach additional customers. Proper licensing is necessary when seeking financing opportunities. Failing to observe licensing requirements can result in state-imposed penalties and delinquencies. Penalties and licensing hang-ups can delay the growth of your business.

The good news? An experienced, dedicated compliance partner can help. Take a proactive approach to maintaining energy supplier licensure and certification. Contact Harbor Compliance today to simplify your professional licensing process.

The following guide provides overviews for various energy industry license categories. It also includes state-specific details on how to apply for and renew licenses.

Licenses for Energy Industry Companies

Explore licensing by state:

Aggregator - Agents acting as brokers on behalf of a group or groups of customers.

Broker - An agent acting as a middleman between energy suppliers and customers. Brokers can be affiliated with a single energy supplier or may have several supplier affiliations.

Competitive Energy States - States that allow consumers to choose the supplier of their energy source.

Energy Supplier - Narrowly defined, a supplier is a company that owns rights to a supply of energy or owns means of producing energy and then sells that energy to customers. The broad definition of energy supplier also includes aggregators, brokers, and marketers.

Franchise Agreement - A contract between municipal governments and utility companies that sets a franchise fee and conditions for the use of public rights of way.

Power Marketer - Act as intermediary between utilities and customers. Marketers do not own any assets related to power generation, they simply find price discrepancies between utility companies and offer savings to customers.

ACCES: American Coalition of Competitive Energy Suppliers
Consumer outreach organization that educates the public on energy choice.

FERC: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Independent agency charged with oversight of electric, oil, natural gas, and hydropower transmissions.

RESA: Retail Energy Supply Association
National association of energy suppliers that encourages competition in energy markets.