The contractor that is a licensed electrician will be responsible for the permits and work per code, while an electrical contractor is not as important. Some are not licensed, insured or have knowledge of the wiring codes.
In California, a contractor that’s a licensed electrician is a company or individual that holds a specialty C-10 electrical license.
An electrical contractor license can be held by a corporation with a qualifying individual (RMO) who holds a C-10 license. A contractor needs a licensed electrician to qualify as an electrical contractor to negotiate electrical contracts larger than $500.00 with clients.
The licensed electrician has four years of journeyman experience and has passed the CSLB state licensing tests covering written law and business and an electrician’s trade examination (unless waivers are involved) to qualify for a state electrical contractor license.
Normally when I hear a “contractor that’s a licensed electrician”, I think of a single C-10 license, and I do not believe the licensee holds any other specialty licenses or is a general contractor.