Licensed electrician ?

When someone says "licensed electrician", as in "you have to be a licensed electrician to get this permit to add the 240V outlets to your shop", what exactly do they mean?

I know in most states (for example, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan), a state agency issues a license after successfully passing an exam. This makes perfect sense.

But in Illinois, the state does NOT issue electrician's licenses. It issues licenses to doctors, lawyers, realtors, hair dressers, etc., but not electricians.

Yet many local Chicagoland building inspectors insist on license electricians. What license are they referring to?

Reply to
AL
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Driver's License? Fishing License? Gun License?

Reply to
Brian

In Pennsylvania and California, A 'Licensed Electrician' was one who owned an electrical business and passed a test to obtain the license. Others could work for them however the responsibility that the work was completed satisfactorily falls upon the owner of the business. No permits can be obtained without the license. (Except by the home owner). In Pa. this only held true only for the larger cities with payrolled inspectors. Outlying areas did not require licensing and used NBFU inspectors or a private recognized inspection company, They also issue the permits. Wash. Ore. Idaho and Utah require that all work be done by or under direct supervision of a working licensed individual. (The same license is valid in all those states.)

Chipper Wood

useours, yours won't work

Reply to
Chipper Wood

"Licensed electrician" can mean several things but for the purposes of pulling permits (in Fliorida) this means the person is a licensed electrical contractor, they have met experience requirements and have passed the tests, have insurance and they carry at least $75,000 in performance bond. That also includes all the other local occupational licenses, unemployment etc.

There are also places that have journeymen licenses for the people who work for the contractor which mirrors the union structure in places with a "right to work" law and they can't compel people to be unionized.

The reality is a lot of "licensed contractors" are just figureheads who may not even live in the state with real bozos working under their license and a good lawyer to fend off the unpleased customers.

Reply to
Greg

I used to live in Utah, and now reside in Washington State. One could do his own wiring as long as it was not commercial, so a license was not required. That may be different in Utah now, but I still have an open permit for our home here in Washington, and no license is necessary. You do have to work to code, however. In Washington, the State oversees electrical, whereas in Utah it was left to the counties. Could be different there now, I've been gone for over 8 years.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

.>I used to live in Utah, and now reside in Washington State. One could do

In Florida "owner builders" can get permits for their residence, not rentals, if they don't sell it for a year or for a business if they own the building and the total project is something like $25,000 or less. I currently have an owner/builder permit in my yard for a pool and the associated deck, electrical and stem wall. It really was pretty painless. The only rule was that any people I "hired" had to be licensed but anyone who worked for free was OK. If I did hire an unlicensed person I had to buy insurance for them, pay FICA etc. In another law there is a $500 per employee, per year, exemption for "casual labor" but you still own their ass if they get hurt. I hired a few guys to move dirt but I got them from a licensed labor pool. It was still cheaper than getting a machine

Reply to
Greg

An _electricians_license_, oddly enough.

Issued by the municipality, not the state.

Reply to
Robert Bonomi

State laws may provide an exemption for you to work on your own home as long as you follow code and permitting procedures. In a commercial or public structure, you may be outta luck.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

Rules change from county-to-county and city-to-city but what you just described is an electrical contractor, which is different from an electrician. In my county, they license electricians (like me), master electricians, and electrical contractors. Each have a separate exam (among other requirements) and differing privileges.

Vaughn

Reply to
Vaughn

You are correct that the state does not register or license electricians in Illinois. Electrical tests for licenses and registration is handled by municipality. Most cities have their own electrical inspectors or departments that administers the electricians exam and grant licenses. Most other cities or municipalities recognize the license and only require a small fee and insurance to work there. The exception is Chicago, where you must pass a separate exam to do any electrical work, including low voltage.

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Reply to
Alan Sadler

Reply to
Glenn Ashmore

In Florida, licensing is at the state level.

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Reply to
Greg

Depends on the locality. My dad had licenses from several surrounding towns where he did work but the state didn't have any licensing authority. In many cities, if you had a license from another town, they'd recognize it and issue a local license on the strength of that upon surrendering the proper amount of green. Having a union card helped there, too, since you had to have gone through the apprenticeship program to get one and were, theoretically, properly trained. If the local building code was considerably different than other towns, you might have to study up and pass the test. He had to do that several times when working out of state.

Stan

Reply to
Stan Schaefer

Idaho too, allows a homeowner to do his own electrical. Did my own shop with 240's and 120's, saved a bunch of money. The city or county electrical inspector is the one to talk to in your area.

Reply to
Ronnie Lyons, Meridian, Idaho

Union card.

scott

Reply to
Scott Lurndal

These days you might find everything you need on the internet site for your local government. When I pulled my permits I got all the instructions, checklists and application forms online. It made things real easy when I got downtown because I had all my ducks in a row before I went in.

Reply to
Greg

Reply to
Mark L.

That is scary. My twelve year old son would qualify for that one!

Mark Rand Bsc. Electrical Engineering & Electronics (a 'competent person' under the UK wiring regs)

RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

That's not the application for the license. That is the application to take the test, which you must pass to be qualified to apply for a license.

Paul K. Dickman

Reply to
Paul K. Dickman

Read it again. "The applicant must be 21 years of age". Two years verified work experience is required. Also, that's an application to take an exam which has to be passed.

Reply to
J. Clarke

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