GC wants a copy of my licence should I be alarmed?

[growler]

It would be so easy!

It would be so easy!

In many jurisdictions anyone off the street could walk into the permit office and pull a permit useing my name and license number. They can get all this information off the net from the secretary of state web site. If I have pulled any permits in that jurisdiction and all information is current they are not even going to ask to see a license so what difference does it make if a GC or anyone else has a copy of my license.

Sure they can get a permit but at what cost to themselves? A legal permit requires one thing they can't get from me and that is my signature. Once they sign my name to a legal government document they are asking for trouble. This is called fraud and is a criminal offense, I think it's a felony ( most places ). They can be arrested and do some jail time for this.

If a GC is dumb enough to do this then that's pretty much the end of his contracting days. If you use your license for criminal purposes you are not legally going to be licensed anywhere.

 

[Electric-Light]

A sole proprietor does not have to work out of their home.

The license is for the individual and not for the business. Some places may require some type of license for business also but there needs to be some individual within the organization that has qualification that allows them to do what it is that they do. You could have a business with a contractor or master license that is not the owner as well as a non qualified owner that holds a business license of some type.

True. What I meant is, there are plenty of one man/couple operations with home base as their residence. Even if they don't publish their address on their website or on their business card, anyone can still look up the address registered under that contractor's license, or individual licensed personnel's professional license,which maybe under their home or business address.

In many jurisdictions anyone off the street could walk into the permit office and pull a permit useing my name and license number.

Sadly. Identity theft is a serious problem these days everywhere. Certain information is not considered public record, such as SSN and DL #, which is often required to establish credit cards, start a service with utility etc. Some merchants ask for photo ID when you use your credit card for "your protection" but credit card companies actually prohibit requiring it. Plenty of shady people work in food service and such industry and there is a black market for database of such information, so more harm than good can come from it.

Many things that require signature in person, such as making a purchase using credit card often do not require physical signature if done online or over the phone.

There are even incidents of visits on your medical record that you didn't make, because someone else was seeing doctor in your name while your insurance was getting billed for it.

 

[gadfly56]

In many jurisdictions anyone off the street could walk into the permit office and pull a permit useing my name and license number. They can get all this information off the net from the secretary of state web site. If I have pulled any permits in that jurisdiction and all information is current they are not even going to ask to see a license so what difference does it make if a GC or anyone else has a copy of my license.

Sure they can get a permit but at what cost to themselves? A legal permit requires one thing they can't get from me and that is my signature. Once they sign my name to a legal government document they are asking for trouble. This is called fraud and is a criminal offense, I think it's a felony ( most places ). They can be arrested and do some jail time for this.

If a GC is dumb enough to do this then that's pretty much the end of his contracting days. If you use your license for criminal purposes you are not legally going to be licensed anywhere.

What, for once New Jersey is ahead of the pack?!? At the risk of repeating myself, "How is the GC [anyone off the street] pulling permits without the electrical subcode technical section carrying the electrician's seal?":? Unless you are the homeowner, in NJ you better have the raised seal on your permit application unless it's for otherwise exempt work. The only way someone can get that from you is to steal your seal.

 

[revolt]

Any other states provide an EC with a device such as a seal to stamp permits? Our state does with your license number and company name on it. The seal indents the permit were the permit is signed by the EC. Only the license holder can sign the permit.