Legal Counsel says running conduit is NOT electrical work.

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San -Brooke

San -Brooke

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I am absolutely unsure as to why Legal Counsel has determined in my state that installing conduit is NOT electrical work. Somehow they have extrapolated from the code that until conduit has wire in it it is merely tubing and does not require supervision of a licensed electrician or an electrical inspection. I find this decision absolutely ludicrous and quite frankly have no idea as to why they feel qualified to interpret the National Electrical Code in the first place. My question is does anyone else have experience with this happening and also what is your opinion on this issue.
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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I do not have experience with it but if I was an electrician and the piping was not to code then the wiring would not be allowed to be installed in it. IMO, this seems to be a means to take jobs from the EC and try to lower costs.
 
B

BattleCat

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Location
NJ
Who is "Legal Counsel" and under what authority do they act?


In my state a while back the laborers unions took the work of laying underground pipe because work in general was plentiful so the electricians unions didn't care. I don't know how the state felt about that, but I know it happened often and never heard of any problems (until work got slow and the electricians wanted it back :p).
 
renosteinke

renosteinke

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NE Arkansas
No, I won't let you 'just say.'

Who is this counsel, whom do they represent? What state is involved?

Is there any letter or other documentation, so we can see what was really said?
 
G

Gregg Harris

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Virginia
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Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
RICK NAPIER said:
What state is this? Here it is considered electrical work. In NJ even solar panels are to be installed by an electrician not just wired.
Click to expand...

Rick in Googling this subject matter your state has had several ajuducated issues involving conduit instalation along with other states determining that the conduit itself being run without wiring in it does not constitute electrical work. These challenges by fiber optic, communication wiring etc. has probably spawned the inquiry into the subject.

I did not find any state decision on the matter as referenced by the OP.
 
G

Gold

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US
RICK NAPIER said:
What state is this? Here it is considered electrical work. In NJ even solar panels are to be installed by an electrician not just wired.
Click to expand...

This is a sore spot for me Rick and I don't mean to hi-jack but there are some pretty big Unlicensed Solar contractors in NJ. One of them has been here for more then a few years, and just got there license. They even admit that all of there installers are employees and they hire an electrician to connect the invertor to the meter. This is common practice for solar installers here the whole solar trade in NJ needs to be cleaned and the contractors pimping there license to them need to be fined.
 
G

Gold

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US
Gregg Harris said:
Rick in Googling this subject matter your state has had several ajuducated issues involving conduit instalation along with other states determining that the conduit itself being run without wiring in it does not constitute electrical work. These challenges by fiber optic, communication wiring etc. has probably spawned the inquiry into the subject.

I did not find any state decision on the matter as referenced by the OP.
Click to expand...


I wonder if the BOEE has made a statement regarding conduit. I know they did with solar panels, they said its generation equipment and must be done by a licensed electrician.
 
iwire

iwire

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Honestly running conduit or EMT is not in my mind electrical work. In the states I work it has been traditionally considered so but I can see the argument that it is not.
 
don_resqcapt19

don_resqcapt19

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Illinois
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iwire said:
Honestly running conduit or EMT is not in my mind electrical work. In the states I work it has been traditionally considered so but I can see the argument that it is not.
Click to expand...
So if installing the conduit is not electrical work then the rules in the NEC that cover the installation of conduit systems would not apply.
 
K8MHZ

K8MHZ

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Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
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iwire said:
Honestly running conduit or EMT is not in my mind electrical work. In the states I work it has been traditionally considered so but I can see the argument that it is not.
Click to expand...

The NEC seems to think it is...

90.2 (A) "This Code covers the installation of electrical conductors, equipment and raceways,........"

Since the NEC has requrements to follow when installing EMT (a raceway), my take is that it is electrical work, if the EMT is meant to be part of an electrical system.

Another thing to consider for EMT is that if it is used as an EGC, it's now more than a raceway, it's also a conductor.
 
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roger

roger

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Fl
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If I were an inspector or the AHJ in this scenario I think the way I would handle it is, let "whoever" run the conduit and then let it be covered up with finishes, when the wire is installed I would have the finishes removed so I could inspect the conduit for NEC compliance. Then let say the next time they call for a conduit inspection so this wouldn't happen again, I would simply tell them that the conduit by itself is not electrical so I can't inspect it, then if they put wire in it I would tell them it is now electrical and the wire could only be installed into conduit installed by an EC.


Roger
 
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