License?

[jsmalone1]

I have been working as an electrician for 37 years, having completed an IBEW apprenticeship for the Inside Wiremans program in 1977. I passed an exam that same year becoming a journeyman wireman. I managed many large projects in the Chicago area for many years and now have moved to a rural area of Missouri. I guess I am wondering, after reading so many posts on this site, what license/certification, etc. would a person need in so many places? What I am saying is that many locations require no license--even Chicago and the surrounding areas. The contractor may carry a contractors license but the electricians that worked for me there are NOT licensed. In fact, I got a commercial license in a small municipality there, just to have a license--but most towns and villages don't require one. Less the one larger city near me here, I need nothing to do electrical work here, plus the city that does require a license has zero reciprocity regardless. ----Just wondering---I guess I just being the devil's advocate--Are you licensed?? answer--I don't need one.---???

 

[Pokesomi]

its better to have it due to some jurisdictions needing them. Now not saying thats the case here, but I do know in the state of California you have to be licensed to limit liability. The fines out here can be well nuts. Its better that you are licensed so the state knows that if you screw up you will fix it.

 

[wireguy8169]

In PA where I moved from (now living in Maine) was basically the same. In some areas you would go to city hall or borough hall and pay a fee for an annual contractors liscense. Did not have to show any paperwork, a few of the cities you had to have a master to pull permitts and a journeyman on site most of the time. I worked hard to learn all I could during my apprenticship and glad I did but in PA I rarely had to show my certificate or completion card to an employer. Now I am living in Maine and had to have a full hearing, prove my apprenticship covered the correct areas and time in each, that I had at least 12000 hrs as a journeyman, and that was just so I can sit for a test.

 

[M4gery]

The contractor may carry a contractors license but the electricians that worked for me there are NOT licensed.

That's the way it is in my state, licensing is a joke.

The only license necessary is a contractor's license. Said license holder may or may not have any influence on the actions of the company. I have worked for large contractors in which the owner/licensed holder was "retired" down in Florida. No one else in the company is required to have any license, all the "electrician" could be pickup off the street that very day.

So unless you are dealing with a small company in which the owner has his tool belt on, the state electric license might not mean much.

 

[LEO2854]

Licensed?

Licensed?

Click here and see what your state requires.http://www.mikeholt.com/statelicense.php

In mass we have a Master electrician license so you can run a business
and a jouneyman electrician license since 1915.
A Master Electrician can Hire as many journeyman electricians as he needs.
But in no case can a master employ more than one aprentice for each journeyman .

This should be the minmum standard in every state. It is Crazy the there some states that still do not care about the safety of the public.
??In states where no license is required and there is an Electrical Fire do Insurence companys pay for damage??

 

[wireguy8169]

Leo

In PA most of the GC's I worked for on my own required insurance (which I had) so when you bid the job or got the job they got their certificate of insurance. I bid on a won a few small state jobs (some hud single family dwellings, and some small school work like field houses and such), and even though I did not have state liscensing or anything other than a Journeyman's certificate (not liscense) I got those jobs. I had no problem getting bonds from my insurance carried (well the first time was not easy but still got it).
I do not know what happens if an electrician does work for a person and has no insurance I would imagine that there would be a battle for payment. I know when I did jobs for most people they did not even ask for a certificate of insurance, I provided one every time I got a contract signed so it was not a problem, a few times I heard something like "the last electrician did not give me one of those".

Even PP&L or GPU never asked for anything I would call up ask for a DR # do the work and the inspector would leave the cut card or fax it to them and they would connect or reconnect.

 

[LEO2854]

Leo

In PA most of the GC's I worked for on my own required insurance (which I had) so when you bid the job or got the job they got their certificate of insurance. I bid on a won a few small state jobs (some hud single family dwellings, and some small school work like field houses and such), and even though I did not have state liscensing or anything other than a Journeyman's certificate (not liscense) I got those jobs. I had no problem getting bonds from my insurance carried (well the first time was not easy but still got it).
I do not know what happens if an electrician does work for a person and has no insurance I would imagine that there would be a battle for payment. I know when I did jobs for most people they did not even ask for a certificate of insurance, I provided one every time I got a contract signed so it was not a problem, a few times I heard something like "the last electrician did not give me one of those".

Even PP&L or GPU never asked for anything I would call up ask for a DR # do the work and the inspector would leave the cut card or fax it to them and they would connect or reconnect.

:-?
It seem's that a state leaves the door open for just any one to perform Electrical work .
Lets say that you have a job where you need 10 guys working and it leaves the door open to have 9 helpers and 1 journeyman to supervise all the work
who knows if they went to school or have the exsperiance.
You would think that by now 2010 all the states would have Professional licenses for Electricians.

 

[M4gery]

:-?
It seem's that a state leaves the door open for just any one to perform Electrical work .
Lets say that you have a job where you need 10 guys working and it leaves the door open to have 9 helpers and 1 journeyman to supervise all the work
who knows if they went to school or have the exsperiance.
You would think that by now 2010 all the states would have Professional licenses for Electricians.

In my state you don't even need a journeyman to supervise the helpers, 100% of the workforce can be picked up off the corner that morning and go to work as electricians.

 

[LEO2854]

License?

In my state you don't even need a journeyman to supervise the helpers, 100% of the workforce can be picked up off the corner that morning and go to work as electricians.

Wow i can't waite to move down there buy a house that was wired by guys off the street..

 

[cmreschke]

i worked in Las Vegas and they are pretty similar in licensing is done by county and not reciprocal but you can be plucked right off the street to work electrically. from my understanding they only require one locally licensed journeyman on site regardless of manpower and type. that "journeyman" and i use that term loosely was there to walk (pay off) the inspector (pure speculation and in no way provable) seriously though i am surprised that more buildings just dont catch fire and burn down because of this.

Now in Michigan you must be registered with the state as either an app., jour., or mast. to work. As an app. in order to register now you have to prove that you are enrolled in an app. training school. ratio for journeyman to apprentice is 1 to 1 unless you are on a residential single family or multifamily up to six units then you are allowed 2 app. to 1 jiw. contractor does not have to be the master but must employ one for forty hours per week if they are not the master themselves. However inspectors rarely enforce those rules around here as i have not seen many get thrown off the job for being under ratioed or unregistered. i have even called a time or two on some of the jobs i have worked on and still nothing.
As for my self i am a licensed master with the state of Michigan, and my license is only good here because michigan is a non reciprocal state.