Licensed contractors, may I have your opinion please

[growler]

How about that a guy runs his business for 20 years with no interference from the Government but now his wonderful government will burden him out of business. got to love your government down there making life "safe" for people.

A Georgia state license only cost $75 every two years. I doubt that will burden him out of business.

The reason these counties didn't bother to enforce the license requirements before is that they are rural with not much going on so it just wasn't worth the trouble. If the county had started to require a state license 20 years ago as they should have all those guys would have been grandfathered -in. It would have cost $750 dollars to hold a state masters license for 20 years and I do think they could have made that much extra somewhere along the way. One service change in another county for example.

 

[growler]

Also it is hard to believe that the contractors only worked in one county for their 20 year run.

That thought crossed my mind also. Who would want to work in just one county for 20 years and never cross the line when all they needed to do was get a license and open up so many opportunities. I think there must be some licensed contractors in the county.

 

[brantmacga]

That thought crossed my mind also. Who would want to work in just one county for 20 years and never cross the line when all they needed to do was get a license and open up so many opportunities. I think there must be some licensed contractors in the county.

There are very few licensed contractors in this county. I know a couple have ventured outside the county lines but only for un-permitted work.

And they didn't just get by for the past 6 yrs as someone mentioned. What my post said is that they were supposedly going to start enforcing the law in '02; it had never been previously enforced nor did it start in '02. And there were several inspectors that "carried on the tradition" of not requiring licenses to buy permits. That is why the previous and current inspector got in an argument as I mentioned; the previous was unhappy that the new inspector was requiring licenses. At this point though, I don't think they want to get the state involved because the county has been breaking the law also.

 

[ceb58]

There are very few licensed contractors in this county. I know a couple have ventured outside the county lines but only for un-permitted work.

And they didn't just get by for the past 6 yrs as someone mentioned. What my post said is that they were supposedly going to start enforcing the law in '02; it had never been previously enforced nor did it start in '02. And there were several inspectors that "carried on the tradition" of not requiring licenses to buy permits. That is why the previous and current inspector got in an argument as I mentioned; the previous was unhappy that the new inspector was requiring licenses. At this point though, I don't think they want to get the state involved because the county has been breaking the law also.

That's the best reason to get the state involved. Let's all get real honest for a moment. How many times has it been discussed about the unlicensed "hack" taking work from the legitimate contractor? Many times. All this county and its officials were doing was promoting this activity. Even if these contractors played by all the rules except for getting those pesky license they were still in the wrong. But as stated "some have ventured into other counties for unpermitted work" so what dose that in its self say. I feel bad for the guys working for these contractors but if the contractor had done what was requried of him we would not be having this discussion. I can understand and imagine the heck this new inspector is and will encounter trying to do his job in a good ol boy county, with good ol boy officials and good ol boy contractors.

 

[brantmacga]

I can understand and imagine the heck this new inspector is and will encounter trying to do his job in a good ol boy county, with good ol boy officials and good ol boy contractors.

from what i have been told, he's getting pounded about it. i haven't had a chance to go talk to him yet to see what's going on. it only takes one phone call around here to get your job taken. i'm hoping it doesn't come to that because he's really trying to do the right thing.

i can't say 100% which way i'm going on this; i just wanted to see what some of you had to say about it.

i'm not going to say anything unless i hear he's about to get canned. right now i think most of what's being said is just to appease certain people and make them think they have a chance of coming out of this okay. i had one guy call me yesterday and said he's going to apply for a job at lowes, while another said he absolutely refuses to get a license.

 

[wshoard]

How long ago did the state License requirement become effective?

Was it the same time as the Low Voltage requirements back in 85?

Did these guys have the same options to get grandfathered as we did, IE: provide documented proof of X amount of years in the industry?

 

[e57]

Sue them....

Sue them....

unfair business practices....

 

[growler]

Did these guys have the same options to get grandfathered as we did, IE: provide documented proof of X amount of years in the industry?

If they have only been in business for 20 Years they probably didn't have the option to Grandfather-in but the people that they worked for learning the trade did. This is the problem with working for an unlicensed contractor, there is no way to log your time in the field working under a master electrician, you may as well work for a handyman.

By not requiring a state license the county not only hurts the customer but the contractors and all of their employees. The young guys working for these companies can't log a single day of experience so even if they learn the trade they are not eligible to get licensed.

Talk about keeping young people in the trade. It must make them feel really good to know that they have worked for some butt head for years and now have to start over at the bottom.

 

[wshoard]

Growler,

Do you know when this requirement was put into place?

I know the Low Voltage requirement was in 85.

 

[growler]

Growler,

Do you know when this requirement was put into place?

I know the Low Voltage requirement was in 85.

I'm not really sure how it worked because I wasn't living in Gerogia at the time.

The state boards for the state license were formed in 1980. One of my friends was one of those to be grandfathered-in and he got his state license in 1982. I'm not sure when the counties decided to comply with the state requirement (I guess some still don't ) . I am sure that the state license has now been available for 27 -28 years now.

These people have had plenty of time to get used to the idea of a license requirement it's not like it sneaked up on them. They should have known for the last 28 years that it was comming.

 

[brantmacga]

i think it was '85

 

[benaround]

I don't know about you, but the last 28 years have just flown by to me.

 

[growler]

i had one guy call me yesterday and said he's going to apply for a job at lowes, while another said he absolutely refuses to get a license.

Many people don't exactly like state regulations but the very minute something goes wrong everyone ask the same question. Why didn't the state government do it's job to protect the public.

The best example of this in the last few years happened up in the north georgia mountains. The state decided not to require additional licensing for the operation of a crematory. The job should be easy enough and the customers are already dead so what could go wrong? They made the exception based on the request of just one man that didn't want to get a funeral directors license.

If any of you remember the incident at the Tri State Crematory this makes the case for need of goverment regulations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-State_Crematory

 

[brantmacga]

yeh i remember that. i can't say a license would've made a difference there however. i'm sure he fully knew how to operate his business, but he was a crook; taking money for a service he didn't provide. they exist in all facets of business.

 

[growler]

yeh i remember that. i can't say a license would've made a difference there however. i'm sure he fully knew how to operate his business, but he was a crook; taking money for a service he didn't provide. they exist in all facets of business.

It was the owner of that very facility that didn't want to get a license. If there had been a license requirement the facility would have been shut down. They made the exception because the father that had run the business was an old time grave digger and was getting old and they didn't figure he would be around that long. But the son took over the business.
If the father hadn't died this probably never would have happened.

This is similar in many ways to the situation you have in South Georgia with the electrical license issue. If they allow these businesses to remain open then at what time would a license be required. Sooner or later the old timers die off but then the family just takes over the business and continues to run it as if nothing has changed.

 

[brantmacga]

This is similar in many ways to the situation you have in South Georgia with the electrical license issue. If they allow these businesses to remain open then at what time would a license be required. Sooner or later the old timers die off but then the family just takes over the business and continues to run it as if nothing has changed.

Yeh that's the truth right there. Its not just electrical licenses either. Most of these guys I'm talking about are a "one-stop-shop". Guys that learned it from their dad's and such. They do the carpentry, plumbing, electric, hvac, painting, etc. . .

You guys have some pretty rural places in the north too, i'm sure some of the same things go on up there.

I was reading the board minutes a couple of weeks ago and read where an inspector from some N.GA. town approached the board saying that some of the new electrical license requirements were making it hard for guys in his county to get licensed. It didn't specifically say what it was.

I just signed off for a buddy of mine in ATL to go take the test; the only difference I saw in the app. was now all of your references have to be licensed professionals, where as before you only needed one class II EC (your employer) to sign you off. I think that is what the inspector was referring to.

That could be a real challenge in a small town. I could've done it but only because I worked for a family-owned business with multiple licenses. If not, that requirement would've been hard to swing.

 

[cschmid]

I like the fact you just can not sing off in MN..must have verification of time by payroll records..If you are working just to stay busy then you are in business for the wrong thing..Just for the record I am not a business owner I am the signing master for the business..all expenses plus a profit for the business..only do jobs you can make money on no need to wear you and your equipment out for free..unless it is charity work..

 

[brantmacga]

in GA, you're supposed to have a 4-year apprenticeship or 3/yrs w/ 2/yrs of accredited classroom education. You have to put all this information on your application, but no records have to be attached. I've only read of two or three license sanctions applied when someone was caught lying about their experience; but the only way that could happen is if someone turned them in.