Licensed handymen doing electrical work

[jeff48356]

I see a lot of handymen advertising that they also do electrical and plumbing work among the list of things they do -- two trades that must each be separately licensed. For electrical, what is the limit that handymen are allowed to do? Is it limited to changing out fixtures and devices? Or are they allowed to run new wiring and/or circuits?

 

[kylelee]

well actually , I do most job , but usually if amps larger than 200A, or something have to deal with the INSPERTOR I will work with my boss who is master licence


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[danickstr]

Is there such a thing a licensed handyman? Maybe a business license but in cal I don’t know of a subcontracting license called handyman.

 

[Coppersmith]

Here in Florida it is illegal for a handyman to do any electrical or plumbing work. Home owners can do their own work. They require a permit if it's anything more than changing a fan, light, switch, or receptacle.

 

[jaggedben]

I'm sure it varies by state. In California any job over $500 requires a licensed contractor. Less than that does not.

 

[JFletcher]

In Virginia, less than $1,000 worth of work does not require a contractor's license. frequently, work of this type will not be done by a licensed anybody, even if it technically or legally requires a licensed person to do.

Even if a license person does the work, seldom are permits drawn for such small jobs.

 

[growler]

I see a lot of handymen advertising that they also do electrical and plumbing work among the list of things they do -- two trades that must each be separately licensed. For electrical, what is the limit that handymen are allowed to do? Is it limited to changing out fixtures and devices? Or are they allowed to run new wiring and/or circuits?

A state will set limits on what work is allowed without a contractors license. But it's really up to each jurisdiction as to what rules are enforced.

I have seen some really big jobs ( total cost) being done without permits. In some areas they think nothing of it and others the job would probably get shut down.

 

[Fulthrotl]

A state will set limits on what work is allowed without a contractors license. But it's really up to each jurisdiction as to what rules are enforced.

I have seen some really big jobs ( total cost) being done without permits. In some areas they think nothing of it and others the job would probably get shut down.

the largest thing i've seen completed here unpermitted was in pasadena area,
the electrical was about $300k.

my chiropractor did a large remodel on his offices, including moving restrooms,
saw cutting the slab to move sewers, redoing ceiling and all lighting... and his
office was next door to a building under construction, so there was building
inspectors right next door often. i cautioned him what would happen if he was
caught....

how he got caught was pretty funny. pablo or hector was washing out his mud
pan at the curb with a hose, and it was running down the street. the building
inspector next door happened to observe this, and when over to tell him he
could not do it. the offending laborer, not speaking much english, told him to
effen off.

annoyed, the inspector walked in the door of the office, and saw a full blown
construction site, with patients laying on adjusting tables, and people hanging
drywall above them.

my chiropractor got a lesson in being a chew toy for code enforcement.
tuition was above $150k.

 

[growler]

the largest thing i've seen completed here unpermitted was in pasadena area, the electrical was about $300k.

I don't know if I have seen one that would even run that much.

I was thinking of these guys I used to know that remodeled a 4 story office building with no permits or anything. Seemed a big enough job to be crazy to me.

 

[JFletcher]

the largest thing i've seen completed here unpermitted was in pasadena area,
the electrical was about $300k.

my chiropractor did a large remodel on his offices, including moving restrooms,
saw cutting the slab to move sewers, redoing ceiling and all lighting... and his
office was next door to a building under construction, so there was building
inspectors right next door often. i cautioned him what would happen if he was
caught....

how he got caught was pretty funny. pablo or hector was washing out his mud
pan at the curb with a hose, and it was running down the street. the building
inspector next door happened to observe this, and when over to tell him he
could not do it. the offending laborer, not speaking much english, told him to
effen off.

annoyed, the inspector walked in the door of the office, and saw a full blown
construction site, with patients laying on adjusting tables, and people hanging
drywall above them.

my chiropractor got a lesson in being a chew toy for code enforcement.
tuition was above $150k.

Ouch. Pablo or Hector must have been legal, here you can tell the ones that aren't because they're the most polite people you will ever meet. If they know five words of English it's please thank you yes sorry and sir.

 

[Jraef]

In my city if you rent a dumpster and put it in your driveway for doing clean-up, it triggers a visit from the local building inspector. I did that last year for some major yard cleanup after losing a bunch of plants in the drought. He knocked on the door and wanted to come in to see what kind of work we were doing. My wife was home alone and wouldn't let him in, he came back the next day with a police officer. I let him in, I had nothing to hide, but the SOB had to write me up for something so I got a violation for not having hard wired smoke alarms in some rooms. When I had done a remodel 20 years ago, I was inspected and only had to put hard wired smokes in the new rooms, the existing rooms were not required to be brought up. I fought it with the Dept and won; he was wrong. He totally did it out of spite because my wife wouldn't let him in the day he saw the dumpster.

 

[ritelec]

Ouch. Pablo or Hector must have been legal, here you can tell the ones that aren't because they're the most polite people you will ever meet. If they know five words of English it's please thank you yes sorry and sir.

hmmm .........are we assuming nationality ?.... maybe he was from norway, or ireland ??? :- )

Around here I'm pretty sure they can only change light bulbs (handymen........ Norwegian and Irish ).......... homeowners (single family and they live there) can do their own work, but lately inspectors have been asking them to have a licensed electrician seal the permit.

 

[Fulthrotl]

In my city if you rent a dumpster and put it in your driveway for doing clean-up, it triggers a visit from the local building inspector.

same here. the bin guy snitches you off to the building inspector, who does a drive by.

i find it astounding that he'd come back with a police officer. did they have a search
warrant signed by a judge? no paper, no bueno here. and get off my property, thanks.

there is an amendment about illegal searches, and that was one, imho.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things ...

 

[JFletcher]

hmmm .........are we assuming nationality ?.... maybe he was from norway, or ireland ??? :- )

Around here I'm pretty sure they can only change light bulbs (handymen........ Norwegian and Irish ).......... homeowners (single family and they live there) can do their own work, but lately inspectors have been asking them to have a licensed electrician seal the permit.

No, not assuming nationality at all... There are far too many countries in South America for me to do so....

 

[growler]

Ouch. Pablo or Hector must have been legal, here you can tell the ones that aren't because they're the most polite people you will ever meet. If they know five words of English it's please thank you yes sorry and sir.

hmmm .........are we assuming nationality ?.... maybe he was from norway, or ireland ??? :- )

I'm going to vote for Ireland. Sounds more like an Irishman to tell an inspector to effon off. Or maybe just a little Irish blood mixed in.

 

[Andy Delle]

.....My wife was home alone and wouldn't let him in, he came back the next day with a police officer. I let him in, ......

Did he have an administrative warrant? Because in the good 'ol USA, he needed one. This has already been challenged in the courts and there are several cases documented barring AHJ's from routine compliance inspections. They have to clearly see something non-compliant visible from a public area. And few judges will grant a warrant on such vague evidence as a dumpster in the driveway.

 

[hbiss]

Couldn't he just look in the dumpster to see what you were using it for? :dunce:

-Hal

 

[JFletcher]

Couldn't he just look in the dumpster to see what you were using it for? :dunce:

-Hal

That involves way too much logic and Common Sense

 

[tjacobs]

Fire Inspector

Fire Inspector

About every 3 months the fire inspector in our township comes by our shop unannounced. Every time he finds something we have to change. We changed our HPS light fixtures out with LEDs. We had the old HPS fixtures on a skid in the shop. The fire inspector walked in looked at the skid of HPS fixture and then looked up. He then made us pull an electrical permit for changing the fixtures. I should have thrown out the old fixtures right away. He probably would have never noticed the new fixtures.

 

[FionaZuppa]

Here in Florida it is illegal for a handyman to do any electrical or plumbing work. Home owners can do their own work. They require a permit if it's anything more than changing a fan, light, switch, or receptacle.

"handy-person" (sorry, according to Purdue Univ, the use of "man" is no longer a good word) can ask homeowner to get permit, then the handy guy or gal will do the work on behalf of the homeowner, and then inspected accordingly.