Low voltage permit

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oakey

Oakey

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Recently I did a large low voltage lighting job in a local town.
I went downtown and got my electrical permit and proceeded. I dug the trenches 6 inches as per the towns orders and I figured before filling it in I better get a trench inspection, so I stopped work.
I was informed that inspections are not necessary for low voltage applications. All this wiring can be done without a license and anyone can be issued a permit for it. I mean there is a lot to this stuff than just sticking them in the ground. 1500 watt transformer, spider splices etc.
There is only one town that I am aware of that only a licensed electrican can do this work. This is a $10,000 job and we dont get to do it.
This bugs me, I have no idea why.
 
Oakey said:
There is only one town that I am aware of that only a licensed electrican can do this work.
Click to expand...

How many volts are we talking about here?

Oakey said:
This is a $10,000 job and we dont get to do it.
This bugs me, I have no idea why.
Click to expand...

I can probably give you 10,000 reasons why you're ticked off ;)
 
celtic said:
How many volts are we talking about here?
Click to expand...

Its all $$ to me in the long run. How can these guys be insured if something goes wrong?
This setup I did runs anywhere from 12-18 volts depending on the length of the run.
 
brantmacga said:
you obviously have never been to a home depot 'how to' class. piece of cake. :D
Click to expand...


I've seen houses roughed in for low voltage lighting with 18-2 bell wire...:grin:

s0105150_std.jpg
 
lv permit

lv permit

Oakey said:
Recently I did a large low voltage lighting job in a local town.
I went downtown and got my electrical permit and proceeded. I dug the trenches 6 inches as per the towns orders and I figured before filling it in I better get a trench inspection, so I stopped work.
I was informed that inspections are not necessary for low voltage applications. All this wiring can be done without a license and anyone can be issued a permit for it. I mean there is a lot to this stuff than just sticking them in the ground. 1500 watt transformer, spider splices etc.
There is only one town that I am aware of that only a licensed electrican can do this work. This is a $10,000 job and we dont get to do it.
This bugs me, I have no idea why.
Click to expand...

here in Fort lauderdale you are required to get a permit for low voltage work.
 
Here in Georgia there is a seperate low voltage license. As a matter of fact I think there are about five seperate low voltage licenses that can be obtained unless the contractor get an unrestricted LV license. I have no idea how they keep up with it.

If you think that allowing anyone to do low voltage is bad they actually allow some of these mobile home installers to do the feeder to a mobile home (they can't do the service ). I'm not sure how they justify that. :grin:
 
Oakey said:
Recently I did a large low voltage lighting job in a local town.
I went downtown and got my electrical permit and proceeded. I dug the trenches 6 inches as per the towns orders and I figured before filling it in I better get a trench inspection, so I stopped work.
I was informed that inspections are not necessary for low voltage applications. All this wiring can be done without a license and anyone can be issued a permit for it. I mean there is a lot to this stuff than just sticking them in the ground. 1500 watt transformer, spider splices etc.
There is only one town that I am aware of that only a licensed electrican can do this work. This is a $10,000 job and we dont get to do it.
This bugs me, I have no idea why.
Click to expand...

I'm lost, you said you were doing a job and stopped to get an inspection which you found out you didn't need and now you don't get to do the job? Were you kicked off the job? Are there two different jobs here?

Sorry for the third degree, just trying to understand why you don't get to do the job now.
 
My sentance is a little off center, as I was typing with a poor sense of $$ attitude that night. I did the job.
I meant we as electricians who have to pay up the $@# for insurance but landscapers and any other handy man can recieve a permit for this with no overhead like we have. It just prices us right out of this field all together. Some of this stuff is big money. So much for the 10 volts or more rule:cool:
 
Oakey said:
How can these guys be insured if something goes wrong?
This setup I did runs anywhere from 12-18 volts depending on the length of the run.
Click to expand...

I'm confused here :-?

45:5A-18 Exempt work or construction.
(j) Any work with a potential of less than 10 volts

(p) Any work performed by a landscape irrigation contractor which has the potential of not more than 30 volts involving the installation, servicing, or maintenance of a landscape irrigation system as this term is defined by section 2 of this amendatory and supplementary act. Nothing in this act shall be deemed to exempt work covered by this subsection from inspection required by the "State Uniform Construction Code Act," P.L.1975, c.217 (C.52:27D-119 et seq.) or regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
Click to expand...
http://www.nj.gov/lps/ca/laws/ElectricLaw.pdf


Oakey said:
All this wiring can be done without a license and anyone can be issued a permit for it.
Click to expand...
No it cannot be.
For wiring under10v, anyone can do it ...once you hit 11v, a licensed EC is required. The ONLY exception is irrigation contractors with items related to irrigation control up to 30v.


Oakey said:
There is only one town that I am aware of that only a licensed electrican can do this work.
Click to expand...

I don't think so...as detailed above.
I would be very interested to know: which one town this is?

Oakey said:
This bugs me, I have no idea why.
Click to expand...

I'd be PO'ed also.
As a State Licensed NJ Electrical Contractor, I'd raise HELL with the building department in that town and INSIST they show me documentation that indicates the rules/regulations that they are citing.
 
Let me clarify.
I see landscape contractors buying by the droves LV lighting that they themselves install. No licensed guy..nothing. Transformers, wiring, etc included. I called a landscaper from the phone book today that advertised LV lighting and he said all he needs is a 120v outlet installed and the rest is him.
There is a town near me that has taken a stand on these guys and requires a licensed electrician do the work..only. Good for them for doing that, more should do the same.
It took time and thought to correct the voltage drop on all my runs today, as well as a million splices to make. 80% of these guys dont speak english much less know this stuff. Maybe I can send my landscaper to my 34 hours of update classes? End of rant we all have work to do
soapbox.gif
 
Oakey said:
My sentance is a little off center, as I was typing with a poor sense of $$ attitude that night. I did the job.
I meant we as electricians who have to pay up the $@# for insurance but landscapers and any other handy man can recieve a permit for this with no overhead like we have. It just prices us right out of this field all together. Some of this stuff is big money. So much for the 10 volts or more rule:cool:
Click to expand...


OK, I get ya...thanks for clarifying that.

And yeah that sucks...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top