RI Laws

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JohnE

JohnE

Senior Member
Location
Milford, MA
Does anyone know if a homeowner can sign something to waive the licensing requirements in Rhode Island? A buddy of mine is a GC and told me that this was the case, and wants me to do a remodel job in RI. I am doubting that that is the case, but thought I'd ask. I'm going to try to contact the inspector today. And FWIW, the only reason I am considering doing this job if that is the case is because the homeowner is a girl I've been friends with for over 20 years.
 
friendship and business doesn't mix -- i've heard of "long distance relationships" but this is the first "long distance business deals"!!! would have to be one heck of a remodel job to make it worth your while?????
 
Even if there was a way to do the work without a license, what about the stuff that can ruin your life, like not having comp insurance, and you get hurt, or there is a liability problem down the road, it could come years after the work was done, and you were not covered for liability, at the time.
 
charlie tuna said:
would have to be one heck of a remodel job to make it worth your while?????
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That's what I was thinking. Here I could get a license to work in a couple of other states easy enough but it doesn't stop there. Once you open pandora's box it never stops. You have to change you insurance to work in another states ( probably more money, everythings else is ). Then they may want a business license to legally work there and you have to file taxes in the other state even if it's a small job. I forgot one, you may even have to be bonded in the other state.

It may seem as if I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill but when I worked on the road ( traveling ) for other companies I have had to file taxes for as little as a couple days working in other states. The accountants alway want extra money to file all of these out of state tax forms.
 
Thanks for the input guys. The GC is one I work for regularly and is one of my best friends and has been for over 20 years. The homeowner I've known for over 20 years and her sister was my wife's maid of honor. And it is only a 40 minute ride from my house. Under ordinary situations, I would not be at all interested in going there, which is why I put the additional info in the post.

So anyone know the answer to the question in the OP?
 
j_erickson said:
So anyone know the answer to the question in the OP?
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I don't know the lawful answer but I can give you a basic idea of how happy they will be to see another MA guy down working.:grin:

It takes a RI Master to pull a permit, they are not reciprocal with MA and I have never heard of any waivers but maybe they exist.

If such a form does exist it is my opinion it would take someone working in that office who wants to locate that form for an out of stater like yourself.

Just my personal opinion.....maybe I have just been unlucky since 91 when I started working in RI.
 
Bob,

I know how they treat outsiders there. That is part of the reason I posted here in addtion to making a call. I didn't have a chance to call the building department today. They were closed by the time I did. I still doubt they have that sort of waiver. But the GC said that there is a waiver, you just can not touch the service. Several times I have meant to go get a RI license, but never got around to it. The fact that there is a 2 year period before you can get a Master's kind of killed the drive to go get it. That and the added aggravation of working in another state on a very limited basis.
 
Ok, being an "insider" and employed by an RI based EC, I can tell you that no waivers for licensing are even remotely possible. You must have a contractors "A" license to do electrical work and get permits in RI.

Homeowners are allowed to get permits but they must do the work themselves.
 
j_erickson said:
Several times I have meant to go get a RI license, but never got around to it.
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I have my RI J-mans, but it can be hard test to pass.

By the way, RI is a permit before showing up to work state, don't try the MA 'I have 5 days' line :grin: it will co$t you.
 
emahler said:
that's the waiver the GC was talking about...betcha
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True, I hadn't thought of that. You're probably 100% right about that....either way, it's setting up major trouble for an out-of-state unlicensed EC, particularly one from Massachusetts. ;)
 
peter d said:
True, I hadn't thought of that. You're probably 100% right about that....either way, it's setting up major trouble for an out-of-state unlicensed EC, particularly one from Massachusetts. ;)
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anyone that lives in a state that continually elects the Kennedy's is nothing but trouble:D (didn't one of them move to RI cause Taxachussetts finally wised up?:D)
 
I dated a girl who went to Johnson& Wales...Providence was a neat town...Newport in the summers was a blast...
 
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