starting my own 1 man shop

[master electrician 2020]

hi I am a master electrician and currently a signer of the certificate of responsible individual for a factory where I do electrical work and pull permits for in Minnesota . My question is that if i can obtain my own electrical contractor licence and start pulling permits and doing my own jobs as a 1 man shop mostly after hours and on the weekend. From how I read the certificate or responsible individual i am prohibited from being employed in any capacity as a licensed technician or licensed individual by any other contractor or employer. Does that mean i am prohibited from employing myself?

 

[Coppersmith]

Based on my reading of the form it's unclear if you can be both an owner of your own business and a qualifier for another business. I would call the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry at (651) 284-5034 and ask.

 

[Eddie702]

Every state has there own rules.

In CT you need a Masters to pull permits, employ journeymen run a business etc but can also do work with that license.
a journeyman cannot pull permits must be employed by a master to work. One you get the masters you can drop the journeyman license

In MA. a Journeyman can run a 1 man show with 1 unlicensed apprentice and pull permits and do work. Cannot employ another journeyman.
A master can employ journeymen, run a business pull permits, but a master can do no work unless he also holds a journeyman license

 

[GoldDigger]

Most states limit the holder of a qualifying license to using it for the benefit of only one business. So you could hold a Masters license and use it in conjunction with an appropriate contractors license to run your own business and also to do hourly work for another contractor, but not to be the qualifying individual for that other organization.
But there is tremendous variation from state to state and I know nothing about Minnesota.

 

[hillbilly1]

I think they do that to prevent “farming” out the license. A Hvac friend of mine found out the hard way that farming out his license was a bad idea. He pulled a permit in a neighboring state for another contractor, job got botched, homeowner sued, nearly lost his license for that state. I know that’s not what you are doing here, but maybe it’s an explanation about why some states do that.

 

[petersonra]

hi I am a master electrician and currently a signer of the certificate of responsible individual for a factory where I do electrical work and pull permits for in Minnesota . My question is that if i can obtain my own electrical contractor licence and start pulling permits and doing my own jobs as a 1 man shop mostly after hours and on the weekend. From how I read the certificate or responsible individual i am prohibited from being employed in any capacity as a licensed technician or licensed individual by any other contractor or employer. Does that mean i am prohibited from employing myself?

If you are a principal of the one man shop you may not actually be an "employee" of that shop.

I think the answer is probably to be found in the exact wording of the statutes and rules that apply, and any court rulings associated with them. Sometimes courts have made rulings that don't seem to make much sense when you look at the actual words of the rule or law.

It might also be as simple as contacting the contractor licensing authority for your state and just asking.

 

[gadfly56]

Here's an extract from the Minnesota web site:

How do I get an electrical contractor license?
1. You must identify a responsible license individual for your company’s license. Your responsible licensed individual must:

• Hold an active master electrician license,
• Be an owner, officer, or member of the business applying for the license, or a W-2 employee who is actively engaged in the company’s electrical work and cannot be employed as an electrician by any other contractor,
• Not act as the responsible licensed individual for any other electrical contractor or employer, and
• Be responsible for electrical work performed by the company’s employees.

That should answer your question.

 

[petersonra]

Here's an extract from the Minnesota web site:

How do I get an electrical contractor license?
1. You must identify a responsible license individual for your company’s license. Your responsible licensed individual must:

• Hold an active master electrician license,
• Be an owner, officer, or member of the business applying for the license, or a W-2 employee who is actively engaged in the company’s electrical work and cannot be employed as an electrician by any other contractor,
• Not act as the responsible licensed individual for any other electrical contractor or employer, and
• Be responsible for electrical work performed by the company’s employees.

That should answer your question.

Just because the website says this does not mean it is true. But if it is accurate, then the OP may be out of luck as far as his side gig idea goes. I would not give up just yet and look little closer at the actual law and regulations that apply. There may be wiggle room for his situation. However, I think he is out of luck.