Washington Administrators License - looking for advice on study materials/approach

I have never understood why Washington and Alaska use the term 'administrator' to mean master electrician.
WA it means you know it not that your necessary have hands on experience with it. It's a different take for sure though but I could see a large business being more inline with it than someone to work their way up from the trade only.
 
I have never understood why Washington and Alaska use the term 'administrator' to mean master electrician.
In WA the administrator is the person who is responsible for the company complying with state electrical laws and rules. The
Administrator does not have to be a certified electrician but if not an electrician can’t touch the tools.
But then in 2005 Washington set up master electrician certification, a master is electrician + administrator.
In small companies the administrator is the only electrician.
 
In WA the administrator is the person who is responsible for the company complying with state electrical laws and rules. The
Administrator does not have to be a certified electrician but if not an electrician can’t touch the tools.
But then in 2005 Washington set up master electrician certification, a master is electrician + administrator.
In small companies the administrator is the only electrician.
So even though I’m not an electrician I still have to take the Master Electrician test? Meaning that’s what I should be studying?
 
Wow, I was just about to ask this very question about Admin. What a wealth of knowledge here.

In WA the administrator is the person who is responsible for the company complying with state electrical laws and rules. The Administrator does not have to be a certified electrician but if not an electrician can’t touch the tools.
But then in 2005 Washington set up master electrician certification, a master is electrician + administrator.
In small companies the administrator is the only electrician.
I'm not clear on what this means? My understanding is that an Admin is allowed to hire a Journey and the Journey does the work. But you say for small companies the Admin does the work?

I am badly in need of money, but the CITC course sounds great. I wonder what the passing rate of their students is?

What NEC year is WA currently under?
 
Wow, I was just about to ask this very question about Admin. What a wealth of knowledge here.


I'm not clear on what this means? My understanding is that an Admin is allowed to hire a Journey and the Journey does the work. But you say for small companies the Admin does the work?

I am badly in need of money, but the CITC course sounds great. I wonder what the passing rate of their students is?

What NEC year is WA currently under?
In Washington state, to be in the electrical business, you need need to be an electrical contractor. There is no experience or test required for this application. Then every electrical contracting business needs to have an administrator assigned to the company. The administrator license is just a test, no experience required. The electrical administrator licensed does not give you any allowance to do installations. You either need to also be, or hire a licensed electrician to work with the tools. So if you are a licensed electrical contractor with an administrator's license, you can "be in business" and pull permits, but you can't do any of the work, you would have to hire or sub that out.
 
Ah, Ok, fair enough. I find that there's no CITC course until July, so it's self study for me.

No problem getting an electrical contractor's license, I've been a GC for 45 years. Now, with a contractor's and an Admin, can I hire -Apprentices- to do the work? Or does it have to be a Journey?

Anyone know which NEC WA is currently under?
 
Ah, Ok, fair enough. I find that there's no CITC course until July, so it's self study for me.

No problem getting an electrical contractor's license, I've been a GC for 45 years. Now, with a contractor's and an Admin, can I hire -Apprentices- to do the work? Or does it have to be a Journey?

Anyone know which NEC WA is currently under?
Just forgot to mention the one thing you do need for the electrical contractor is a surety bond for $4,000.

No apprentices cannot work unsupervised, you would need a journeyman. Again, note you can pull permits and schedule inspections without having a journeyman on staff, it's only if the unlicensed person was caught / asked for their license that would end the party.

WA is under the 2023 NEC
 
Thanks, I'm sure I'll be scrutinized as the inspector knows I'd wired my own house.

On eBat I find tons of NFPA 70 2023 NEC Code Books. And lots of tabs, some saying "140 pcs wire chart", "Book tabs for NFPA", "With Wi", etc. Recommendations? Does the Quick Card help? Def want the Code spiral-bound.
 
Whoa, I just called L&I and she said they are not even testing to 2023 yet. That sure they are inspecting to 2023, but exams are still on 2020. And she said that a couple ppl who studied for 2023, failed the exam!

And there is no ETA on switching to 2023 or 2025.
 
Thanks, I'm sure I'll be scrutinized as the inspector knows I'd wired my own house.

On eBat I find tons of NFPA 70 2023 NEC Code Books. And lots of tabs, some saying "140 pcs wire chart", "Book tabs for NFPA", "With Wi", etc. Recommendations? Does the Quick Card help? Def want the Code spiral-bound.
I got the 2008 NEC manual spiral bound. Never again.
 
For WA it dates back to when electrical contractors were first licensed, before electricians were required to be certified. Licensed is not used perhaps due to restrictions on the what licensed means.
A master is a combination of administrator and certification.
I once tracked licensing history from 1919 up to the 80’s in the various state statutes
 
Whell, that was informative...
OK then, here's some detail.

To begin with, my 2008 NEC Handbook is bulky and heavy; it weighs nearly twice as much as a paperback code book and it will not fit into any of the carriers that I use to take pens, tablets, calculator, meter, etc. to a job site.

In order to turn a single page I have to pull it all the way around the three inch plastic spriral, and carefully, because the pages are gossamer and the spiral is tough; in very short order pages began to tear out the spaces between the punched holes that the spriral goes through. When turning a bunch of pages at a time, the pages would bind on the spiral. I found the extra information in the handbook to be virtually useless, and it says right up front that it is meant to be informative but it isn't the code.

In short, I hate that book; I replaced it with a paperback NEC and I put that monstrosity up on a shelf where it still sits today. As I said, never again.
 
Ok thanks. I've ordered the NFPA 70 codebook solely for study for the exam, and it seems ideal... except it's almost 1.000 pages. :{
 
I have never understood why Washington and Alaska use the term 'administrator' to mean master electrician.
They don't. Master electrician is an electrician. Administrator's role is ensuring compliance. An administrator is not qualified or permitted to do electrical work unless they also hold a suitable electrician's license.

Some find it a controversial divide, arguing that an administrator needs to have experience with at least some of the work to be able to do their job. Speaking as someone who has some of that experience, I don't buy it. A competent administrator is going to come by and say "hey, I think section <mumble> of NEC applies here, let's have a look together and double check." It's not about having a fight over experience. It's about making sure the work is done to code and to statute when (a) the electrician may not know some section of code or statute, or (b) somebody had a rough day and made a human mistake. The administrator's job is to put a second set of eyes on things as a check so that things get done right even on the rough days.

The administrator is legally liable for the result.
 
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