Your name could appear HERE!!
The New York City Dept. of Buildings' website lists names and diciplinary actions against unlicenced electricians and plumbers.
Follow this link for the 2002-1998 list:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/ulelpl.html
he should be fined for the name alone....
Gentlemen:
FYI, the State of New Jersey has the same basic thing:
Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
They have a website with some info of fines posted.....
I'm not sure of the site address, so, I'll post it later.
Saw a printout of a few recent fines, one was $4000.00!!!
John
For the size of NYC, I am pleased that the list is so short- or is enforcement lax?
How hard is it to get a license? Is it almost impossible to do things the right way?
I note that many of the names appear to be foreign; considering the differences between our practices, and those of even other modern countries, there is reason for legitimate concern over the work done by recent arrivals!
That is not really fair assessment, NYC will have many "foreign" names on any list that is made up of NYC residents, the majority of them will not be new arrivals.
I think 'Husband for Hire' are an international company. I remember seeing something on the telly about it. (There could of course be more firms with the same name)
I doubt that getting a license in NYC is easy. I have family in Rochester, Buffalo, and Jamestown in upstate NY and have heard a lot about working in the state. The state seems to make sure that they have everything in hand.
From what I have seen, getting a license is not easy (as it should be). If we spend years in school or in trade just to take a test then it had better be hard to get a license. In VA you can't pull a permit without a Masters. I think this is pretty common.
It doesn't matter where you live (NYC or Phoenix or Stuttgart) if you don’t know what the hell you are doing you might very well kill someone or burn a building to the ground (which could kill a lot more than one person)! It's scary that people all over the country (amateurs claiming to be electricians) feel that they know better than the NEC and us tradesman. The list is great and should be nation wide (anyone…anyone…? It will make you famous on ECN!)
Following the links at the bottom of that page, I find it interesting that almost as many licenced electricians were disciplined as unlicenced ones.
It would be more interesting if they said why discipline was nessesary?
Iwire-
I try to be brief in my comments; I meant no offense, nor was I "immigrant bashing" (though you were too kind to accuse me too quickly).
I spent most of the '80's in other parts of the world. Even in modern places (Germany, France, Britain), I found that the materials and techniques used differed considerably from what we use here. Suffice it to state that America is unique in its' use of wire nuts- you can imagine how different everything else is!
It is my estimation that even the most talented, careful electrician from another land will need a couple years here before he can go down the electrical aisle at Home Depot and be able to understand the stuff he sees.
I also have seen, in these forums, photos of work that leave everyone speachless- except those who have been where the pictured practice is routine. (recall the MC laid in a trough chiseled in the plaster?)
Therefore, I am leery of foreign experience.