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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 186
M
mj Offline OP
Member
guys, when you see an unlicensed/unpermitted electricians working on a job or observe known code violations, do you contact the "ahj" or just look the other way?

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
they are 1/2 of my biz,

besides.... ratting them out to a system who's punishment justifies the crime is useless....

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 8
Y
Junior Member
I was a electrical inspector for over twenty yrs. I found that 9 out of 10 jobs done by licensed electricans were up to code. On the other hand 9 out of 10 jobs done by unlicensed electricals were not to code. I think all states should require licensing and fines (stiff fines) I;ve seen houses wired with phone wire!!!Licenses do not make all electical jobs 100% proper BUT they sure bring up the odds!!!

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
Welcome Yopper.

well, you insinuate that a license is a <gasp> benchmark of qaulification.


given you experience, i am no one to argue with you, however i must ask here, do you know of any trade association that openly advoctes licensure?

no doubt another conflaguration in the making.....

[This message has been edited by sparky (edited 11-26-2002).]

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 449
F
Member
Had this come up just a couple of weeks ago. The city requires the GC to list the HVAC, plumber and electrician on the building permit that must be posted on the jobsite. I was finishing the electric on a new house when I noticed someone other than the GC building a storage barn behind the house. The GC told me the homeowner had hired this guy to build the barn on his own. The GC had asked me to stub down a 6-3 w/G from the panel to the crawl during rough-in for future possible use. A few days later I noticed a trench had been ran from the house to this barn and a piece of 1-1/4" PVC stubbed up and LB'd into this barn. I investigated and found #6 AL URD(triplex) with no conduit ran into the barn and into a 100A loadcenter secured with a 2" SE connector. No 4th wire for equipment ground, no ground rod, neutral and EC bars tied together and 5 duplex receptacles and 3 lights on a switch all with the EG cut off in the receptacle and switch boxes. My curiosity got the best of me and I crawled under the house to see how the #6 AL was connected to the 6-3 W/G copper I had stubbed down into a 6x6x4 Hoffman box. I found the AL connected to the CU with big blue wirenuts and the EG from the 6-3 WG left hanging. I called the inspector to let him know I did not wire this barn. He found out who did and made him correct all of it the next day while he watched! If I had let this go the house would have failed final and been denied an occupancy certificate. And I, being the listed EC, would have been subject to reprimand by the city building commissioner's office. The homeowner is mad at me for causing trouble but the GC was very grateful since he doesn't get his final draw until an occupancy cert. is issued. Turns out the barn builder is a city fireman who throws up these barns on his days off. The inspector couldn't pull his license because he doesn't have one.

Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 806
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Member
"Turns out the barn builder is a city fireman who throws up these barns on his days off. The inspector couldn't pull his license because he doesn't have one."[

Sounds like this guy's weekend work helps provide job security for his fulltime job....

You would think that someone who has undoubtedly seen the results of shoddy wiring would have a bit more of a conscience, not to mention common sense and fear of lawsuits.

The almighty buck wins again, I guess... [Linked Image]

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 642
N
Member
It depends on the AHJ. One city I work in does not take any effective action against those who were never licensed. Another city has used the laws here to fine the fly by nites. One guess who gets the phone call?


ed
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,381
Likes: 7
Member
Our State Board of Licensed Electrical Contractors (and the same for Plumbers) is supposed to ferret out the illegal guys, and keep tabs on the licensed guys also. The local AHJ's are supposed to keep there eyes open. Again it's dependent on the geographic area. Some have very dedicated AHJ's, some towns utilize "third party" agencies. Some towns have part time AHJ's, some have full time AHJ's.
We are the most densley populated state in the US.

Most of the EC's that I know will "pick up the phone"; it's not being a rat, it's helping to enforce the law.

As to the results, and the penalties...you occasionally read an article of someone being fined ($500 to $5000.00), I wonder is there are any records available as public info??
JOhn


John
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,457
E
Member
No time to play electrical cop. We have a pretty good sytem here in MA. I base this on what I read here about other parts of the country. Inspectrors have been known to show up unanounced to check for licenses and permits and they will catch up with the "bad guys". I let them do their job and they let me do mine.


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