Permits Protect You
All new electrical work requires a permit.
This permit is issued by your city or town construction official. Permits protect you and your investment.
The purpose of securing a permit is to have the work inspected. This inspection is required for your safety, and protection of your property.
Insurance Underwriters usually have clauses in their policies that advise you to follow all codes and regulations. Policy language may vary from one company to another.
You may need to contact your insurance agent for current information. Failure to follow this advice may void your policy. Should a loss occur on a large investment, such as your home, it could be catastrophic.
Before proceeding with construction projects large or small, check with your local construction official for permit requirements.
courtesy:
www.millelectric.com [This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 03-19-2003).]
Very well stated, and "thank you" to Mill Electric.
John
The only problem I have is that in my area, many of the small towns do not have an inspector. This forces me to be both electrician and inspector. Also requires great diplomatic skills to explain why I do thing according to code when there is no inspector.
Spkjpr:
It's refreshing to hear that there are guys who do it to "Code" with or without permits/inspections
John
Is there some myth building here? I know an executive for a big time national insurance company who has no qualms about doing his own wiring for all his rentals, and he has little knowledge about what the code requires. When I pressed him for info about how his company deals with non-code installations which result in a house fire, he acted like there was no real concern for the details for such "small potatoes" claims. He told me all sorts of stories about faulty wiring in burned structures, and yet they continued to pay out -- without going after the installers (I assumed that they couldn't go after anyone, since there were no records of who did the wiring).
Seems to me that if the inspectors and their agencies don't accept legal liability for the works they inspect and pass, then they can be just an extra cost -- especially if the insurance companies don't care (assuming there is no loss of life).
I can understand how inspections often serve as a spot-check against the fly-by-nights, and the occasional screw-ups, and perform a valuable service in educating the installers and the public, but without the legal liability they are free to abuse the position and just add cost to the job.
Insurance companies, armed with the necessary stats that constitue thier P/E ratios rule out here.
There is no cause to impose themselves at a level of intervention (read: permits & licensure)where there is little payback.
The powers that be, having let the ugly 'qualified' argument persist thru art 100 (read; shot-in-the-foot-heard-round-the-trade)continue to do a viable trade disservice by holding such benchmarks as licensure in denial.
So a permit is thus reduced to merely a writ of liability protection, as such i've long argued the detail here that can be had on a 5-1/2"x8" format inadequate.....
Joe,
As John stated, "Very well written." I don't know how many times I said that to my fellow contractors, that by me inspecting them, I am in fact protecting them. At least the insurence company will know that the job was installed as per the NEC. If they don't have an inspection, then anything could happen. This also goes for DIY people.
We have the same situation as Spkjpr. Only a building permit is required. No inspection is done. I feel like I am maybe more obligated to do the best code compliant job I can,because I, as Spkjpr says am EC and inspector both. The whole shebang falls squarely on the sparky's shoulders. Russell
[This message has been edited by ga.sparky56 (edited 03-23-2003).]