What are licences like in your state?

[sberry]

I should have got paper wayyyy back when and when I knew a couple that would have signed me on, same for plumma. Had a Bud go out of state for an apprenticeship, finally moved back and took MI, heard he scored higher than anyone ever took it.
Franz of Franzinator fame said something about his state being easier, invited me to test under his care but sheet,,, I don't know anything about electricity anyway and doubt I could pass a MI test without some real study.
Some of the states must be rather lax and a lot easier as we see by some of the forum stuff, must not require upgrades etc. I think some states might even call them certified rather than licence?

 

[alfredeneuman]

CA has Electrical Contractors, C10 (for anything) and a C7 (for low voltage only).
They also have a Certification Program for employees. All employees of electrical firms must be Certified. They have to enroll in a Continuing Education Program (Contractors don't)
The Certification test is actually more difficult than the Contractors test.

 

[Terry D]

MO is not a statewide license like most. MO no offers a state wide license, but it is not mandatory. Every large jurisdiction is a seperate license. I carry 5 licenses right now with 5 different bonds. And every jurisdiction can be in different code cycles. I spend over 1000 a year to renew everything. I believe our new so called state license is supposed to eliminate some of the expenses. Just to take the master exam, you have to be sponsored by a jurisdiction, and that can be harder than the actual test. But all i have to do now is keep my education up to date and make sure i renew everything on time.

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[alfredeneuman]

I spend over 1000 a year to renew everything. I believe our new so called state license is supposed to eliminate some of the expenses.

Wow$$$$
An original Contractor's license is $530 in CA, and is valid for 2 years.
Renewals are $450 ($470 for an EC, with the extra $20 going to the Certification program)

The required bond amount is $15,000 and the bonding companies charge between $70 and the "sky is the limit" per year (according to your credit rating).

Liability insurance is optional but you'd be a fool not to get it. Mine cost about $1K per year for a $1million coverage

 

[Terry D]

Wow$$$$
An original Contractor's license is $530 in CA, and is valid for 2 years.
Renewals are $450 ($470 for an EC, with the extra $20 going to the Certification program)

The required bond amount is $15,000 and the bonding companies charge between $70 and the "sky is the limit" per year (according to your credit rating).

Liability insurance is optional but you'd be a fool not to get it. Mine cost about $1K per year for a $1million coverage

We are required to have liability. Like you said, have to be a fool not to have it. I also have 1,000,000. Its about 800.00 a year for mine. My bonds average about 100 to 125 each. I need to check more on our state license to see what i could save

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[alfredeneuman]

I carry 5 licenses right now with 5 different bonds.

$100-$125 each?
CA just requires one for the whole State

 

[wyliesdiesels]

why do you need 5 bonds?

I only need 1 in california.

My Bond was $139 for 2 years

my insurance is about $900

$1000/yr for a license? Damn i thought california was expensive

 

[sberry]

To certify do you need 8000 hours to take the test?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

IIRC its 6K-8K. Cant remember exact amount.

 

[Bad Habit]

For a full electrical journeyman (01 license),WA requires 8000 hours of mixed, supervised (and documented) work, commercial, residential, industrial, along with 96 hours of classroom training before you can test. Then you have to complete 24 hours of L&I approved CEUs every 3 years, minimum 8 hours code and 4 hours RCW/WAC (State rules and regulations).

For the contractors, the license itself is just a fee and a bond. They need to have on staff a full time Administrator who is the so called responsible party for ensuring compliance. Administrators have to prove enough industry experience with references to sit for the test, 8 hour test of code, calculations, state requirements etc. Wasn't fun. Also have to do the 24 hours of CEUs every 3 years. An administrator is not licensed to perform work as a journeyman, only administrative duties. There is also a Master Electrician license which is a combination of the 2.

Various "specialty" licenses, like Limited Energy (06), Residential (02), etc. that have less training requirements, 4000 hours in order to test. They too have CEU training requirements, but only 16 hours every 3 years I believe.

 

[sparky 1971]

Iowa has state licensing since 2007, licences are good for three years. They match up to the code cycles. I think journeyman are $75 for three years. I know contractors and masters are $375 each for three years. A $1,000,000 liability policy is needed to have a contractors, no bonds. The masters (journeyman also) is pass a test, prove your hours and pay the money. Journeyman and masters require 18 total hours of ceu's over the three years to renew. I take the first three six hours classes offered. If I weren't for covid 19, I would have all my hours in with over two years to go.

 

[sparky 1971]

To certify do you need 8000 hours to take the test?

We can take the test any time. Need 8000 hours to get a journeyman license. I think it's another 2000 hours as a journeyman to get a masters.

 

[Jim greengo]

My nebraska/iowa and south dakota electrical contractor/master licenses are through the state.
My plumbing licenses in neb are for each differant city,the iowa master license is through state.continuing ed classes are going to be packed at the end of this year since nobody has been giving classes around here anyway lately.

 

[MBfreak]

Straight out of college with a degree in industrial electronics 1968 ( 22 yo) I took the Swedish test for " A-level" electrical power licensing .
Passed, got my lifetime license to design, install, troubleshoot all power levels of equipment.
Had never opened a MV panel and hardly seen a 400 kV substation.
Improved a bit since, and my license is still valid.

I could never pass todays test which is 90 % formal stuff and 10 % electricity.

Go figure.

Ola

 

[sberry]

It's the 10% I would have a problem with.. haha wah

 

[alfredeneuman]

IIRC its 6K-8K. Cant remember exact amount.

In CA it's 8K verified experience

 

[Terry D]

why do you need 5 bonds?

I only need 1 in california.

My Bond was $139 for 2 years

my insurance is about $900

$1000/yr for a license? Damn i thought california was expensive

Every jurisdiction is a separate license and bond. Its not a 1000.00 for one license. I keep about 5 license active, so that is five bonds also. Some of the smaller municipality's have a license but will work off a larger municipality's bond. St. Louis County is the main license to have, and the hardest to get, but you still need other license to do work in their area. I have applied for our state wide license, I am still not sure how it all works, since they just started it about a year ago. It is expensive to be a electrical contractor in the St. Louis area. I know this can be confusing, we are not a state wide license like the rest. Our state wide license is 300 for 2 years. I'm not sure how the bond thing works with the state. Everyone has got their hands out here. You have to understand , you guys started as a state wide license, we didn't. So everyone here is used to getting their share of the money. Its political here.

 

[AntonLargiader]

Wow; four complete years experience for Journeyman and two more for master? I had no idea. I guess that sorts the career people out from the rest.

 

[sberry]

4 and 1 here.

 

[jeffmoss26]

honestly not sure in Ohio as I don't touch electrical unless it's my house.
I know that beyond the state license for each trade, every municipality wants you to register as a contractor before you can even pull a permit.

 

[Jim greengo]

Wow; four complete years experience for Journeyman and two more for master? I had no idea. I guess that sorts the career people out from the rest.

It takes 4 years as a journeyman around here anyway before you can take your master/contractors test for plumbing or electrical.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

It takes 4 years as a journeyman around here anyway before you can take your master/contractors test for plumbing or electrical.

thats the same here but....

one has to have 4-5yrs experience working as a trainee and have taken the required school classes to be able eligible to take the journeyman cert. then another 4yrs as a journeyman to take the contractor's license test.

so about 9yrs invested before one can become a licensed contractor. its a huge commitment especially working as a trainee because the wages are low (compared to the cost of living here) and one has to take time off to go to school as well. only works for people who live at home with their parents and can afford to work for low wages.

 

[Terry D]

It takes 4 years as a journeyman around here anyway before you can take your master/contractors test for plumbing or electrical.

Here you need 6 years with a contractor or a combination of school and years. They will allow 4 years with a contractor and graduated from a accredited technical college. plus you need an up to date code class. And the requirements from jurisdiction to jurisdiction can be different. My first license I obtained was the City of St. Louis. I took this license and all my credentials and applied for the St. Louis County license. I was rejected because my code class that the city accepted was not current enough for the county. So I had to take a 20 week class, one night a week. So 5 months later, I applied for it again. The whole time, I could not do work in the county with just a city license. You State wide guys don't know how easy you got it. lol

 

[sberry]

I barely got a drivers license.

 

[sparky 1971]

Here you need 6 years with a contractor or a combination of school and years. They will allow 4 years with a contractor and graduated from a accredited technical college. plus you need an up to date code class. And the requirements from jurisdiction to jurisdiction can be different. My first license I obtained was the City of St. Louis. I took this license and all my credentials and applied for the St. Louis County license. I was rejected because my code class that the city accepted was not current enough for the county. So I had to take a 20 week class, one night a week. So 5 months later, I applied for it again. The whole time, I could not do work in the county with just a city license. You State wide guys don't know how easy you got it. lol

That's crazy. Even before state licensing in 2007, all we needed for the most part was a Des Moines license. There were a few places where the city/county wanted their own, but DM reciprocated over, they just wanted the money. Other places didn't care about licensing at all. I built a house in small town IA in 2006. No permit, no inspection, no AFCI's. The closest I came to an inspection was filling out a card for the Poco that I had to leave inside the meter socket.

IA does have a journeyman or Master B license. I think that was a one time take it or leave it offer for the old guys that had been "doing it forever" when the state took over. I know there are a few places that wont accept it. I have a friend with the B master, I have had to get a couple permits for him when in the city limits. For the most part, he is fine just working in the rural areas though.

 

[Terry D]

I barely got a drivers license.

 

[PelicanPines]

I barely got a drivers license.

I am Pines, Pelican Pines... license to kill with my uncertified electrical work.

Contractors are a bit shocked when I first hire them... when I ask for their papers... including insurance. I always ask ... AFTER I get the quote... in case they think I'm one of those litigious people.

 

[MBfreak]

From post above, re licensing in California:
so about 9yrs invested before one can become a licensed contractor.

How long time does it take to become a brain surgeon in CA?

Ola

 

[tonyciambrone]

AFAIK no state lincensing...all municipality/ city based

 

[egdede]

why do you need 5 bonds?

I only need 1 in california...

I heard traffic jurisdiction is the same in the St Louis area: Little weird jurisdictional areas where they pull over people who don't live there and write them tickets with crazy fines administered in little kangaroo courts.

 

[Terry D]

I heard traffic jurisdiction is the same in the St Louis area: Little weird jurisdictional areas where they pull over people who don't live there and write them tickets with crazy fines administered in little kangaroo courts.

Some of the smaller townships, look for reasons to give you a ticket, thats how they make there money

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[Norcal]

Some of the smaller townships, look for reasons to give you a ticket, thats how they make there money

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Probably find them listed at www.speedtrap.org

 

[nadogail]

Because I am almost completely retired and only work on my own properties I don't need any "Stinking License"

 

[alfredeneuman]

How long time does it take to become a brain surgeon in CA?

The famous brain surgeon Jethro Bodine of Beverly Hills did it in less than 3 months under Granny Clampett's expert instruction

 

[tdkkart]

Iowa has state licensing since 2007, licences are good for three years. They match up to the code cycles. I think journeyman are $75 for three years. I know contractors and masters are $375 each for three years. A $1,000,000 liability policy is needed to have a contractors, no bonds. The masters (journeyman also) is pass a test, prove your hours and pay the money. Journeyman and masters require 18 total hours of ceu's over the three years to renew. I take the first three six hours classes offered. If I weren't for covid 19, I would have all my hours in with over two years to go.

And then there's at least a couple counties that try to say the state license isn't good enough, gotta have a county license.

 

[sparky 1971]

And then there's at least a couple counties that try to say the state license isn't good enough, gotta have a county license.

What counties are those? Sounds like it's a good thing I am stuck in the middle of the state. 2007 was too long ago to remember, but I thought the whole purpose of state licensing was to get rid of all the different licenses. I only work in five counties, so it doesn't effect me.

 

[13mo]

Some of the smaller townships, look for reasons to give you a ticket, thats how they make there money

The little jurisdictions that have a few hundred yards of interstate frontage near St. Louis are notorious for this. They'll drop the speed limit from 70 to 60 and make the sign almost invisible until you're right on it, such as just over the crest of a hill or right behind a road sign. Shrewsbury was and maybe still is one of the worst offenders for this on I-44 just outside of St. Louis. Thankfully I have since moved three hours the other direction on I-44 and there are a lot fewer shenanigans.

However, if you really want to see a bunch of speed trap shenanigans, cross over the bridge into Illinois and look at all of the "work zones" that have had barrels up along the edge of the highway for years with no roadwork being done. Work zones in IL have penalties for speeding of $1k+ and the only "workers" you see are the state patrol cruisers hiding behind the barrels gunning cars. That policy doesn't come from the little municipalities, it comes right from Chicago.

@MBFreak
It takes 14-15 years after graduating high school to become a neurosurgeon.
- Bachelor's degree (typically four years)
- Medical school (typically four years)
- Residency (6-7 years, depends on program.)
- It can be even longer if one wishes to do a fellowship to sub-specialize.

Medical education is regulated by nationwide administrative bodies so the training requirements in California do not differ from other states.

 

[walrus]

In Maine you have to take 10 classes at state run tech school, taken a current code class plus 4000 hours of signed off experience to sit for JMan. Another 4000 to take masters, again another current code class.

 

[u2slow]

This is/was for BC, Canada...

After 1 year's work experience as a TQ'ed journeyman, and an "approved Code course" you were able to write the contractor's exam. Passing the exam registered you as a Class A, B, or C field-safety-representative (FSR) which is for the lack of a better term, a 'master' accreditation.

A = unlimited voltage
B = up to 750V 3-phase
C = up to 250V single phase

Then you secure a bond and pay the annual fee to be a licensed contractor.

The FSR/master cert used to be lifetime. Last year they expired everybody unless they could prove their work in 'qualified' settings. Your cert is now only good for 3yrs without proof. That's easy for licensed contractors and the guys working for them. Really tough for us electricians working in mixed-maintenance roles.

 

[sberry]

Its something I always liked about welding here,,,, jst gimme the test plate.