2009 Maine Code
TITLE 32: PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
Chapter 17: ELECTRICIANS
32 §1202. Issuance of licenses

Title 32: PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS

Chapter 17: ELECTRICIANS

Subchapter 3: LICENSES

§1202. Issuance of licenses

1. Application; qualifications. The board shall issue a license to any person who files a sworn application, who passes an examination conducted by the board as provided in section 1203 to determine his fitness to receive that license and who meets the following qualifications.

A. For a journeyman electrician's license, a person must:

(1) Complete at least 8,000 hours of service as an apprentice or helper electrician or at least 8,000 hours of experience in electrical installations, as defined in section 1101, and satisfactorily complete a program of study comprising 576 hours as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution. The 576 hours shall consist of 225 hours of required study, including an approved course of not less than 45 hours in the current National Electrical Code; and 351 hours of elective study, comprised of all trade-related electives or 225 hours of trade-related courses and 135 hours of degree-related courses;

(2) Be a graduate of an accredited regional applied technology high school 2-year electrical program, have worked for 8,000 hours in the field of electrical installations under the supervision of a master electrician or the equivalent and have completed a course of not less than 45 hours in the current National Electrical Code, the course to be approved by the board;

(3) Be a graduate of an accredited community college electrical program or a vocational-electrical program of the Department of Corrections, have worked for 4,000 hours in the field of electrical installations under the supervision of a master electrician or the equivalent and have completed a course of not less than 45 hours in the current National Electrical Code, the course to be approved by the board. Persons qualifying under this paragraph may sit for the journeyman's examination upon graduation if application is made within one year of graduation; or

(4) Be an electrical apprentice registered with the State Apprenticeship and Training Council and have completed 576 hours of related instruction, as defined in this paragraph, prescribed in their apprenticeship program, the 8,000-hour approved program and a course of not less than 45 hours in the current National Electrical Code, the course to be approved by the board. Persons qualifying under this paragraph may sit for the journeyman's examination after completion of the 576 hours of instruction if application is made within one year of the completion of the instruction. [2007, c. 695, Pt. A, §36 (RPR).]

B. For a master electrician's license, a person must:

(1) Complete at least 4,000 hours of service as a journeyman electrician or at least 12,000 hours of experience in electrical installations, as defined in section 1101, and complete a program of study comprising 576 hours as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution. The 576 hours shall consist of 450 hours of required study, including a course of not less than 45 hours in an approved course in the current National Electrical Code and 126 hours of degree-related courses;

Any person who holds a journeyman electrician's or limited license under this section or under former section 1202, subsection 1, prior to July 1987, shall be eligible to take the examination for a master electrician's license, provided that the applicant has completed the number of hours of service or experience required by this subsection and has completed 45 hours of current National Electrical Code. [1987, c. 735, §54 (AMD).]

The board may establish by rule standards in accordance with the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, Title 5, chapter 375, to exercise its discretion to determine if a limited license holder applying for a master electrician's license has adequate experience in all phases of electrical installation to take the examination.

C. For a limited electrician's license, a person must meet the following requirements.

(1) A limited electrician in water pumps must have 135 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience. The privileges of practice are restricted to electrical work between the branch circuits and power supplies.

(2) A limited electrician in outdoor signs, including sign lighting, must have 135 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience. The privileges of practice do not include branch circuit wiring.

(3) A limited electrician in gasoline dispensing must have 135 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience. The privileges of practice are restricted to electrical work between the branch circuit and the power supply.

(4) A limited electrician in traffic signals, including outdoor lighting of traffic signals, must have 135 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience.

(5) A limited electrician in house wiring must have 225 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 4,000 hours of experience. Privileges of practice are restricted to one-family and 2-family dwellings, including modular and mobile homes. Any person having a limited license in mobile homes prior to the effective date of this section is automatically licensed as a limited electrician in house wiring.

(6) A limited electrician in refrigeration must have 270 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 6,000 hours of experience. Graduates of a Maine community college electrical program in refrigeration approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution are credited with 4,000 hours of experience upon graduation. Privileges of practice are restricted to all associated wire from the loadside of distribution.

(7) A limited electrician in low energy, including fire alarms, must have 270 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 4,000 hours of experience. Any person having a limited license in fire alarms or experience in the installation of low-energy electronics prior to the effective date of this section qualifies to be licensed as a limited electrician in low energy.

(8) A crane technician must have 135 hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience. Any person having work experience in the installation of cranes and hoists, as defined by the National Electrical Code, prior to the effective date of this subparagraph, qualifies to be licensed as a crane technician. This covers the installation of electrical equipment and wiring used in connection with cranes, monorail hoists, hoists and runways. [2009, c. 112, Pt. A, §5 (AMD).]

D. For a journeyman-in-training electrician's license, a person must be a graduate of an accredited community college or Department of Corrections' electrical program, receive a passing grade on the journeyman's examination and complete 2,000 hours of experience. [2007, c. 398, §2 (AMD).]

[ 2009, c. 112, Pt. A, §5 (AMD) .]

2. Apprentice or helper. The board may issue a license upon payment of the fee as set under section 1203-A to any person who applies for a license, without examination. Any such person employed by an electrician as an apprentice for the purpose of qualifying for any license mentioned in section 1203, or as an electrician's helper, must apply for a license as such immediately after commencing that employment or immediately after starting school in an electrical course.

[ 2007, c. 402, Pt. I, §13 (AMD) .]

3. License displayed. All persons licensed by the board are entitled to receive a license, which must be publicly displayed at the principal place of business of the electrician or, if no such place of business, must be carried on the person and displayed at any time upon request, as long as that person continues in the business as defined.

[ 2007, c. 402, Pt. I, §14 (AMD) .]

4. Inactive status licenses. A licensee who does not desire to perform any of the electrical installations described in section 1101 and who wants to preserve the license while not engaged in any electrical installations may apply for an inactive status license pursuant to Title 10, section 8003, subsection 5-A, paragraph D, subparagraph 5. The fee for inactive status licensure is set under section 1203-A. During inactive status the licensee must renew the license biennially and pay the renewal fee as set under section 1203-A, but is not required to meet the education provisions under the rules of the board.

A licensee surrendering a license pursuant to this section may have the license reinstated to active status by demonstrating compliance within the previous biennium with section 1204 and proper application for an active license. Any license placed on inactive status after the effective date of this subsection and remaining inactive for 3 or more years may be reactivated by the applicant being required to successfully pass a license examination at the discretion of the board.

[ 2007, c. 402, Pt. I, §15 (AMD) .]

5. Electrical company. The board shall issue a license to operate an electrical company to a person who files an application validated by a master or limited electrician licensee.

[ 1995, c. 325, §15 (NEW) .]

SECTION HISTORY

1967, c. 69, §7 (AMD). 1969, c. 267, §3 (AMD). 1973, c. 363, (RPR). 1975, c. 374, §2 (AMD). 1975, c. 767, §37 (AMD). 1977, c. 295, §2 (AMD). 1979, c. 278, (AMD). 1981, c. 383, §5 (RPR). 1981, c. 470, §A152 (AMD). 1981, c. 577, §10 (AMD). 1981, c. 670, (AMD). 1983, c. 553, §28 (AMD). 1985, c. 695, §18 (AMD). 1985, c. 734, (AMD). 1987, c. 395, §B7 (AMD). 1987, c. 402, §A168 (AMD). 1987, c. 735, §§54,55 (AMD). 1987, c. 769, §A120 (AMD). 1989, c. 125, §§1,2 (AMD). 1989, c. 443, §§83-85 (AMD). 1989, c. 483, §A50 (AMD). 1989, c. 878, §§A91,92 (AMD). RR 1991, c. 2, §117 (COR). 1991, c. 531, §11 (AMD). 1991, c. 714, §9 (AMD). 1993, c. 349, §67 (AMD). 1995, c. 325, §§12-15 (AMD). 1999, c. 386, §§F14,15 (AMD). 2003, c. 20, §OO2 (AMD). 2003, c. 20, §OO4 (AFF). 2007, c. 398, §§1, 2 (AMD). 2007, c. 402, Pt. I, §§12-15 (AMD). 2007, c. 695, Pt. A, §36 (AMD). 2009, c. 112, Pt. A, §5 (AMD).