01/24/2004

TDLR ADOPTS RULES FOR
ELECTRICIAN LICENSING PROGRAM
Agency Will Make Forms Available and Begin Accepting Applications March 1st

The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation Friday approved rules to implement a new state law requiring electricians in Texas to become licensed by September 1st, 2004. The commission also adopted a statewide electrical code.

The rules were developed withcooperation and consultation from the electrical industry. The program was created by the 78th Texas Legislature both to enhance protection of Texas consumers and to make it easier for properly trained electricians to ply their trade. Currently, electricians are licensed locally and each municipality is free to set its own qualifications for licensure, allowing varying skill levels among electricians in different areas of the state. Also, currently unincorporated areas have no license requirements for electricians.

While the new program creates uniform minimum qualifications for all electricians statewide, it alsorequires electricians to pass a state-approved exam to earn a license that will authorize them to work anywhere in the state. Currently, electricians may be required to pass exams in any or all of the municipalities in which they operate.

"With this program, consumerscan be assured that any licensed electrician they hire is proven to be qualified to capably perform his or her duties," said William Kuntz, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). "And licensed electricians can use one state license to work in multiple cities instead of having to maintain multiple licenses."

The commission also adopted the August 2, 2001, edition of the 2002 National Electrical Code as the state's basic electrical code. Currently, there is no statewide code and electricians in rural areas are not required to meet any specific code. This code also will go into effect on September 1, 2004.

The law requires TDLR to beginaccepting applications for electrician's licenses by March 1st. The final rules may be reviewed on the TDLR website at: http://www.license.state.tx.us/electricians/elec.htm. Created in 1909 as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, TDLR protects the public welfare and safety and promotes a fair and competitive business environment by regulating twenty diverse industries and programs, including boxing, air conditioning contractors, and architectural barriers.