TSA - Texas Electrical Safety & Licensing Act

07/28/2005

For Immediate Release
Contact: Patrick Shaughnessy
June 27,2005
512/463-6599

GRANDFATHER PERIOD FOR ELECTRICAL LICENSING REOPENS
HB1317 Allows Experienced Electricians to Obtain a State License Without Testing

Experienced electricians who have yet not received a state license now have a second opportunity to obtain a license without having to pass the state electrician exam.

House Bill 1317, which was passed by the 79th Texas Legislature and signed by Governor Rick Perry on June 18, reopens the grandfathering period for electrical licenses, effective immediately. Under this bill, electricians who hold a municipal or regional license, or who can demonstrate that he or she has the prescribed amount of education and experience, have until December 31, 2005, to obtain a license without passing the state electrician exam.

Since the state electrician licensing program began, many cities that previously had a municipal licensing program have chosen to stop issuing municipal licenses and rely instead on the state license, said William Kuntz, executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The new grandfathering period will allow electricians in those cities to obtain a state license without passing the state electrician exam. But this period is not limited to those individuals. Any electrician who meets the criteria to receive a license, but who didn't take advantage of the first grandfathering period, now has a second chance to be exempted from the state electrician examination.

The state electrician licensing program was created by the 78th Texas Legislature. Since September 1, 2004, all electricians in Texas are required to be licensed, either by the state or by a municipal or regional authority, unless exempted by law. Since the law took effect more than 97,000 electricians across the state have received state licenses.

The original law allowed for a grandfathering period from March 1 to June 1, 2004, during which electricians could qualify to receive a state license without taking the state electrician exam if they met specific criteria including, but not limited to, prior local licensure, education and experience. More than 55,000 electricians took advantage of that opportunity. Since that grandfathering period ended, applicants for state electrical licenses except apprentices have been required to pass a competency exam.

TDLR will post documents on its website, www.license.state.tx.us , that will help electricians determine if they are eligible to receive a license during the grandfathering period and how to apply. For more information on the grandfathering period, electrical license exemptions or electrical licensing in general, all interested individuals may contact TDLR's Customer Service Division at (800) 803-9202 or (512) 463-6599, or they can visit the TDLR website at http://www.license.state.tx.us/electricians/elec.htm .

To receive news and updates on the Electrical Safety Program, or any of the programs TDLR administers, sign up for TDLR's email subscription service at http://www.license.state.tx.us/newsletters/TDLRnotificationLists.asp .

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