Chapter 19.28 Revised Code of Washington
What you will learn in Lesson 6
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Areas where state inspections and permits do not apply
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Who is required to have a certificate of competency for doing electrical work
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The ratio of certified electricians to non certified
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Requirement for obtaining certification to work as an electrician
RCW 19.28.141
RCW 19.28.101 inapplicable in certain cities and towns, electricity supply agency service areas, and rights of way of state highways.
Author's comment: RCW 19.28.101 covers Inspections -- Notice to repair and change -- Disconnection -- Entry -- Concealment -- Accessibility -- Connection to utility -- Permits, fees -- Limitation. This section that requires State of Washington inspections and permits may not apply to some incorporated towns and cities, to rights of ways, and to utilities.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the provisions
of RCW 19.28.101
shall not apply:
(a) Within the corporate limits
of any incorporated city or town which has heretofore adopted and enforced or
subsequently adopts and enforces an ordinance requiring an equal, higher or
better standard of construction and of materials, devices, appliances and
equipment than is required by this chapter.
(b)
Within the service area of an electricity supply agency owned and operated by a
city or town which is supplying electricity and enforcing a standard of
construction and materials outside its corporate limits [on] July 1, 1963. The
city, town, or agency shall enforce by inspection within its service area
outside its corporate limits the same standards of construction and of
materials, devices, appliances and equipment as are enforced by the department
of labor and industries under this chapter. Fees charged in connection with such
enforcement shall not exceed those established in RCW 19.28.101.
(c) Within the rights of way of state highways, provided the state department of
transportation maintains and enforces an equal, higher or better standard of
construction and of materials, devices, appliances and equipment than is
required by RCW 19.28.010
through 19.28.141
and 19.28.311
through 19.28.361.
(2) A city, town, or electrical supply agency is permitted, but not required, to
enforce the same permitting and inspection standards applicable to basic
electrical work as are enforced by the department of labor and industries.
RCW 19.28.151
RCW 19.28.010
through 19.28.141
and 19.28.311
through 19.28.361
inapplicable to telegraph or telephone companies exercising certain functions.
The provisions of RCW 19.28.010
through 19.28.141
and 19.28.311
through 19.28.361
shall not apply to the work of installing, maintaining or repairing any and all
electrical wires, apparatus, installations or equipment used or to be used by a
telegraph company or a telephone company in the exercise of its functions and
located outdoors or in a building or buildings used exclusively for that
purpose.
Author's comments: Basically, what
is being said here is that the electricians working for a
telephone or telegraph company doing work on its buildings must
have a license, but the telephone or telegraph company does not
have to get a permit, be subject to inspections, or have an
electrical contractor's license for this work. RCW
19.28.161 through 19.28.271 do apply.
RCW 19.28.161
Certificate of competency required --
Electrical training certificate -- Fee -- Verification and attestation of
training hours.
(1) No person may engage in the electrical construction trade without
having a valid master journeyman electrician certificate of competency,
journeyman electrician certificate of competency, master specialty electrician
certificate of competency, or specialty electrician certificate of competency
issued by the department in accordance with this chapter. Electrician
certificate of competency specialties include, but are not limited to:
Residential, pump and irrigation, limited energy system, signs, nonresidential
maintenance, restricted nonresidential maintenance, and appliance
repair.
(2) A person who is indentured in an
apprenticeship program approved under chapter 49.04 RCW for the electrical
construction trade or who is learning the electrical construction trade may work
in the electrical construction trade if supervised by a certified master
journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician in
that electrician's specialty, or specialty electrician in that electrician's
specialty.
All apprentices and individuals learning the electrical construction trade shall obtain an electrical training certificate from the department.
The certificate shall authorize the holder to learn the electrical construction trade while under the direct supervision of a master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty, or specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty.
The holder of the electrical training certificate shall renew the certificate biennially.
At the time of renewal, the holder shall provide the department with an accurate list of the holder's employers in the electrical construction industry for the previous biennial period and the number of hours worked for each employer.
A biennial fee shall be charged for the issuance or renewal of the certificate.
The department shall set the fee by rule. The fee shall cover but not exceed the cost of administering and enforcing the trainee certification and supervision requirements of this chapter.
Apprentices and individuals learning the electrical construction trade shall have their electrical training certificates in their possession at all times that they are performing electrical work.
They shall show their certificates to an authorized
representative of the department at the representative's
request.
(3) Any person who has been issued an electrical training certificate under this chapter may work if that person is under supervision.
Supervision shall consist of a person being on the same job site and under the control of either a certified master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty, or specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty.
Either a certified master journeyman electrician, journeyman
electrician, master specialty electrician working in that electrician's
specialty, or specialty electrician working in that electrician's specialty
shall be on the same job site as the noncertified individual for a minimum of
seventy-five percent of each working day unless otherwise provided in this
chapter.
RCW 19.28.161 (continued in Lesson 7)
Key Points
- The State of Washington inspections and permits may not apply to some incorporated towns and cities, to rights of ways, and to utilities.
- No person may engage in the electrical construction trade without having a valid master journeyman electrician certificate of competency, journeyman electrician certificate of competency, master specialty electrician certificate of competency, or specialty electrician certificate of competency issued by the department in accordance with this chapter.
- Ratio summary
- Specialty electrician to noncertified: one to two
- Journeyman electrician to noncertified: one to one
- In general, to qualify to take the specialty electrician's test, an apprentice or trainee must have the equivalent of 4,000 hours of on the job experience or have completed an apprenticeship program approved under RCW 49.04. However one year experience may be given for attending an electrical school for two years.
- In general, to qualify to take the journeyman electrician's test, a trainee must have the equivalent of 8,000 hours of on the job experience working under the supervision of a journeyman electrician or master electrician or have completed an apprenticeship program approved under RCW 49.04. However 4,000 hours credit may be given for specialty electrical work and two years experience may be given for an electrical school.
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