TITLE 54

PROFESSIONS, VOCATIONS, AND BUSINESSES

CHAPTER 10

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS AND JOURNEYMEN

54-1016.  Exemptions. (1) Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to apply to:

(a)  Any regulated utility, telephone company, rural telephone cooperative or municipal communications utility, or its employees, in the installation or maintenance of communication circuits, wires and apparatus by or for such entities or their communications service customers;

(b)  Any electrical public utility, or its employees, in the installation and maintenance of electrical wiring, circuits, apparatus and equipment by or for such public utility or comprising a part of its plants, lines or system;

(c)  Modular buildings as defined in section 39-4301, Idaho Code, that are constructed in the state of Idaho for installation on building sites outside the state; provided however, that no modular building shall be installed on a building site in the state of Idaho until it has been approved and bears the insignia of approval of the division as being in compliance with the requirements set forth in section 39-4304, Idaho Code.

(2)  The licensing provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:

(a)  Any property owner performing noncommercial electrical work in the owner’s primary or secondary residence or associated outbuildings or land associated with the entire property on which those buildings sit, except that homeowner installations of renewable power generation connected to the community power grid shall be subject to a preplan review in accordance with local jurisdictions’ policies and procedures prior to the purchase of a permit;

(b)  Any person regularly employed as a maintenance electrician performing electrical maintenance work on the premises owned and operated by his employer, provided that electrical work is limited to maintenance and replacement of electrical fixtures, electrical conductors, electrical equipment and electrical apparatus on a like-for-like basis;

(c)  Any telephone company, rural telephone cooperative, or municipal communications utility, its employees, its subsidiaries, and employees of the subsidiaries performing work on customer-owned facilities under the exclusive control of the telephone company, rural telephone cooperative, or municipal communications utility;

(d)  Any telephone company, rural telephone cooperative, or municipal communications utility, its employees, its subsidiaries, and employees of the subsidiaries performing repair work on customer-owned facilities at the request of the customer;

(e)  Any electrical public utility, rural electrical cooperative, municipal power utility, its employees, its subsidiaries, and employees of the subsidiaries performing work on customer-owned facilities under the exclusive control of the electrical public utility, rural electrical cooperative, or municipal power utility;

(f)  Any electrical public utility, rural electrical cooperative, municipal power utility, its employees, its subsidiaries, and employees of the subsidiaries performing emergency repair work on customer-owned facilities at the request of the customer;

(g)  A fire department employee who is acting in his official capacity as a representative of his agency when he is replacing, maintaining, or repairing a hard-wired smoke or carbon monoxide alarm at the request of a homeowner in a one (1) or two (2) family dwelling unit, provided that such fire department employee has received annual training regarding electrical safety and installation of the devices identified in this paragraph;

(h)  A limited electrical contractor, limited electrical installer, or employee of a company holding a limited electrical contractor license who is replacing or installing a fire alarm communication device (DACT). A person provided for in this paragraph shall obtain a permit if required by the authority having jurisdiction but must not be required to submit design plans. The fire alarm communication device (DACT) may be inspected if required by the authority having jurisdiction after replacement of the fire alarm communication device (DACT). The fee for a permit shall not exceed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125); or

(i)  A nonprofit organization that is chartered to build houses and that has tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including a religious corporation, and such organization’s volunteers, performing electrical installations for a single-family dwelling unit. An organization described in this paragraph shall designate a primary contact person with whom inspectors may communicate.

(3)  The licensing provisions of this chapter shall not apply to individuals licensed pursuant to chapter 50, title 54, Idaho Code, or certificated pursuant to chapter 26, title 54, Idaho Code, as follows:

(a)  Individuals holding a current heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) license or a current plumbing certification may install electrical circuitry and make connections from the disconnecting means to a water heater as long as the disconnect is in sight from the unit and the circuit from the disconnecting means to the water heater is no more than fifty (50) feet long.

(b)  Individuals holding a current HVAC license may install:

(i)   Electrical space heaters with no attached ductwork;

(ii)  Electrical connections to HVAC equipment from the disconnecting means to the unit as long as the disconnect is in sight from the unit and the circuit from the disconnecting means to the HVAC equipment is no more than fifty (50) feet long; and

(iii) Ventilating fans, except ducted range hoods in residences.

(c)  HVAC licensees may install control wiring of twenty-four (24) volts or less for HVAC equipment of five (5) tons or less in capacity. Plumbing certificate holders are not authorized to install control wiring in HVAC equipment, regardless of voltage.

(d)  Individuals holding a current limited energy electrical license may install electrical circuitry and make connections from utilization equipment installed under the restricted category of the limited electrical installer license to outlets, as long as those outlets are in sight from such utilization equipment and not more than fifty (50) feet from such utilization equipment. Outlets shall be installed by others.

(4)  To the extent that a plumbing or HVAC installation permit issued by the Idaho division of occupational and professional licenses includes any part of an electrical installation, the permit issued and inspection performed shall be sufficient to satisfy the permitting and inspecting requirements of this chapter if all required permit fees have been paid.

(5)  Approval and certification requirements of product and equipment as set forth in this chapter and in the adopted edition of the national electrical code do not apply to industrial machinery unless the board has made a determination that such product, machine or classes of products and machines present an undue hazard to life and property.

(6)  Apprentice registration requirements shall not apply to high school students enrolled in an educational program recognized by the board in which the performance of electrical installation is a formal component of the program. The exemption is limited to students performing residential installations as part of such program under the constant on-the-job supervision of a licensed residential electrician or a licensed journeyman electrician and a permit for the work is obtained from the authority having jurisdiction. Work hours performed by such students shall not apply toward apprentice work requirements.

(7)  Neither local jurisdictions nor the state fire marshal shall have the authority to amend the exemptions provided for in this section or to adopt any ordinance, law, or rule in conflict with the provisions of this section.

History:

[54-1016, added 1947, ch. 251, sec. 16, p. 681; am. 1961, ch. 311, sec. 17, p. 583; am. 2004, ch. 250, sec. 6, p. 720; am. 2005, ch. 235, sec. 1, p. 715; am. 2007, ch. 197, sec. 1, p. 597; am. 2007, ch. 252, sec. 8, p. 745; am. 2015, ch. 233, sec. 1, p. 731; am. 2017, ch. 325, sec. 1, p. 856; am. 2018, ch. 199, sec. 1, p. 446; am. 2018, ch. 208, sec. 12, p. 466; am. 2018, ch. 209, sec. 13, p. 476; am. 2021, ch. 214, sec. 1, p. 588; am. 2022, ch. 301, sec. 1, p. 951; am. 2023, ch. 244, sec. 14, p. 754.]