HOUSTON, Aug. 31, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Anyone who works in the electrical trade in Texas without a license by September 1, 2004 could be in for a shock. September 1, 2004 marks the date that everyone who is engaged in regulated electrical work in Texas, both in the county and city, must be licensed. Persons with an appropriate license can now operate anywhere in the state with a single license issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Electricians with a valid local municipal license can continue to operate solely within that jurisdiction if they have not yet received a state license. However, many cities across the state will begin to phase out their licensing programs in the near future to avoid spending unnecessary tax dollars on duplicating similar regulating procedures.
Under House Bill 1487, passed by the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003, everyone who performs electrical work in Texas is required to be licensed by that date, unless exempted by law. This applies to all categories of electricians, including apprentices. Persons performing electrical work without the appropriate license after that date could be assessed possible financial and criminal penalties.
It is not sufficient to have only applied for a state license by September 1, 2004. The license must have been issued by that date for a person to be in compliance with the requirements of the statute.
Electrical Contractors are also responsible for ensuring that all electrical work (as defined by the Texas Electrical Safety and Licensing Act) is performed by licensed and qualified electricians. Contractors who allow individuals that are not licensed to continue to work after September 1 can be subject to enforcement action.
TDLR estimates that as many as 40,000 apprentices are involved in electrical work in Texas. However, only a total of 4,332 have applied for a state apprentice license. The annual license fee for apprentices is $15. The IEC Texas Gulf Coast now requires that all applicants, at a minimum, have a valid Texas Apprentice license in order to complete an application at our offices.
The state electrical licensing program, which began accepting applications on March 1, 2004, has been very successful. So far, more than 81,000 electricians have applied to TDLR for a license. Licenses have been issued to more than 64,000 individuals, including 2,033 electrical contractors, 62 electrical sign contractor, 11,456 master electricians, 340 master sign electricians, 33,403 journeyman electricians, 445 journeyman sign electricians, 1,615 residential wiremen, 1,546 maintenance electricians and 13,286 apprentices.