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How to become an electrician or any contractor in Pennsylvania

jar546

jar546

CBO
Joined
Oct 16, 2009
Messages
12,722
Location
Not where I really want to be
There will be no exaggeration here, simply the truth:

1) Wake in the morning and decide that you want to be an electrician or (Insert building trade here)? NO experience necessary whatsoever. If you watched or helped someone once, you can then always say you have experience.

2) Go to your insurance agent's office for 9am sharp. Tell your agent that you need liability insurance as an electrical contractor. Pay the average of about $350-$400 for minimum liability coverage and get your binder.

3) Go directly home and log online to the Pennsylvania attorney general's site and register as a "Home Improvement Contractor". You will need your insurance binder at this point. Pay the $50 fee and input your information. Now write down that registration number they assigned you on the spot. You will need that later.

4) On your way home, stop at Staples and get business cards. Make sure you put that registration number on the card. That's required! They can actually do some right there on the spot. I would start with about 250-500 cards as that should be enough to get started.

5) Stop at Lowes or Home Depot and buy a book on house wiring. While you are there buy a few hand tools that you may need such a tester, linesman pliers, snips, screwdrivers, hex-key, etc.

6) By now it should be about lunch time. Time to go somewhere for lunch and start leaving your cards on the pin up boards and tell everyone that you do electrical work. You are official!!!!!

7) If you don't plan on doing residential work but only want to do commercial stuff then you can skip #3 as you don't even have to register with the state!!

So there you have it. You can now work in 99% of the state without a problem. After all, you are a registered contractor with the state of PA!!!! Just stay out of larger cities that had licensing requirements in place prior to the HIC registration law. You will have to take a test and prove your knowledge in those areas in order to get a license and work there. I would not worry about that because there are LOTS of other electricians that just work in the other 99% of the state and never have to worry about licensing.

I really hope that this help anyone who wakes up in the morning and decides they want to be a contractor in Pennsylvania. Good Luck!!
 
I don't know what you are upset about. This arrangement makes the inspector all that much more important.

Step four should include a pad of invoices.

Step five should include a first aid kit.
 
We have basically the same registration requirements here fore General Contractors, electricians and plumbers do have to pass a state test,

But to be a really successful General contractor in Montana the "contractor" needs to have a 3/4 ton 4 door deisel pickup truck with a gun rack and a 6 ft level in the gun rack, a cell phone, and a dog, preferably a lab, Australian Shepard or a healer.

truckloaded_457137e7dce0dbbd7ca7d8208a972b30.jpg
 
I find it interesting that residential has to register, and not commercial.

Anyway, it's not brain surgery, everything you need to know can be found in a book. There are always bad apples in the bunch, but State licensing doesn't guarantee any sort of perfection.

Illinois licenses only plumbers and roofers, not electricians. You don't even need a business card to get started, just a willing victi...um, customer.

Many Illinois municipalities have their own testing and licensing program. E.g., You must have a Smallville license to work in Smallville. Many do not (where I work for example) but do require a licensed electrician. So here, your license from Smallville would be adequate to pull a permit.

There is not necessarily any consistency in individual municipality exams, though most will require testing based on the current NEC, with renewals every year or so.

I don't think a lack of license make you any less capable to do the work. Likewise, I don't think a license automatically means you're capable.

This is Illinois after all, I'm sure a guy could "buy" a license from somewhere if needed.

mj
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mtlogcabin said:
We have basically the same registration requirements here fore General Contractors, electricians and plumbers do have to pass a state test, But to be a really successful General contractor in Montana the "contractor" needs to have a 3/4 ton 4 door deisel pickup truck with a gun rack and a 6 ft level in the gun rack, a cell phone, and a dog, preferably a lab, Australian Shepard or a healer.

truckloaded_457137e7dce0dbbd7ca7d8208a972b30.jpg
Click to expand...
You sir, have exposed your ignorance. A six foot level will not fit on a gun rack.

Brent
 
Years ago I taught a prep class in NJ for the contractor's exam one of my recent graduates was going to three different towns to get a license to do electrical work. Since the 2008 code just came out he took the 2005 and 2008 codes to each town in preperation for any test requirements. The first town had no test but some experience questions and a fee. The second town had a small test on the 2005 NEC and a fee. The third town had a test on, if remember right, the 1985 NEC. You see they never updated the law since when they first passed it. So they handed him an old code book missing halve the pages and gave him a place to take the test. He said that was the hardest test he took since he could not remember what was required so far back.
 
Years ago I taught a prep class in NJ for the contractor's exam one of my recent graduates was going to three different towns in Pennsylvania to get a license to do electrical work. Since the 2008 code just came out he took the 2005 and 2008 codes to each town in preperation for any test requirements. The first town had no test but some experience questions and a fee. The second town had a small test on the 2005 NEC and a fee. The third town had a test on, if remember right, the 1985 NEC. You see they never updated the law since when they first passed it. So they handed him an old code book missing halve the pages and gave him a place to take the test. He said that was the hardest test he took since he could not remember what was required so far back.
 
Jar, between 1) & 2), forgot to mention something, I hope this isn't infringment but I took the liberty of updating the list. Please if I offended by using the F Word (forgot) I appologize in advance http://www.businessinsider.com/exit-6-pub-answers-starbucks-legal-demands-with-f-words-2013-12

How to become an electrician or any contractor in Pennsylvania

There will be no exaggeration here, simply the truth:

1) Wake in the morning and decide that you want to be an electrician or (Insert building trade here)? NO experience necessary whatsoever. If you watched or helped someone once, you can then always say you have experience.

2) Register with IRS & always get fictitious name - you can't have your own name being tarnished when it comes to a head.

3) Go to your insurance agent's office for 9am sharp. Tell your agent that you need liability insurance as an electrical contractor. Pay the average of about $350-$400 for minimum liability coverage and get your binder.

4) Go directly home and log online to the Pennsylvania attorney general's site and register as a "Home Improvement Contractor". You will need your insurance binder at this point. Pay the $50 fee and input your information. Now write down that registration number they assigned you on the spot. You will need that later.

5) On your way home, stop at Staples and get business cards. Make sure you put that registration number on the card. That's required! They can actually do some right there on the spot. I would start with about 250-500 cards as that should be enough to get started.

6) Stop at Lowes or Home Depot and buy a book on house wiring. While you are there buy a few hand tools that you may need such a tester, linesman pliers, snips, screwdrivers, hex-key, etc.

7) By now it should be about lunch time. Time to go somewhere for lunch and start leaving your cards on the pin up boards and tell everyone that you do electrical work. You are official!!!!!

8) If you don't plan on doing residential work but only want to do commercial stuff then you can skip #3 as you don't even have to register with the state!!
 
Well I guess you basically outlined the PA contractor want to bee's! Now the fun begins a few months down the road.

Inspector walks in the office. Phone message from a resident. " my house was on fire last night from work preformed by so&so.

Well did you get a permit?

No! He was a state approved contractor!
 
Is there any penalty for working as a contractor and not being lisenced? Or doing work w/o a permit?
 
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