A Cedia employee just called to to encourage local business owners to attend hearings for this bill. Cedia representatives are attending the hearings.

This bill, if passed would force us al to hire a Master Electrician. Its obviously not realistic for most of us to go through the apprentice, journeyman then master process, one that takes many years.

So where does this come from? I live in a very democratic state, one that is not friendly to small business. Is this just politicians looking to regulate even more...

... or do the high voltage unions fear what our industry is going to do to theirs? As low voltage lighting and devices become more and more prevalent, I think traditional electricians are scared.

This could destroy our industry. Scary indeed.

From Cedia:

Summary of Maryland Legislation
Maryland Senate Bill 877 and its companion, House Bill 1119, phases out local electrical licenses, making them invalid on or after October 1, 2019 (regardless of the expiration date). This would include county and local limited licenses. After that date, the state’s Board of Electricians would issue all electrical licenses.

The two respective bill sponsors, State Senator Katherine Klausmeier and Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, were on last year’s Task Force to Study Licensing and Continuing Education Requirements for Electricians in Maryland.


What It Means For You & Your Business
You will need to either have a master electrician license or employ one to supervise your work if you do any “electrical-related” work within Maryland after October 1, 2019.

The bills define “providing electrical services” as any service in the electrical trade, including “installing, repairing, maintaining, erecting, or altering any electrical equipment, wiring, fixture, apparatus, raceway, conduit, or system that generates, transmits, transforms, or uses electrical energy in any form for heat, light, power, or communication.”

The three levels of licensing would include “master electrician,” “journeyperson electrician,” and “apprentice electrician.” Both journeypersons and apprentices would have to work under the supervision of a master electrician.

To obtain a “master electrician” license under the legislation, the applicant would need to work three years as a journeyperson, prove seven years of experience total under a master electrician, and pass a Board of Electricians examination.

To obtain a “journeyperson electrician” license, the applicant must show proof of employment under a master electrician for at least four years and hold a certification of completion from an accredited electrical apprenticeship program as defined in the bill.

An “apprentice electrician” would need to get a license from the Board of Electricians, showing that the applicant is working under a master electrician and is in training to become a journeyperson electrician.