Last updated: November 15, 2007

Electrical Codes

Effective January 1, 2008, all jurisdictions in the State of California, are required to adopt and enforce the following new codes:

• 2007 California Building Code
  (Incorporates by adoption and reprints the 2006 International Building Code with California amendments. Published by the International Code Council, ICC)
• 2007 California Electrical Code
  (Incorporates by adoption and reprints the 2005 National Electrical Code with California amendments. Published by the National Fire Protection Agency, NFPA)
• 2007 California Plumbing Code
  (Incorporates by adoption and reprints the 2006 Uniform Plumbing Code with California amendments. Published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, IAPMO)
• 2007 California Mechanical Code
  (Incorporates by adoption and reprints the 2006 Uniform Mechanical Code with California amendments. Published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, IAPMO)
• 2007 California Energy Code
  (Published by ICC. Check the California Energy Commission's website at http://www.energy.ca.gov for a downloadable version.)
• 2007 California Fire Code
  (Incorporates by adoption and reprints the 2006 International Fire Code with California amendments. Published by ICC)
  

Licensing: Electrical Inspectors/Services

Building Officials
Electricians

Building Officials

California Building Officials
1225 8th Street, Suite 425
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 457-1103
fax (916) 442-3616
http://calbo.org

Assembly bill AB717 was signed into law on October 4, 1995; this bill would establish specific certification, training, and continuing education requirements for construction inspectors, plans examiners, and building officials, as defined, who are employed by a local agency in a temporary or permanent capacity.

The bill would exempt from its training and certification requirements any person currently and continuously employed by a local agency as a construction inspector, plans examiner, or building official, for not less than two years prior to the effective date of the bill, until that person obtains new employment, as specified.

The bill enacted provisions of law relating to the mandatory certification of individuals working in the building inspection profession, reimbursement requirements for certifications required for those positions and requirements for ongoing education and training. According to this bill, building inspectors, plans examiners and building officials must be certified in the areas of their primary job duties. These certifications must be maintained current by renewal while the individual is employed in one of these classifications.

Currently, building and safety staff members have an array of active certifications obtained through various organizations that specialize in areas related to the code enforcement profession. All of these relate in some way to building inspection management, plan review, or inspection. Some of these certifications apply directly to the job function duties while others may be related in general but are not specific to the person's normal duties. While all certifications are an asset to the employees, this bill only covers those required for their primary job duties. Section 18971 of AB717 requires that the local agency over the costs of certification and certification renewal.

Below is a list of some of the job classifications and the certification categories. The purpose of this list is to identify the job classifications that may seek reimbursement for the certification categories shown.

Certification

The CALBO-ICC California-Specific Certification Program was established to provide a mechanism for:

1. individuals to demonstrate their knowledge of California construction codes, standards and practices, including the intent of Assembly Bill No. 717, and

2. jurisdictions to partially evaluate individuals for knowledge of various construction codes, standards and practices.

The Program is based on voluntary participation. It carries no guarantee that the certifications will be accepted or recognized by a governmental jurisdiction or for any employment purposes. Candidates should contact their local jurisdiction for information on local requirements. The Program meets the intent of Assembly Bill No. 717, which requires certification and training of construction inspectors, plans examiners and building officials.

Once individuals are certified, they may use their certification on business cards, advertisements, etc. Such notice should, however, include both the certification name and number in the following format: “CALBO – ICC Certified Building Inspector No.123456789.”

Certification Categories:

• Building Inspector — California Building Code
• Plans Examiner — California Building Code
• Plumbing Inspector — California Plumbing Code
• Mechanical Inspector — California Mechanical Code
• Electrical Inspector — California Electrical Code

CE Requirements
All construction inspectors, plans examiners and building officials shall complete a minimum of 45 hours of continuing education for every three-year period. Each staff member in one of the above job classifications should attend the equivalent of at least two eight (8) hour training sessions per year.

Reciprocates
n/a

Electricians

All electrical installations in places of employment under jurisdiction of Department of Industrial Relations are subject to inspection by DIS. In practice, enforcement of building regulations is done primarily by local inspectors, with DIS providing all statewide safety inspection and consultation on safety matters in places of employment.

Department of Industrial Relations
Division of Apprenticeship Standards
455 Golden Gate Avenue, 8th floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 703-4920
(415) 703-5477 (fax)

Licensing requirements:
Certification is required only for those persons who perform work as electricians for contractors licensed as Class C-10 electrical contractors under the Contractors' State License Board Rules and Regulations. Certification is not required for persons performing work for contractors licensed as Class C-7 low voltage systems or Class C-45 electric sign contractors as long as the work performed is within the scope of the Class C-7 or Class-45 license, including incidental and supplemental work as defined in Section 7059 of the Business and Professions Code, and regardless of whether the same contractor is also licensed as a Class C-10 contractor.

In order to be certified, an applicant must have the required experience as set forth herein, and pass a certification examination under Section 291.3.

An applicant must provide proof of experience which may be done by showing successful completion of an apprenticeship program approved by the California Apprenticeship Council, the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training, or a state apprenticeship council authorized by the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training to approve apprenticeship programs, in the classification for which certification is sought; or on-the-job experience, as specified below.

CE Requirements
The requirements are controlled by the Building Official who is the most senior person in the building department. The Building Officials usually turn to the International Code Council (ICC) for inspectors certifications and make this a requirement for employment. For this reason most inspectors obtain only the ICC certification. There is now a state law that requires continuing education but it can be obtained in house at the discretion of the Building Official.

The state law says that we must have the training but the continuing education is left up to the Building Official to enforce on a local level and keep the records.

Reciprocates
Where an applicant holds a license as an electrician in another state and it is determined by the Chief DAS that the requirements for experience to hold a license in that state are comparable, the Chief may deem the applicant to have the required experience for certification.

Where the applicant can show other experience, including military experience or relevant work for a low voltage systems contractor holding a C-7 license, the applicant may apply to the Chief DAS for credit toward some or all of the experience required. The Chief DAS may grant credit if the Chief determines that the experience is comparable to experience for which credit would be granted under Section 291.1(a)(1) and (2).

Licensing: Contractors
Contractors State Licensing Board
P.O. Box 2600
Sacramento CA 95826
(916) 255-3900
(916) 366-9130
http://www.cslb.ca.gov/

Licensing requirements:
To qualify for a license you must verify that you've had at least four years of experience in the last ten years as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee, contractor, or owner-builder. You may be able to apply from one and one-half to three years of approved education and/or apprenticeship to this requirement. There are also special requirements for contractors who work with asbestos, contractors who remove hazardous substances, and contractors who install or remove underground storage tanks.

Unless you're applying for a joint venture license, you must have more than $2,500 worth of operating capital to apply for a new contractor's license.

CSLB issues these types of licenses to an individual, partnership, corporation, or joint venture:

CE Requirements
There are no CEU requirements at this time.

Reciprocates
Arizona, Nevada, Utah

State Websites
Here is a list of governmental websites to find the latest licensing and code information.

Department of Industrial Relations

Contractors State Licensing Board

Submit Alteration
Use the Alteration form to request changes, updates, and other corrections to this page. You can also use this form if you wish to add a new jurisdiction. Requests must include source of information so that IAEI can verify it. You can also contact IAEI directly at directCONNECT@iaei.org.

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