FAQ

GENERAL ISSUES:
Why did the Legislature establish the electrician certification program?
To whom does the electrician certification program apply?
By when must individuals become certified?
Do electricians who have completed an approved apprenticeship program need to become certified?
What types of certification are available?
Do other states require certification of electricians?
When will the regulations implementing the electrician certification be adopted?
Will the names of certified electricians be published?
Must certification be renewed?

ENFORCEMENT ISSUES:
How will the certification requirement be enforced?
Will inspectors be hired to enforce the law?
Will local public agencies also enforce the law?
Will the Contractors State License Board be involved with enforcing certification?
How will a contractor know whether an electrician is certified or whether an apprentice is indentured to a state approved program?
Will certified payroll reports be modified to include certification data?
Will financial penalties be used to encourage employees to comply with AB 931?
Will financial penalties be used to encourage employer to comply with AB 931?
How will appeals be handled regarding enforcement penalties?
Must a contractor have their own certification if they are personally performing electrical work?

FEE ISSUES:
What is the basis for establishing related fees?
What is the cost for becoming certified?

TESTING ISSUES:
What is basic content of the examination?
How much weight will be given to the electrical code?
Which electrical code will be used?
When will the examination be given? Where?

QUALIFICATIONS ISSUES:
What requirements must be met for an electrician to take the certification exam?
Will existing electricians be "grandfathered" under AB 931 certification?
Will there be reciprocity with others states?
Where do I get training to prepare me for the examination?
Who falls under the scope of AB 931?
Is the handling of temporary lighting and power, and portable equipment covered?
If foremen are "working with the tools" will they be required to be certified?
When will the examination be given? Where?
Must all electricians register with the DAS?
When will registration of electricians take place?
What happens if someone does not register during this period?
When does the period for testing commence?
How often may an applicant take the examination?
What happens if an applicant was unable to pass the examination?
What are the conditions for retesting during the "grace period"?
What will be the rules at the end of the "grace period," December 31, 2004?
What is the application process for an out-of-state applicant?
How often must the certification be renewed?
Will there be continuing education requirements?
Will the DAS issue a card to certified electricians?
What classifications will require certification?
What is the minimum on-the-job experience for General Electrician?
What is the minimum on-the-job experience for Residential Electrician?
What is the minimum on-the-job experience for Fire/Life Safety Technician?
What is the minimum on-the-job experience for Voice, Data and Video Technician?

General Issues

Why did the Legislature establish the electrician certification program?
When individuals who lack proper knowledge and training perform electrical work, they create a safety hazard for the public and for their fellow workers. More than 30 states require electricians to be licensed, and the IBEW and NECA have been strong supporters of an electrician certification program in California.

To whom does the electrician certification program apply?
Certification applies to all individuals performing electrical work for a C-10 electrical contractor.

By when must individuals become certified?
A bill pending before the California Legislature would allow electricians until January 1, 2005 to become certified.

Do electricians who have completed an approved apprenticeship program need to become certified?
Yes. But under the proposed regulations issued by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, graduates of an approved apprenticeship program have met the experience requirement necessary to take the certification examination.

What types of certification are available?
The regulations proposed by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards would provide for certification in the following classifications:

1. General Electrician
2. Residential Electrician
3. Voice/Data/Video Technician
4. Fire/Life Safety Technician
5. Non-Residential Lighting Technician

Do other states require certification of electricians?
Yes. More than 30 other states have programs for the certification of electricians.

When will the regulations implementing the electrician certification be adopted?
The public comment period on the proposed regulations ended on August 14, 2001. The Division of Apprenticeship Standards must respond to all the public comments. In all likelihood, some changes will be made in the proposed regulations and they will be sent out for public comment again in the Fall.

Will the names of certified electricians be published?
Under the proposed regulations, the DAS will publish the names of certified electricians. This will allow employers and the public to ensure that electricians are certified. The names of other individuals who have state licenses, such as contractors and lawyers, are available to the public, so this is not unusual. The proposed regulations do not provide for the publication of addresses and telephone numbers.

Must certification be renewed?
Yes. Under the proposed regulations, a certificate must be renewed every three years. To be eligible for renewal, an application must show 32 hours of further electrical education and that he or she has worked in the industry for 2000 hours during the past three years.

Enforcement Issues

How will the certification requirement be enforced?
The procedures for enforcement have not yet been established. A bill pending before the Legislature would allow electricians until January 1, 2005 to become certified, so there will be plenty of time to establish an enforcement mechanism.

Will inspectors be hired to enforce the law?
The current recommendation is to hire two additional inspectors for each DAS office, 14 inspectors in total, with the costs offset by fines.

Will local public agencies also enforce the law?
The current recommendation is to authorize counties, cities and awarding agencies to implement their own enforcement regulations which would include retaining fines or penalties.

Will the Contractors State License Board be involved with enforcing certification?
The current recommendation is to request the CSLB’s to suspend the licenses of contractors who are repeat offenders or where fines have gone unpaid.

How will a contractor know whether an electrician is certified or whether an apprentice is indentured to a state approved program?
The current recommendation is to develop a database of certified electricians and indentured apprentices which would be accessible by prospective employers.

Will certified payroll reports be modified to include certification data?
The current recommendation is add a listing of each employee’s certification number.

Will financial penalties be used to encourage employees to comply with AB 931?
The current recommendation is to use fines for both employers and employees to enforce AB 931. For Employees the penalty for the first violation would be the certification fee, for the second violation double the first fine and for the third violation double the second fine. For both the first and second violations the employee must register for certification within 30 days or be subject to the third violation fine. Fined employees will have one year to obtain certification. If after one year the employee is unable to obtain certification they must either cease performing electrical work or enroll in an approved apprenticeship program.

Will financial penalties be used to encourage employers to comply with AB 931?
The current recommendation for Employers is that the penalty for the first violation would be twice the certification fee, for the second violation double the first fine and for the third violation double the second fine.

How will appeals be handled regarding enforcement penalties?
Procedures for handling complaints will be handled in accordance with the California Code of Regulations.

Must a contractor have their own certification if they are personally performing electrical work?
The current recommendation is that the contractor must be personally certified in addition to having the appropriate contractor’s license.

Fee Issues

What is the basis for establishing related fees?
Per Labor Code Section 3099(c) the chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards shall establish fees sufficient to recover the costs of implementing and managing the provisions of Labor Code Section 3099 relating to certification of electricians as follows: (a) The Chief shall establish an application fee in an amount sufficient to recover the costs of evaluation and testing of applicants and (b) the Chief shall also establish a fee sufficient to recover the cost of certifying and enforcement of the provisions of this section.

What is the cost for becoming certified?
Under the proposed regulations, the fee for initially applying for certification is $75.00 and the fee for taking the examination is $100.00. The fee for renewing certification every three years is $100.00.

Testing Issues

What is basic content of the examination?
The current recommendation is that the following topics be covered in the electrician certification examination – tool identification and use, material identification, blue print and symbol identification, safety, first aid and hand signals, conduit bending, wire pulling, rigging, electrical test instruments, basic wiring installation, basic electrical theory and electrical code.

How much weight will be given to the electrical code?
The current recommendation is that 60% of the weighting be given to questions on electrical code.

Which electrical code will be used?
The current recommendation is to rely on the electrical code adopted by the State of California.

Qualifications Issues

What requirements must be met for an electrician to take the certification exam?
As a general matter, an individual must have graduated from an approved apprenticeship program or have 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience, obtained in specific areas, to take the certification exam for General Electrician.

Will existing electricians be "grandfathered" under AB 931 certification?
No. To protect the integrity of electrician certification everyone will be required to pass the examination.

Will there be reciprocity with others states?
At this stage the Advisory Committee, supporting panels and the Department of Apprenticeship Standards are very busy implementing AB 931. Discussions regarding reciprocity may occur in the future.

Where do I get training to prepare me for the examination?
As with other state licenses and certifications such as contracting, real estate, accounting and legal, private sector vendors will be offering preparation courses.

Who falls under the scope of AB 931?
The new law applies to employees of C-10 contractors performing electrical installation.

Is the handling of temporary lighting and power, and portable equipment covered?
Yes.

If foremen are "working with the tools" will they be required to be certified?
Yes.

When will the examination be given? Where?
The exam for each type of certification will be ongoing as of March 1, 2003. Testing sites will be offering the tests, Monday through Saturday from 8 AM -8 PM, using electronic testing facilities in the following cities: San Diego, Fresno, Fremont, Rancho Cordova, Van Nuys, Cerritos, and Colton. Click on a link for addresses, maps and directions to each to facility.

Must all electricians register with the DAS?
The current recommendation is that anyone working as an electrician must register with the Department of Apprenticeship Standards during the first six months.

When will registration of electricians take place?
The DAS anticipates that they will begin to accept applications October 1, 2002.

What happens if someone does not register during this period?
Anyone failing to register during this period will be treated as an out-of-state applicant, which means they must pass the examination before working in the field.

When does the period for testing commence?
Testing began on December 17, 2002. The tests were held in Cerritos, CA on December 17, 2002 and in Fresno, CA on December 19, 2002. Ongoing testing will resume on March 1, 2003.

How often may an applicant take the examination?
An applicant may take the test as many times as he or she wishes. However, an applicant must wait at least 60 days from the release of test results before he or she may take the examination again and must make payment of the test fee each time the test is taken.

What happens if an applicant was unable to pass the examination?
An applicant may take the test as many times as he or she wishes. However, an applicant must wait at least 60 days from the release of test results before he or she may take the examination again and must make payment of the test fee each time the test is taken. Electricians have until January 1, 2005 to become certified.

What are the conditions for retesting during the "grace period?"
The applicant must show proof of completion of their related training and pay the testing fee.

What will be the rules at the end of the "grace period," December 31, 2004?
The classification of "registered applicant" expires at this point. Effective January1, 2005 anyone performing electrical work for a C-10 contractor must be certified or indentured in a state approved apprenticeship program.

What is the application process for an out-of-state applicant?
An applicant must pass the examination before working in the field.

How often must the certification be renewed?
The certification must be renewed every three years.

Will there be continuing education requirements?
To obtain a renewed certification based on a three-year cycle, each electrician must complete 32 hours of code related training, which includes nine hours of new code upgrade training and nine hours of safety training.

Will the DAS issue a card to certified electricians?
Certification cards will be issued to recipients of any of the approved classifications. Apprentices must renew their card annually by demonstrating that they are enrolled in a state approved apprenticeship program.

What classifications will require certification?
The following classifications will receive certifications under AB 931:

General Electrician
Residential Electrician
Fire/Life Safety Technician
Voice Data Video Technician
Nonresidential Lighting Technician
Registered Applicant (temporary)
Apprentice (for each classification)

What is the minimum on-the-job experience for General Electrician?
To qualify to take the exam the applicant must establish that they have acquired 8,000 hours of the-job experience in the following categories. Applicants who have completed an approved apprenticeship program shall submit a letter from the training committee confirming that they are qualified to take the exam. Applicants who have not completed an approved program must verify 8,000 hours of on-the-job training in the following categories.

Stock Room/Material Handling	300 Hrs.
Residential Wiring	3000 Hrs.
Commercial Wiring	6000 Hrs.
Industrial Wiring	6000 Hrs.
Voice, Data and Video	1500 Hrs.
Underground Conduit	750 Hrs.
Troubleshooting and Maintenance	750 Hrs.
Finish Work and Fixture	1500 Hrs.
Fire/Life Safety/Nurse Call	600 Hrs.

What is the minimum on-the-job experience for Residential Electrician?
To qualify to take the exam the applicant must establish that they have acquired 4,800 hours of the-job experience in the following categories. Applicants who have completed an approved apprenticeship program shall submit a letter from the training committee confirming that they are qualified to take the exam. Applicants who have not completed an approved program must verify 4,800 hours of on-the-job training in the following categories.

Stock Room/Material Handling	300 Hrs.
Residential Wiring	5400 Hrs.
Voice, Data and Video	150 Hrs.
Underground Conduit	300 Hrs.
Troubleshooting and Maintenance	600 Hrs.
Finish Work and Fixture	600 Hrs.
Fire/Life Safety/Nurse Call	300 Hrs.

What is the minimum on-the-job experience for Fire/Life Safety Technician?
To qualify to take the exam the applicant must establish that they have acquired 4,000 hours of the-job experience in the following categories. Applicants who have completed an approved apprenticeship program shall submit a letter from the training committee confirming that they are qualified to take the exam. Applicants who have not completed an approved program must verify 4,000 hours of on-the-job training in the following categories.

Stock Room/Material Handling	300 Hrs.
Wire Pulling, Cable Tray, Control Panels, Devices, Finish	4000 Hrs.
Troubleshooting and Maintenance	750 Hrs.
Nurse Call System	3000 Hrs.
Trade Specific Related to Fire/Life Safety	300 Hrs.

What is the minimum on-the-job experience for Voice, Data and Video Technician?
To qualify to take the exam the applicant must establish that they have acquired 4,000 hours of the-job experience in the following categories. Applicants who have completed an approved apprenticeship program shall submit a letter from the training committee confirming that they are qualified to take the exam. Applicants who have not completed an approved program must verify 4,000 hours of on-the-job training in the following categories.

Stock Room/Material Handling	300 Hrs.
Wire Pulling, Cable Tray, Control Panels, Devices, Finish	4000 Hrs.
Troubleshooting and Maintenance	750 Hrs.
Trade Specific Related to VDV	300 Hrs.