9. (a) On or after July 1, 1963, no person shall advertise, enter into, engage in or work in business as an electrical contractor, unless such person has secured a business permit and such person or an officer, partner or employee who is or will be actively engaged in the business for which a business permit is sought has obtained an electrical contractor’s license from the board in accordance with the provisions of this act, and such licensee shall assume full responsibility for inspection and supervision of all electrical work to be performed by the permittee in compliance with recognized safety standards. A licensed electrical contractor shall not be entitled to qualify more than one person for a business permit.

Any single act or transaction shall constitute engaging in the business of electrical contracting within the meaning of this chapter.

(b) No person shall be granted an electrical contractor’s license unless he shall first establish his qualifications therefor and shall take and pass the examination for electrical contractors. An applicant for such examination shall have been employed or engaged in the business of electrical construction and installation for a period of not less than five years preceding the time of such application. During the five-year period the applicant shall spend one year as a Class A journeyman electrician and four years in an electrical apprenticeship program accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor, with proof of passage and successful completion of this program while actively engaged or employed as a Class A electrical apprentice. For a period of four years following the effective date of P.L.2018, c.155, each year of employment in the electrical trade or enrollment in a formal electrical apprenticeship program completed prior to the effective date of P.L.2018, c.155, shall be accepted by the board in lieu of one year’s enrollment in an electrical apprenticeship program accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor, up to a maximum total credit of four years.

The examination shall be so designed as to establish the competence and qualification of the applicant to perform and supervise the various phases of electrical contracting work. Any applicant who shall fail to pass such examination shall not be eligible to retake an examination until six months from the date of such failure.

(c) An applicant for an examination for a license as an electrical contractor shall apply to the board for permission to take such examination upon forms provided by the board and shall provide the board with such information as shall be necessary to establish his qualifications to take the examination. The applicant for an initial examination shall pay a fee to the board of $25.00. An applicant for re-examination shall pay a fee to the board of $15.00. Such fees shall not be refundable.

L.1962, c.162, s.9; amended 1962, c.185, s.7; 1968, c.17, s.2; 1990, c.108, s.1; 2018, c.155, s.1; 2021, c.479, s.4.