TITLE 12. PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
GENERAL
ARTICLE 23. ELECTRICIANS

C.R.S. 12-23-111 (2007)

12-23-111. Exemptions

(1) Employees of public service corporations, rural electrification associations, or municipal utilities generating, distributing, or selling electrical energy for light, heat, or power or for operating street railway systems, or telephone or telegraph systems, or their corporate affiliates and their employees or employees of railroad corporations, or lawfully permitted or franchised cable television companies and their employees shall not be required to hold licenses while doing electrical work for such purposes.

(2) Nothing in this article shall be construed to require any individual to hold a license before doing electrical work on his own property or residence if all such electrical work, except for maintenance, repair, or alteration of existing facilities, is inspected as provided in this article; if, however, such property or residence is intended for sale or resale by a person engaged in the business of constructing or remodeling such facilities or structures or is rental property which is occupied or is to be occupied by tenants for lodging, either transient or permanent, or is generally open to the public, the owner shall be responsible for, and the property shall be subject to, all of the provisions of this article pertaining to inspection and licensing, unless specifically exempted therein.

(3) Nothing in this article shall be construed to require any regular employee of any firm or corporation to hold a license before doing any electrical work on the property of such firm or corporation, whether or not such property is owned, leased, or rented: If the firm or corporation employing any employee performing such work has all such electrical work installed in conformity with the minimum standards as set forth in thisarticle and all such work is subject to inspection by the board or its inspectors by request in writing in accordance with subsection (14) of this section; and if the property of any such firm or corporation is notgenerally open to the public. No license for such firm or corporation, nor inspection by the board or its inspectors, nor the payment of any fees thereon shall be required, with the exception of inspection by the board or its inspectors when performed by written request. Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to require any license, any inspection by the board or its inspectors, or the payment of any fees for any electrical work performed for maintenance, repair, or alteration of existing facilities which shall be exempt as provided in this section.

(4) If the property of any person, firm, or corporation is rental property or is developed for sale, lease, or rental, or is occupied or is to be occupied by tenants for lodging, either transient or permanent, or is generally open to the public, then such property of any such person, firm, or corporation shall be subject to all the provisions of this article pertaining to inspection and licensing, except for the maintenance, repair, or alteration of existing facilities which shall be exempt as provided in this section.

(5) Nothing in this article shall be construed to cover the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of vertical transportation or passenger conveyors, elevators, escalators, moving walks, dumbwaiters, stagelifts  man lifts, or appurtenances thereto beyond the terminals of the controllers. Furthermore, elevator contractors or constructors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing requirements of this article.

(6) Nothing in this article shall be construed to require any individual to hold a license before doing any maintenance, repair, or alteration of existing facilities on his own property or residence, nor to require inspection by the board or its inspectors, nor to pay any fees connected therewith. Likewise, nothing in this article shall be construed to require any firm or corporation or its regular employees to be required to hold a license before doing maintenance, repair, or alteration of existing facilities on the property of any such firm or corporation whether or not any such property is generally open to the public; nor shall inspection by the board or its inspectors nor the payment of any fees connected therewith be required.

(7) to (9) Repealed.

(10) An individual, firm, copartnership, or corporation may engage in business as an electrical contractor without an electrician's license if all electrical work performed by such individual, firm, copartnership, or corporation is under the direction and control of a licensed master electrician.

(11) Any person who plugs in any electrical appliance where approved electrical outlet is already installed shall not be considered an installer.

(12) No provision of this article shall in any manner interfere with, hamper, preclude, or prohibit any vendor of any electrical appliance from selling, delivering, and connecting any electrical appliance, if the connection of said appliance does not necessitate the installation of electrical wiring of the structure where said appliance is connected.

(13) The provisions of this article shall not be applicable to the installation or laying of metal or plastic electrical conduits in bridge or highway projects where such conduits must be laid according to specifications complying with applicable electrical codes.

(13.5) Repealed.

(14) Nothing in this article shall be construed to exempt any electrical work from inspection under the provisions of this article except that which is specifically exempted in this article, and nothing in this article shall be construed to exempt any electrical work from inspection by the board or its inspectors upon order of the board or from any required corrections connected therewith. However, no fees or charges may be charged for any such inspection except as set forth in this article, unless request for inspection has been made to the board or its inspectors in writing, in which case, unless otherwise covered in this article, the actual expenses of the board and its inspectors of the inspection involved shall be charged by and be paid to the board. The board is directed to make available and mail minimum standards pertaining to specific electrical installations on request and to charge a fee for the same, such fee not to exceed the actual cost involved, and in no case more than one dollar. Requests for copies of the national electrical code shall be filled when available, costs thereof not to exceed the actual cost to the board

(15) Inasmuch as electrical licensing and the examination of persons performing electrical work is a matter of statewide concern, no examination, certification, licensing, or registration of electrical contractors, master electricians, journeymen electricians, residential wiremen, or apprentices who are licensed, registered, or certified under this article shall be required by any city, town, county, or city and county; however, any such local governmental authority may impose reasonable registration requirements on any electrical contractor as a condition of performing services within the jurisdiction of such authority. No fee shall be charged for such registration.

(16) The provisions of this article shall not be applicable to any surface or subsurface operation or property used in, around, or in conjunction with any mine which is inspected pursuant to the "Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977", P.L. 95-164, except permanent state highway tunnel facilities, which shall conform to standards based on the national electrical code. Nothing contained in this subsection (16) shall prohibit the department of transportation from adopting more stringent standards or requirements than those provided by the minimum standards specified in the national electrical code, and the department of transportation shall furnish a copy of such more stringent standards to the board.

(17) (a) The permit and inspection provisions of this article shall not apply to:

(I) Installations under the exclusive control of electric utilities for the purpose of communication or metering or for the generation, control, transformation, transmission, or distribution of electric energy, whether such installations are located in buildings used exclusively for utilities for such purposes or located outdoors on property owned or leased by the utility or on public highways, streets, or roads or outdoors by virtue of established rights on private property; or

(II) Load control devices for electrical hot water heaters that are owned, leased, or otherwise under the control of, and are operated by, an electric utility, and are on the load side of the single-family residential meter, if such equipment was installed by a registered electrical contractor. The contractor will notify appropriate local authorities that the work has been completed in order that an inspection may be made at the expense of the utility company. The applicable permit fee imposed by the local authorities shall not exceed ten dollars.

(b) This subsection (17) does not exempt any premises wiring on buildings, structures, or other premises not owned by or under the exclusive control the utility nor wiring in buildings used by the utility for purposes other than those listed in this subsection (17), such as office buildings, garages, warehouses, machine shops, and recreation buildings. This subsection (17) exempts all of the facilities, buildings, and the like inside the security fence of a generating station, substation, control center, or communication facility.

(18) Nothing in this article shall be construed to cover the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of security systems, lawn sprinkler systems, environmental controls, or remote radio-controlled systems beyond the terminals of the controllers. Furthermore, the contractors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing requirements of this article.

(19) Nothing in this article shall be construed to cover the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of electronic computer data processing equipment and systems beyond the terminals of the controllers. Furthermore, the contractors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing requirements of this article.

(20) Nothing in this article shall be construed to cover the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of communications systems, including telephone and telegraph systems not exempted as utilities in subsection (1) of this section, radio and television receiving and transmitting equipment and stations, and antenna systems other than community antenna television systems beyond the terminals of the controllers. Furthermore, the contractors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing requirements of this article.

(21) Nothing in this article shall be construed to cover the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of electric signs, cranes, hoists, electroplating, industrial machinery, and irrigation machinery beyond the terminals of the controllers. Furthermore, the contractors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing requirements of this article.

(22) Nothing in this article shall be construed to cover the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of equipment and wiring for sound recording and reproduction systems, centralized distribution of sound systems, public address and speech-input systems, or electronic organs beyond the terminals of the controllers. Furthermore, the contractors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing
requirements of this article.

(23) Nothing in this article shall be construed to require either that employees of the federal government who perform electrical work on federal property shall be required to be licensed before doing electrical work on such property or that the electrical work performed on such property shall be regulated pursuant to this article.

(24) Nothing in this article shall be construed to require licensing that covers the installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration of fire alarm systems operating at fifty volts or less. Furthermore, the contractors performing any installation, maintenance, repair, or alteration under this exemption, or their employees, shall not be covered by the licensing requirements of this article but shall be subject to all provisions of this article pertaining to inspections and permitting.