MAINE
TITLE 32. PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS
CHAPTER 17. ELECTRICIANS
SUBCHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
32 M.R.S. § 1101 (2013)
§ 1101. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
1. APPRENTICE ELECTRICIAN. "Apprentice electrician" means an apprentice, as defined in Title 26, section 3201, subsection 1, who is engaged in a written agreement to work at and learn the trade of an electrician under the direct supervision of a master, journeyman or limited electrician.
1-A. ELECTRICAL COMPANY. "Electrical company" means a person, firm, corporation or partnership employing licensees engaged in the business of doing electrical installations.
1-B. BOARD. "Board" means the Electricians' Examining Board.
2. ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS. "Electrical installations" means the installation, repair, alteration and maintenance of electrical conductors, fittings, devices and fixtures for heating, lighting, power purposes or heat activated fire alarms, intrusion alarms, energy management, telephone, telegraph, cable and closed circuit television, sound systems, conduit and raceway systems and electrically supervised manual fire alarms and sprinkler systems. "Electrical installations" includes complete installations related to photovoltaic, fuel cell and wind power generation systems. "Electrical installations" does not include the installation or repair of portable appliances and other portable electrical equipment, installation of which involves only the insertion of an attachment plug into a fixed receptacle outlet. It is the meaning and intent of this subsection that the word "portable" does not include or apply to any type of fixed electrically operated or driven equipment.
3. HELPER ELECTRICIAN. "Helper electrician" means a person making electrical installations in the employment of a master electrician, limited electrician or electrical company and under the direct supervision of a master, journeyman or limited electrician but who does not qualify under subsection 1.
3-A. JOURNEYMAN-IN-TRAINING ELECTRICIAN. "Journeyman-in-training electrician" means a person making electrical installations in the employment of a master electrician, limited electrician or electrical company and under the indirect supervision of a limited or master electrician.
4. JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN. "Journeyman electrician" means a person making electrical installations in the employment and under the indirect supervision of a master electrician, limited electrician or electrical company.
4-A. SUPERVISION. Two apprentice electricians, one helper electrician or 2 helper electricians who are both currently enrolled in, or have completed, a program of study consisting of 576 hours of education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution may work with and under the direct supervision of a master electrician, limited electrician or journeyman electrician. A master electrician who teaches an electrical course at a Maine career and technical education center, a Maine career and technical education region, a Maine community college or an apprenticeship program registered by the Department of Labor may have a maximum of 12 helper or apprentice electricians under direct supervision while making electrical installations that are a part of the instructional program of the school or apprenticeship program, as long as the total value of each installation does not exceed $ 5,000. An electrical installation may not be commenced pursuant to this subsection without the prior approval of the director or president of the school or apprenticeship program at which the master electrician is an instructor. These installations are limited to those done in buildings or facilities owned or controlled by:
A. School administrative units; and
B. Nonprofit organizations.
The Electricians' Examining Board and the municipal electrical inspector of the municipality in which the installation is to be made, if the municipality has an inspector, must be notified of all installation projects entered into pursuant to this subsection prior to the commencement of the project. There must be an inspection by a state electrical inspector or by the municipal electrical inspector of the municipality in which the installation has been made, if the municipality has an inspector, before any wiring on the project is concealed.
5. LIMITED ELECTRICIAN. "Limited electrician" means a person doing work to install and service the electrical work related to a specific type of electrically operated equipment or to specific electrical installations only authorized by this license.
6. MASTER ELECTRICIAN. "Master electrician" means an individual qualified under this chapter, engaging in, or about to engage in, the business of installing electrical wires, conduits, apparatus, fixtures and other electrical equipment. The certificate must specify the name of the individual who is authorized to enter upon or engage in business as set forth in this chapter.
7. Repealed. Laws 2011, c. 290, § 1.
8. UTILITY CORPORATION. "Utility corporation" means a utility that is not a public utility, as defined in Title 35-A, section 102, or a person, firm or corporation subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission.
§ 1202. Issuance of licenses
1. APPLICATION; QUALIFICATIONS. The board shall issue a license to any person who files a sworn application, who passes an examination conducted by the board as provided in section 1203 to determine his fitness to receive that license and who meets the following qualifications.
A. For a journeyman electrician's license, a person must:
1) Complete at least 8,000 hours of service as an apprentice or
helper electrician or at least 8,000 hours of experience in
electrical installations, as defined in section 1101, and
satisfactorily complete a program of study comprising 576 hours
as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an
accredited institution. The 576 hours consist of 225 hours of
required study, including an approved course of not less than 45
hours in the current National Electrical Code; and 351 hours of
elective study, comprised of all trade-related electives or 225
hours of trade-related courses and 135 hours of degree-related
courses;
2) Be a graduate of an accredited regional applied technology
high school 2-year electrical program, have worked for 8,000
hours in the field of electrical installations under the
supervision of a master electrician or the equivalent and have
completed a course of not less than 45 hours in the current
National Electrical Code, the course to be approved by the board;
3) Be a graduate of an accredited community college electrical
program or a vocational-electrical program of the Department of
Corrections, have worked for 4,000 hours in the field of
electrical installations under the supervision of a master
electrician or the equivalent and have completed a course of not
less than 45 hours in the current National Electrical Code, the
course to be approved by the board. Persons qualifying under
this paragraph may sit for the journeyman's examination upon
graduation if application is made within one year of graduation;
or
4) Be an electrical apprentice registered with the Department of
Labor and have completed 576 hours of related instruction, as
defined in this paragraph, prescribed in their apprenticeship
program, the 8,000-hour approved program and a course of not less
than 45 hours in the current National Electrical Code, the course
to be approved by the board.Persons qualifying under this
paragraph may sit for the journeyman's examination after
completion of the 576 hours of instruction if application is made
within one year of the completion of the instruction.
B. For a master electrician's license, a person must:
1) Complete at least 4,000 hours of service as a journeyman
electrician or at least 12,000 hours of experience in electrical
installations, as defined in section 1101, and complete a program
of study comprising 576 hours as approved by the Electricians'
Examining Board or from an accredited institution. The 576 hours
shall consist of 450 hours of required study, including a course
of not less than 45 hours in an approved course in the current
National Electrical Code and 126 hours of degree-related courses;
Any person who holds a journeyman electrician's or limited
license under this section or under former section 1202,
subsection 1, prior to July 1987, shall be eligible to take the
examination for a master electrician's license, provided that the
applicant has completed the number of hours of service or
experience required by this subsection and has completed 45 hours
of current National Electrical Code.
C. For a limited electrician's license, a person must meet the
following requirements.
1) A limited electrician in water pumps must have 135 hours of
electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining
Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of
experience. The privileges of practice are restricted to
electrical work between the branch circuits and power supplies.
2) A limited electrician in outdoor signs, including sign
lighting, must have 135 hours of electrical education as approved
by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited
institution and 2,000 hours of experience. The privileges of
practice do not include branch circuit wiring.
3) A limited electrician in gasoline dispensing must have 135
hours of electrical education as approved by the Electricians'
Examining Board or from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours
of experience. The privileges of practice are restricted to
electrical work between the branch circuit and the power supply.
4) A limited electrician in traffic signals, including outdoor
lighting of traffic signals, must have 135 hours of electrical
education as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or
from an accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience.
5) A limited electrician in house wiring must have 225 hours of
electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining
Board or from an accredited institution and 4,000 hours of
experience. Privileges of practice are restricted to one-family
and 2-family dwellings, including modular and mobile homes. Any
person having a limited license in mobile homes prior to the
effective date of this section is automatically licensed as a
limited electrician in house wiring.
6) A limited electrician in refrigeration must have 270 hours of
electrical education as approved by the Electricians' Examining
Board or from an accredited institution and 6,000 hours of
experience. Graduates of a Maine community college electrical
program in refrigeration approved by the Electricians' Examining
Board or from an accredited institution are credited with 4,000
hours of experience upon graduation. Privileges of practice are
restricted to all associated wire from the loadside of
distribution.
7) A limited electrician in low energy, including fire alarms,
must have 270 hours of electrical education as approved by the
Electricians' Examining Board or from an accredited institution
and 4,000 hours of experience. Any person having a limited
license in fire alarms or experience in the installation of
low-energy electronics prior to the effective date of this
section qualifies to be licensed as a limited electrician in low
energy.
8) A crane technician must have 135 hours of electrical education
as approved by the Electricians' Examining Board or from an
accredited institution and 2,000 hours of experience. Any person
having work experience in the installation of cranes and hoists,
as defined by the National Electrical Code, prior to the
effective date of this subparagraph, qualifies to be licensed as
a crane technician. This covers the installation of electrical
equipment and wiring used in connection with cranes, monorail
hoists, hoists and runways.
D. For a journeyman-in-training electrician's license, a person must
be a graduate of an accredited community college or Department of
Corrections' electrical program, receive a passing grade on the
journeyman's examination and complete 2,000 hours of experience.
The board may establish by rule standards in accordance with the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, Title 5, chapter 375, to exercise its discretion to determine if a limited license holder applying for a master electrician's license has adequate experience in all phases of electrical installation to take the examination.
2. APPRENTICE OR HELPER. The board may issue a license upon payment of the fee as set under section 1203-A to any person who applies for a license, without examination. Any such person employed by an electrician as an apprentice for the purpose of qualifying for any license mentioned in section 1203, or as an electrician's helper, must apply for a license within 10 days after commencing that employment or starting school in an electrical course.
3. LICENSE DISPLAYED. All persons licensed by the board are entitled to receive a license, which must be publicly displayed at the principal place of business of the electrician or, if no such place of business, must be carried on the person and displayed at any time upon request, as long as that person continues in the business as defined.
4. INACTIVE STATUS LICENSES. A licensee who does not desire to perform any of the electrical installations described in section 1101 and who wants to preserve the license while not engaged in any electrical installations may apply for an inactive status license pursuant to Title 10, section 8003, subsection 5-A, paragraph D, subparagraph 5. The fee for inactive status licensure is set under section 1203-A. During inactive status the licensee must renew the license biennially and pay the renewal fee as set under section 1203-A, but is not required to meet the education provisions under the rules of the board.
A licensee surrendering a license pursuant to this section may have the license reinstated to active status by demonstrating compliance within the previous biennium with section 1204 and proper application for an active license. Any license placed on inactive status after the effective date of this subsection and remaining inactive for 3 or more years may be reactivated by the applicant being required to successfully pass a license examination at the discretion of the board.