All electrical installations in the City of
Ithaca, including the electrical installation of appliances such as
hot water heaters and furnaces, shall come under the provisions of
this article and are subject to inspection by the Electrical Inspector.
The Examining Board of Electricians, appointed
as provided in the City Charter, shall carry out its duties as hereinafter
provided.[1]
No person shall hereafter engage in, carry on
or conduct the business of employing or master electrician or undertake
or contract to do the work of an electrician within the City unless
or until licensed pursuant to this article.
A.
All persons desiring to be examined shall make application
to the Director of Planning and Development of the City in such form
and detail as may be required. Such application shall be accompanied
by payment of an examination fee of $100.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
B.
The fee for an original license is included in the
examination fee.
C.
Licenses must be renewed annually. Each year shall
commence in January. Renewal fees are due by February 1 of each year.
Renewal fees are $100.
D.
Licenses are not transferable. Licenses are revocable
for cause adjudged by the Examining Board of Electricians to be in
the best interest of the City. Any person whose licenses is revoked
and who is in disagreement with the judgment of the Examining Board
of Electricians may appeal to the Building Code Board of Appeals,
provided that a written statement setting forth the reasons for such
appeal is filed with the Secretary of the Board within 30 days of
the service of the revocation order upon such person. The Director
of Planning and Development or his/her designee shall notify such
person of this right to appeal and of this thirty-day time limitation.
Upon receipt of such appeal, the Building Code Board of Appeals shall
hold a hearing within 30 days and, after review of all evidence, shall
affirm, modify or annul the action of the Examining Board of Electricians.
After the hearing, the Building Code Board of Appeals’ judgment
shall be final.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[2]]
[2]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
E.
Special reciprocal licenses. All persons who undertake
or contract to do the work of an electrician who are not licensed
by the City of Ithaca and are licensed by another municipality will
be considered for a special reciprocal license. Such persons are required
to provide any information that the Examining Board of Electricians
may require for a special reciprocal license. A fee, based on the
schedule below, is due for each electrical contract undertaken by
such person. The Examining Board shall review the credentials of all
such persons and conduct any review that the Board deems necessary
to carry out its purpose to protect the best interests of the City
of Ithaca. In the event that a special reciprocal license is denied,
the Board shall provide the applicant with a written denial letter
that fully states the reasons for denial. Any such denial may be appealed
in the same manner as the appeal of City electrical license revocation.
|
Reciprocal License Fees
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Amount of Electrical Work
|
Fee
| |
|
Less than $50,000
|
$200
| |
|
$50,000 to $100,000
|
$500
| |
|
Greater than $100,000
|
$1,000
| |
A.
Electrical licensing examinations shall be given once
per year. Applicants for an electrical license must have a minimum
of 42 months of experience as an electrician or as an electrician's
apprentice. Applications for licensing may be obtained in the Building
Department. If an applicant has been accepted as a candidate for examination,
he or she will be notified by mail when and where such examination
will take place.
B.
All written examination questions shall be based upon
information to be found in the National Electrical Code and principles
and practices common to the electrical trade.
C.
The grading valuation of each question shall be predetermined
and the record of this determination shall be on file in the Building
Department prior to the examination time and available for the inspection
of an examinee following receipt of his/her grade.
D.
If an applicant passes the electrical licensing examination,
he or she will be notified by mail and an electrical license will
be issued within 30 days. Any person denied a license may appeal the
decision of the Examining Board of Electricians to the Building Code
Board of Appeals. Upon receipt of such appeal, the Building Code Board
of Appeals shall hold a hearing within 30 days and, after review of
all evidence, shall sustain the action of the Examining Board of Electricians,
regrade the examination or order reexamination of the appellant. After
the hearing, the Building Code Board of Appeals' judgment shall be
final.
A.
No alterations or additions shall be made in or to
the existing wiring in any building nor shall any new construction
be wired for the use of electric current without first obtaining a
work permit for electrical work from the Electrical Inspector in the
Building Department.
B.
Application for such a work permit shall be made by
a licensed electrician. It shall be in writing on an approved form
and shall describe the work to be done. The permit, if issued, shall
be in the name of the licensed electrician who shall be responsible
for the proper installation of the work described.
C.
Permit fees shall be paid before a work permit is authorized. Permit
fees shall be accepted by the Building Division by check, money order,
or by such other means as shall be approved by the Director of Planning
and Development or their designee; a separate processing fee may be
assessed for any such non-check, non-money order form of payment.
The electrical permit fee schedule shall be posted in the office of
the Building Division
[Amended 9-6-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-05]
(1)
Any
amendment to the application upon which the work permit has been issued
must be filed and an amended work permit obtained. If there is an
increase in the value of the project, an additional fee shall be paid
for that increase based on the posted work permit fee schedule.
(2)
Work
permit fees shall be set according to the schedule filed in the office
of the Director of Planning and Development, which shall be subject
to modification from time to time as determined by the Director of
Planning and Development and shall be available for public inspection.
A.
Inspections of all rough wiring installations shall
be made before concealment of said wiring, and such concealment shall
be made only after approval by the Electrical Inspector.
C.
The Electrical Inspector is hereby authorized to make
inspections of any and all electric wiring devices and apparatus in
the City; and when such installations are found to be in dangerous
or unsafe condition, the property owner shall be notified and shall
cause the necessary repairs of hazardous conditions to be made within
48 hours and shall cause full compliance with the notification within
30 days from the date of said notice.
D.
The Electrical Inspector is hereby empowered to disconnect
or to order the discontinuance of electrical service to such wiring,
devices and/or material found to be defectively installed or having
become damaged or deteriorated to the degree that life and property
are endangered. Reconnection of such service shall not be made without
the specific approval of the Electrical Inspector or the Director
of Code Enforcement.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[2]]
[2]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
E.
The Electrical Inspector shall have the right, during
reasonable hours, to enter any building or structure in the discharge
of his/her official duties.
F.
The fees for inspection shall be fixed and uniform
for all installations in accordance with the schedule filed in the
office of the Director of Planning and Development and available for
public inspection.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[3]]
[3]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
G.
It shall be unlawful and a violation of this article
for any electrical contractor or electrician to charge collect or
transfer fees for electrical inspections greater than the amounts
invoiced to him/her by an approved electrical inspector, and proof
of violation shall be sufficient cause for revocation of his/her certificate
of competency.
All new installations of electric wiring or
apparatus or repairs, alterations or additions to existing wiring
or apparatus in all buildings and structures shall be in strict conformity
with performance specifications set forth in the New York State Uniform
Fire Prevention and Building Code (hereafter referred to as the "Building
Code").
A.
No public service corporation shall install a meter
or make a service connection to any installation of electric wiring
for which a certificate or memorandum of approval is required by the
Director of Code Enforcement until such certificate or memorandum
has been issued to such service corporation, except as provided by
the issuance of temporary permits.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
B.
The Electrical Inspector may, at his/her discretion,
issue a temporary permit for the use of current for lighting and/or
construction purposes. Such temporary permit shall be issued for a
period not to exceed six months.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[1]]
A.
In general, all matters arising under and properly
belonging to electrical installations prior to and including approval
shall be administered by the Director of Code Enforcement; and matters
subsequent to approval conceivably affecting the work of the Fire
Department shall be administered by the Fire Chief of the City. In
matters involving both departments, these officers shall cooperate
and shall be assisted by the Electrical Inspector.
B.
When the Electrical Inspector condemns all or part
of an electrical installation, the owner may, within 10 days after
receiving written notice from the inspector, file a petition for review
of said action with the Director of Planning and Development. The
Director of Planning and Development or his/her designee shall present
the case to the Building Code Board of Appeals. At the hearing, the
petitioner or the petitioner’s agent shall be given the opportunity
to show cause why such order should be modified or withdrawn. The
decision of the Board shall be final, unless court action is instituted
within 30 days.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
A.
In case of a dispute between an electrician and the
Electrical Inspector and/or the Director of Code Enforcement as to
the proper interpretation of any of the provisions of this article,
the Director of Planning and Development or his/her designee shall
report the facts to the Building Code Board of Appeals, which shall
set a date for a hearing.
[Amended 6-5-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-15[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided for an effective date
of 1-1-2014.
B.
After such hearing, the Building Code Board of Appeals
shall make its interpretation of the provision in question.
A.
No property owner shall be relieved of the responsibility
or liability for compliance or noncompliance with the Building Code
by reason of any agreement whereby a lessee assumes responsibility
of the maintenance of the property. The owner of record alone shall
be responsible for compliance with the Building Code.
B.
Compliance with the Building Code shall not be construed
to relieve from or lessen the responsibility or liability of any party
owning, operating, controlling or installing any electric wiring,
devices, apparatus and/or materials for damages to person or property
caused by defects in such installation, nor shall the City be held
as assuming any such liability by reason of any inspection herein
authorized or certificate of approval issued as herein provided.
