[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Bethlehem as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 5-19-1997 by Ord. No. 4-97 (Ch.
5, Part 2, of the 1988 Code)]
[Amended 9-20-1999 by Ord. No. 10-99]
A.
All electrical inspections required by the Building
Code shall be performed by one or more of the following, as determined
by the Board of Commissioners, from time to time, as necessary for
the administration of the Building Code:
B.
The Township of Bethlehem shall have the right to
enter into a professional services contract with one or more of such
agencies, as determined by the Board of Commissioners, from time to
time, for the provision of such electrical inspection services directly
to the Township of Bethlehem on such terms and conditions as the Board
of Commissioners shall deem appropriate. The Board of Commissioners
shall have the right to determine that electrical inspection by an
employee of the Township of Bethlehem and/or by an agency under contract
with the Township of Bethlehem, shall be a requirement for issuance
of electrical permits under the Building Code. In the absence of such
determination by the Board of Commissioners, the general public shall
have the right to contract with any qualified electrical inspection
agency for the provision of such services to the public; provided,
nevertheless, that each such agency shall be subject to prior approval
by the Board of Commissioners and registration by the Construction
Official pursuant to this article. No electrical inspection agency
shall perform any electrical inspection within the Township of Bethlehem
for the purpose of obtaining an electrical permit under the Building
Code unless such agency is:
C.
No inspector who is not an employee of the Township
of Bethlehem shall perform any electrical inspection within the Township
of Bethlehem for the purpose of obtaining an electrical permit under
the Building Code unless:
(1)
Such person is an employee of an electrical inspection
agency which is either under contract with the Township of Bethlehem
or approved by the Board of Commissioners and registered by the Construction
Official.
(2)
Such person is individually under contract with the
Township of Bethlehem or approved by the Board of Commissioners and
registered by the Construction Official.
There shall be two categories of electrical
inspections within the Township of Bethlehem:
A.
Five years of experience in construction as a journeyman
in a skilled trade (building, plumbing or electrical), or five years
of experience as a construction inspector, or five years of experience
as a construction contractor (building, plumbing or electrical), or
two years of experience in construction design or supervision as an
architect or engineer in construction work and graduation from an
accredited institution of higher education with a bachelor's degree
in architecture or engineering, or one year of experience in construction
design or supervision as a licensed engineer or registered architect
with a current Pennsylvania license.
B.
A current certificate demonstrating satisfactory completion
of module 2A as administered by the National Certification Program
for Construction Code Inspectors.
Each inspector performing any general electrical
inspection within the Township of Bethlehem shall have, at the time
of such inspection, the following minimum qualifications:
A.
Seven years of experience in construction as a journeyman
in a skilled trade (building, plumbing or electrical), or seven years'
experience as a construction inspector, or seven years as a construction
contractor (building, plumbing, electrical), or three years of experience
in construction design or supervision as an architect or engineer
in construction work and graduation from an accredited institution
of higher education with a bachelor's degree in architecture or engineering
or two years of experience in construction design or supervision as
a licensed engineer or registered architect with a current Pennsylvania
license.
B.
A current certification demonstrating satisfactory
completion of modules 2A, 2B and 2C as administered by the National
Certification Program for Construction Code Inspectors.
No electrical inspection agency shall be registered
by the Construction Official until and unless such agency has been
approved by the Board of Commissioners following notification by the
Construction Official to the Board of Commissioners that each inspector
for such agency satisfies the qualification requirements.
[Amended 9-20-1999 by Ord. No. 10-99]
Each electrical inspection, before performing
any electrical inspection within the Township of Bethlehem, shall
deliver to the Construction Official a certificate of insurance demonstrating
that such agency has insurance, of such types and in such amounts
as may be required, from time to time, by the Board of Commissioners
and that the Township of Bethlehem is an additional insured. Such
insurance shall be maintained continuously by each agency and a current
certificate shall be provided by such agency to the Construction Official
at all times during which such agency performs electrical inspections
in the Township of Bethlehem.
If at any time it shall appear to the Construction
Official that a registered electrical inspection agency has failed
to perform an electrical inspection in the Township of Bethlehem in
a satisfactory manner or employ in the Township of Bethlehem only
those inspectors who possess the minimum qualifications required by
this article or maintain insurance or provide a certificate of such
insurance to the Construction Official as required by this article,
then the Construction Official shall promptly notify such agency and
the Board of Commissioners of such failure. Unless such agency shall
correct such failure within such period of time that the Construction
Official deems necessary to protect the public interest, giving due
consideration to the exigencies of the situation, the Construction
Official shall have the right to suspend the registration of the agency
after providing the agency with an informal hearing and the agency
shall not perform further electrical inspections within the Township
of Bethlehem pending further action by the Board of Commissioners.
The Board of Commissioners may take such further action as may be
appropriate under the circumstances including, but not limited to,
revocation of the registration and approval of such agency following
such procedures as may be required by law.
The initial registration of each electrical
inspection agency by the Construction Official following approval
by the Board of Commissioners shall be valid for a period of one year.
The registration may be renewed by the Construction Official for successive
period of one year upon the submission by the agency to the Construction
Official of evidence that:
Each registered electrical inspection agency
shall pay an annual registration fee in the amount established, from
time to time, by resolution of the Board of Commissioners.
Any person violating any of the provisions of
this article shall, upon conviction therefor, be sentenced to pay
a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or to undergo imprisonment for a term
not to exceed 90 days. A separate offense shall arise for each day
or portion thereof in which a violation is found to exist and for
each provision of this article which is found to have been violated.
