[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Altoona 2-14-1996 by Ord. No. 5391; amended in its entirety 10-14-2020 by Ord. No. 5771. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Construction standards — See Ch. 270.
Plumbers — See Ch. 542.
In the City of Altoona, there shall be an Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board, which shall consist of three licensed electricians, three licensed plumbers, one general contractor, and one layperson from the general public. The Board members shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of Council per Section 4.3A and B of the City of Altoona Charter.
A. 
The Board shall meet at such interval of not less than twice a year.
B. 
For the three licensed electrician members, the initial terms shall be staggered, and thereafter said terms shall be for a period of five years.
C. 
In case of any dispute or difference of opinion existing between the City of Altoona and any person, firm, or corporation, as aforesaid, regarding testing for electrical certificates, journeyman or master, the same shall be submitted by either party to the City of Altoona Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board.
D. 
The Board shall, utilizing only the International Code Council national standardized contractor examinations tests, as amended from time to time, relating to electrical examinations (hereinafter "test" or, as the case may be, "examination"), establish procedures for examinations, licensing and regulating of master electricians, journeyman electricians, residential electricians and apprentice electricians to provide for appropriate licenses (as used throughout this chapter, the words "certificate" and/or "license" may be used interchangeably) to each person who meets the qualifications set forth herein and successfully passes the examination. The Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board shall keep an official record of all its transactions.
A. 
The City of Altoona Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board, shall have the sole power to grant certificates to a person desiring to engage in work at the electrical business in the City of Altoona. This Board shall have sole power to revoke a certificate from any person, firm, or corporation who misuses a certificate.
B. 
Said Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board shall have the power to grant one out-of-City or out-of-state permit for one job not exceeding 365 calendar days for one project. Any master electrician who is granted a temporary license under this provision shall pay all required annual license fees to the City of Altoona. Master electricians from any other municipality who desire to conduct business regularly in the City of Altoona shall have successfully completed the test required pursuant to this chapter.
C. 
In reviewing applicable work experience, the Board shall give credit for direct experience in installing, erecting, altering, extending, maintaining, or repairing electrical wiring, apparatus, fixtures, devices, appliances, or equipment utilized or designated for the utilization of electricity for light, heat, or power purposes or for signaling systems, whether such experience is as an employee, independent contractor, sole proprietor, or partner in a corporation.
D. 
The Board reserves the right to evaluate and approve each test candidate individually with reference to qualifications.
In order to qualify for a master electrician's certificate, or a journeyman's certificate, or a residential electrician's certificate, the applicant shall, in addition to successfully completing the specific test for the type of electrical license desired, present documented evidence to the City of Altoona Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board of the following:
A. 
Master electrician. A master electrician is:
(1) 
A person who has passed the master electrician's examination and has completed the requirements for journeyman electrician of at least 8,000 hours (four years) of practical experience at the journeyman electrician or similar level which may be comprised of working experience, education, training, or directly applicable military service. A master electrician possesses the necessary qualifications, training and technical knowledge to plan, lay out, and supervise the installation of electrical wiring, apparatus or equipment for light, heat, or power and has passed the master electrician's examination as established by the Board.
(2) 
A person who is certified as a master electrician in any jurisdiction where the requirements for training and experience are comparable to the City of Altoona.
B. 
Journeyman electrician. A journeyman electrician is:
(1) 
A person who has passed the journeyman electrician's examination and has completed the following:
(a) 
Completed a training program as an apprentice electrician, consisting of the successful completion of a Pennsylvania Bureau of Apprenticeship Training approved course for electricians, an on-the-job training program of 4,000 hours (two years) duration under the direct supervision of a master electrician and 4,000 hours (two years) under the direction and control of a master electrician, 8,000 hours total; or
(b) 
Attended and passed a three-year electrical course with an accredited vocational technical school, two years' postsecondary electrical training or has a military electrical training certificate and completed an on-the-job training program of 2,000 hours (one year) duration under the direct supervision of a master electrician and 4,000 hours under the direction and control of a master electrician, 6,000 hours total.
(2) 
A person who is certified as a journeyman electrician in any jurisdiction where the requirements for training and experience are comparable to the City of Altoona.
C. 
Apprentice electrician. An apprentice electrician is:
(1) 
A person who is employed by an electrical contractor and under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman electrician to install electrical wiring, apparatus or equipment for light, heat, or power.
D. 
Residential electrician. A residential electrician is:
(1) 
Any person who has met the qualifications and has been issued a certificate for journeyman shall have the option to take the ICC National Standard Residential Electrician Exam. Upon passing of said exam, said person may be issued a residential electrician certificate to do electrical work only on structures described under Section R101.2 of the most current version of the International Residential Code adopted as part of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, as amended, relating to one- and two-family dwellings.
No person shall be issued a master electrician's certificate or journeyman electrician's certificate or residential electrician's certificate until said person shall have applied for the same, as follows:
A. 
Applications for these certificates shall be made on a form supplied by the Code Official. Any person who has met the qualifications and has been issued a certificate for journeyman electrician shall have the option to take the ICC National Standard Residential Electrician examination and/or the ICC National Standard Master Electrician examination.
A. 
Every applicant for a master electrician's or a journeyman electrician's certificate or a residential electrician's certificate shall submit to an examination as to said applicant's qualifications.
B. 
The examination shall be the International Code Council national standardized contractor examinations test, as amended from time to time, relating to electrical examinations. Such examination is designed to test the applicant's knowledge of the proper installation of wires, conduits, apparatus, fixtures or other appliances for carrying or using electricity for light, heat, or power purposes.
C. 
The applicant is required to demonstrate the applicant's ability to comprehend and interpret plans and drawings showing the arrangement of electrical fixtures, etc. This may be conducted through the assessment of a practical examination administered by the Electrical and Plumbing Examiner's Board.
D. 
The applicant shall be expected to be familiar with the provisions of the National Electrical Code and the rules and regulations of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, City of Altoona and Pennsylvania State Department of Health applicable to electrical installations.
Upon approval of the applicant's application by the Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board for the specific license desired, the applicant may schedule the appropriate exam at the applicant's convenience. An examination information packet will be available at the City's Code Enforcement Department.
A. 
No person shall engage in the electrical business in the City of Altoona or shall start work or cause work to be started on an entirely new installation of permanent or temporary wiring, electrical apparatus or equipment, or for making extensions, and/or attached to buildings or structures of any character, and no person shall do or perform any electrical work not authorized under the certificate issued to such person.
B. 
No master electrician and/or residential electrician will be issued a permit to conduct any electrical work within the City of Altoona prior to demonstrating that the following conditions have been met:
(1) 
City business license.
(2) 
Master electrician license or residential electrician license.
(3) 
Liability and property damage insurance. The limits of said insurance policy will be $500,000 for property damage and $500,000 for personal liability and shall list the City of Altoona as a certificate holder.
(4) 
Proof of workers' compensation insurance, listing the City of Altoona as the certificate holder, or an affidavit certifying that workers' compensation insurance is not required or is not necessary.
Every master, journeyman, or apprentice electrician shall have in his or her possession, at all times when engaged in electrical work, a card to be furnished by the City of Altoona showing that they are the holder of a certificate issued pursuant to these regulations, and they shall exhibit the same upon request.
Examination and certificate fees shall be in accordance with a fee schedule adopted pursuant to a resolution of the City Council upon the enactment of this chapter or as such schedule may be amended from time to time.
A. 
The Board may suspend or revoke the certificate of any person who shall make any false or misleading statement in his or her application or who shall sell, lend, or otherwise permit any improper use of this certificate, or who shall obtain permits for others to do electrical work.
B. 
No certificate shall be suspended or revoked except after public hearing before the Board, which hearing shall be in compliance with the Local Agency Law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Act of 1978, April 28, P.L. 202, No. 53, 2 Pa.C.S.A. § 105).
C. 
The Board may reinstate a suspended or revoked certificate upon application.
All certificates shall be renewed each year prior to the first day of April. Such certificates shall be issued for one year beginning April 1 and expiring on March 31 of the next year.
Upon failure of any person to renew his or her certificate prior to the expiration date, a sum of twice the annual license fee shall be paid to the City of Altoona for renewal. A register of all such applicants and the licenses or certificates shall be open to the inspections of all persons interested therein. If the certificate is not renewed within 90 calendar days of the expiration date, a reexamination shall be required.
Each place of business engaged in electrical work within the City of Altoona shall have no more than two apprentice electricians to one journeyman or one master electrician registered.
No individual, firm, partnership, or corporation shall engage in the business of installing, repairing, or altering electrical work which requires a permit unless the electrical work performed in the course of such business is under the direction and control of a licensed master electrician after acquiring the necessary permits.
A master electrician shall not allow his or her name to be used by another person, firm, or corporation for the purpose of obtaining permits or for doing electrical business or electrical work under his or her license, except that a master electrician, duly certified in the City of Altoona, who is a fulltime employee of a person, firm, or corporation, may, upon approval of the Electrical and Plumbing Examiners Board, carry on the supervision of electrical work for a person, firm, or corporation.
In case the master electrician who signs an application for a permit does not desire to do the work covered by it, either in part or in its entirety, he or she shall notify the Code Official, in writing, requesting that he or she be released from responsibility of the part of the work which he or she does not desire to do. Said master electrician will, however, be held responsible for the work which he or she has completed. The Code Official's record will indicate the extent of such completed work and such responsibility, and the permit will be revised accordingly and held in abeyance.
Any person who shall violate a provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days, or both, at the discretion of the court. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.