[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Haverford 5-13-1974 by Ord. No. 1562. Amendments noted where
applicable.)
This chapter shall be known and may be cited
as the "Haverford Township Electrical Code."
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any person who shall have qualified as an apprentice electrician
and registered in accordance with the terms of this chapter and under
the rules and regulations of the Examining Board.
The Middle Department Association of Fire Underwriters, Keystone
Electrical Inspection, Inc., Burns Electrical Inspection Service,
Inc., and such other inspecting agency or agencies which shall hereafter
be approved by resolution of the Board of Township Commissioners.
Any person who shall have qualified and registered as a chief
plant electrician in accordance with the terms of this chapter and
under the rules and regulations of the Examining Board.
The Director of Code Enforcement or his duly authorized representative
or agent.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
Any installation, construction, alteration or assembly of
any device, equipment, apparatus or any other object which is used
or intended to be used for the transmission of an electrical energy
or impulse, except when performed by or on behalf of any regulated
public utility or any regulated radio or television transmission system,
on equipment, cables, wires or equivalent facilities or on electrical
circuits connected to or supported by such equipment or facilities
if the use of the equipment or facilities is required in the operations
of or services rendered by the regulated entity. It shall not include
the manufacturing of any device, equipment, apparatus or other object
used or intended to be used for the transmission of an electrical
energy or impulse, but shall include electrical wiring systems connected
to air-conditioning equipment, protective signaling devices (fire
and burglar) and swimming pools.
Any person who shall have passed a journeyman electrician's
examination and qualified and registered in accordance with the terms
of this chapter and under the rules and regulations of the Examining
Board.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall have qualified
and registered as a master electrical contractor in accordance with
the terms of this chapter and under the rules and regulations of the
Electrical Examining Board hereinafter created and hereinafter referred
to as the "Examining Board."
The Examining Board shall consist of three qualified
persons appointed by the Board of Township Commissioners. Such persons
may be electrical contractors, electrical engineers, electrical teachers
of trade schools or members of a recognized inspection agency.
A.
The members of the Examining Board shall hold office
for a period of three years or until their successor or successors
are duly qualified in office; provided, however, that the original
members of the Examining Board shall be appointed to hold office for
terms of one, two and three years, respectively.
B.
Two members of the Examining Board shall constitute
a quorum for the transaction of any and all business.
C.
The Examining Board shall hold meetings as frequently
as the proper and efficient discharge of its business shall require
or for the purpose of considering and disposing of all applications
for licenses for electrical contractors, chief plant electricians,
oil burner service dealers, refrigeration service dealers, journeyman
electricians and apprentice electricians.
D.
The Examining Board shall formulate and publish rules
and regulations for the examination, registration and licensing of
electrical contractors, chief plant electricians, oil burner service
dealers, refrigeration service dealers, journeyman electricians and
apprentice electricians.
E.
The Examining Board may revoke the license of any
firm or individual who fails to comply with this chapter.
A.
Any person, firm or corporation desiring to engage
in the business or occupation of an electrical contractor, chief plant
electrician, oil burner service dealer, refrigeration service dealer,
journeyman electrician or apprentice electrician shall apply to the
Examining Board for a license and registration as herein required,
and said applicant shall present himself before the Examining Board
at a time and place fixed by the Board wherein his qualifications
and knowledge shall be inquired into. If the Examining Board shall
find, upon due examination, that the applicant presenting himself
has a reasonable knowledge of electricity and the natural laws and
functions of electrical energy and of the provisions of the Regulations
of the National Board of Fire Underwriters for Electric Wiring and
Apparatus, in accordance with the current edition of the National
Electrical Code and is possessed of skill and knowledge in matters
appertaining to the science of electricity sufficiently to discharge
the profession of a master electrical contractor, chief plant electrician,
oil burner service dealer, refrigeration service dealer, journeyman
electrician or apprentice electrician, then the Examining Board, upon
proof of the payment of the fee herein provided, shall issue to said
person, firm or corporation a license as electrical contractor, chief
plant electrician, oil burner service dealer, refrigeration service
dealer, journeyman electrician or apprentice electrician, as the case
may be. Such license shall continue in full force and effect until
the 30th day of June in the year of its issuance, unless sooner revoked.
B.
Application for examination and license shall be accompanied
by proof that the proper fee, as hereinafter provided, has been paid
to the Director of Finance. The fees shall be fixed by resolution
of the Board of Commissioners, which may be amended from time to time.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 2-8-1993 by Ord. No.
2168]
C.
Any applicant who is unsuccessful in passing the examination
prescribed by the Examining Board will be permitted to take a reexamination
not less than 60 days after the date of his unsuccessful examination
and without payment of any additional fee. If he shall be unsuccessful
upon reexamination, he shall not apply for further examination for
a period of six months, and such reapplication shall be accompanied
with the proof of the payment of the fee as if the application were
an original application.
D.
The license here provided shall expire June 30 of
the year for which it is issued.
E.
A master electrical contractor, chief plant electrician,
oil burner service dealer, refrigeration service dealer, journeyman
electrician or apprentice electrician, as the case may be, desiring
to continue to practice the profession or trade for the year following
the expiration of his license shall, between the first and 30th day
of June of each and every year, surrender his license for the then
current year to the Secretary of the Examining Board, who shall forthwith,
upon proof of the payment of the fee hereinafter provided, issue to
the applicant a proper license for the ensuing year.
F.
Fees for the renewal of licenses shall be as set forth in Subsection B above.
[Amended 2-8-1993 by Ord. No. 2168]
G.
Any person, firm or corporation duly licensed by another
Township or municipality in Pennsylvania which has adopted a substantially
identical ordinance to this chapter containing a reciprocity provision
shall be permitted to operate in Haverford Township upon applying
for a license accompanied by proof that the proper fee has been paid
to the Director of Finance.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
A.
The Board of Commissioners does hereby adopt and incorporate
as fully as if set out at length herein that certain electrical code
known as the "National Electrical Code." Only the materials, fittings
and devices enumerated in the List of Inspected Appliances of Underwriters'
Laboratories, Inc., as revised from time to time, shall be used in
electrical work regulated by the National Electrical Code and this
chapter.
B.
The National Electrical Code is hereby supplemented
by providing that whenever electrical work is to be done in connection
with a gas or oil burner installation in any existing building or
structure or in the construction, reconstruction, alteration or repair
of buildings or structures, there shall be installed an emergency
shutoff switch with a red plate thereon marked "oil burner" or "gas
burner," as the case may be, at the entrance to the basement or heating
room.
C.
Three copies of the National Electrical Code shall
be kept on file in the office of the Director of Code Enforcement
for use by the public during regular business hours.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
Any electrical work in the Township shall be
performed in accordance with the requirements and standards of the
National Electrical Code and this chapter.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
No person shall perform any electrical work
in the Township unless he first obtains a permit from the Director
of Code Enforcement. An applicant for a permit shall make application
on a form supplied by the Township, setting forth the following:
A.
The nature of the electrical work to be performed.
B.
The place where the electrical work will be done.
C.
Plans and specifications for the electrical work to
be done. Electrical drawings will be required for all new commercial,
public and industrial buildings and apartments and shall be signed
by an architect or a professional electrical engineer qualified in
the commonwealth to prepare such final drawings, plans and specifications,
unless the estimated cost of electrical work is less than $2,500.
D.
The name and address of the person who will perform
the electrical work.
E.
Any other information which the Director of Code Enforcement
deems necessary or desirable.
The provisions of the National Electrical Code
and this chapter shall not apply to the following:
[Amended 2-9-1976 by Ord. No. 1631; 6-30-1986 by Ord. No.
1960; 2-8-1993 by Ord. No. 2168]
Applicants for permits required under this chapter
shall pay, at the time of application to the Township, fees set forth
by resolution of the Board of Commissioners, which may be amended
from time to time.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
A.
Inspections and tests to determine whether the provisions
of the National Electrical Code and this chapter have been complied
with shall be made by the Director of Code Enforcement or an approved
inspecting agency, or both. Upon completion of any electrical work,
a certificate of inspection and approval issued by an approved inspection
agency shall be furnished to the Director of Code Enforcement not
later than 15 days after completion of the installation of the electrical
work. Schedules of the fees charged by each inspecting agency shall
at all times be kept on file in the office of the Director of Code
Enforcement and open to public inspection.
B.
All decisions as to whether or not electrical work
complies with the provisions of the National Electrical Code and this
chapter shall be made by the Director of Code Enforcement, who is
hereby authorized to stop any electrical work in process and order
the removal thereof if he shall determine that such work is not being
installed in conformity with the provisions of the National Electrical
Code and this chapter.
C.
The Director of Code Enforcement is hereby authorized
to waive inspection of all or that portion of electrical work for
which he shall have received a duplicate record of approval from an
approved inspecting agency certifying that such work complies with
the provisions of the National Electrical Code and this chapter. Notice
of such waiver of inspection shall be given to the applicant so that
the approved work can thereafter be concealed.
D.
The Director of Code Enforcement shall not accept
any certificate of Inspection from an inspecting agency which has
not been approved by resolution of the Board of Commissioners, which
will investigate the qualifications, method of operation, completeness
of inspectional activity and type of report before approving such
agency.
E.
The Director of Code Enforcement may enter and examine
any building or premises at reasonable times and shall have free and
unhindered access thereto for the purpose of inspecting the same.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
A.
The Director of Code Enforcement may revoke any permit
when:
(1)
Any work for which a permit is granted is done in
violation of the provisions of the National Electrical Code or this
chapter or of the approved final drawings therefor or in an unsafe
and dangerous manner;
(2)
Any condition of the permit is violated; or
(3)
Active work thereunder is not commenced within six
months from the date of issuance.
B.
When the Director of Code Enforcement determines that
grounds exist for the revocation of a permit, he shall serve notice
upon the holder of such permit, stating the nature of the violation
and that compliance with all requirements shall be achieved within
30 days of receipt of the notice. The notice may also prescribe a
course of remedial action.
C.
If, at the expiration of the time allowed for compliance,
the violation has not been corrected, the Director of Code Enforcement
shall revoke the permit.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
A.
In order to safeguard persons and property against
the hazards and perils of existing, defective electrical wiring, apparatus
or equipment, the Director of Code Enforcement is hereby given the
authority and the duty to inspect at reasonable times any building,
structure, including swimming pools, or premises in the Township to
determine whether any electrical work theretofore installed therein
is defective or unsafe.
B.
If the Director of Code Enforcement shall determine
that any electrical work in any building, structure, including swimming
pools, or premises is in an unsafe and dangerous condition or not
in compliance with the provisions of the National Electrical Code
or this chapter, he shall serve notice upon the owner or occupant
thereof, stating the nature of the violation and that compliance with
all requirements shall be achieved within the period of time specified
in the notice. The notice may also prescribe a course of remedial
action. All existing work which is defective or unsafe shall be discontinued
and made to comply with the provisions of the National Electrical
Code or this chapter.
The installation and maintenance of fluoroscope,
X-ray or other electrical apparatus so constructed or so used as to
interfere with the radio communications of the Police Department,
the Fire Department or the Public Works Department of the Township
is hereby prohibited.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
An appeal from any decision of the Director
of Code Enforcement or his agent may be taken to the Examining Board.
Such appeal shall be made, in writing, within 10 days after such decision
has been made, shall be verified by affidavit and shall be filed with
the Township Secretary. The appellant or his representative shall
have the right to appear and be heard, if such right is requested
in the written appeal. A prompt decision of such appeal shall be made
by the Examining Board. In making its decision, the Examining Board
may vary or modify any provision of this chapter where there are practical
difficulties in the way of executing the strict letter of the law,
so that the spirit of the law shall be observed, public safety secured
and substantial justice done. Every action of the Examining Board
on such appeals shall be by resolution, copies of which shall be certified
to the Director of Code Enforcement and the appellant.
Any electrical work performed contrary to the
provisions of the National Electrical Code or this chapter is hereby
declared to be a common or public nuisance and abatable as such.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 6-13-1988 by Ord. No.
2019; 3-12-2012 by Ord. No. 2660]
Any person who shall perform any electrical
work contrary to the provisions of the National Electrical Code or
this chapter or who shall fail to comply with any regulation, order
or direction of the Director of Code Enforcement shall be liable,
upon summary conviction before any District Justice of the Peace,
thereof, to a fine or penalty not exceeding $1,000 and costs of prosecution;
and, in default of one payment of the fine and costs, the violator
may be sentenced to the county jail for a term not exceeding 90 days;
and whenever such person shall have been notified by the Director
of Code Enforcement or by service of summons in a prosecution or in
any other way that he is committing such violation of this chapter,
each day in which he shall continue such violation after such notification
shall constitute a separate offense punishable by a like fine or penalty.
Such fines or penalties shall be collected as like fines or penalties
are now by law collected.
