[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Buchanan 10-4-1971 by L.L. No. 1-1971 (Ch. 12 of the 1971 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Dangerous buildings and structures — See Ch. 63.
Building construction — See Ch. 67.
Electrical inspections — See Ch. 78.
Fees and deposits — See Ch. 90.
Plumbing — See Ch. 133.
This article shall be known as the "Electrical Code of the Village of Buchanan."
Since there is danger to life and property inherent in the use of electrical energy, this article is enacted to regulate the installation, alteration or repair of wiring for electric light, heat or power and signal systems operating on 50 volts or more, in or on all real property within the Village of Buchanan.
All electrical installations heretofore mentioned shall be made in conformity with the requirements of the National Electrical Code, except where the provisions of this article or any other local law, ordinance or Building Code[1] of the Village of Buchanan shall differently prescribe, in which event compliance with the provisions of such local law, ordinance or Building Code shall be recognized as proper compliance with this article. The requirements of the current National Electrical Code shall be those known as "National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet No. 70," as approved and adopted by the American Standards Association on July 24, 1962.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 67, Building Construction, Art. II.
The Chief Inspector and each of the duly appointed inspectors of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters are hereby authorized and deputized as agents of the Village of Buchanan to make inspections and reinspections of all electrical installations heretofore and hereafter described and to approve or disapprove the same. In no event, however, will the cost or expense of such inspections and reinspections be a charge against the Village of Buchanan.
[1]
Editor's Note: See also Ch. 78, Electrical Inspections.
It shall be the duty of the Inspector to report in writing to the Building Inspector, whose duty it shall be to enforce all the provisions of this code, all violations of or deviations from or omissions of the electrical provisions of the National Electrical Code and of all local laws, ordinances and the Building Code[1] as referred to in this article insofar as any of the same apply to electrical wiring. The Inspector shall make inspections and reinspections of electrical installations in and on properties in the Village of Buchanan upon the written request of an authorized official of the Village of Buchanan or as herein provided. The Inspector is authorized to make inspections and reinspections of electrical wiring installations, devices, appliances and equipment, in and on properties within the Village of Buchanan, where he deems it necessary for the protection of life and property. In the event of an emergency, it is the duty of the Inspector to make electrical inspections upon the oral request of any official or officer of the Village of Buchanan. It shall be the duty of the Inspector to furnish written reports to the proper officials of the Village of Buchanan and owners and/or lessees of property where defective electrical installations and equipment are found upon inspection. He shall authorize the issuing of a certificate of compliance when electrical installations and equipment are in conformity with this article. He shall direct that a copy of the certificate of compliance be sent to the Village of Buchanan to the attention of the Building Inspector.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 67, Building Construction, Art. II.
It shall be a violation of this article for any person, firm or corporation to install or cause to be installed or to alter or repair electrical wiring for light, heat or power in or on properties in the Village of Buchanan until an application for inspection has been filed with the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. It shall be a violation of this article for a person, firm or corporation to connect or cause to be connected electrical wiring in or on properties for light, heat or power to any source of electrical energy supply prior to the issuance of a temporary certificate or a certificate of compliance by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this article or rule or regulation made pursuant thereto shall be guilty of disorderly conduct and shall be a disorderly person and, upon conviction thereof, may be punished by a fine of not more than $100, and each day on which such violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
The provisions of this article shall not apply to the electrical installations in mines, ships, railway cars, automotive equipment or the installations of equipment employed by a railway, electrical or communications utility in the exercise of its function as a utility, and located outdoors or in buildings used exclusively for that purpose. This article shall not apply to any work involved in the manufacture, assembly, test or repair of electrical machinery, apparatus, materials and equipment by a person, firm or corporation engaged in electrical manufacturing as their principal business. It shall not apply to any building which is owned or leased in its entirety by the government of the United States or the State of New York.
This article shall not be construed to relieve from or lessen the responsibility of any person owning, operating, controlling or installing any electric wiring, devices, appliances or equipment for loss of life or damage to person or property caused by any defect therein, nor shall the Village of Buchanan or the New York Board of Fire Underwriters be deemed to have assumed any such liability by reason of any inspection made pursuant to this article.
The provisions of this article shall constitute the rules regulating the work of electrical contractors and nonresident electricians in the Village of Buchanan and shall be known as the "Electrical Ordinance."
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
MASTER ELECTRICIAN
Includes any person, firm, copartnership, association or corporation having a regular place of business, who or which performs the work of or who is engaged in the business of electrical contracting and/or of installing, altering and repairing, or contracting to install, alter or repair, any electrical conductors or wiring apparatus, fixtures and/or other appliances, with the exception of small plug-in appliances used or to be used for light, heat or power, or signaling systems or signs where more than 50 volts are required for operation, excepting persons, copartners, associations and corporations regularly employing electricians for the maintenance, repair, alterations and extensions of electrical conductors, electrical machinery, apparatus or appliances on their own property, and also excepting electric corporations as defined in the Transportation Corporations Law of this state and their employees engaged in performing such work in the conduct of the business of such corporation.
PERSON
Includes a copartnership, association or corporation.
No person shall engage in or conduct a business of maintaining, installing, altering or repairing, or contracting to install, alter or repair, any electrical conductors, wiring apparatus, fixtures or other appliances, except small plug-in appliances used or to be used for supplying electrical energy for light, heat or power, or signaling systems where more than 50 volts are required for operation in the Village of Buchanan until such person shall apply for and obtain a master electrician's license to engage in such business as herein provided.
No person shall install, alter or repair any electrical conductor, wiring apparatus, fixtures or other appliances, except small plug-in appliances used or to be used for the supplying of electrical energy for light, heat or power, or signaling systems where more than 50 volts are required for operation in the Village of Buchanan, in one single occupancy, until such person shall apply for and obtain a special "A" license for the purpose of installing the same.
For each official year, the Village of Buchanan shall appoint a Board to determine the fitness of applicants for licenses and to investigate and report on all proposed suspensions or revocations of licenses and may, for cause shown, remove any member thereof and shall fill any vacancy therein. This Board shall consist of:
A. 
An employee of the Building Department of the Village of Buchanan.
B. 
One employing electrician and one journeyman electrician.
C. 
A New York Board of Fire Underwriters Electrical Inspector.
D. 
An authorized representative of the electrical supply utility of the Village of Buchanan.
E. 
An architect or builder or licensed professional engineer.
A. 
An applicant for a master electrician's license must be over 21 years of age, a citizen of the United States, of good moral character and, at the time of applying for examination, shall have had immediately preceding his application at least five years of experience in the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in or on buildings. Credit for said five years of experience shall be computed as follows:
(1) 
A journeyman electrician who has worked at least five years with his tools on installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for light, heat and power in or on buildings.
(2) 
A graduate engineer of a college or university who holds a degree of electrical engineering, master engineering or bachelor of science in electrical engineering and has, in addition, worked at least one year with his tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in or on buildings.
(3) 
A graduate of a vocational, industrial or trade school in electrical wiring, installations and design or applied electricity and has worked at least three years with his tools on the installation, alteration and repair of wiring and appliances for electric light, heat and power in or on buildings.
B. 
The applicant shall satisfactorily prove to the Board that he has an established place for the transaction of business.
C. 
Exception. Any person residing in the Village of Buchanan who shall produce good and sufficient proof to the Board of Examiners that he is qualified as a journeyman electrician pursuant to the enactment of this article and has been, exclusive of all other occupations, engaged as such for three years shall not be required, before having a license issued to him, to take or submit to any examination herein provided, but such license shall be issued to him upon the payment of the required fee therefor, provided that he does so within 30 days from the enactment of this article. The examination to determine the qualifications of a master electrician shall be wholly written or wholly oral, or partially written or partially oral, and shall be of a practical and elementary character sufficiently rigid to test the knowledge of the matters above referred to in the National Electrical Code.
[Amended 2-7-2011 by L.L. No. 9-2011]
An applicant for a special "A" license must be a resident of the Village of Buchanan, showing proof of ownership of his own home, and must, upon appearing before the Examination Board, show satisfactory proof that he is familiar with the local laws, ordinances and electrical codes enforced. The special "A" license may be granted based on an oral examination by the Board, and such license shall be issued to him upon the payment of the required fee. The special "A" license shall be issued for the performance of work on a single continuous installation in or on his own residence. The special "A" license fee for homeowners shall be in an amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees.
Every application for a license shall be made in writing in such form and shall furnish such information as the License Board of the Village of Buchanan may from time to time prescribe.
A. 
Candidates will receive written notice of the time and the place where they shall fill out applications for the license and when they shall appear before the License Board for investigation as to their character and fitness for the license.
B. 
An applicant seeking a master electrician's license as a representative of a partnership or corporation shall be a partner in the partnership or an officer in the corporation, showing proof thereof.
Every applicant shall be required to answer a reasonable number of questions, in writing or orally, to show that he has sufficient knowledge and technical training to perform the work or supervise the installations, alterations, repair and maintenance of electrical wiring, equipment and appliances, as required by the provisions of this article, and no license shall be issued unless the applicant obtains a passing mark on said examination, which shall be established by the License Board of the Village of Buchanan.
[Amended 2-7-2011 by L.L. No. 9-2011]
A. 
Reciprocity. Upon payment of a fee in an amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees and upon the filing of proof with the Board of Examiners by a person, firm or corporation that said person, firm or corporation is licensed in any locality having an electrical ordinance, a special "B" license shall be issued that will entitle the holder thereof to undertake the performance of electrical work in the Village of Buchanan. However, such other local electrical ordinance shall extend the same privilege under substantially the same conditions to any person, firm or corporation licensed in the Village of Buchanan.
B. 
Certified copies. Certified copies of licenses shall be issued upon application and a fee in an amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 12-20 of the 1971 Code, entitled "How payments of applicant for license to be made," which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 6-18-1990 by L.L. No. 7-1990.
A. 
No individual, partnership or corporation shall lend, rent or in any manner transfer or assign his or its license name and/or license number to any other individual, partnership or corporation; nor shall any individual, partnership or corporation make use of a license name or license number which is not actually his or its own. Every such license may, after due notice to the holder thereof and opportunity to be heard, be suspended or revoked by the Board of Examiners for failure or refusal of the licensee to comply with this article and the National Electrical Code or other code in effect or for other cause deemed sufficient by the Board, including the lending, renting, transferring or assignment of any license contrary to the provisions of this section.
B. 
No individual, partnership or corporation shall falsely represent themselves or himself as a master or employing electrician by the use of words "master electrician" or "licensed electrical contractor" or words of similar import or meaning on signs, cards, stationery or in any other manner whatsoever.