| Chapter 210 |
| 2024 -- S 2120 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/24/2024 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- ELECTRICIANS |
Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Burke, Britto, and F. Lombardi |
| Date Introduced: January 12, 2024 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Sections 5-6-2 and 5-6-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-6 entitled |
| "Electricians" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 5-6-2. Work for which license required. |
| (a)(1) No person, firm, or corporation shall enter into, engage in, solicit, advertise, bid for, |
| or work at the business of installing, maintaining, servicing, and testing wires, conduits, apparatus, |
| which includes support systems specifically for electrical equipment and devices, fixtures, |
| electrical signs, lightning-protection equipment as defined in § 5-6-1, lighting, control of electrical |
| devices, handling and removal for installation or re-installation of all electrical equipment, devices, |
| apparatus, and similar items provided in this subsection within the confines of the jobsite, and other |
| appliances for carrying or using or generating electricity for light, heat, fire alarms, as defined in |
| chapter 28.25 of title 23, entitled “Fire Alarm Systems,” or power purposes, exclusive of low- |
| voltage wiring for heating/refrigeration equipment, or work at the business of removing and |
| reattaching existing electrical meters, unless that person, firm, or corporation shall have received a |
| license and a certificate for the business, issued by the state board of examiners of electricians of |
| the division of professional regulation of the department of labor and training in accordance with |
| the provisions set forth in this chapter. |
| (2) That person shall carry this license on his or her person at all times while so engaged, |
| and shall affix his or her contractor’s license number to any advertisement and/or contract he or she |
| executes and/or to any bid he or she files with any consumer for his or her professional services |
| and to any applicable permit required for the performance of those services. |
| (b) Any person, firm, or corporation that is required to apply for a permit from a local |
| building official for any work required to be performed by a person licensed under the provisions |
| of this chapter shall cause the work to be performed by a person licensed under the provisions of |
| this chapter; provided, that the provisions of this section, except the provision regarding removing |
| and reattaching existing electrical meters, shall not apply to owner-occupied, single-family homes. |
| 5-6-8. Contractor’s certificates/licenses. |
| (a) Electrical contractor’s license. A Certificate A shall be issued to any person, firm, or |
| corporation, qualified under this chapter, engaging in, or about to engage in, the business of |
| installing, maintaining, servicing, and testing electrical wires, conduits, apparatus, which includes |
| support systems specifically for electrical equipment and devices, fixtures, fire alarm and safety |
| communication systems, and other electrical appliances, lighting, control of electrical devices, |
| handling and removal for installation or re-installation of all electrical equipment, devices, |
| apparatus, and similar items provided in this subsection within the confines of the jobsite, excluding |
| low-voltage wiring for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment. The certificate shall |
| specify the name of the person, firm, or corporation applying for it and the name of the person, who |
| in the case of a firm is one of its members, and in the case of a corporation, is one of its officers, |
| passing the examination by which he or she or it is authorized to enter upon, or engage in, business |
| as prescribed in the certificate. The holding of a Certificate A does not entitle the holder |
| individually to engage in or perform the actual work of installing, maintaining, servicing, and |
| testing electric wires, conduits, or appliances as previously described in this chapter, but entitles |
| him or her to conduct business as an electrical contractor. |
| (b) Burner contractor’s license. A Certificate E shall be issued to any person, firm, or |
| corporation qualified under this chapter and engaged in, or about to engage in, the business of a |
| burner contractor as defined in § 5-6-1. The certificate shall specify the name of the person, firm, |
| or corporation applying for it and the name of the person who, in the case of a firm is one of its |
| members, and in the case of a corporation is one of its officers, passing the examination, by which |
| he or she or it is authorized to enter upon, or engage in, business as prescribed in the certificate. |
| The holding of a Certificate E does not entitle the holder individually to engage in or perform any |
| work on, or in connection with, electric wires, conduits, and appliances as previously described in |
| this chapter, but entitles the holder to contract to do that work, to the extent permitted in this chapter, |
| through the employment of burnerpersons holding a Certificate F. A burner contractor who is the |
| holder of a Certificate A is not required to obtain a Certificate E. |
| (c) Fire alarm contractor’s license. A Certificate AF shall be issued to any person, firm, or |
| corporation qualified under this chapter and engaged in, or about to engage in, the business of a |
| fire alarm contractor as defined in § 5-6-1. The certificate shall specify the name of the person, |
| firm, or corporation applying for it and the person who, in the case of a firm is one of its members, |
| and in the case of a corporation is one of its officers, passing the examination by which he or she |
| or it is authorized to enter upon, or engage in, business as prescribed in the certificate. The holding |
| of a Certificate AF does not entitle the holder individually to engage in, or perform and work on, |
| or in connection with, electric wires, fire alarm wires, conduits, and appliances as previously |
| described in this chapter, but entitles the holder to contract to do that work to the extent permitted |
| in this chapter through the employment of fire alarm installers holding a Certificate BF. A |
| contractor who is the holder of a Certificate A is not required to obtain a Certificate BF. |
| (d) Electrical sign contractor’s license. A Certificate SCF shall be issued to any person, |
| firm, or corporation qualified under this chapter and engaged in or about to engage in the business |
| of electrical sign installations, as defined in § 5-6-1. |
| (e) Lightning-protection contractor. A Certificate LPC shall be issued to any person, firm, |
| or corporation qualified under this chapter and engaged in, or about to engage in, the business of |
| lightning-protection contractor as defined in § 5-6-1. The Certificate LPC shall specify the name |
| of the person, firm, or corporation applying for it and the person, who in the case of a firm, is one |
| of its members, and in the case of a corporation, is one of its officers, passing the examination by |
| which he or she or it is authorized to enter upon or engage in business as prescribed in the certificate. |
| The holding of a Certificate LPC does not entitle the holder individually to engage in, or perform |
| and work on, or in connection with, the installation of lightning-protection equipment as defined in |
| § 5-6-1, unless that individual also holds a Certificate LPI, but entitles the holder to contract to do |
| that work to the extent permitted in this chapter through the employment of lightning-protection |
| installers holding a Certificate LPI. |
| (f) Sign renovation electrical license. A certificate SRL shall be issued to any person, firm, |
| or corporation qualified under this chapter and engaged in, or about to engage in, the business of |
| sign renovation or installation of signs when such renovation or installation requires the removal |
| or installation of no more than three (3) wires. |
| (g) Renewable energy professional. A Certificate REP shall be issued to any person, firm, |
| or corporation, qualified under this chapter, engaged in or about to engage in the business of |
| installing eligible renewable energy technologies as defined in § 39-26-5. All renewable energy |
| electrical work, including installing, connecting, maintaining, servicing, and testing all electrical |
| wires, conduits, and apparatus; mounting the modules to the mounting racks; mounting the |
| inverters; and tying the inverters into the main electrical panels, shall be done by a licensed |
| electrician. Ancillary non-electrical, renewable energy work, such as advertising services; |
| distribution of palletized materials to final location area of installation including photovoltaic |
| modules to the mounting racks; and installing the ground and rooftop support brackets and ballast |
| for rack systems, may be done by any person, firm, or corporation holding a Certificate REP. The |
| Certificate REP shall specify the name of the person, firm, or corporation applying for it and the |
| name of the person, who in the case of a firm is one of its members, and in the case of a corporation, |
| is one of its officers, meeting the requisite education and experience as established in § 5-6-11, by |
| which he or she or it is authorized to enter upon, or engage in, business as prescribed in the |
| certificate. The holding of a Certificate REP entitles the holder to contract to do that work to the |
| extent permitted in this chapter. |
| The installation, mechanical fastening, and conjoining of listed solar sheathing systems |
| that are ten kilowatts (10 kwKW) or less on residential structures as defined by the Rhode Island |
| one- and two-family dwelling code may be performed by a registered contractor who or that has |
| been issued a renewable energy professional certificate (Certificate REP) as defined in § 5-6-11(e) |
| and above referenced. However, said residential solar sheathing system shall be connected to the |
| electrical system from the roof edge and energized by a Rhode Island licensed electrician working |
| in compliance with this chapter. Additionally, the residential solar sheathing systems noted must |
| be listed and labeled by UL or other recognized electrical device certification organization, |
| identified and acceptable by the authority having jurisdiction. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect January 30, 2025. |
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| LC003628/SUB A |
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