WAC 296-46B-940   Electrician/training/temporary certificate of competency or permit required.  


     Electrician - general.

     (1) The department will deny renewal of a certificate or permit if an individual owes money as a result of an outstanding final judgment(s) to the department.


Electrician - scope of work.


     (2) The scope of work for electricians and trainees is described in WAC 296-46B-920.


Electrician - certificate of competency required.


     (3) To work in the electrical construction trade, an individual must possess a current valid:

     (a) Master journeyman electrician certificate of competency issued by the department;

     (b) Journeyman electrician certificate of competency issued by the department;

     (c) Master specialty electrician certificate of competency issued by the department;

     (d) Specialty electrician certificate of competency issued by the department;

     (e) Temporary electrician permit. Unless continually supervised by an appropriately certified electrician, no temporary electrician can install, repair, replace, or maintain any electrical wiring or equipment where the system voltage is more than 600 volts, whether the system is energized or deenergized; or

     (f) Electrical training certificate, learning the trade in the proper ratio, per RCW 19.28.161, under the supervision of a certified master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician working in their specialty, or specialty electrician working in their specialty.

     (4) The department issues master electrician and electrician certificates of competency in the following areas of electrical work:

     (a) General journeyman (01);

     (b) Specialties:

     (i) Residential (02);

     (ii) Pump and irrigation (03);

     (iii) Domestic pump (03A);

     (iv) Signs (04);

     (v) Limited energy system (06);

     (vi) HVAC/refrigeration (06A);

     (vii) HVAC/refrigeration - restricted (06B);

     (viii) Nonresidential maintenance (07);

     (ix) Nonresidential lighting maintenance and lighting retrofit (07A);

     (x) Residential maintenance (07B);

     (xi) Restricted nonresidential maintenance (07C);

     (xii) Appliance repair (07D);

     (xiii) Equipment repair (07E); and

     (xiv) Door, gate, and similar systems (10).


Exemptions - linemen.


     (5) Definition: See general definitions WAC 296-46B-100 for the definition of a lineman.

     (6) Electrical linemen employed by a:

     (a) Serving electrical utility or the serving utility's contractor, or a subcontractor to their subcontractor, while performing work described in WAC 296-46B-925 do not need certificates of competency.

     (b) Licensed general electrical contractors do not need certificates of competency if the electrical equipment:

     (i) Is on commercial or industrial property;

     (ii) Is located outside a building or structure; and

     (iii) The work performed is on the primary side of the customer's transformer(s) supplying power at the customer's building or structure utilization voltage.


Exemptions - plumbers.


     (7) Coincidental electrical/plumbing work. See RCW 19.28.091(8) for the plumber exemption.


Original - master electrician, journeyman, and specialty electrician certificates of competency.


     (8) The department will issue an original certificate of competency to master, journeyman, or specialty electricians who meet the eligibility requirements listed in:

     (a) RCW 19.28.191 (1)(a) or (b); and

     (i) Submit an application for an original master electrician certificate including: Date of birth, mailing address and Social Security number; and

     (ii) Pay all appropriate fees, as listed in WAC 296-46B-910;

     (b) RCW 19.28.191 (1)(d) through (e);

     (i) Submit an original master electrician certification examination application including: Date of birth, mailing address and Social Security number; and

     (ii) Pay all appropriate fees, as listed in WAC 296-46B-910; or

     (c) RCW 19.28.191 (1)(f) through (g);

     (i) Submit an original electrician certification examination application including: Date of birth, mailing address and Social Security number; and

     (ii) Pay all appropriate fees, as listed in WAC 296-46B-910.

     (9) An individual's original electrician certificate of competency will expire on their birth date at least two years, and not more than three years, from the date of original issue.


Renewal - master electrician, journeyman, and specialty electrician certificates of competency.


     (10) An individual must apply for renewal of their electrician certificate of competency on or before the expiration date of the certificate. The individual may not apply for renewal more than ninety days prior to the expiration date. Renewed certificates are valid for three years.

     (11) An individual may renew their certificate of competency within ninety days after the expiration date without reexamination if the individual pays the late renewal fee listed in WAC 296-46B-910.

     (12) All applications for renewal received more than ninety days after the expiration date of the certificate of competency require that the electrician pass the appropriate competency examination before being recertified.

     (13) All applicants for certificate of competency renewal must:

     (a) Submit a complete renewal application;

     (b) Pay all appropriate fees; and

     (c) Provide accurate evidence on the renewal form that the individual has completed the continuing education requirements described in WAC 296-46B-970. Continuing education classes are only valid when all the requirements of WAC 296-46B-970 are completed. If an individual files inaccurate or false evidence of continuing education information when renewing a certificate of competency, the individual's certificate of competency may be suspended or revoked.

     Continuing education for pump and irrigation (03) and domestic pump (03A) electricians may be comprised of fifty percent electrical and fifty percent plumbing instruction.

     (14) An individual who has not completed the required hours of continuing education can renew a certificate of competency if the individual applies for renewal before the certificate of competency expires and pays the appropriate renewal fee. However, the certificate of competency will be placed in an inactive status. The inactive certificate of competency will be returned to current status upon validation, by the department, of the required continuing education. If the certificate renewal date occurs during the inactive period, the certificate must be renewed on or before the renewal date to allow the return to current status.

     (15) An individual may renew a suspended certificate of competency by submitting a complete renewal application including obtaining and submitting the continuing education required for renewal. However, the certificate will remain in a suspended status for the duration of the suspension period.

     (16) An individual may not renew a revoked or temporary certificate of competency.


Reciprocal agreements between Washington and other states.


     (17) The department negotiates reciprocal agreements with states that have equivalent requirements for certification of master electricians, journeymen, or specialty electricians. These agreements allow electricians from those reciprocal states to become certified in the state of Washington without examination and allow Washington certified electricians to become certified in the other states without taking competency examinations.

     (18) An individual coming into the state of Washington from a reciprocal state will be issued a reciprocal electrician certificate of competency if all the following conditions are met:

     (a) The department has a valid reciprocal agreement with the other state in the master electrician category requested, journeyman, or specialty category requested;

     (b) The individual makes a complete application for the reciprocity certificate on the form provided by the department. A complete application includes:

     (i) Application for reciprocal certificate of competency;

     (ii) Evidence that the individual meets the eligibility requirements listed in RCW 19.28.191, by presenting a valid journeyman or specialty electrician certificate or certified letter from the issuing state; and

     (iii) All appropriate fees as listed in WAC 296-46B-910.

     (c) The individual obtained the reciprocal state's certificate of competency as a master electrician, journeyman, or specialty electrician by examination and the individual held the reciprocal state's certificate for a period of at least one year;

     (19) An individual is not eligible for a reciprocal electrician certificate of competency if the individual:

     (a) Has failed to renew a similar Washington master electrician or electrician certificate of competency as required in RCW 19.28.211;

     (b) Has a similar Washington master electrician or electrician certificate of competency in suspended, revoked, or inactive status under this chapter; or

     (c) Was a resident of the state of Washington at the time the examination was taken in the other state.


Military/shipyard experience.


     (20) An individual who has worked in the electrical construction trade performing work described in WAC 296-46B-920 while serving in the armed forces of the United States may be eligible to take the examination for the certificate of competency as a journeyman or specialty electrician. Credit may be allowed for hours worked or training received.

     If an individual has military experience in a specialized electrical field (e.g., rating) that is similar to a specialty electrician category listed in WAC 296-46B-920, credit may be allowed toward the appropriate specialty certificate. Nuclear, marine, shipyard, shipboard, radar, weapons, aeronautical experience, or similar experience may be acceptable for no more than fifty percent of the minimum required work experience for qualifying for electrician examination.

     The department will evaluate and determine whether the submitted experience is related specifically to the electrical construction/maintenance trade regulated by chapter 19.28 RCW.


Experience in another country.


     (21) If an individual has a journeyman electrician certificate from a country outside the United States that requires that at least four years of electrical construction training and certification is obtained by examination, the individual may be eligible for four thousand hours of the specialty credit allowed towards the qualification to take the Washington journeyman electrician examination.

     No more than two years of the required training to become a Washington journeyman electrician may be for work described for specialty electricians or technicians in WAC 296-46B-920. In addition to the maximum of four thousand hours credit that may be allowed by this subsection, an additional four thousand hours of new commercial/industrial experience must be obtained using a training certificate in the state while under the supervision of a master journeyman electrician or journeyman electrician.

     Documentation substantiating the individual's out-of-country experience must be submitted in English.

     (22) Out-of-country experience credit is not allowed toward a specialty electrician certificate.


Training school credit.


     (23) No more than fifty percent of the minimum work experience needed to qualify for specialty electrician certification is allowed for any training school program (e.g., a specialty requiring two thousand hours of minimum required work experience may receive no more than one thousand hours credit from an electrical construction training program).

     (24) See RCW 19.28.191 (1)(h) for training school credit allowed for journeyman applicants.

     (25) See WAC 296-46B-971 for additional information on training schools.


Temporary electrician permit.


     (26) Temporary permits are not allowed for master electricians.

     (27) Temporary electrician permit when coming from out-of-state. An individual coming from out-of-state must either obtain a reciprocal electrician certificate, valid training certificate, or make application and receive approval for a temporary electrician permit to perform electrical work in the state, or otherwise obtain an electrician certificate of competency.

     (a) Initial temporary electrician permit when coming from out-of-state.

     (i) If an individual can show evidence of work experience in another state similar to RCW 19.28.191, the department may issue the individual one initial temporary journeyman or specialty electrician permit. The individual must present appropriate evidence at the time of application showing work experience equivalent to that required by RCW 19.28.191.

     The initial temporary electrician permit allows the individual to work as an electrician between the date of filing a completed application for the certification examination and the notification of the results of the examination. This initial permit will be issued for one twenty-day period and will become invalid on the expiration date listed on the temporary electrician permit or the date the individual is notified they have failed the examination, whichever is earlier.

     (ii) To qualify for an initial temporary electrician permit, an individual must:

     (A) Meet the eligibility requirements of RCW 19.28.191; and

     (B) Submit a complete application for an initial temporary electrician permit and original certification including:

     • Date of birth, mailing address, Social Security number; and

     • All appropriate fees as listed in WAC 296-46B-910.

     (iii) The individual must not have ever possessed a Washington master electrician, journeyman electrician, specialty electrician, or temporary electrician certificate of competency in the specialty requested.

     (iv) If the initial temporary electrician permit becomes invalid, it will not be extended or renewed. To continue to work in the electrical trade, the individual must apply for and receive a:

     (A) Second temporary electrician permit; or

     (B) Training certificate and work in the proper ratio, per RCW 19.28.161, under the direct supervision of either a certified master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician working in the appropriate specialty, or a specialty electrician working in the appropriate specialty.

     (b) Second temporary electrician permit.

     (i) If the individual fails the certification examination during the initial temporary electrician period and provides verification of enrollment in an approved journeyman refresher course or approved appropriate specialty electrician refresher course, as prescribed in RCW 19.28.231, application may be made for a second temporary electrician permit.

     A complete second application must include proof of enrollment in the refresher course and all appropriate fees as listed in WAC 296-46B-910.

     (ii) The second temporary electrician permit will be issued for one ninety-day period and will become invalid: Upon withdrawal from the electrician refresher course, on the expiration date listed on the temporary electrician permit, or the date the individual is notified they have failed the examination, whichever is earlier;

     (iii) After successfully completing the electrician refresher course, the individual must provide appropriate course completion documentation to the department and will be eligible to retake the appropriate competency exam.

     (iv) If the second temporary electrician permit becomes invalid, it will not be extended or renewed. To continue to work in the electrical trade, the individual must apply for and receive a training certificate and work in the proper ratio, per RCW 19.28.161, under the direct supervision of either a certified master journeyman electrician, journeyman electrician, master specialty electrician working in the appropriate specialty, or a specialty electrician working in the appropriate specialty.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.28.006, 19.28.010, 19.28.031, 19.28.041, 19.28.061, 19.28.101, 19.28.131, 19.28.161, 19.28.171, 19.28.191, 19.28.201, 19.28.211, 19.28.241, 19.28.251, 19.28.281, 19.28.311, 19.28.321, 19.28.400, 19.28.420, 19.28.490, 19.28.551. 06-24-041, § 296-46B-940, filed 11/30/06, effective 12/31/06; 05-10-024, § 296-46B-940, filed 4/26/05, effective 6/30/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.28.006, 19.28.010, 19.28.031, 19.28.041, 19.28.061, 19.28.101, 19.28.131, 19.28.161, 19.28.171, 19.28.191, 19.28.201, 19.28.211, 19.28.241, 19.28.251, 19.28.271, 19.28.311, 19.28.321, 19.28.400, 19.28.420, 19.28.490, 19.28.551, 2003 c 399, 2003 c 211, 2003 c 78, and 2003 c 242. 04-12-049, § 296-46B-940, filed 5/28/04, effective 6/30/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.28.006, 19.28.010, 19.28.031, 19.28.041, 19.28.061, 19.28.101, 19.28.131, 19.28.161, 19.28.171, 19.28.191, 19.28.201, 19.28.211, 19.28.241, 19.28.251, 19.28.271, 19.28.311, 19.28.321, 19.28.400, 19.28.420, 19.28.490, 19.28.551, 2002 c 249, chapters 34.05 and 19.28 RCW. 03-09-111, § 296-46B-940, filed 4/22/03, effective 4/22/03.]