Iowa Admin. Code r. 661-502.2

Current through Register Vol. 47, No.14, January 8, 2025

Rule 661-502.2 - License requirements

(1) An electrical contractor license may be issued to a person who submits an application with the applicable fee, who holds or employs a person who holds an active master electrician license, who is registered as a contractor with the labor services division of Iowa workforce development. An electrical contractor license issued to a person who holds a class B master electrician license is subject to the same restriction of use as is the class B master electrician license.

(2) A residential electrical contractor license may be issued to a person who is licensed as a class A master electrician, a class B master electrician, or a residential master electrician and who is registered with the state of Iowa as a contractor pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 91C.

(3) A class A master electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee and who meets one of the following:

a. Has completed one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician, and has passed a supervised written examination for master electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application; or

b. As of December 31, 2007, held a current valid license as a master electrician issued by a political subdivision in Iowa, the issuance of which required passing a supervised written examination approved by the board, and one year of experience as a journeyman electrician; or

c. Holds a current class B master electrician license and has passed a supervised written examination for master electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application.

(4) A class B master electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee; who presents credible evidence of having worked for a total of 16,000 hours of cumulative experience as a master electrician, of which at least 8,000 hours were worked since January 1, 1998; and whose experience as a master electrician began on or before January 1, 1998.

(5) A residential master electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee, holds a current residential electrician or journeyman electrician license, has 2,000 hours of verified experience as a residential electrician or a journeyman electrician, and has passed a residential master electrician examination approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application.

(6) A class A journeyman electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee and who meets one of the following:

a. Has successfully completed a registered apprenticeship program, has passed a supervised written examination for journeyman electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application, and has completed four years of experience as an apprentice electrician.

b. Holds a current class B journeyman electrician license and has passed a supervised written examination for journeyman electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application.

c. Holds a current electrician license in another state, has passed a supervised written examination for journeyman electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application, and has satisfied the sponsorship requirements for testing for a journeyman class A license by providing evidence of all of the following:

(1) Current licensure as a journeyman or master electrician from another state which required passing a test sponsored by that state.

(2) Completion of 18 hours of continuing education units approved by the board.

(3) Completion of 1,000 hours of work in Iowa as an unclassified person.

d. Holds a current license issued by the board; has passed a supervised written examination for journeyman electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application; has completed 54 hours of continuing education approved by the board; and has completed 16,000 hours of electrical work while licensed by the board, except as a special electrician, as verified by a master electrician licensed by the board. The 16,000 hours is to include at least the following minimum number of hours of work on commercial or industrial installations in the categories indicated: 500 hours of preliminary work, 2,000 hours of rough-in work, 2,000 hours of finish work, 2,000 hours of lighting and service work, 500 hours of troubleshooting, and 500 hours of motor control work. At least 4,000 hours of the 16,000 hours is to be completed by the applicant within the five years immediately preceding the submission date of the application.

e. Holds a current license issued by the board as a residential electrician or residential master electrician, has passed a supervised written examination for journeyman electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application, and has completed 4,000 hours of work on commercial or industrial electrical installations while licensed by the board, as verified by a master electrician licensed by the board. The 4,000 hours is to include at least the following minimum numbers of hours in the categories indicated: 100 hours of preliminary work, 500 hours of rough-in work, 500 hours of finish work, 500 hours of lighting and service work, 100 hours of troubleshooting, and 100 hours of motor control work.

f. Holds a current license issued by the board, has satisfactorily completed an approved postsecondary electrical education program, has passed a supervised written examination for journeyman electrician approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application, and, subsequent to beginning the postsecondary electrical education program, has completed at least 6,000 hours of electrical work while licensed by the board, as verified by a master electrician licensed by the board.

(7) A class B journeyman electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee; who presents credible evidence of having worked for a total of 16,000 hours of cumulative experience as a journeyman electrician or master electrician, of which at least 8,000 hours were worked since January 1, 1998; and whose experience as a journeyman electrician or master electrician began on or before January 1, 1998.

(8) A residential electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee and who meets one of the following:

a. Has completed 6,000 hours of experience as an apprentice electrician and has passed a residential electrician examination approved by the board. An applicant may take the examination after completing 5,000 hours of experience as an apprentice electrician, although the license will not be issued until the applicant has completed 6,000 hours of such experience; or

b. Has completed 4,000 hours of experience working under the direct supervision of a residential master electrician, a residential electrician, a master electrician, or a journeyman electrician; has successfully completed a minimum of one academic year of an electrical trade school approved by the board; and has passed a residential electrician examination approved by the board; or

c. Has completed 8,000 hours of verified experience as a licensed unclassified person including at least 2,000 hours of verified work experience in residential wiring and has passed a residential electrician examination approved by the board; or

d. Has successfully completed a registered residential electrician apprenticeship program and passed a supervised written residential electrician examination approved by the board with a score of 70 or higher within 24 months of submission of a new application.

(9) A special electrician license may be issued to a person who submits to the board a completed application with the applicable fee and who meets the qualifications for any endorsement entered on the license. Each special electrician license is eligible to carry one or more of the following endorsements:

a. Endorsement 1, "Irrigation System Wiring," may be included if requested and the applicant has passed a supervised examination approved by the board or has completed two years, or 4,000 hours, of documented experience in the wiring of irrigation systems.

b. Endorsement 2, "Disconnecting and Reconnecting Existing Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Systems," may be included if requested and the applicant has passed a supervised examination approved by the board or has completed two years of documented experience in the disconnecting and reconnecting of existing air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

c. Endorsement 3, "Sign Installation," may be included if requested. This endorsement does not authorize the holder to connect power to a sign that has a voltage greater than 220V and an ampere rating greater than 20 amps. Initial installation or upgrading of the branch circuits supplying power to the sign may only be completed by a licensed master electrician or by a licensed journeyman electrician under the supervision of a master electrician.

(10) An apprentice electrician license may be issued to a person who submits a completed application to the board with the applicable fee and who is participating in a registered apprenticeship program. A person may hold an apprentice electrician license for no more than six years from the original date of licensing unless an extension is granted by the board based upon a documented hardship.

(11) A license as an unclassified person may be issued to a person who submits a completed application to the board with the applicable fee and who is employed by a licensed electrical contractor. Any person who holds a current license issued by the board, excluding special electrician licenses, may work as an unclassified person without holding an unclassified person license.

(12) In lieu of renewal of the active master electrician license, an inactive master electrician license may be issued to a holder of a master electrician license whose license is due for renewal and who requests placement in inactive status. It is the responsibility of the holder of an inactive license to maintain all requirements which would apply for an active master electrician license, except for payment of the fee for an active license, during the term of the inactive license. If the license holder fails to meet any such requirement during the term of the inactive license, the license holder will not be entitled to reinstatement ofan active license. If the license holder continues to meet all such requirements while holding an inactive license, the license holder may obtain an active master electrician license by surrendering the inactive master electrician license, filing an application for reinstatement, and paying the applicable license fee. The holder of an inactive license who seeks reinstatement of an active license will not receive any refund of the fee paid for the inactive license. A person who holds an inactive license cannot perform work which requires the person to be a holder of that license but may perform work authorized by any active license issued by the board which the person holds.

(13) Retaking an examination. If passage of an examination is a requirement for issuance of a license:

a. An applicant who has taken the examination for a license twice and has failed the examination twice cannot retake the examination until after waiting six months and completing 12 hours of continuing education approved by the board on subjects related to the standards specified in 661-Chapter 504. After satisfying the requirements of this paragraph, the applicant may take the examination two additional times, or a maximum of four times.

b. An applicant who has satisfied the conditions of paragraph "a" and who has taken the examination two additional times, or a total of four times, and has failed the examination four times cannot retake the examination until after waiting an additional six months and completing an additional 12 hours of continuing education approved by the board on subjects related to the standards specified in 661-Chapter 504. After satisfying the requirements of this paragraph, the applicant may take the examination two additional times, or a maximum of six times.

c. An applicant who has satisfied the conditions of paragraph "b" and who has taken the examination two additional times, or a total of six times, and has failed the examination six times cannot retake the examination any additional times unless approved to do so by the board. An applicant who wishes to take an examination after failing it six times may petition the board to allow the applicant to take the examination again after waiting an additional six months. The board may request that an applicant appear personally before the board when considering the petition.

(14) Reciprocal journeyman licensing. A journeyman class A license may be issued, without examination, to a person who holds a license from another state provided that:

a. The board has entered into an agreement with the other state providing for reciprocal issuance of licenses and the agreement recognizes the equivalency of the examination required for the license issued by the other state and the examination required for the Iowa license to be issued; and

b. The applicant has successfully completed a supervised written examination approved by the other state with a score of 70 or higher in order to obtain the license from the other state; and

c. The applicant holds an applicable license from the other state at the time the application for an Iowa license is filed and has held the applicable license from the other state continuously for one year at the time the application for an Iowa license is filed; and

d. The applicant has submitted:

(1) A completed application for the Iowa license;

(2) A copy of the applicable license from the other state, clearly showing the license number and any other identifying information;

(3) The applicable fee;

(4) The sworn affidavit required under subparagraph 502.2(14) "e" (2), if applicable; and

(5) Any other information requested by the board; and

e. The applicant has either:

(1) Completed an approved apprenticeship program; or

(2) Completed 16,000 hours of electrical work as an electrician licensed by the other state, as documented by submission of a sworn affidavit signed by the applicant.

(15) Reciprocal master licensing. A master class A license may be issued, without examination, to a person who holds an equivalent license from another state provided that:

a. The board has entered into an agreement with the other state providing for reciprocal issuance of licenses and that the agreement recognizes the equivalency of the examination required for the license issued by the other state and the examination required for the Iowa license to be issued; and

b. The applicant has successfully completed a supervised written examination approved by the other state, with a score of 70 or higher, in order to obtain the license from the other state; and

c. The applicant holds an applicable license from the other state at the time the application for an Iowa license is filed and has held the applicable license from the other state continuously for one year at the time the application for an Iowa license is filed; and

d. The applicant has submitted:

(1) A completed application for the Iowa license;

(2) A copy of the applicable license from the other state, clearly showing the license number and any other identifying information;

(3) The applicable fee;

(4) Any other information requested by the board, which may include, but is not limited to, additional evidence that the person's license from the other state is currently valid; and

e. The applicant has either:

(1) Completed an approved apprenticeship program; or

(2) Completed 16,000 hours of electrical work as an electrician licensed by the other state, documented by a sworn affidavit signed by the applicant.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 661-502.2

ARC 8396B, IAB 12/16/09, effective 2/1/10; ARC 9234B, IAB 11/17/10, effective 1/1/11; ARC 9626B, IAB 7/27/11, effective 9/1/11; ARC 9811B, IAB 10/19/11, effective 12/1/11; ARC 0120c, IAB 5/16/12, effective 7/1/12

Amended by IAB November 25, 2015/Volume XXXVIII, Number 11, effective 12/30/2015

Amended by IAB July 18, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 2, effective 6/25/2018

Amended by IAB June 30, 2021/Volume XLIII, Number 27, effective 8/4/2021

Adopted by IAB April 17, 2024/Volume XLVI, Number 21, effective 5/22/2024