04/24/2019
Summarized Explanation of Texas Electrical Licensing Requirements
All Licensed Electricians are required to work under a Texas Electrical Contractors License (TECL). A Licensed Master Electrician, Licensed Journey Electrician and a Licensed Apprentice are required to have or work under a TECL to perform paid/financial incentivized electrical work for the public consumer. The TECL is where the protections lie for the consumer. TECL requires the contractor carry a minimum of $600,000 Aggregate General Liability Insurance and have a Master Electrician of record. The Master Electrician is responsible for compliance of all work performed under the TECL. All the other licenses mentioned above are not required to carry insurance nor a Master Electrician of record and legally cannot perform electrical work for the public consumer without having a TECL.
Reasons to Hire a Licensed Texas Electrical Contractor
Safety
We all know that uncontained or uncontrolled electricity is hazardous and fatal. Through the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) the National Electric Code (NEC) has specified and required containment and controls for safer electrical installation since 1897. The NEC publishes new and safer requirements on a three year cycle, most of the changes are based on statical data from insurance companies and electrical equipment/part manufacturers input. Texas Master Electrician License requires 12,000 documented/supervised hrs. and pass a Master exam, all of these requirements are based on the NEC. Journeyman Electrician License requires 8,000 documented/supervised hrs. and pass a Journeyman exam, all of these requirements are based on the NEC. Who else would know how to repair or install electrical at your home safer?
Liability, Responsibility and Accountability
How many contractors can cover the total cost of your home, part of your home or anything of value out of their pocket? You can't squeeze blood out of turnup. Liability insurance can cover damages that they create, think of it as a sack of money put down on a bet. Texas Electrical Contractors are required by law to produce proof of insurance on consumer/customer demand. If you hire an unlicensed contractor, who do you think you can call or complain to for resolution when you have an issues or problem with them or their work? Nobody and the fraudsters know it. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) regulates Licensed Texas Electrical Contractors. The TDLR is in the consumers corner, that is their sole purpose. TDLR also performs background checks on all license applicants.
Financial and Your Time
Beside the potential financial depravities mentioned above there are other financial aspects to keep in mind. Let’s say you have lived in your home for years and during those years you have hired unlicensed contractors/handymen to perform electrical work on your home, luckily you have not had any issues with the work. Then the day comes when you decide to sell your home. The buyer has to have a home inspection performed, the inspector finds a laundry list of electrical code violations. Who do you think is going to pay for the repair of the violations? You, one way or another. You paid the unlicensed contractor/handyman, now you are paying again and not to mention your time spent getting the repairs made. Pay twice and twice your time. Sure you paid a cheap price for the work initially but how cheap is it now? I have seen this numerous times because I’m the guy they call to make the repairs.
Sure there are bad licensed electrical contractors out there but there are a lot more bad unlicensed contractors that have absolutely no constraints, no accountability, nothing to cover liability and no responsibility.
