[Hidden-tech] Need a wiring person for small job

Randolph Ames randya at ameselectrical.com
Thu Apr 12 13:58:26 EDT 2007


Good afternoon - I hope that I can help shed some light on the
Federal/State/and Local requirements regarding this thread. As a Licensed
Master Electrician and Journeyman in Mass, as well as carrying licensing
in other states, I offer up this info. For those that want to know more,
this info is available online under the mass.gov website. Also for any
other information and actual requirements, you can call the town hall and
speak with the wiring or building inspector for some guidance. They really
want to help you and make sure that, above all, the work you do is done
safely. So here goes:

1) In the state of MA, the Mass Electrical Code is what must be adhered
to. Mass has adopted the National Electric Code and has made revisions to
that code as well. As part of the Mass Elec Code, there are references to
Mass General Laws and specific other State regulations. The 2 primary ones
are 527 CMR and Chapter 143 and 166 of MGL.

2) Chapter 143 MGL Section 3L states the following: "No person shall
install for hire any electrical wiring or fixtures ...without first or
within five days after commencing the work giving notice to the inspector
of wires...Said notice shall be given by mailing or delivering a permit
application form prepared by the board, to said inspector."

3) Chapter 166 MGL basically says that each town shall appoint an
inspector of wires. And "Such inspector shall supervise every wire...".

There you have it, no one can install any wires FOR HIRE without "pulling
a permit". And ALL wiring that falls under the inspectors jurisdiction
shall be inspected.

As for doing the work yourself, MGL says that you still need to pull a
permit and have the work inspected. At the bottom of the permit, there is
a space for the name of the person doing the work, including their license
number (which is, by the way, regulated by the state.) Also, there is a
check box for the owner of the property to "waive" the liability insurance
if the installer doesn't have any.

So if you do the math, you CAN do the work yourself or get an unlicensed
"handyman" to do the wiring for you as long as you fill out the proper
permit AND accept total liability for the work performed. It still needs
to be installed properly and inspected. Can you imagine the insurance
company paying out your claim for your house/business that burned down
because you did the work yourself, since you waived the liability
insurance? This is why we have qualified licensed electricians in this
state.

As for CAT 5 and Low voltage wiring? Yes, they also fall under "all"
wiring and is categorized as an "inherently power limited system". There
even is a spot for CAT5 wiring on the permit application. In order to
install these systems, the person needs to carry a minimum of a "Class D"
license. There are currently 4 licensing classes in this state.

As for the "swiss cheese" effect, you are right to be concerned. One of
the big issues from an inspectors aspect is appropriate "fire stops"
within the building. So if you start putting holes between floors for the
CAT 5 cable, you best make sure you fire stop them. Again, a licensed
contractor would know how to do this.

I hope this clears up some personal concepts about this topic. But the
bottom line is that if you have questions, call your local electrical
inspector and he will tell you what you can and can't do. And if you still
think he/she is wrong, there are also avenues for that through the state.

Much regards - Randy Ames

Randolph J. Ames
Owner
Ames Electrical Consulting
7 Randall Wood Dr.
Montague MA 01351
PH (413) 863-2286
FX (413) 863-3005
www.ameselectrical.com

Currently
>    ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee.
>    ** You too can help the group
>    ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. ** If
you did, we all thank you.
> On Apr 12, 2007, at 11:02 AM, Janus Ternullo wrote:
>>    ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee.
>>    ** You too can help the group
>>    ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area. ** If
you did, we all thank you.
>> I believe in Massachusetts that a building owner can install their own
electrical wiring and fixtures without an inspection being
>> required.  This leaves it up to the owner to understand and
>> implement the appropriate code on their own.  If this is true, a
certified electrician is not required.  This was particular to a home,
it may be different for commercial property.
>> Regards,
>> Janus
> Hi Janus, that may well be the case (I suspect you're right, wouldn't
surprise me) - there may be some leeway where a personal residence is
concerned (worth checking with the Town in question), but the
> original post was about a business. Hence my reply.
> David Haines
> Core Solution Group
> www.coresolutiongroup.com
> 413 584-5115
>> David Haines wrote:
>>> On Apr 11, 2007, at 10:15 PM, Frank Aronson wrote:
>>>> I have a client for whom I will be setting up a network.  His office
is within a building with a larger group of offices.
>>>> They  are supposed to be supplying Internet access and have
>>>> wired  accordingly.  However he needs to set up a router so that he
can  have a discreet network.  His receptionist will be on the other 
side of the hall from his office and we have to run an Ethernet 
cable down to the basement (from the first floor) and across and up 
to the receptionist area.
>>>> If I did this, I would make the building look like Swiss Cheese and 
lose body parts, not mention what little dignity I have
>>>> left.  Does  anybody know someone who can run a pre-built CAT5 cable
for me?
>>> While never what anyone wants to hear, if a cable is being run through
walls (or ceilings), there are regulations involved and by  law a
(networking) certified Electrician has to do the work. Plenty of
people ignore this but I can't recommend it  ;)
>>> David Haines
>>> Core Solution Group
>>> Northampton, MA
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