Establish state licensing for electricians
Among many “only in New York” head-scratching moments, here’s one you probably didn’t know: New York state regulates many professions — for instance, hairdressers and cosmetologists — but not electricians.
You might ask yourself, “If my barber screws up, what’s the worst that can happen?” One possible answer: A bad haircut. “If my electrician screws up, what’s the worst that can happen?” Some possible answers: You die, or you lose your house.
The disconnect here is stark as well as baffling. New York is one of only thirteen states that does not license electricians. Instead, it delegates licensing to local governments, which may or may not choose to license and regulate the electrical trades. This results in a patchwork of regulation across the state, with residents of larger municipalities reaping the important consumer protections that licensing provides.
With the Firefighters Association of the State of New York calling for legislation to address the state’s nation-leading number of residential fire deaths — 45 in the first three months of this year — lawmakers should consider that electrical failures or malfunctions caused an estimated 13 percent of U.S. residential fires in recent years, and caused the greatest share of direct property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Association. A state licensure program for electricians should be part of the fire safety solution.
Some argue that the building permit process provides the necessary backstop to incompetent electricians because a third-party electrical inspection must be done as part of the building permit. But a lot of electrical work is done outside of the building permit process. For example, if you have an outlet or switch that is giving you trouble, or if you are installing a new appliance, you simply hire an electrician. Neither of these situations requires a building permit. This leaves this regulatory backstop looking like Swiss cheese — full of holes.
I’ve learned a lot about New York’s approach to regulating the electrical trades in the past couple of years, after a 2021 fire killed my feline friend, Emma, and nearly destroyed my home. Investigators concluded the fire was likely the result of shoddy electrical work performed in 2017 — work completed under the purview of a building permit, I might add.
The benefits of a state licensure program are manifold. First, it would ensure that there is a uniform standard of competency and regulation across the state, with no one, especially those in rural areas, being short-changed by not having the reassurance that an electrician they hire is licensed, qualified and competent. Having a license means everyone in the electrical trades must meet the standards established by regulation, or they’ll face a suspension or revocation of their license. That’s a powerful economic incentive to do good work.
A statewide licensing requirement would also be an economic boon for education and training programs, boosting enrollment in apprenticeship programs as well as in community college-level programs for the electrical trades.
Lastly, a statewide licensure program would benefit homeowners and the insurance industry by reducing the number of fires with an electrical origin, thus lowering insurance rates and the number of costly claims.
Replacing the patchwork of local government licensing with a statewide program that provides uniform standards for licensure can only help reduce fire deaths and property loss by ensuring that everyone who does work in the electrical trades meets the same high standards of training, knowledge and experience. What’s not to like?