It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of “Electrical Contractor” or “Electrical Serviceperson”, as herein defined, in the city, without a certificate of registration from the Electrical Board which may be obtained in the manner as hereinafter set forth. No person, firm or corporation shall engage in business as an electrical contractor or an electrical serviceperson unless its supervising official shall be registered as hereinabove required. An electrical contractor or electrical serviceperson who has furnished proof of having paid a registration fee in any city or village within the state having at least the minimum requirements including a comparable examination showing knowledge for qualification as required herein, must be issued registration at the current registration fee for such year in the city.
(A) Definitions. Unless otherwise expressly stated the following words and terms shall, for the purposes of this code, have the following meanings:
(1) DIRECT LIGHT. Light emitted directly from the lamp, off of the reflector or reflector diffuser, or through the refractor or diffuser lens, of a luminary.
(2) EDUCATIONAL CONTRACTOR. A person authorized by registration to perform limited installation, alteration or repair of electrical equipment or wiring for the sole purpose of education. The number of registrations shall be limited to one at any given period of time.
(3) ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. Any person engaged in the business of installing, altering, erecting, repairing, or contracting to install, alter, erect or repair electrical equipment or wiring to supply light, heat or power, not including radio apparatus or equipment for wireless reception of sound or signals, and not including apparatus, conductors and other equipment installed for or by public utilities, including common carriers that are under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Commerce Commission, for use in their operations as public utilities. The term ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR includes any person who supervises and is responsible for the electrical business. It does not include employees employed by such contractors. Nothing in this section shall preclude the principal owner of a single family residence from installing and erecting electrical equipment and wiring to supply light, heat and power in his personal place of residence.
(4) ELECTRICAL BOARD. An examination and registration authority of the city created and established by Article 80.15 of the NEC® as supplemented by § 151.05 of this chapter.
(5) ELECTRICAL SERVICEPERSON. A person authorized by registration to perform limited installation, alteration or repair of electrical equipment or wiring for laundry washing and drying appliances, dishwashing appliances, refrigerators, freezers, ranges, furnaces, garbage and trash compacting appliances, garage door openers, air conditioning units, sump pumps, security, alarm and telecommunication systems.
(6) FIXTURE. The assembly that houses the lamp or lamps and can include all or some of the following parts: a housing, a mounting bracket or pole socket, a lamp holder, a ballast, a reflector or mirror, and/or a refractor or lens.
(7) FLOOD OR SPOTLIGHT. Any light fixture or lamp that incorporates a reflector or a refractor to concentrate the light output into a directed beam in a particular direction.
(8) FULLY-SHIELDED (FULL- CUTOFF) LIGHT. Outdoor light fixtures shielded or constructed so that no light rays are emitted by the installed fixture at angles above the horizontal plane as certified by a photometric test report.
(9) GLARE. Light emitting from a luminary with an intensity great enough to reduce a viewer’s ability to see, and in extreme cases causing momentary blindness.
(10) GRANDFATHERED LUMINARIES. Luminaries not conforming to this chapter that were in place at the time this chapter was voted into effect. When an ordinance GRANDFATHERS a luminary, it means that such already existing outdoor lighting does not need to be changed.
(11) HEIGHT OF LUMINARY. The height of a luminary shall be the vertical distance from the ground directly below the centerline of the luminary to the lowest direct-light-emitting part of the luminary.
(12) INDIRECT LIGHT. Direct light that has been reflected or has scattered off of other surfaces.
(13) LAMP. The component of a luminary that produces the actual light.
(14) LIGHT TRESPASS. The shining of light produced by a luminary beyond the boundaries of the property on which it is located.
(15) LUMINARY. This is a complete lighting system, and includes a lamp or lamps and a fixture.
(16) MOUNTING HEIGHT. Includes the total height of any proposed base combined with the height of the light pole and fixture.
(17) OUTDOOR FIXTURE. The nighttime illumination of an outside area or object by any man-made device located outdoors that produces light by any means.
(18) TEMPORARY OUTDOOR LIGHTING. The specific illumination of an outside area of object by any man-made device located outdoors that produces light by any means for a period of less than seven days, with at least 180 days passing before being used again.
(B) Examination and registration duties of the Electrical Board. The Electrical Board is charged with the duty of examining and providing certificates of registration of persons applying to engage in the business of “Electrical Contractor” or “Electrical Serviceperson”, as herein defined, in the city. The Electrical Board shall meet at regular times at an established place not less than two times a year, and more often as circumstances may require. Special meetings may be called by the Chair, or by any three members of the Board. The Electrical Board shall establish its own rules, not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, which shall be in printed form. Forty-eight hour advance notice shall be given to all members before a special meeting. A majority shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of members present and voting shall be required to pass any proposition.
(C) Application for a certificate of registration; fee. Any person desiring to engage in the business of electrical contractor in the city shall make a written application for a certificate of registration on forms provided by the Electrical Board. The application must contain a resume documenting the applicant’s work experience for the last five years, names, addresses and phone numbers of employers, their business, work performed and supervisors’ names. The application must contain a notarized affidavit statement indicating that the applicant has been doing electrical work (both installation and maintenance) for at least four years. Said application shall be filed with the City Clerk together with the sum of $100 for electrical contractor registration. If the applicant thereafter is issued a certificate of registration, the fee paid shall be for the current year, and the certificate shall expire December 31st of each year. If an applicant is denied a certificate of registration, the fee shall be retained for the time and expense of reviewing the application and conducting the examination.
(D) Application for a serviceperson’s registration; fee. Any person desiring to engage in the business of electrical serviceperson in the city shall make a written application for a certificate of registration on forms provided by the Electrical Board. The application must contain a resume documenting the applicant’s work experience for the last five years, names, addresses and phone numbers of employers, their business, work performed and supervisors’ names. The application must contain a notarized affidavit statement indicating that the applicant has been doing electrical service work (both installation and maintenance) for at least two years. Said application shall be filed with the City Clerk together with the sum of $25 for electrical serviceperson’s registration. If the applicant thereafter is issued a certificate of registration, the fee paid shall be for the current year, and the certificate shall expire December 31st of each year. If an applicant is denied a certificate of registration, the fee shall be retained for the time and expense of reviewing the application and conducting the examination.
(E) Examination. Before a certificate of registration shall be issued to an applicant by the Electrical Board, the applicant shall, following reasonable advance notice, present himself or herself for examination as instructed by the Electrical Board at a time and place set by it. The Electrical Board shall examine such applicant as to his or her practical knowledge of the installation and alteration of electrical equipment as set forth in the rules and regulations of city’s Electrical Code. Such examination shall be in whole or in part in writing and shall be of practical character, but sufficiently strict to thoroughly test the experience and qualifications of the applicant. The applicant must receive a favorable evaluation from the Electrical Board before he or she may receive a certificate of registration. If the applicant fails the first test, he or she must wait 30 days before repeating the examination. If the applicant fails the second test, he or she must wait 60 days before repeating the examination.
(F) Bond and liability insurance requirements. The Electrical Board shall issue a certificate of registration as an electrical contractor or as an electrical serviceperson to any person who shall have filed a proper application, paid the required fee, satisfactorily passed the examination, filed proof of bonding and liability insurance. The bond shall be $10,000, issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in Illinois that will indemnify and save harmless the city from all liability arising out of any work done under or by virtue of any permit that may be issued to the registrant by the city. A certificate of insurance shall be provided giving evidence that the registrant has insurance coverage in limits not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, covering both personal injury, death and property damage exposures.
(G) Registration fee; duration. The fee for registration as an electrical contractor shall be $100 per annum, and shall permit an electrical contractor to do all phases of electrical wiring within the city. The fee for registration as an electrical serviceperson shall be $25 per annum. Any registration fee shall be paid to the Finance Department and deposited in the city’s treasury, in advance, with the application. The certificate of registration issued shall expire on the 31st day of December of the year in which it is issued; provided that any educational contractor, business manager, building or plant engineer or electrician who shall engage in electrical installation work or repairs solely upon the premises of his employer shall secure a certificate of registration without charge, which certificate shall, however, be confined to the premises of his employment and shall not permit engaging in such work in any place other than upon such premises. Registrants shall be issued a new certificate of registration for the ensuing year provided that they have paid the required fee not later than December 31st of the ensuing year; they had been issued valid certificate of registration for the previous calendar year and submit evidence of bonding and insurance. Failure to pay the required fee later than March 31st of the ensuing year will result in the standard registration fee doubling. All other applicants shall be examined as provided in division (C) or (D) as applicable hereof.
(H) Certificate of registration not transferable or assignable. A certificate of registration issued by the Electrical Board shall not be transferable or assignable.
(I) Suspension or revocation. A certificate of registration may, after hearing, be suspended or revoked by the City Council upon the recommendation of the Electrical Board for failure or refusal to comply with this chapter or with the city’s Electrical Code.
(Ord. 2013-5362, passed 4-2-2013 Am. Ord. 2016- 5391, passed 12-20-2016; Am. Ord. 2017-5396, passed 11-7-2017)