Licensing for electricians has been around for a while, and the basics remain fairly static. But the same doesn’t hold true for low-voltage work. To put it simply, licensing in the systems integration industry is confusing.
For electrical work, the National Electrical Code (NEC) serves as the basis for licensing. But for low-voltage systems, laws vary from state to state (and sometimes vary even within the same state). Our advice: Check the state (and the specific county or city) in which you’ve got a project scheduled before you do any low-voltage work to make sure you meet the requirements.
In some cases, there may be no statewide low-voltage licensing requirements for certain low-voltage systems. In some states, you may not need a license to do fire alarm system work; in other states, however, fire alarm systems may be the only type of low-voltage system where a license is required to do work. So how do you keep it all straight, especially when the state laws governing installation of low-voltage systems change all the time?
NSCA has a resource that can help: our Guide to State Licensing. Updated in 2015, it provides the commercial electronic systems industry with a reference guide of state laws governing the installation of low-voltage systems. The research presented reflects changes in state and administrative statutes through December 2014. Click here to download it now.