SENATE BILL NO. 218

INTRODUCED BY K. MILLER

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT PROVIDING THAT, SUBJECT TO REQUIRED PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS, A PERSON DOES NOT HAVE TO BE LICENSED TO PERFORM ELECTRICAL WORK ON ANY PROPERTY OWNED BY THE PERSON; AND AMENDING SECTION 37-68-103, MCA."

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Section 37-68-103, MCA, is amended to read:

"37-68-103. Exemptions. (1) This chapter does not apply to the installation, alteration, or repair of electrical signal or communications equipment owned or operated by a public utility or a city. For purposes of this exemption, "communications equipment" includes telephone wire inside a customer's premises. This chapter does not prohibit a public utility from doing inside wiring to install, alter, repair, or maintain electrical equipment, installations, or facilities in buildings owned by the public utility if the work is accomplished by an employee who is a licensed electrician. If the building owned by the public utility is open to the public and the inside wiring constitutes major renovation or construction, the installation, alteration, repair, or maintenance of electrical equipment, installations, or facilities is subject to permits and inspections required by law.

(2) The licensing or inspection provisions of this chapter do not apply to regularly employed maintenance electricians doing maintenance work on the business premises of their employer, and the licensing or inspection provisions of this chapter do not apply to line work on the business premises of the employer when ordinary and customary in-plant or onsite installations, modifications, additions, or repairs are performed.

(3) This chapter may not be construed to require an individual to hold a license while or for doing electrical work on the person's own property or residence if the person obtains all required permits for the work and submits to all required inspections of the work.

(4) An individual, firm, partnership, or corporation may engage in business as an electrical contractor without an electrician's license if all electrical work performed by the individual, firm, partnership, or corporation is under the direction, control, and supervision of a licensed master electrician or under the direction, control, and supervision of a journeyman electrician for residential construction consisting of less than five living units in a single structure.

(5) A person who plugs in an electrical appliance where an approved electrical outlet is already installed may not be considered as an installer.

(6) The provisions of this chapter may not in any manner interfere with, hamper, preclude, or prohibit a vendor of an electrical appliance from selling, delivering, and connecting any electrical appliance if the connection does not necessitate the installation of electrical wiring of the structure where the appliance is to be connected."

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