Though it's only been available for a short blip compared to the rest of human history, electricity is now part of the basic standard of living everywhere, including in Kansas. Electricians like you will always have work there, whether you find it in busy metros, like Overland Park and Kansas City, or more rural areas.
However, license sanctions can change that for you as suddenly as a light bulb fizzing out. The best way to stop that from happening is to partner with a legal team that will fight for you, which is why you should call the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or fill out this contact form and schedule a consultation.
Electrician License Violations in Kansas
The tricky thing about electrician licenses in Kansas is that they are not issued on a statewide basis. However, individual counties and cities often require them, especially in larger and more populated areas, such as the Douglas, Shawnee, Johnson, and Sedgwick Counties. For these, you need to obtain a license in each county, city, and/or jurisdiction where you intend to work.
Without a state board governing electricians in Kansas, there's no universal code of ethics or professionalism to follow. However, counties and cities tend to agree on the same standards and expectations, which means they usually concur on what counts as a violation as well. The following summarizes their shared opinions.
Working Outside Your License Level or Scope
Every type of electrician license in Kansas allows you to perform certain actions, but not others. They each have their own set of conditions and requirements, too. Since working outside the scope or level of your license could get you in trouble with the organization that issued it, you should be aware of what each type demands and entails.
Apprentice Electrician
Becoming an apprentice electrician is how you begin your career. It involves enrolling in a two-year technical school or apprenticeship program and gaining basic field experience alongside licensed electricians.
As an apprentice electrician, you can't do everything that more seasoned professionals do. However, you can perform basic maintenance, installations, and troubleshooting. You can also begin learning how to use electrical codes and interpret blueprints.
Journeyman Electrician
To move on to the position of a journeyman electrician, you'll need a minimum of two years of experience working under a master electrician. Only one of those years can be substituted with credits from a technical or trade school, but you do have to complete at least 240 hours of classroom instruction.
Although the job entails handling the same tasks as apprentices, your time as a journeyman electrician should allow you to branch out more in the field. You can become proficient in industrial, commercial, and residential electricity, from routine maintenance, installation, and repairs to inspecting and testing wiring systems. Many journeymen supervise apprentices as well.
Master Electrician
Once you've been a journeyman electrician for at least two years, most counties and municipalities will let you become a master electrician.
With all their qualifications, master electricians have all the same responsibilities as apprentices and journeymen, except that they also have the authority to lead. In most teams and contracting companies, the buck stops with the master electrician, who must make sure that all work complies with the National Electrical Code. However, they can choose to work independently instead. They can design blueprints and plan installation projects as well.
Electrical Contractor
Master electricians have the option to become electrical contractors. They're authorized to run contracting businesses and hire teams if they wish. This means that they not only perform electrical work, but they also handle payroll, taxes, project bids, work permits, inventory, and similar duties.
To become qualified to serve as an electrical contractor, a master electrician must be both licensed and insured to work in the relevant regions. General liability and workers' compensation are usually the most important.
Residential Electrician
Only a few municipalities in Kansas issue residential electrician licenses. Perhaps the most notable are Wichita of Sedgwick County, Kansas City of Wyandotte County, and Topeka of Shawnee County. Sometimes, the “licenses” are more like certificates for specific jobs, like alarm or elevator installation. Basically, residential electricians in Kansas usually have niche specialties for wiring houses and residential buildings.
No matter what type of residential electrician license or certificate you want, the municipalities that offer them typically require the applicants to be journeymen or master electricians with two years of experience in residential wiring.
Unauthorized Work
Wherever they choose to work, electricians in Kansas need current and valid licenses. In other words, you not only need the correct license for the type and location of project you want to do, but it must be unburdened by suspensions, revocations, or any restrictions that would make your work illegal.
The same goes for any electricians on your team. If you're aware that a colleague doesn't have a current or valid license, then you should report them to the licensing body rather than allowing or helping them to get away with it.
Whether you're the one performing unauthorized work or aiding someone else in doing so, the organization that issued your license may find you guilty of a violation. They might consider sanctioning you for ignoring their laws and breaking their trust.
Non-Compliance With Permit
You also need permits to start and finish electrical projects. However, obtaining one isn't enough by itself; you must also comply with its requirements and conditions. For example, if a permit says that your work can't block or “encumber” a sidewalk or street, you should do everything you can to keep such areas clear of your equipment and wiring systems.
The reason for this is that permits are granted with the understanding that you'll honor the wishes of the county or city where you're working. They know the region's needs and goals better than you because it's their job to know. Non-compliance with permits can damage professional relationships between electricians and clients, and the issuing body can't have that, so they'll probably investigate to decide whether they want to discipline you.
Breaking Coding Laws
The National Electrical Code (NEC), local electrical codes, and construction codes are meant to make every electrical project as safe and high-quality as possible. Every electrician in Kansas is expected to know all types of codes relevant to electrical work to avoid producing subpar or even dangerous results. The organization that issued your license may seek to sanction you if they think you've broken those codes.
Working Unsafely
Throughout your progressions through the various levels of electrician licenses in Kansas, you should learn how to prioritize safety while working. In fact, it's often part of the code for construction and contracting. Endangering yourself and/or your colleagues can lead to disastrous and even tragic consequences.
No electrical project is worth getting hurt or worse. If the organization that approves your license suspects that you put safety last in your work, they might try to impose sanctions on you.
Fraud or Deceit
No one wants to work with someone they can't trust to be honest and forthcoming, especially with something as important, powerful, and delicate as electrical work.
That's why you can't lie about your qualifications to obtain your license fraudulently, nor can you lead clients to believe that you're a different electrician or that you can perform work that you're not authorized to do. You also can't distribute false or misleading advertising or make promises that you can't keep about your projects.
These are just a few examples of deceitful actions. To be suspected of one is to become subjected to a disciplinary investigation from the organization that issued your license.
Failure to Continue Education
Even the most seasoned electricians know that there's always something to learn about their field. Continuing education courses keep your abilities sharp and your knowledge up-to-date while diversifying your skillset. It's not uncommon for licensing bodies in Kansas to demand that electricians regularly take continuing education courses.
To keep them happy and convince them to renew your license as necessary, take continuing education courses as often as you must. Focus on courses that genuinely interest you as well, so that you can become even more eligible for hire for a variety of jobs. The Kansas State Legislature usually requires the governing county or municipality to provide you with continuing education courses.
How Does Kansas Discipline Electrician License Violations?
Without a state board to lay out a universal disciplinary process, counties and cities are left to decide how to address complaints on their own. Although there may be some variety from one organization to another, they tend to follow the same basic pattern, which goes like this:
Complaint Review
Licensing bodies usually accept complaints in written form. They'll review the allegations and details to determine the complaint's legitimacy and credibility, as well as whether the electrician's actions constitute a true violation.
Investigation
If there's enough reason to believe that the electrician might be guilty of a violation, the licensing body will notify you and conduct an investigation into the matter. The process could involve interviewing witnesses in addition to inspecting the relevant environments and gathering evidence, such as contracts, photographs, video footage, and communications.
Administrative Hearing
An investigation is usually followed by an administrative hearing, where the licensing body will give you a chance to defend yourself. With the support of the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team, you can persuade the body to dismiss the complaint or assign light penalties by presenting evidence, arguments, and witnesses in your favor.
Adjudication
Once the licensing body has received and evaluated all the information regarding the complaint, they'll decide how to adjudicate it. A dismissal would be best for you, but if the body moves to sanction you, these are the possible outcomes.
Fines or Administrative Penalties
Charging you fines or administrative penalties allows the licensing body to pay for its operations, including those incurred during the disciplinary process, while expressing its disapproval for your actions and discouraging you from repeating or worsening your mistakes. In most cases, they can saddle you with penalties of up to $500 per violation.
Of course, these penalties can wreak havoc on your financial stability. However, they can also prevent you from affording the tools, insurance, advertising, continuing education courses, and other business expenses that often come with working as an electrician. Paying off the penalties could therefore set you back months or even years.
License Suspension
Suspending your license means that the licensing body is temporarily preventing you from legally working as an electrician in its jurisdiction. You would likely have to wait a certain amount of time and/or fulfill their conditions for reinstatement before you could start working again.
Reputation is often just as important as skill and experience in the trade professions. Having a suspension on your record could cost you projects with clientele who may hesitate to trust you or your abilities, depending on how long you've been out of the field by the time you're back.
License Revocation or Denial
Many of the problems associated with license suspension also apply to license revocation or denial. The most important difference is that revocations and denials are usually permanent. While you can usually apply for reinstatement, the wait period could vary from one county or city to another, and you may have to jump through extra administrative hoops to win back the licensing body's confidence.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Do for You?
In most of the country, professional license law can be confusing and overwhelming at the state level. If you need to take multiple counties, cities, and other jurisdictions into account, along with all their differences and distinctions, getting lost is almost inevitable. You can easily end up sanctioned unfairly simply because the legal system is too difficult to untangle.
That doesn't have to happen with the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team. With their experience, knowledge, and determination, they're undaunted by the complexity of electrician licensing issues in Kansas. They'll be at your side for the entire disciplinary process, helping you understand what's happening and ensuring that you have a powerful defense at every step. In other words, they won't let you get lost.
Keep the Lights on in Kansas
Without skilled and dedicated electricians like you, Kansas couldn't access the same standard of living as the rest of the country. For both your sake and that of the state, you must do everything you can to keep your license intact. Start by calling the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or filling out this contact form.
