As you know, if you hold an electrician's license in New Jersey, it probably took you years to accumulate the experience and expertise needed just to be eligible to apply. For the journeyman electrician license, in addition to the coursework and testing that was required for your license, you accumulated thousands of hours of hands-on experience. If you have an electrical contractor's license, you have also met the requirements and passed an exam to allow you to operate a business employing licensed electricians. In both cases, you need to pay close attention to meeting your continuing education requirements and, most importantly, make sure you follow the laws, rules, regulations, and codes that apply to doing licensed electrical work in New Jersey.
If a complaint has been filed against you by a customer or former customer with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, it's vital that you take it seriously. Failing to respond to inquiries from Consumer Affairs or from the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors can result in heavy fines as well as suspension or termination of your license. The Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team can defend you if you're being investigated by the Board or if a disciplinary proceeding has been opened against you. Call us at 888.535.3686 or fill out our contact form to learn more about how we can help.
Electrician and Electrical Contractor Licenses in New Jersey
New Jersey issues two main types of licenses related to electrical work in the state. The first type is an electrician's license. The second is an electrical contractor's license.
In order to be eligible to apply for a journeyman electrician's license, you must complete a four-year approved apprenticeship program and then spend one year working as a journeyman electrician. You must also pass a detailed examination. To maintain your license, you need to take continuing education.
An electrical contractor's license can be issued to someone who has successfully completed an accredited four-year electrical apprenticeship program and who has worked as a journeyman electrician for at least one year. In addition, the candidate must pass a three-part electrical contractor license exam covering the business of electrical contracting, alarm systems, and business and law. Continuing education requirements apply to electrical contractors as well. An electrical contractor also must have a business permit to operate and hold a certain amount of liability insurance requirements (or post a bank letter of credit for the same amount).
The Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
The Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors is part of New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs. In addition to issuing and renewing electrician and electrical contractor licenses, the Board is responsible for investigating complaints about its licensees and disciplining those that it finds have committed misconduct.
Licensees are expected to meet certain standards of practice. In particular, electrical work is expected to conform to New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code and related rules; any required permits must be secured, and the work inspected after it's been completed; and licensees should correct Code violations at no additional charge to the consumer. Contractors must make sure that electricians performing work are doing so within the scope of their experience, given the complexity of the job. They must also meet certain supervisory requirements that vary depending on how many employees are active on a job site and their individual levels of experience.
Contractors are issued “pressure seals” by the Board when they receive their license. The pressure seal makes an imprint on paper documents and is used to sign and seal all applications for electrical permits and inspections. The Board is strict about the use of pressure seals by electrical contractors and will discipline a contractor for failing to promptly return a pressure seal to the board when the contractor's license expires or is revoked or when the contractor stops doing business.
The Disciplinary Authority of the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
In addition to the specific standards of practice that apply to licensed electricians and electrical contractors, the Board enforces more general disciplinary requirements as well. The Board will discipline a licensee for the following types of misconduct:
- Engaging in fraud in connection with securing their license
- Committing acts of “dishonesty, fraud, deception, misrepresentation, false promise or false pretense”
- Gross negligence, gross malpractice, or gross incompetence that harmed or endangered someone or their property
- Committing repeated acts of negligence, malpractice, or incompetence
- Conviction of any crime that is directly related to their license or that is inconsistent with “the public's health, safety, or welfare”
- Suspension or revocation of their license by any other state
- Having a drug or alcohol abuse problem
- Engaging in fraudulent advertising
- Allowing an unlicensed person to perform work that should only be done by a licensed professional
The Board follows certain procedures when it receives a report or complaint accusing a licensee of misconduct. Complaints can come from any source; the Board has a “red button” link to “File a Complaint” at the top of each page of its section of the Consumer Affairs website, and anyone can file a complaint online.
Once the Board receives a complaint, it will review it to determine whether it alleges a violation of the standards that licensed electricians or contractors are expected to follow. If it does, the Board can then open an investigation into the matter. As part of the investigation process, the Board can:
- Require the licensee to provide a written statement under oath about the situation described in the complaint
- Require the licensee (or any other person) to testify under oath about the matters in the complaint
- Inspect the location related to the complaint
- Review any records or other documents that relate to the issues raised in the complaint
- Conduct an investigative hearing where witnesses can testify, and evidence can be reviewed
Following the investigation and any hearing on the matter, the Board will issue a “final disposition” that may impose sanctions on the licensee in the event it finds that misconduct occurred. Sanctions can include fines, license suspensions, and license revocations.
What to Do if the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors is Investigating You
It can be very stressful to learn that someone has filed a complaint against you with the Board. That said, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure you are cooperating with the Board's investigation and do not give the Board any reason to think that you may be trying to avoid the matter or that you are not being truthful with your responses to the Board's questions or requests for information.
The best way to make sure your rights are protected while also meeting your obligation to cooperate with the Board's investigation is to work with one of the experienced attorneys from the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team. We can be your connection to the Board so that you don't have to have direct contact with them and can focus on your work. We'll review their requests for information and help you collect and provide it to them. If they want to conduct a site inspection, we can be there when it happens to make sure they are fairly reviewing the situation.
We can also prepare you for the uncomfortable experience of being interviewed or questioned under oath. Most people aren't used to having to answer what can sometimes be difficult questions, and when they also have to do so under oath, the result can be responses that are strained and unhelpful. In many cases where a client is going to be interviewed, we will work with them ahead of time so that they become familiar with what the experience will be like. During the interview or testimony, we can also be present, making sure the investigator is asking fair questions and that our client understands the questions before responding.
In most cases, we will also discuss the case with the Board's investigator, and where it's not possible to dismiss the matter, we will negotiate to try to resolve the matter in a way that protects our client's license (and their ability to continue to work as an electrician or a contractor). In fact, the majority of disciplinary matters are resolved with an agreement, not with a hearing. Having someone on your side who understands the different ways that disciplinary matters can be resolved can be a big help when it comes to protecting your license and your future.
Where matters can't be resolved with an agreement, they will, in many cases, proceed to a hearing. When that happens, you need the help of someone who understands the standards for evidence, knows how to cross-examine the Board's witnesses, and is comfortable thinking on their feet during a live proceeding. When you are working with a member of the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team, you will benefit from their experience in helping others in similar situations.
Consider the Value of Your License
When you think about it, your electrician's or electrical contractor's license is probably one of your most valuable personal assets. Your license is the key to you being able to do the kind of work that, by law, only a very few people are able to do. It's work that is difficult to outsource, work that often must be done on-site, and work that can't easily be replaced by a machine or by AI.
That's why if your license is threated by a disciplinary investigation, it makes sense to invest in a strong defense. Working with an experienced member of the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team is the best way to make sure that you are doing everything you can to protect your license and your future.
The Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team Can Help Protect Your Electrician's or Electrical Contractor's License in New Jersey
If you are a license electrician or contractor in New Jersey and learn that a complaint has been filed against you by a customer or someone else, and that the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors is investigating you as a result, contact the Lento Law Firm for help. Our experienced professional license defense attorneys understand the laws, rules, regulations, and procedures that apply in Board investigations and disciplinary matters. We are able to help you through what can be a very stressful experience in a number of ways.
First, we will make sure you understand what is going on and why it's happening. We can also give you some idea of what to expect going forward, based on your situation and our experience. In our experience, the more you understand about the process the less you'll have to worry about.
We will also prepare you for the investigation, including any interview or testimony you may be asked to give to the Board's investigator. We will also be your point of contact with the Board, so that you don't have to directly field any calls or emails, and will keep you informed when we need information from you.
In some cases we may investigate matters ourselves, to attempt to uncover information or evidence that could help your defense. And in all cases we will use our knowledge and experience to make sure the Board respects your rights and follows the laws, regulations, and procedures that apply to disciplinary proceedings.
We have helped licensed professionals all across the country, including in New Jersey, defend their licenses in disciplinary investigations and proceedings. Let us help you with yours. Call us today at 888.535.3686 or fill out our contact form, and we will schedule a confidential consultation. When your most valuable personal asset is at risk, let the Lento Law Firm help you protect it.
