3 Colo. Code Regs. § 710-1.7

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 20, October 25, 2024

Section 3 CCR 710-1.7 - APPLICATION FOR LICENSURE

This Rule is promulgated pursuant to sections 12-20-204, 12-115-107(2)(a), 12-115-110, and 12-115-114, C.R.S.

A. All applications shall be submitted to the Division of Professions and Occupations in a form and manner approved by the Board.

B. Experience.

1. Applicants cannot verify their own experience.

2.General Documentation Requirements. Applicants shall provide documented written evidence of all in state and out of state experience on experience verification forms prepared and furnished by the Board which shall include all of the following:

a. Exact dates of employment.

b. Breakdown of electrical work performed in:

(1) Commercial, residential, industrial and/or maintenance/service; and,

(2) Increments of hours and months.

c. Signature of the master electrician for, or a signatory authority of, the electrical contractor or employer.

d. "Supervising" as used in section 12-115-110(1)(a)(III), C.R.S., means the supervision of registered apprentices by a licensed journeyman.

3. Maintenance Experience. Maintenance experience shall be submitted for evaluation on experience verification forms prepared and furnished by the Board.

a. A maximum of two years of experience credit may be granted for work performed under the supervision, and verified by, a Colorado (or equivalent) licensed electrician.

b. A maximum of one year of experience credit may be granted for work not required to be performed under the supervision of a licensed electrician, and verified by the employer.

4. Foreign Experience

a. Applicants shall have one year of in-country electrical construction experience and familiarity with the National Electrical Code.

b. A maximum of three years of out-of-country experience may be applied towards credit for a journeyman license.

c. A maximum of four years out-of-country experience may be applied towards credit for a master license.

d. Applicants who have electrical experience from a foreign country for which they wish to receive experience credit are required to submit the documentation accompanied by an English language translation and a certification signed by the translator that must be printed legibly or typed. Such certification must include a statement that the translator is competent to translate the document, and that the translation is true and accurate to the best of the translator's abilities.

(1) This evaluation will be performed at the applicant's expense and the applicant will be responsible for submitting all the necessary information to the evaluating institution.

5. Calculating Years of Experience. This Rule is intended to clarify the term "years" of experience earned as referenced in the statutes and does not negate any other requirement set forth in the Board's Rules or statutes for requirements for licensure.

a. When evaluating experience earned by an applicant pursuant to section 12-115-110, C.R.S., the minimum practice experience required for examination is calculated in "years" as follows:

(1) Residential Wireman- 4,000 hours earned in no less than two years.

(2) Journeyman Electrician- 8,000 hours earned in no less than four years.

(3) Master Electrician- 10,000 hours earned in no less than five years.

C. Education

1. Community College Degree. Applicants that are graduates from an accredited community college shall hold a degree in the electrical field to receive credit pursuant to section 12-115-110, C.R.S.

2. Trade School

a. Apprenticeship training programs are not equivalent to trade schools.

b. A trade school shall meet the following criteria:

(1) Provide training in the following areas as it relates to the electrical trade:

(a) Maintenance and new construction wiring in residential and commercial buildings;

(b) Basic math related to the electrical industry;

(c) Basic use of hand tools and materials;

(d) Basic electrical resistive theory, wire sizing, circuit construction, and troubleshooting;

(e) Basic to advanced study in motor control, motor theory and maintenance, installation and maintenance of equipment, designing electrical systems, blueprint reading, estimating, and electrical codes;

(f) Electrical theory and practical application; and,

(g) OSHA curriculum based safety training.

(2) Provide official transcripts noting credit hours.

(a) Graduate must obtain no less than 165 credit hours.

(b) Each credit hour shall represent no less than nineteen classroom hours.

3. Transcripts. Applicants providing documentation of education must submit an official transcript from the school with the application. The transcript must be provided with the application in an official envelope sealed by the granting institution.

4. Foreign Education

a. Applicants who have an electrical engineering degree or electrical engineering courses from foreign colleges, universities, or their equivalents for which they wish to receive educational credit are required to have the transcripts evaluated by an electrical engineering department in an accredited university to determine if the curriculum is substantially equivalent.

b. This evaluation will be performed at the applicant's expense and the applicant will be responsible for submitting all the necessary information to the evaluating institution.

c. Applicants providing documentation of education must submit the evaluation from the evaluating institution with the application.

5. Other Education Credit. Applicants for licensure with electrical apprenticeship training, other electrical training, non-accredited electrical education, or other electrical education not addressed in statute or Board Rules may be granted a maximum of one year of experience credit provided the applicant meets and provides the following documentation:

a. Course curriculum with the number of classroom hours completed; and,

b. Certification of completed hours.

c. Credit may be awarded as follows:

(1) Credit for the successful completion of non-accredited electrical courses or program shall be credited one month of experience for two months of schooling up to a maximum of one year.

(2) Education without a certificate of completion may replace actual field experience under a licensed master at the rate of one month credit for every six months training or experience up to maximum of one year.

D. Training

1. Apprenticeship Training Requirements. Persons who, on or after January 1, 2011, either, enter an apprenticeship program or register as an apprentice, must comply with the following requirements. Pursuant to section 12-115-110(2)(a)(III), C.R.S., during the last four years of apprenticeship, an applicant for a journeyman electrician's license shall provide documented written evidence of at least 288 hours of electrical training conducted in compliance with rules promulgated by the Board.

a. One hour of approved training shall consist of not less than fifty minutes of instruction, presentation, or activity spent in structured education.

b. The 288 hours of approved training is in addition to any stipulated on-the-job training requirement and shall include technical and professional subjects related to the practice of electrical work which the Board deems necessary to safeguard the public. Such subjects include:

(1) Grounding/bonding;

(2) National Electrical Code changes;

(3) Wiring methods;

(4) Theory/calculations; and,

(5) A minimum of ten and a maximum of forty hours of OSHA curriculum based safety training.

c. 288 Hours Training Criteria. To qualify for credit, training activities must be structured educational efforts meeting all of the following criteria:

(1) Include technical and practical applications which impact criteria listed in Board Rule 1.7(D)(1)(b);

(2) Be current and presented by qualified and technically competent instructors; and,

(3) Provide certificates of completion or other documentation for the apprentice electrician and maintain records of attendance.

d. No Pre-Approval of 288 Hours Training Activities. The Board will not pre-approve courses or programs. It is within the discretion of the Board to deny credit for any activity that does not meet the training criteria in Board Rule 1.7(D)(1)(c).

e. Acceptable 288 Hours Training Activities. The Board deems the following types of activities to be acceptable. On-line delivery and participation in Board Rule 1.7 may be acceptable if in compliance with these Rules, including but not limited to Board Rule 1.6(D)(8).

(1) Not-for-credit academic course;

(2) For-credit academic course; and,

(3) Industry training programs.

f. Non-Acceptable 288 Hours Training Activities. The Board deems the following types of activities not acceptable training for this requirement:

(1) Serving on federal, state, or municipal boards or commissions;

(2) Rendering pro bono services;

(3) Faculty at college, university, or other educational institution shall not receive credit for teaching their regularly-assigned courses beyond the initial class;

(4) Participation on a public, professional, or technical society board;

(5) Attendance at licensing or registration board meetings or any other professionally relevant board or committee meeting; and,

(6) Participating in or attending exhibit poster sessions or trade shows.

g. Recordkeeping. The applicant shall track and document training hour requirements in a process approved by the Board. The applicant shall retain the documentation for a minimum of three years following completion of the activity. Documentation shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:

(1) Apprentice electrician name;

(2) Activity type;

(3) Activity location and date(s);

(4) Activity title and description of content and objectives;

(5) Name and contact information of the sponsor or training provider (e.g. organization, institution, association, employer, vendor, or publication);

(6) Instructor or speaker name(s), as applicable;

(7) Name and contact information of the monitor, facilitator, or mentor, as applicable;

(8) Certificate of completion; and,

(9) Number of classroom hours.

h. Training earned under this requirement shall not qualify for any other education, training, or experience credit.

E. License by Endorsement

1. Applicants may qualify for licensure by endorsement pursuant to requirements of the Occupational Credential Portability Program in section 12-20-202(3), C.R.S., providing that the applicant has:

a. An active residential wireman's license, journeyman electrician's license, or master electrician's license in another state, respective to the license the applicant is applying for;

b. Successfully completed a state or federally-approved apprenticeship program, or obtained the required years and type of experience for the comparable license; and,

c. Successfully completed a comparable written state electrical examination based on the current edition of the National Electrical Code in effect at the time the application is submitted to the Board.

2. Proof of successful completion of the requirements in Board Rule 1.7 shall be submitted on the verification forms prepared and furnished by the Board, as part of the application for endorsement.

3. Qualification may be accumulated in multiple states, provided the qualifications meet the requirements of Board Rule 1.7(E)(1).

F. License by Reciprocity

1. Conditions for reciprocity for a Colorado journeyman electrician's license. Applicants must:

a. Hold, from the licensing state, a journeyman license or a master electrician license, that allows the individual to work as a journeyman electrician, that is current, active, and in good standing;

b. Possess a journeyman electrician's license, or master electrician's license from a state that is a member in good standing of the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA), or from any entity or jurisdiction that has a reciprocity agreement with the Board.

2. Applicants will not be granted a reciprocal license where the license in the licensing state was granted by grandfathering without having passed a state-administered examination.

3. A Colorado master electrician's license may not be granted by reciprocity.

G. Military. Education, training, or service gained in military services outlined in section 12-20-202(4), C.R.S., to be accepted and applied towards receiving a license, must be substantially equivalent, as determined by the Board, to the qualifications otherwise applicable at the time of receipt of application. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide timely and complete evidence for review and consideration. Satisfactory evidence of such education, training, or service will be assessed on a case by case basis.

H. Reconsideration. An applicant requesting reconsideration of a Board action or requesting a personal interview before the Board, shall submit the request in writing, accompanied by additional information or documentation not made available to the Board prior to a previous ruling. This request shall be submitted within forty-five days of the date on which the Board made the decision. Any request filed after forty-five days will not be considered by the Board.

I. Temporary Work Permits

1. Pursuant to section 12-115-114, C.R.S., a temporary work permit may be issued at the time of approval for an examination. The temporary permit will be valid for a period of no more than thirty (30) days after the date of approval or as otherwise limited in section 12-115-114, C.R.S.

2. A temporary work permit shall not be accepted to meet the requirements for obtaining a new electrical contractor registration.

a. A temporary master electrician work permit may be issued to a qualified applicant of an existing electrical contractor pursuant to section 12-115-114, C.R.S.

J. Application Retention

1. Incomplete Applications. An application for a license by examination or endorsement submitted without all required fees and documentation will be considered incomplete. Incomplete applications will be retained for one year from the date originally submitted, after which applicants shall begin the process again including payment of the application fee.

3 CCR 710-1.7

40 CR 04, February 25, 2017, effective 3/17/2017

40 CR 08, April 25, 2017, effective 6/1/2017

40 CR 12, June 25, 2017, effective 7/15/2017

41 CR 04, February 25, 2018, effective 3/17/2018

41 CR 20, October 25, 2018, effective 11/14/2018

43 CR 12, June 25, 2020, effective 7/15/2020

44 CR 12, June 25, 2021, effective 7/15/2021

44 CR 21, November 10, 2021, effective 11/30/2021

45 CR 12, June 25, 2022, effective 7/15/2022

45 CR 21, November 10, 2022, effective 11/30/2022