Safety Concerns Lead To Electric Code Changes

SNOW HILL – Officials hope changes to the county’s electrical standards will prevent unlicensed electricians from working in the county.

Last Tuesday the Worcester County Commissioners approved changes to the county’s electrical standards in an effort to ensure licensed electricians are performing any tasks beyond the minor electrical work homeowners are allowed to do themselves. The changes were recommended by the Worcester County Board of Electrical Examiners.

“It’s a safety issue,” said Michael Patchett, a member of the board.

According to Patchett, in some cases in the past when individuals have applied for homeowner’s electrical permits from the county, saying they’re going to do the electrical work on their homes themselves, they’ve actually been paying unlicensed contractors to do the work.

“There’s a big loophole in the county law we’re trying to get rid of,” Patchett said. “These people aren’t licensed. We’re trying to put a stop to it.”

He said safety issues resulted when people who weren’t qualified, licensed electricians performed electrical work. While homeowners can perform minor electrical installation, members of the board recommended that anything beyond that should be handled by a licensed electrician. Patchett said he often encountered code violations because work had been done by people who didn’t know what they were doing.

Duane Duncan, another member of the board, agreed. He said he often saw individuals who purchased homes just to remodel them and re-sell them do electrical work themselves. The issue, he said, was the fact that when someone later bought that home they had no idea that its wiring hadn’t been handled by a licensed electrician. When the new homeowner encounters an electrical problem and calls someone like Duncan, he typically finds numerous electrical problems in the home.

“I run into it every day,” he said.

Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said the proposed changes would give consumers protection they didn’t have when they used unlicensed contractors.

“If something goes wrong you have no right for recourse,” he said.

Commissioner Ted Elder said that the changes would prevent someone such as a retired electrician from working on his own home.

“There’s both sides of the coin,” he said.

The commissioners voted 6-1, with Elder opposed, to approve the changes recommended by the board.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.