Vermont Contractor Licensing Law

Vermont Code · 4 sections

The following is the full text of Vermont’s contractor licensing law statutes as published in the Vermont Code. For the official version, see the Vermont Legislature.

26 V.S.A. § 2192a

§ 2192a. Limited licensure; specialists

(a) Any person who completes an application for a specialist’s license and documents successful completion of instruction, training, and experience in or out of the State acceptable to the Board and pays an examination fee to be determined by the Board based on the costs associated with administering the examination, shall be entitled to an examination. Upon successful completion of the examination and payment of a license fee, the applicant shall receive a specialist license in the form of a wallet-sized card. The license shall be carried by the licensee at all times while performing the licensee’s specialty and shall be displayed upon request. Upon request by the license holder, a specialist license suitable for framing shall be available for a fee. A specialist license shall indicate each specialty for which the licensee has been approved. A specialist license does not take the place of any other license required by law.

(b) Specialty fields include the following:

(1) Water Heater Specialist: Installation, replacement, and repair of any residential, industrial, or commercial domestic hot water supply tanks.

(2) Heating System Specialist: Installation, replacement, and repair of residential, industrial, or commercial hydronic space heating systems, including radiant, solar, and other types of hydronic system design. Any work on steam systems shall be limited to steam systems with operating pressure not to exceed 15 PSIG.

(3) Water Treatment Specialist: Installation, replacement, and repair of residential, industrial, or commercial potable water treatment and filtration equipment.

(c) A person duly licensed as a specialist under this section may perform specialty work, either as an employee or as an independent contractor only in connection with the specialty field designated on the person’s license. A specialty business may hire or employ only people licensed in the specialty of the business.

(d) A specialist may perform a supply connection to an existing water supply for test and related system operation, but at no time shall any specialist perform any plumbing or heating work that is not specified or permitted under the specialist’s license.

(e) Specialty classes shall be provided by the Department of Labor or others.

(f) The Commissioner shall adopt rules regarding work notices, inspection procedures, and priorities for each specialty. (Added 1993, No. 176 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; amended 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006.)

Statutes Vermont Statutes Online Statutes Search Vermont Statutes at Lexis/Nexis Constitution Constitution of the State of Vermont Acts Acts & Resolves Acts Affecting VSA Sections Rules State Agency Rules at Lexis/Nexis Court Rules at Lexis/Nexis Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR)

26 V.S.A. § 894

§ 894. Energizing installations

(a) A new electrical installation in or on a complex structure or an electrical installation used for the testing or construction of a complex structure shall not be connected or caused to be connected, to a source of electrical energy unless prior to such connection, either a temporary or a permanent energizing permit is issued for that installation by the Commissioner or an electrical inspector.

(b) This section shall not be construed to limit or interfere with a contractor’s right to receive payment for electrical work for which a certificate of completion has been granted. (Added 1969, No. 284 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; amended 1987, No. 274 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)

26 V.S.A. § 898

§ 898. Municipal inspection

(a) A legislative body may establish inspection procedures and appoint trained and qualified municipal inspectors to conduct electrical inspections. If the Commissioner determines that the inspection procedures and the training and qualifications of the municipal inspectors are sufficient, the Commissioner may assign the Department’s responsibility for conducting inspections of electrical installations regulated by the Board within that municipality to the municipality. An assignment of responsibility under this section shall not affect the authority of the Commissioner under this subchapter. If the Commissioner assigns responsibility for municipal inspections under this section, the Commissioner may exempt all electrical installations within the municipality from inspection by the State under section 893 of this title. The legislative body may establish reasonable fees for inspections for the purpose of defraying the cost of the same. Such fees will be in lieu of fees established under subsection 893(a) of this title.

(b) Work notices, certificates of completion, and energizing permits shall be issued by municipal inspectors in the same manner and subject to the same conditions that they are issued by the State electrical inspectors under sections 893 and 894 of this title.

(c) A municipal inspector shall have authority to enter any premises in which an electrical installation subject to rules adopted under section 891 of this title is being installed, replaced, or repaired for the purpose of making such inspection as is necessary to carry out his or her responsibilities under this subchapter.

(d)(1) If, after inspection of the electrical installation, a violation of the rules of the Board is found, a municipal inspector may:

(A) issue an order directing the electrician of record or the owner of the premises in which the violation is found, to correct or remove the violation;

(B) withdraw validation of the work notice; or

(C) order the owner, any public utility, or any private party furnishing electricity to such installation to disconnect electrical energy from all or any portion of the electrical system until the violation is removed or corrected.

(2) A municipal inspector may order any one or combination of these options set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection, as necessary to effect compliance with the Board’s rules.

(e) Acceptance of an assignment of responsibility under this section shall not preclude a municipality from conducting its own electrical inspection program.

(f) A person aggrieved by a refusal of a municipal inspector to issue a certificate of completion or by any other action of a municipal inspector or the municipality relating to this section may appeal to the Commissioner by filing a written application for a hearing with the Commissioner within 15 calendar days after written notice of such refusal or action. A person filing an application in accordance with this subsection shall be entitled to notice and an opportunity for a hearing before the Commissioner within 45 calendar days. Within 30 calendar days after the hearing, the Commissioner shall issue an order amending, modifying, or affirming the action by the municipal inspector or municipality.

(g) The results of all inspections conducted by municipal inspectors under this section shall be reported monthly to the Commissioner. Reports shall include the date of inspections, locations of the work inspected, the name and license number of the contractor performing the work, violations found, orders issued, and the date of any completion certificates or energizing permits issued.

(h) Municipal inspectors shall participate in training provided by the Department of Public Safety. The Department shall also provide continuing consultation, review, and assistance as may be necessary to municipal inspectors.

(i) The Commissioner may revoke an assignment of responsibility to a municipality granted under this section if the Commissioner determines that the training or qualifications of the municipal inspectors or the inspection procedures adopted by the legislative body are insufficient. (Added 1969, No. 284 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; amended 1987, No. 274 (Adj. Sess.), § 10; 2003, No. 141 (Adj. Sess.), § 10b, eff. April 1, 2005; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 273.)

26 V.S.A. § 899

§ 899. Private inspections

(a) Upon a determination that the resources of the State and the municipality are insufficient to provide the approval or inspection services required by this chapter, the Commissioner may assign responsibility for inspecting electrical installations on its own premises to a private corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship that has an ongoing need for services. Applications to conduct private inspections under this section shall be in the manner prescribed by the Commissioner.

(b) The Commissioner may grant an application under this section if he or she determines that the applicant has the ability to carry out inspections. The Commissioner shall consider at least the following factors:

(1) the size of the facility;

(2) self-insurance or other indication of incentive and motivation for safety;

(3) whether the applicant’s training program for inspectors and inspection procedures are at least equivalent to the State’s program and procedures.

(1) participate in State-sponsored training programs;

(2) file monthly reports with the Commissioner containing the number and type of inspections, electrical installations, violations for that month, and the license numbers of the electrical contractors performing work;

(3) permit electrical inspectors to perform random inspections of the applicant’s facility;

(4) pay the Department an annual flat fee. The amount of the fee shall be negotiated by the Department and the applicant and shall take into consideration the cost to the applicant of conducting private inspections. The fee shall not exceed the fee established under section 893 of this title.

(d) The Commissioner may revoke an approval to conduct private inspections whenever the Commissioner determines that the training program is insufficient or that the business has failed to comply with the provisions of subdivisions (c)(1)-(3) of this section. (Added 1987, No. 274 (Adj. Sess.), § 11.)

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)