sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Low Voltage Permitting and Licensing 12/11/07

Let me start off by saying that I don't know why it took me so long to find such a great forum! You all seem so helpful and I could spend some time kissing up, but you already know that you rock. Yes I'm an IT guy, but not the type you all dislike on this board. I love pulling cable and watching it come together.

I have a series of questions that I'm not sure many of you will be able to answer because there might not be members from my local city.

I've run around for 3 days in circles learning about Florida laws as well as county and city laws regarding permits and licensing.

My sister is opening a practice in Sanford, Florida which is Unincorporated Seminole County. Instead of going to the city of Sanford I need to go to the county to pull a permit. After I found this out I asked, "Do I need a permit specifically for data and voice cable runs?" I found out the following:

State:

1. There are exceptions and exemptions that do not require a permit in the state of Florida if the work is not over $1000.00 reasonably priced. (This doesn't mean jack ___ for the county you are in)

2. There is no specific exam to become certified in data and voice cable installation.

3. There is a low voltage license with the state that specifies Alarm Systems and "Specialty" (What is a Specialty license?) I found this info here:

https://www.contractors-license.org/fl/Florida.html#fl2


Seminole County

1. My sister is leasing the building so she cannot pull the permit under the owner/contractor exemption.

2. The owner (always a contractor) may pull the permit under the owner/contractor exemption only if he "does business on that property" (How they go about proving this I have no clue)

3. This county follows these building codes (basically the same as the state I think), but I can't find a single sentence regarding data or telecommunications cabling!
https://www.floridabuilding.org

My options are to...

1. Do the job and disregard permit; pay consequence later if so.

2. Have the hard ceiling cabling sub contracted, wait for inspection to pass, then run the rest of the cable.

3. Sub the entire job out and make partial profit.

I don't have anyone to lean on for help here so help me not to get a gun! I was talking to one guy on here earlier who has been a tremendous help.

Anyone from Seminole County please pipe up.

I think you might try asking your question here also in the Low Voltage Forum.

Floriduh is pretty messed up as far as LV licensing is concerned. Seems that you will get as many different answers as the number of people you ask.

-Hal

Sorry....NOOB here!

Thanks!!

Ah, no! You did good. Lots of guys here from Florida. The sparkies over there would have a take on this also so lets see what everybody has to say.

-Hal

Florida is a mixed bag on LV. I just went through that whole debacle in Pinellas County in the City of Largo.

What I can say is the state defers the LV licensing to the municipalities. That means the City and County now have say, and they don't always say the same thing. That's one of the reasons I started subbing out my cabling.

Your best bet is to just waste a few days calling around to the different permit offices and see what they require to pull a permit. That's about the only real way to find out for sure, sometimes. Usually if they require a license they'll ask for it with a permit.

Actually looks like you might be on to something here!!

Specialty Contractor might be what I'm looking for then right?

low voltage class code(069)....anyone know where to find details?

Am I wasting my time? Is there any way I can be certified with the state for low voltage without being an EC?

Is there any way I can be registered in Seminole and Orange counties without being an EC?


THANKS

Last time I checked you could sit for the license as long as you had 3 years of contiguous or 3 years of collective experience in the last 6 years. BTW, if you are a licensed electrician then you are in.

Of Course, if you also have 4 years or 4 collective in 8 years then you qualify to sit for the test. 5 years or 5 in 10. and so on and so forth.

But only if that county required licensing.

But only if that city required licensing.

But only if they honored the state's license and not their own fund-raiser license.

And so on, and so forth. It's a pretty large mess