Re: Home Automation Qualifications...

[Roy L Butler <roy.butler@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks again for the info.

Robert L Bass wrote:
>> Thanks for the good advice.  I'm considering possibly
>> entering the field in the far-off future.
>
> Here's the California rule (abbreviated) which I pilfered from:
> http://www.ctshomestudy.com/contractor_license_require.htm
>
>       Who must be licensed as a contractor in the State of California?
>       All businesses or individuals who construct or alter any building, highway, road, parking facility, railroad, excavation, or
> other structure in California must be licensed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) if the total cost (labor and
> materials) of one or more contracts on the project is $500 or more. Contractors, including subcontractors, specialty contractors,
> and persons engaged in the business of home improvement (with the exception of joint ventures and projects involving federal
> funding) must be licensed before submitting bids. Licenses may be issued to individuals, partnerships, corporations, or joint
> ventures.
>
>       Is anyone exempt from the requirement to be licensed?
>       Yes. Here are some of the exemptions:
>
>       Work on a project for which the combined value of labor, materials, and all other items on one or more contracts is less than
> $500 falls within the minor work exemption; work which is part of a larger or major project, whether undertaken by the same or
> different contractors, may not be divided into amounts less than $500 in an attempt to meet the $500 exemption;
>
>         a.. An employee who is paid wages, who does not usually work in an independently established business, or who does not have
> direction or control over the performance of work, or who does not determine the final results of the work or project;
>         b.. Public personnel working on public projects;
>         c.. Officers of a court acting within the scope of their office;
>         d.. Public utilities working under specified conditions;
>         e.. Contractors operating on federally owned property;
>         f.. Oil and gas operations performed by an owner or lessee;
>         g.. Owner-builders who build or improve existing structures on their own property if they either do the work themselves or
> use their own employees (paid in wages) to do the work. This exemption is only valid if the structure is not intended or offered for
> sale within one year of completion;
>         h.. Owner-builders who build or improve existing structures on their own property if they contract for the construction with
> a licensed contractor or contractors;
>         i.. Owner-builders who improve their main place of residence, have actually resided there for one year prior to completion
> of the work, and who complete the work prior to sale. (This exemption is limited to two structures within a three-year period);
>         j.. Sale or installation of finished products that do not become a fixed part of the structure. (This exemption applies to a
> seller of installed carpets who holds a retail furniture dealer's license but who contracts for installation of the carpet with a
> licensed carpet installer. This exemption does not apply to material suppliers or manufacturers who install or contract for
> installation of products, nor does it apply to those who install mobile homes or mobile home accessory structures);
>         k.. Security alarm company operators (licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services) who install, maintain,
> monitor, sell, alter, or service alarm systems (fire alarm company operators must be licensed by the CSLB); and,
>         l.. Persons whose activities consist only of installing satellite antenna systems on residential structures or property.
> These persons must be registered with the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair.
>
>
>> I've heard that to get an electrician license you need to shadow someone with experience for a number of years.  I'm going to look
>> into it more, but do you know off the top of your head if this is necessarily the case or if there's a quicker way for
>> professionals in semi-related (but unlicensed) fields with the aptitude to simply take and pass a set of tests and/or classes?
>
> Here's a link to a page on California's Department of Consumer Affairs website.  The page has access to info pertinent to
> alarmcompany licensing.  Since the knowledge and experience requirements for alarm installers are less than those for electricians,
> as a new HA aspirant you may want to go that route.
> http://www.cslb.ca.gov/contractors/default.asp
>