Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Electrical Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ulster County committee sets public hearing on amended electrical licensing law after debate on reciprocity and homeowner exemptions
Summary
The Public Works and Capital Projects Committee voted 3–2 to send proposed changes to Chapter 185 (Proposed Local Law No. 10 of 2025) to a public hearing Sept. 16 after debate about reciprocity with the City of Kingston, continuing education, homeowner exemptions and potential insurance implications.
The Public Works and Capital Projects Committee on Aug. 11 voted to send Proposed Local Law No. 10 of 2025 — amendments to Chapter 185 of the Ulster County Code establishing an Electrical Licensing Board — to a public hearing on Sept. 16 at 7:15 p.m.
The proposed revisions add a county executive representative to the licensing board, allow the commissioner of public works to issue appearance tickets to the board, add penalties and license revocation authority, and permit the board to set minimum insurance requirements.
Committee members debated whether the county should allow reciprocal licensing for electricians licensed by municipalities such as the City of Kingston. Commissioner Masterson said, “under this proposal, the revisions, there are no changes to the reciprocal licensing provisions.”
Legislator Kovacs asked whether reciprocal waivers would let City of Kingston electricians practice in the rest of Ulster County without obtaining a county license. Committee members noted the county ordinance requires any jurisdiction seeking reciprocity to have equal or stronger requirements; Greene County has inquired but does not meet the county’s standards. Committee discussion also focused on continuing education: the Kingston city license lacks an annual refresher requirement, which one committee member described as “the most significant difference” between the city and county laws.
Legislator Litts opposed advancing the measure, raising concerns about homeowner liability and enforcement. Litts said many private residents and some Central Hudson employees who work on high-voltage lines could face fines for doing household electrical work without a county license, and warned of insurance consequences: “If I had done that work myself and the house caught on fire ... I would be subject to a thousand dollar fine,” Litts said, adding that insurers might deny claims if unlicensed work occurred.
Committee members and staff clarified there are limited exemptions for certain homeowner work under current law and that a temporary $75 license was discussed for experienced non‑licensed workers, but committee members asked county staff to clarify how exemptions and temporary licensing would operate in practice and to obtain an opinion about possible insurance impacts.
A motion to move the revisions to public hearing was made by Legislator McCullough and seconded by Legislator Donaldson. The motion passed 3–2, with Legislator Litts and Legislator Kovacs recorded as opposed.
The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at 7:15 p.m. The committee and staff said they expect to consider public comment and possibly further revisions before any final legislative action.
