Senate committee approves updated Idaho electrical rules, creates residential‑electrician license and restores several 2017 exemptions

The Idaho Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee on an apparent unanimous voice vote approved a package of rule changes implementing the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) for Idaho, including a new residential‑electrician license and several residential exemptions that align installations more closely with the 2017 code.

The rules package, presented by Amy Lorenzo, bureau chief for the Building, Construction and Real Estate Bureau at the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses and executive officer for the Idaho State Electrical Board, would establish a two‑year residential‑electrician pathway that requires an approved 2‑year program plus 4,000 work hours, clarify supervision limits for residential electricians, and restore or clarify exemptions for certain arc‑fault and GFCI requirements in dwellings.

Those changes follow negotiated rulemaking the board held after House Bill 337 (2023) codified the NEC 2023 for Idaho. "The primary focus throughout this process was to find the balance between cost and life safety," Lorenzo told the committee, describing eight public hearings across the state and at least 75 unique stakeholders who participated in the rulemaking process.

Why it matters: the package…