Board begins shaping ratio-relief policy as DCP implementation takes effect

Board members discussed next steps to implement a ratio-relief process created by recent Department of Consumer Protection authority and agreed to pursue inter-board coordination and specific application requirements.

Department staff and board members said the department began accepting certain ratio-relief applications on Oct. 1 and that the boards impacted (electrical, fire protection, plumbing and heating/cooling) need a uniform policy in place by Feb. 1, 2026. John Messner summarized recent work with the electrical board and recommended a joint meeting of the four board chairs, the attorney general's office counsel for the boards, and department staff to align policy and compliance reviews.

Key policy-development points discussed included asking applicants to supply a notarized list of licensed employees with job titles or job descriptions to confirm those licensees are available for daily direct supervision of apprentices; a requirement that applicants disclose prior DCP and Department of Labor wage or apprenticeship violations; and use of “undue hardship” as the threshold for requests exceeding statutory hiring ratios. Board members said the intent is to avoid granting relief that would allow companies historically found to employ unregistered workers to circumvent rules.

The group also discussed the use of an 85% guidance (to account for absences) and the department's current practice: small requests (eight or fewer additional apprentices) are processed by the department while larger requests will come before boards for review. Staff noted that so far the department had received only four ratio-relief applications (all for electrical) since Oct. 1 and that applications and any resulting relief will be reportable to the boards.

Board members asked staff to return recommended language requiring notarized attestations, lists of licenced staff available for day-to-day supervision and references to prior violations; staff agreed and said the electrical-board minutes and recommendations would be circulated to other chairs for further refinement. Members also discussed enforcement: if relief is granted and the sponsor later violates supervision requirements, the board can remove the relief and return the sponsor to the statutory hiring ratio.

No formal vote was taken to adopt a final policy; the board agreed to a follow-up board-share meeting to develop uniform language and to examine the electrical board's notes from its three-hour discussion.