Licensing in NY State

[Bob D.]

In a recent thread it was stated that the State of NY does not license plumbers, electricians, etc. I couldn't believe this so I searched around on various State web sites and found nothing at the state level for licensing or qualifications for plumbers or electricians, or GCs (those just happen to be the three I searched for).

On the one site which had the most relevant information I asked last week if this were so and received the following replay today:

From: "dos.sm.InetLcns" <InetLcns @ dos.state.ny.us>
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:26
Subject: RE: Does NY State License Plumbers, Electricians, or other skilled trades?

Thank you for your email.
Please be advised there is not a state license required in order to work
as a plumber, electrician, or contractor. These individuals are
registered within the county in which they do business. You will need
to contact the local government such as the county, village.

It can see now how just about anyone can hang out their shingle in NY State and declare they are a Plumber, Electrician, GC, or whatever. I also asked about inspections and they didn't even get close to addressing that issue.

Caveat Emptor is the motto of every homeowner I guess in NY.

[FINER9998]

Agreed. Caveat Emptor is the only reasonable way to approach any buying decision. However, charging for electrical or plumbing work anywhere in New York State is subject to considerable fines and penalties unless the electrician or plumber is licensed as indicated in your reply email. Fines starting at $5,000 per incident are just the beginning of unlicesed providers problems. Here in Westchester county, about 15 mins north of NYC, the county licenses plumbers and electricians (and if you think that's ridiculous, licensing used to be at the city/town/village level). In addition to theory testing, plumbers require 10 years experience to get their Master Plumbers license and, for electricians, 11.5 years experience is required for a Master Electrician license. As for inspections, NY state does license Professional Engineers. Many of the better home inspectors carry such designations, but there are a lot of exterminators who do "inspections" for home buyers and you'd be amazed at the things they miss.