Approved/unapproved electrical work in Ontario
1/10/2019 at 12:31:54 PM
Is it true that in Ontario, only a licensed electrician is allowed to do ANY electrical work?
Say if I want to install a spotlight at the back of the house. It has a regular size bulb at the moment but the bulb socket would have to be changed due to the larger size that would be required.
Obviously someone has to do this or that task to accommodate the (larger) spotlight in the eclectic socket which is currently attached to the wall at the back of the house.
Is it 100% true and what are the consequences if the smart layman (not a licensed electrician) were to do it for me and save a few dollars?
Risk of fines/jail/prison/insurance coverage/no payments from insurance companies?
Thanks
1/10/2019 at 4:23:12 PM
As easy as it is to change fixtures if it's not done by a licensed electrician than if something was to happen than there is the possibility of everything you have mentioned. Being home owner/handyman/whomever does it takes the responsibility and not only yourself as home owner but also person changing it could face fines
1/11/2019 at 10:16:12 PM
Just to clarify a bit, electrical work in Ontario must be done by a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC); so you cannot even hire an electrician, it must be an electrical contractor. The only exception to that is a homeowner can do their own electrical work on their own home provided they obtain all the necessary permits and inspections.
Having said that, there are some types of work that do not need a permit or inspection, but any electrical work done on someone else s home must be done by an LEC. Handyman, General Contractors, electricians, etc cannot do that work even if the work does not require a permit or inspection.
John Kuehnl-Cadwell
Master Electrician
Datawise Solutions Inc
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