I have a bit of an odd question for you good folks.

I've been talking to people on my parents' block, because there's an issue in their neighborhood with homeowners turning their front lights on at night (in that they don't do it). Recently there was an attempted car theft, which (fortunately) is almost unheard of in that area. Long story short, I'd like to set them up with some automated lighting, and they'd like me to do it for them.

My question is, are there codes against me fiddling with light switches in other peoples' homes? Do they need to have an actual electrician? I won't be doing anything other than turning off some circuit breakers, taking off some wall plates, removing old switches, and putting new ones in.

I've done this a dozen or so times myself, so I know what I'm doing. I just want to make sure that this is above-board. I've started my own business and I want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong.

So is that okay? Is there someplace I can look to find out? If it helps, this is in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Thanks for your help.

In pretty much every jurisdiction here (Canada / USA), is is illegal for anyone other than the homeowner or a licensed electrician to "fiddle with the wiring". In many places, not even the homeowner is allowed.

Cheers

Mark, here in Ontario, anyone can do it. They just can't charge/bill for it unless they're a licensed Master Electrician (or the person doing the work is employed by one who is doing the inspection and the billing as far as I recall). So on a buddy-to-buddy or "friend" or "family" basis, I can do wiring for someone else. The work, if it's the type to normally require it, would still need to be inspected after it's completed. Swapping out a light switch or light fixture isn't the type of work that needs an inspection here in Ontario. Running new circuits is.

The effective change over old policy here in Ontario is that someone like a handy-man or general contractor who may have previously done electrical as part of one of their billable projects can no longer do so. The work-around many folks are taking is simply not to bill for electrical, but instead increase the price of everything else. Do the work, and then have it inspected as being done by the homeowner. This is obviously something the homeowner has to be aware of when contracting such a job.

But Mark is definitely correct that the rules change everywhere. It actually varies down to the State/Provincial level and may even have municipal governance (though I've never heard of that level here).

You can probably give the power company a call in that area to ask or find out who you should ask. There may be an equivalent to an Electrical Safety/Standards Authority you can call as well. For example. Here is ESA for Ontario: http://www.esasafe.com/ I'm sure your local Home Depot would also know (ask at the Pro desk)

If your business involves doing wiring work for other people, you definitely need to find out about all the details for your region. If your business has nothing to do with wiring, then I'm not quite sure why you mentioned it.

That said, you might want to pick up a wiring standards book for your Country/State as well, even if only doing work in your own (or parents') home.

Err.. you might want to read up on that again, unless it has changed since I rewired the electrical service here (15 years ago?). With or without an inspection (required regardless).

Got a code reference for that?
And in Quebec, only electricians can touch the wiring.

Cheers

The change I'm talking about with regards to requiring a licensed electrician is only very recent, like within the past 2 or 3 years. I'm under the impression (after having done quite a bit of reading of the information provided by the ESA 2 years ago), that this change was the only one to affect the ability of non-licensed individuals to do the work. And that it only affects situations where money is changing hands.

What I don't know at the moment is how far down the electrical loop one can do this type of work without being licensed. New branches and new circuits are most definitely OK (both my brother and I have done work and have had it inspected within the past 3 years since this change has been in effect). But wiring up a brand new panel or making changes to the street-side connection may be outside this scope (that's not work I've ever done and as far as I know he hasn't done either).

The Virginia Building Code, §108.2.10.3, states that no permit is required for:

And I don't see a requirement for a license for anything other than getting a permit. So I think you're good.

Yeah, the rule could have changed. In fact, it's changing again, in May 2009:
Ontario Amendments to the Canadian Electrical Code Part I, C22.1-09 New:

So it sounds like "homeowner" isn't special any more (as of May 2009, and possibly already in an earlier revision). Reading further through the same document reveals that inspections are now required even for simply swapping a switch or outlet device for a new one or a new colour, unless the "contractor" meets strict training/licensing rules. That's also different from the past.

Cheers

It's hard enough for someone in the industry to keep up, let alone home owners. There's always someone on the lookout to dig more money out of your hands. I'm wondering if Home Depot and the like will start putting up signs near their switch and outlet bins that read something like "You're going to need an inspection when you install one of these."

My next-door neighbor is a master electrician, so I suppose I have relative ease of getting such things checked over to satisfy "the man."

Thanks a lot, Bitt. That's what I was hoping for. I wouldn't have been surprised either way, but I'm happy to see it's going the way I wanted.

My plan is basically to speak to the homeowner's association about the issue. Then we can both work together to make people aware that this is an option. I think most people in the neighborhood don't turn their lights on simply because they don't think about it, and having an automated system would eliminate that problem. And it really is a problem. I used to go for walks at night all the time, but some street corners were completely black because nobody in the area had any lights on. In lieu of street lamps, which will never go into this neighborhood, I think this is a good solution.

Thanks again.

Heh. Around here, dark streets are considered a desirable thing! Better view of the stars, lower electric bills, lower CO2 emissions, etc..

Cheers

All very true, but:

-this neighborhood is about 8 miles from D.C., so even when the town has blackouts, night sky visibility isn't improved due to the crime lights in the city (though at any time you can still see major constellations like Orion)
-we're not talking major power usage here - every home has one lawn lamp, usually with two bulbs in it, and I think if all of them were on it would be a lot safer

Would it be safer or would you feel safer? I've had my car broken into in a lit garage under an apartment building where it was visible from the street.

There are plenty of streetlights in big cities, and that's where crime rates are highest.

I'm far too cheap to leave lights on in front of my house all night, let alone the environmental issues. Have you at least considered motion sensor lights?

Matthew

For some reason, I was assuming he was talking about motion sensors all along. I now see that he just said "automated".

Motion sensor lights, IMO, make a lot more sense. A thief who sees a light on is likely to make an educated judgment on whether he wants to risk it. A thief who goes into a dark area and has lights turn on is much more likely to be startled off. Not only that, but neighbors are much more likely to notice a light suddenly blinking on than a person wandering by.

Intended as a reply to Matt of course...

I suggest a multi-part approach. It's nice to go for walk outside without being in total darkness. There are times for total darkness, but a neighborhood walk is not such an occasion, IMO.

To hit this first point I suggest low-wattage compacts or similar used in a couple of outside porch fixtures (or whatever fixtures your parents have outside that serve the purpose of a porch light).

Replace the switch inside with an integrated timer switch (from Lutron for instance). These are available at Home Depot, Lowes etc... Get one that's easy to operate manually as well as being programmed. They have some in a Decora style with an easy-ish to read LCD indicating the timer settings. Set the timer to turn the lights on when it gets dark and off sometime after that. Maybe when neighbors (or your parents) are not likely to be outside any longer. Let's say 11pm.

That's all about convenience and curb-appeal. It won't really do much to discourage a thief. At least not a real thief.

To discourage would-be opportunists and vandals, install motion activated spot-lights with a switched override. This will allow the spots to come on when they sense motion, but also allow your parents to flick them on using the switch. You will have to run new wiring for this if you don't already have a dedicated branch for a spot.

A professional will probably look for the easiest targets, but don't be fooled into thinking that any lighting measures or even car alarms can foil someone who is determined and knows what they're doing.

I do think those recommendations go a long way for peace of mind though, as well as offering some usable convenience factors.

FWIW, the VA code said there was no permit needed for low-wattage wiring, but there was for 120V (or better) wiring.