Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing: A Letter from the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
Dear Mr. Smith:
It has recently been brought to the attention of the NJ Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors ("the Board") that code officials in some municipalities are demanding that electrical contractors install the bonding jumper for CSST installations, as required by the IRC/2009 and the IFGC/2009.
Apparently, this is occurring even when the electrical contractor was not under contract to perform any work related to the installation of the equipment and/or CSST installed. In considering the number of questions received by the Board related to this subject, and in context with the Board's authority and jurisdiction of licensing electrical contractors, the Board would like to advise the Department of Community Affairs of its position with respect to the installation of the bonding jumper for CSST installations.
The Board's enabling statute requires generally that anyone that advertises or enters into, or engages in the work or business as an electrical contractor must first obtain a license and business permit from the Board (NJSA 45: 5A-9). The term "electrical contractor" means a person who engages in the business of contracting to install, erect, repair, or alter electrical equipment for the generation, transmission, or utilization of electrical energy (NJSA 45:5A-2(d)).
The statute also exempts from licensure any work with a potential less than 10 volts (NJSA 45:5A-18(j
Accordingly, the Board has reasoned that CSST is not electrical equipment that would require installation by an electrical contractor. Its purpose is not to generate, transmit, or utilize electrical energy but rather generally to supply gas to utilization equipment. Additionally, a bonding jumper, consisting of an appropriate conductor and its related clamp(s) used as a grounding electrode conductor to bond the CSST gas piping system to the electrical service grounding electrode system has a potential of less than 10 volts; its purpose being to maintain a potential of zero volts, or ground potential throughout the system. Consequently, the Board's position is that a license and business permit issued by the Board is not necessary to install a bonding jumper on a CSST gas piping system to the electrical service grounding electrode system; provided such work does not include the intrusion into any other electrical equipment such as electrical panels, switchgear, junction boxes, lighting fixtures, disconnect switches, transformers, etc. to facilitate the installation of the bonding jumper. In view of the foregoing, the Board posits that code officials within the various enforcement agencies established pursuant to the NJ Uniform Construction Code Act (UCC), may issue an electrical sub-code permit for the installation and inspection of CSST gas piping and the installation and inspection of its mandated bonding jumper, to persons that have not obtained a license or business permit from the Board; (i.e. the plumbing contractor, mechanical contractor, or other entity performing the CSST installation work).
Thus, to the extent code officials are relying upon the necessity of the contractor to be licensed by the Board in order to issue an electrical sub-code permit to perform and inspect the CSST bonding work, the Board requests that they be advised, perhaps via the "Construction Code Communicator" that such is not necessary, except as noted herein above. (NOTE: This is not to suggest that bonding is not electrical work subject to the provisions of the National Electrical Code, rather, and only with respect to CSST, it is electrical work that may be performed without first obtaining a license and business permit issued by the Board.) Accordingly, code officials may find it more effective and efficient to require the person (e.g. plumbing or mechanical contractor) seeking the UCC permit(s) to install, replace, or repair, as the case may be, the CSST and/or the equipment or appliance to which it is connected, to be the person responsible for the installation of the bonding jumper. Hence, that person also would be responsible for obtaining the permits and inspections required thereof pursuant to the UCC, rather than demanding that an electrical contractor licensed by the Board but having no contract for, or involvement with the installation of the CSST, being required to subsequently install the bonding jumper.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Sincerely,
Joseph P. Schooley, Chairman
Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors
Source:
Construction Code Communicator, Volume 24, Number 3, Fall 2012 (PDF)
