Amends existing law to revise a provision regarding electrical contractor supervision and to define a term.
House Bill 214 amends Idaho’s electrical contractor licensing law, specifically Section 54-1010 of the Idaho Code. The bill clarifies that electrical installations performed by an electrical contractor must be done by, or under the direct supervision of, a licensed residential electrician, journeyman electrician, or master electrician, and it defines “supervision” to mean the licensed electrician must be available during working hours to provide supervision as needed and remain responsible for the work. It also requires an individual owner of an electrical contracting business to employ a full-time journeyman electrician with more than 2,000 hours of documented experience, unless the owner is acting as his or her own qualified journeyman or master electrician under existing licensing rules.
The bill adds or reinforces registration requirements for apprentice electricians and limited electrical installer trainees. Apprentices must be registered with the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, and the bill sets supervision ratios of one licensed electrician to no more than six apprentices in residential settings and one to no more than two apprentices in nonresidential settings, with an exception for certain apprentices who have completed 6,000 or more hours and are enrolled in or have completed a board-approved career technical education program. Limited electrical installer trainees must also be registered, but no supervision ratio applies to them. The bill further states that local governments may not adopt electrical contractor supervision requirements that differ from or are more extensive than the state standards, including local rules already in effect before, on, or after July 1, 2023, and it takes effect July 1, 2025, under an emergency clause.
HB 214 would amend Idaho Code section 54-1010 and strengthen statewide regulation of electrical contractor supervision, apprentice registration, and trainee registration. It would also expressly preempt local governments, special districts, and other local entities from imposing more restrictive or different supervision requirements, thereby standardizing electrical contractor rules across the state and limiting local regulatory authority over this subject. The bill affects electrical contractors, licensed electricians, apprentices, limited electrical installer trainees, and the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
The available voting history suggests the bill was somewhat divisive rather than broadly unanimous: it passed House Third Reading on March 5, 2025, by a narrow margin of 36 yeas to 33 nays. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded discussion to indicate detailed support or opposition arguments. The close vote indicates meaningful disagreement in the House, likely reflecting differing views on licensing requirements and state preemption of local rules.
The main points of contention appear to be the bill’s preemption of local electrical supervision standards and the specific supervision ratios and registration requirements it imposes. Supporters would likely favor uniform statewide standards and clearer definitions for contractor supervision, while opponents may object to limiting local governments’ ability to set stricter safety or training rules. The requirement that contractors employ a full-time journeyman with documented experience, along with the restrictions on apprentice-to-licensed-electrician ratios, may also have been debated as either necessary consumer protection or an added burden on contractors and local regulators.