Sign Companies Given Clarification on Electrical Licensing
Clarifications sought by the sign and visual communications industry has led to guidance on what types of licensing is required for companies that provide maintenance and installation services in Georgia. Companies who change ballasts in parking light fixtures or other luminaries also are affected.
The State of Georgia Electrical Board provided the following licensing guidance to sign companies:
- Sign companies can provide all maintenance and installation services for signs from the last junction box without any state license.
- Changing ballasts in parking lot fixtures or other luminaries that are not a part of or illuminate a sign requires a Class II Electrical Contractor license.
- Since the Board was split in regard to a sign company connecting to the last junction box, ISA recommends that this work be done by a licensed electrical contractor.
- A low-voltage contractor’s license (50 volts or less) is required for a sign company through the State of Georgia Electrical Board. (This is an existing law that has been on the books since 2007).
- ISA and Southern States Sign Association sought the clarification after a member company was ordered to stop work on two projects due to the licensing issue. After a long discussion with SSSA sign companies and ISA, the Electrical Board, in closed session, reversed its previous position and decided to grant a reprieve to the sign company that formerly had been considered to be in violation of state law.
For more information, contact Jennifer Graham or James Carpentier.
