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The National Electrical Code (NEC) is a comprehensive standard that is updated every three years by the National Fire Protection Association. With each new version, hundreds of pages of safety regulations are added or modified. In addition to these national standards, many municipalities enforce their own additional requirements. This constantly evolving regulatory landscape means there are many ways a property can fall out of compliance. Some code violations are very egregious and dangerous. Others are less dangerous, but nonetheless Current Electrical Contractors can assist you with any code violation correction!
How do we get code violation requests?
Here is a breakdown of how these violations are typically brought to our attention:
- The homeowner wants to sell the property, and there is an inspection by a home inspector
- One of our electricians in Wilmette comes across the violation while doing service work on a property
- Some municipalities do regular fire inspections of commercial buildings, and sometimes they find violations
- A new homeowner wants to upgrade some portion of the new property, and in the course of doing the remodeling work we discover the violations
Once a violation is discovered, we handle the situation accordingly. The example cases below will give you a clearer idea of how we address specific types of violations.
Case #1
In case #1, where there is going to be a real estate transaction, we will do an estimate to repair the violations, but we charge for the estimate. This is because so many people have called over the years, making us think they may actually do the work when all they want is a negotiating tool as the buyer or seller of the property. If the homeowner does, in fact, do the work with our electricians in Wilmette, we put the price of the estimate towards the work that is actually done.
Case #2
In case #2, where our electrician in Wilmette finds a problem while doing service work, if the violation is not that difficult to repair, our electrician will point out the situation to the customer and let them know that this should be repaired and will be an additional cost to the invoice.
Case #3
In case #3, where the municipality has done an inspection, we can normally give a detailed estimate of what the repairs will entail, and the customer can decide what they want to do.
Case #4
In case #4, where our electricians are working on an estimate that has been given to the customer or a general contractor, we need to come out to the project and estimate what extra charges there will be to repair the violations. Simple violations can be very easy to repair. Changing a regular outlet that is in a wet location to a GFI outlet is simple and relatively inexpensive.
Recent Examples of Electrical Code Violation Corrections
In two recent Chicago cases, we have had a contract to do some remodeling in condominiums that had just been purchased. In both cases, we were just going to do some cosmetic remodeling, such as adding light fixtures, recessed lighting, dimmers, changing wet location outlets to GFCI, and adding outlets for wall-hung televisions, etc.
Each of these condominiums had been wired by unscrupulous general contractors who had taken advantage of the unfortunate home buyers. The electrical work was abhorrent and dangerous. We were forced to basically rewire both apartments at great expense to both homeowners. There are lawsuits in both of these situations.
If you are buying a new home, we recommend that you be very wary of any electrical remodeling that was done by the homeowner or an unscrupulous general contractor who does not hire professionals.
We try to only recommend electrical code violation repairs for violations that we feel are dangerous. There is code now that says that you need a switch at both entries to a room. We don’t see that as a dangerous situation. A dangerous situation is wiring with no ground wire for protection or non-GFI outlets near sinks or outside, where people could actually get electrocuted. We consider the switch at each entry to the room as more of a convenience than a danger.
Schedule an Electrical Inspection Today
Do you have questions about code violations or need an estimate? Contact Current Electrical Contractors today at 847-832-0700 to ensure your home is safe and compliant. We perform electrical code corrections in Glenview and the surrounding communities.
