1972-039 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, BY
PROVIDING A NEW ELECTRICAL CODE FOR THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS,
PROVIDING A PENALTY FOR VIOLATIONS, AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE
DATE
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, HEREBY ORDAINS
PART ONE
That Chapter Nine of the Code of Ordinances is hereby re-
pealed and supplanted by adding new Chapter Nlne, Sections 9-1
through 9-52, whlch Code shall hereafter rea~ as follows
CHAPTER NINE
Electrical Code
Article I In General
Sectlon 9-1 Compliance wlth National Electrical Code, 1971
Edition, required
(a) All electrical construction, alteration, replacement, re-
pair and all material and apparatus used in connection with elec-
trical work and the placement and operation of all electrlcal appa-
ratus · n the clty shall be ~n strict compliance with the standards
established by the 1971 Edition of the National Electrical Code,
such code being the publication of the National Board of F~re Under-
writers for Electrlc W~rlng and Apparatus as recommended by the
National Fire Protection Association
(b) The electrical inspector shall keep a copy of the 1971
Edition of the National Electrical Code ~n his office at all t~me for
public ~nspectlon and use
Section 9-2 Hazardous wiring, etc , endangering public safety
In the event the electrical ~nspector d~scovers any electric
apparatus, device, wire or condition which is constructed or main-
taIned so as to constitute a hazard to the public safety, he shall ~m-
mediately notify the d~rector of utilities who shall cause electrical
service to be dlscontlnued to the affected installation, room, build-
lng, premises or area until the conditIon has been corrected
Sectlon 9-3 Authorlty to suspend service for noncompli- ance with chapter
In the event the electrical lnspector determines that any
spected w~r~ng, lnstallatlon, repair or alteration does not comply
· n every respect with the provlslons of th~s chapter, or if any
such work is done or supervised by a person who Ks not a holder of
a current master electrlclan's llcense, at shall be the duty of the
electrical lnspector to immediately notify the director of utilities
of such fact in wrltlng, and upon such written notice being given
shall be unlawful for any person or any employee of the c~ty to con-
nect any part of such w~rlng, ~nstallatlon, repair or alteration with
any electric power line operated or used by the city, and if such
connectlon has been previously made, the director of utilities shall
cause the same to be d~sconnected and no connection or reconnectlon
shall be made until all violations have been corrected to the satis-
faction of the electrlcal ~nspector
Section 9-4 L~abltlty not affected by chapter provlslons
No provision of th~s chapter shall be construed so as to lessen
the llablllty of any person lnstalllng, changing, altering or re-
pairing any electrical w~r~ng or apparatus, or causing the same to
be done, for damages to anyone injured thereby, nor shall the city
be held to assu~e any liability by reason of the inspections auth-
orized herein, or any certificate or license issued under the pro-
visions of this chapter
Section 9-5 Concealed wiring
Permission of electrical inspector required No person, firm
or corporation shall conceal, or cause to be concealed any electric
w~rlng or apparatus, except w~th the express permission of the elec-
trical lnspector, and the electrical ~nspector is hereby authorized
to remove, or cause to be removed any material whatsoever which may
conceal any electric wlrlng or apparatus contrary to this artlcle
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Not~ce of Inspection Upon completion of the inspection of
any electric wlrlng or apparatus designed to be concealed which
is found to be in full compliance wlth the provisions of this
chapter the electrical inspector shall post a notice of inspec-
tion at the d~strlbutlon panel and the posting of said notice
shall constitute permlsslon to conceal sa~d electric wiring or
apparatus
Section 9-6 Mlnlmum standards of work
In all new work or revisions of old work, new knob and tube
wlrlng systems shall not be used for interior wiring in the city
All work shall be in metal condu~t except single and multi-
family residences Other specific exceptions may be permitted
with a written permit from the c~ty electrical inspector authoriz-
ing such specifications
All wlrlng ~n s~ngle and multi-family residences may be in-
stalled w~th non-metall~c sheathe cable which shall not be less
than No 14 gauge as approved ~n the National Electrical Code
Aluminum wlre smaller than No 6 gauge shall be prohibited
Aluminum w~re No 6 and larger may be used only with approved con-
nectors and termInals
Section 9-7 - 9-16 Reserved
Article II Electrical Inspector
Section 9-17 Off~ce created, qualifications
There shall be an electrical inspector for the city, who shall
be appointed by the chief building official subject to the approval
of the c~ty manager
The electrical inspector shall be a competent electrician well
versed ~n the provisions of this chapter, the National Electrical
Code and general accepted trade practices
Sectlon 9-18 Powers and dutles generally, interference w~th
(a) It shall be the duty of the electrical inspector to en-
force the provisions of th~s chapter and to keep a record of all
electrical w~r~ng and apparatus Inspected by h~m
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(b) The electrical inspector shall be given free and prompt
access to any place of public accommodation for the inspection of
any electrloal wlrlng or apparatus wlthln the city, and ~t shall be
unlawful for any person to interfere w~th or hinder the electrical
· nspector wh~le he ~s acting in the l~ne of duty
(c) It shall be the duty of the electrical ~nspector to be-
come a member of the International Electrical Inspectors Association
and to be an active member thereof The electrical ~nspector's
annual fees to the Assoclatlon shall be paid by the city
Section 9-19 - 9-28 Reserved
ARTICLE III Master and Journeyman Electrician
Section 9-29 L~cense-Requ~red
It shall be unlawful for any person to install electric wiring
or apparatus or to make any repairs, alterations, additions or changes
to electric w~rlng or apparatus used ~n connection with electric l~ght-
lng, heating, or power, unless such person shall have previously ob-
tanned a master or journeym&n electrician's license from the electri-
cal · nspector of the city, or unless such person ~s a bona fide em-
ployee working under the direct supervision of a l~censed electrician
Sectlon 9-30 Same-Examination
To obtain a master or journeyman electrician license, an appli-
cation shall be made in wrltlng through the off~ce of the chief build-
lng official of the City of Denton The appllcatlon shall show the
applicant's name and such other ~nformatlon as hereinafter prescribed
by this ordinance or by the electrical code board
Appllcants for master electrician's l~cense shall show evidence
of having had at least f~ve (5) years experience in the installation,
alteration, repair and maintenance of electrical equipment, w~rlng
and apparatus and/or experience considered equivalent thereto by the
electrlcal code board Applicants shall furnlsh the name and add-
ress of former employers, perlod of tlme employed and in what capacity,
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proof of which shall be furnished in a manner satisfactory to
the electrical code board Every applicant shall be required to
answer a reasonable number of questions in writing to show suffi-
cient knowledge and technical training to plan, perform and/or
supervise the work and the installation, alteration, repair of
electrical equipment, wlrlng, and apparatus authorized by permits
issued by the electrical inspector's office
Applicants for a journeyman electrician's license shall show
evidence of having had at least three (3) years experience in the
installation, alteration, a~d repair of electrical equipment, w~r-
lng, and apparatus and/or equivalent experience acceptable to the
electrical code board Every applicant shall be required to answer
a reasonable number of questions ~n writing to show that he has
sufficient knowledge and technical training to perform the work
under the supervision of a master electrician
After having successfully passed the required examination,
a master or journeyman electrician shall be issued a certificate
of l~censlng showing that he has the necessary qualifications to
perform the work so llcensed by the requirements of this code
Every holder of a certificate of master or journeyman elec-
trician's license shall carry his registration card or certificate
on his person at all times while doing electrical work in the City
of Denton and shall produce and exhibit it when requested by any
· nspector or officer of the city
Whenever any person makes application for a master or journey-
man electrician's license, the chief building offlclal shall so in-
form the electrical code board in sufficient t~me to permit the board
to review the pending application and ~f time Derm~ts, examine the
applicant at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board When
considered necessary the chairman of the electrical code board can
set a speclal time and date for examining the applicant
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The electrical code board shall prescribe a reasonable exami-
nation of a un~form, fair and impartial nature to determine the
applicant's fam~llarlty wlth the provisions of this code and the
National Electrical Code and generally accepted trade practices
and that the appllcant ~s capable of making and supervising
stallations ~n accordance therewith
Examinations shall be in writing, provided, (1) that under
certaln condlt~ons when considered necessary by the Electrical
Code Board the examination may be given orally, provided that oral
examinations shall be w~tnessed by a majority of the board and
attested to the secretary ~n the form of a written report which
shall be flled for record (2) that the board shall conduct examl~
nations wlth utmost fairness and patience and should any applicant
fall in any examination, the board shall appraise the applicant, so
far as it may be practicable to do so, where~n the applicant ~s de-
linquent or falls to meet ~n a reasonable manner the requirements
of examlnatlons, (3) that any unsuccessful applicant may make appli-
cation for~examlnat~on at such time as may be prescribed by the
rules adopted by the board, (4) that nothing hereln contained shall
deny any applicant the r~ght to be heard on any new application at
a later t~me, provided the applicant shall comply w~th the other
provisions of the ordinances and the rules adopted by the board
If application for a journeyman's license is made prlor to
January 1, 1973, along w~th the payment of the required fee for a
journeyman's l~cense, the electrical inspector may issue a certifi-
cate of l~cense, w~thout oral or written examination, to any journey-
man electrician who shall submit evidence satisfactory to the board
that he is quallfled in accordance with provisions of this section
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provaded that such applicant was practicing journeyman electri-
cians work at the tame this ordinance became effective After
December 31,1972,the electrical inspector shall issue certafl-
or oral
cates of licensing only by wrltten/examlnatlon as provided for
an this chapter
Section 9-31 Same-Fees
Initial l~cense fee An ~nlt~al license fee of one hun-
dred ($100 00) dollars shall be pald in advance by each person
l~censed as a master electrician by the electrical anspector,
and an anlt~al l~cense fee of twenty ($20 00) dollars shall be
paid in advance by each person licensed as a journeyman electrlcaan
by the electrical ~nspector.
Renewal fee A fee of twenty ($20 00) dollars shall be pa~d
annually by each holder of a master electrician's license for the
renewal of the lacense, and a fee of five ($5 00) dollars shall be
paid annually by each holder of a journeyman electrician's license
for the renewal of the lacense
Section 9-32 Same-Issuance, Term
(a) Each applicant approved by the examining board shall be
issued a master or journeyman electrician's lacense by the electr~-
cal ~nspector upon the payment of the required fees
and journeyman
(b) Each master ~lectrlclan's license shall automatically ex-
pire on December 31st of the year of issuance unless the required
annual renewal fee is paid in advance of the expiration date
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Section 9-33 Same-Revocation
Any failure on the part of the holder of a master electri-
cian's license or any employee workang under him to comply with
the provisions of any ordanance of the city regulatIng the In-
stalling, repalrang, changing, or altering of any electracal
wiring or apparatus, and after careful review by the Electrical
Code Board, the Board may deem such failure to be sufficient cause
for revoking the license, together with all r~ghts and prlvaleges
thereunder, and recovery of the proceeds of the bond described an
Section 9-34, if so ~udged by the board
Section 9-34 Bond
(a) Prior to the issuance of electrical permats, the master
electrician shall have on file with the c~ty a corporate surety
bond in the amount of one thousand ($1,000 00) dollars, payable
to the city manager and his successors an office, conditioned that
the applicant and employees working under him shall faIthfully
comply with all ordanances of the city regulating the anstallang,
changing, repairing or altering of electrac wlrang or apparatus,
and that all contracts for such work will be faathfully performed
(b) The proceeds of the bond shall be available to the city
or any person having a cause of action arising out of the instal-
lat~on, changing, repairing or altering of electrical w~r~ng or
apparatus by the pranclpal or any employee worklnq udner has super-
vlsaon
Section 9-35 Chief Electrician
Appointment by partnerships, assocIations, f~rms, etc , re-
quired Any partnership, association, firm, company or corporation
desarlng to engage in the business of ~nstallang, repaarang, chang-
lng or altering any electrical wiring or apparatus shall first
appoint a chief electrician whose name and address shall be on f~le
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w~th the clty and who shall obtain a master electrician's tlcense
before any such partnershlp, association, f~rm, company or corpo-
ration shall be authorized to engage in such business in the c~ty
Responslblllty of chief electrician Each chief electrician
shall be fully responsible for the work of all employees of the
partnership, association, firm, company or corporation and shall
be directly llable for all damages, injuries or violations of law
arising from the work of such employees
Section 9-36 - 9-45 Reserved
ARTICLE IV Work Permits and Fees
Section 9-46 Required
It shall be unlawful for any person to install, change, alter,
or repair any electric wlrlng or apparatus in the city (except rou-
tine repairs such as replacement of fuses and lamps and the alle-
viation of short circuits) unless such person has obtained a permit
an writing from the chief building official to perform such work
Section 9-47 Fees
The followlng lnspectlon fees shall be paid to the city prior
to the issuance of any permit required by this article.
Service at rated capac~t~
Per ampere $ 01
Lighting and power c~rcults
First four c~rcu~ts 1 00
Next f~ve to f~fty c~rcu~ts (each) 25
Ail over f~fty c~rcu~ts (each) 10
Motors (one horsepower or more)
One to three motors (each) 1 25
Over three motors (each) 50
Small motors, fractional horsepower for
ve~tilatln~, coolln~ or heating fans
F~rst f~ve motors 1 25
All over f~ve motors (each) 10
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Current consuming outlets
First twenty-five outlets $1 25
Next twenty-s~x to fifty outlets (each) 05
Ail over fifty outlets (each) 02
Fixtures, ceiling fans or neon or cold
cathode transformers f~r 'inter~,o~ lighting
First f~fty f~xtures, etc 1 25
Ail over fifty (each) 02
Electric sign circuits
Per circuit (each neon transformer as
one circuit) 25
Minimum fee
Minimum fee for any one permit 2 50
Separate permits
A separate permit shall be required for
each separate building, store space, or
apartment, whether such unit is metered
separately or conjunctively, and a ser-
vice permit shall be taken on all such
units whether supplied from a central
metering station or directly from an
electricity supply agency, except that
in trailer courts, the individual trailer
disconnect switches shall not be deemed
services
Delinquent Permit Fee
For each ]ob started where an electrical
permit is not obtained within seventy-two
hours (Saturdays, Sundays and legal hol~-
days excepted) 5 00
Section 9-48 To be returned after ~ssuance of certificates
of satisfactory ~nspect~on
Whenever the electrical inspector has inspected and approved
any installation, he shall issue a certificate of satisfactory
spectlon
Section 9-49 Reserved
ARTICLE V Electrical Code Board
Section 9-50 Electrical Code Board created, appointment,
removal of members
There is hereby created an electrical code board consisting of
five (5) members, each to be appointed by the C~ty Council for a term
of two (2) years, and removable for cause by sa~d council after pub-
llc hearing Initially, however, all five (5) members shall be
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appointed for a term to expire co~ncldently w~th other city boards,
to serve until their successors are appointed To the extent that
persons are available within this c~ty, the sa~d board shall con-
slst of one (1) licensed master electrician, one (1) electrical
contractor, one (1) building contractor, one (1) electrical engi-
neer, and one (1) layman, who shall all reside within the c~ty
Provided, however, that the City Council may appoint two (2) alter-
nate members of the Electrical Code Board who shall serve in the
absence of one or more of the regular members when requested to do
so by the city manager, as the case may be, so that all cases to
be heard by the Electrical Code Board will always be heard by a
m~n~mum number of four (4) members The alternate members, when
appointed, shall serve for the same period as the regular members,
which is for a term of two (2) years and any vacancy shall be f~lled
in the same manner and they shall be sub]ect to removal the same as
the regular menfoers The City Council may appoint ex officio mem-
bers to this board, to have a voice in all matters before ~t, but
who shall have no vote
Section 9-51 Same - Procedure and powers
The board shall adopt rules to govern its proceedings provided
that same are consistent with the Code of the City of Denton and
Statutes of the State of Texas The Electrical Code Board shall
have the same powers and duties on matters concerning Chapter Nine
of the Code of Ordinances as the Building Code Board, ~ncludlng
the following
(a) Elect a chairman, who may administer oaths, and compel
the attendance of witnesses,
(b) Hear and determine, by a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the
members, appeals from any decision of the electrical
inspector made pursuant to Chapter N~ne after proper
notice has been given,
(c) By a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the members, grant vari-
ances to any provision of Chapter Nine, subject to
appropriate conditions and safeguards, and after a de-
termination by the board that a hardship exists which
would be cured by the particular variance sought
Section 9-52 Same - Additional duties
The board shall with the assistance of the electrical inspec-
tor, director of public utilities, and city attorney, review the
existing electrical codes, pertinent standard or model codes, and
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present to the City Council its recommendation on the adoption of
a new, More comprehensive, electrical code
PART TWO
That if any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause,
phrase or word ~n this ordinance, or application thereof to any
person or circumstances ~s held invalid by any court of competent
jurisdiction, such holding shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this ordinance, and the City Council of the
City of Denton, Texas, hereby declares it would have enacted such
remaining portions despite any such invalidity
PART THREE
That all ordinances or parts of ordinances ~n force when the
provisions of this ordinance become effective which are inconsis-
tent or ~n conflict with the terms or provisions contained ~n this
ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of any such conflict
PART FOUR
That this ordinance shall become effective ninety (90) days
from the date of its passage and the City Secretary is hereby
rected to cause the caption of this ordinance to be published twice
· n the Denton Record-Chronlcle within ten (10) days of the date of
· ts passage
PASSED AND APPROVED th~s th~ day of ~~ ,
A D 1972
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS
ATTEST
C~T~ SECRETARY CI
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS
APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM
CITy OF DEN~0N, TEXAS