The Oregon Administrative Rules contain OARs filed through January 15, 2010

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AND BUSINESS SERVICES,
BUILDING CODES DIVISION

918-251-0000

Reasonable Notice to Interested Parties

Before the adoption, amendment or repeal of any rule relating to the Oregon State Electrical Law or to other responsibilities under ORS 479.510 to 479.990, the Building Codes Division shall give notice of the proposed adoption, amendment or repeal:

(1) In the Secretary of State's Bulletin referred to in ORS 183.360 at least 21 days before the effective date;

(2) By mailing a copy of the notice to persons on the interested parties mailing list established under ORS 183.335(7);

(3) By mailing a copy of the notice to the following organizations:

(a) National Electrical Contractors Association, Portland;

(b) Associated Oregon Industries;

(c) League of Oregon Cities;

(d) Association of Oregon Counties;

(e) Associated General Contractors;

(f) Workers' Compensation Division;

(g) Homebuilders' Association of Metropolitan Portland;

(h) Oregon Building Industry Association;

(i) Professional Engineers of Oregon;

(j) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48 -- Portland;

(k) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 280 -- Salem;

(l) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 659 -- Medford;

(m) National Electrical Contractors Association, Eugene;

(n) Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon;

(o) Building Owners and Managers Association;

(p) ETL Testing Laboratories;

(q) Underwriters' Laboratories;

(r) Electro Test Inc.;

(s) The Capitol Press Room; and

(t) Associated Press.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 183.341(4)
Stats. Implemented: ORS 183.341(4)
Hist.: DC 56, f. & ef. 11-20-76; DC 4-1984, f. & ef. 1-17-84; Renumbered from 814-022-0000; BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96; Renumbered from 918-250-0000; BCD 16-1997, f. 9-30-97, cert. ef. 10-1-97

918-251-0010

Compliance with ORS 183.330

(1) This rule is required by ORS 183.330.

(2)(a) General Office. The general office of the Building Codes Division is at 1535 Edgewater NW, mailing address P. O. Box 14470, Salem, Oregon 97309-0404. The Website address is http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/bcd. The general telephone number is (503) 378-4133; FAX (503) 378-2322. General requests for information or documents should be directed to this office.

(b) Electrical Inspection. The electrical inspection section of the Building Codes Division is managed by the Field Services Manager who reports to the Building Codes Division Administrator. The inspection staff is located in field locations throughout the state.

(A) Inspection requests should be directed to the closest field office; or

(B) General office;

(3) Electrical Code Interpretation and Enforcement. Electrical code development, formal interpretations and enforcement are handled in the general office.

(a) Requests to place items on the Electrical and Elevator Board agenda and requests for adoption or amendment of electrical rules should be directed to the Chief Electrical Inspector at the general office.

(b) Requests for electrical code interpretation shall be directed to the Chief Electrical Inspector.

(4) Miscellaneous Fees. Requests and payment of fees for placement on the Electrical and Elevator Board meeting notice list or the electrical rule making notice list should be directed to the Building Codes Division general office.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 183.330
Stats. Implemented: ORS 183.330
Hist.: BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96; BCD 23-2000, f. 9-29-00, cert. ef. 10-1-00

918-251-0020

Attorney General Model Rules of Procedure

The Attorney General's Model Rules of Procedure, as adopted or amended by the division in OAR 918-001-0010, apply in all contested cases.

[ED. NOTE: The full text of the Attorney General's Model Rules of Procedure is available from the office of the Attorney General or agency.]

Stat. Auth.: ORS 183.341
Stats. Implemented: ORS 183.341
Hist.: DC 20-1986, f. & ef. 12-4-86; Renumbered from 814-022-0422; BCA 32-1993, f. 12-14-93, cert. ef. 1-1-94; BCD 12-1994, f. & cert. ef. 4-29-94; BCD 5-1996, f. & cert. ef. 3-29-96; BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96; Renumbered from 918-270-0050

918-251-0050

Amendments

The administrator shall obtain board approval before commencing rulemaking on any proposed new rules, rule changes or repeals.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 479.730(5)
Stats. Implemented: ORS 455.030 & ORS 479.730
Hist.: DC 11-1978, f. 4-3-78, ef. 7-1-78; DC 10-1982, f. & ef. 3-1-82; Renumbered from 814-022-0410; BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96; Renumbered from 918-270-0020

918-251-0060

Electrical Specialty Code Change Procedures

(1) ORS 455.030 governs procedures for proposing Electrical Specialty Code changes.

(2) Time lines and other procedures for code changes are in OAR 918-008-0030.

[Publications: Publications referenced are available from the agency.]

Stat. Auth.: ORS 479.530
Stats. Implemented: ORS 455.030
Hist.: BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96

918-251-0080

Reference to Statutory Definitions

Statutory definitions for the Electrical Safety Law are in ORS 479.530.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 479.530
Stats. Implemented: ORS 479.530
Hist.: BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96

918-251-0090

Definitions

For purposes of OAR chapter 918, divisions 251 through 311, unless otherwise specified, the following shall apply:

(1) "Appliance" as applied to the limited maintenance specialty contractor license established by ORS 479.630, means any built-in or permanently-connected electrical utilization equipment, not including lighting fixtures, other than industrial, that is installed or connected as a unit to perform one or more functions such as clothes washing, air conditioning, food mixing, deep frying, etc.

(2) "Approved" when referring to electrical product certification means approved in Oregon or for Oregon by the Electrical and Elevator Board.

(3) "Balance of system" as it relates to renewable electrical energy systems are those products, equipment and systems for the conversion, control and storage of electrical energy.

(4) "Board" means Electrical and Elevator Board.

(5) "Building" means a structure that stands alone or that is isolated from adjoining structures by area separation walls as identified in Section 504.6 of the Oregon Structural Specialty Code adopted in OAR chapter 918, division 460, with all openings therein protected by approved fire doors as required.

(6) "Certification Mark" is identification on an electrical product indicating that the product has been certified under ORS 479.760.

(7) "Certified Electrical Product" is an electrical product certified under ORS 479.760 to which a label or other identifying mark.

(8) "Continuously Employ" means a person, including a person leased from a worker leasing company licensed under ORS 656.850, during time periods when electrical work for which they are responsible is performed, devotes their entire time of employment to tasks of supervising, designing, laying out, planning, controlling and making electrical installations for the electrical contractor for which the supervisor is registered as signing supervisor.

(9) "Custom Made" means electrical products that are designed for a specific purpose and location.

(10) "Document" means prepare records itemizing what was checked, why it was checked, when it was done, how it was checked, what was determined and who did the work.

(11) "Electrical Specialty Code" means the National Electrical Code with Oregon amendments.

(12) "Electrical Specialty Code Inspector," formerly referred to as "A-Level Electrical Inspector," is a person certified to inspect under the Electrical Specialty Code.

(13) "Energy generation," as it relates to renewable electrical energy generation equipment, are those products, equipment and systems in renewable electrical energy systems that produce or convert electrical energy.

(14) "Engineer" is an individual who has completed a minimum four-year degree program in electrical engineering or electrical technology with power specialty, from an accredited college or university and has received a Bachelor of Science degree.

(15) "Field Evaluation" means the evaluation of electrical products by an approved field evaluation firm .

(16) "Indorsement" is a designation within the restricted energy electrical area showing qualifications and training regarding a product area. It determines the scope of restricted energy electrical activity authorized under a restricted energy electrical license.

(17) "Industrial Electronic Equipment" means a device, appliance, motor, or machine regulated, operated, or controlled through fiber optics or by a combination of electron tubes, capacitors, resistors, impedance transformer, and relays; the control circuit, and/or the power circuits having electrons flowing through a vacuum, metallic vapor, gas tubes, or transistors as used in an industrial plant.

(18) "Industrial Plant", for purposes of licensing and electrical master permit inspection program means an establishment engaged in industrial production, or service, or a school, hospital, sewer plant, water plant, commercial office building, building occupied by the state or a local government entity, or an institution. For purposes of the elevator program, "industrial plant" does not include a school, hospital, commercial office building, building occupied by the state or a local government entity, or an institution where the elevators are accessible to and used by persons other than the employees of that building.

(19) "Installation" includes external and field wiring, service contracts or warranties by the seller or manufacturer concerning the longevity of the equipment or parts after the original installation. It does not include "start-up" activities where new equipment is placed in service, and that type of work related to delivering and setting in place a piece of machinery.

(20) "Inverter", as it relates to renewable electrical energy generation equipment, is a product, equipment or system that converts direct current into alternating current.

(21) "Jurisdictional Inspector" is a state or municipal inspector having inspection responsibility within their jurisdiction over electrical products or their installation, or both.

(22) "Labeled" means a label, symbol or other identifying mark of a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), field evaluation firm or the division that is attached to an electrical product indicating the product is manufactured according to approved standards and tested or evaluated for specific end uses or both.

(23) "Lighting Fixture" is a complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp or lamps together with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps, and to connect the lamp to the power supply.

(24) "Limited Energy System" means those systems that include Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 systems as defined by Section 725.2 of NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code) and audio systems, communication systems and power-limited fire alarm systems, covered in the Oregon Electrical Specialty Code.

(25) "Listed Product" means a product was examined and accepted by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to meet a particular product standard and]is maintained on a list of the listing laboratory.

(26) "Maintain" means to preserve electrical equipment in a good sound condition.

(27) "Maintenance" Compare with repair, replacement, and maintain for defnition.

(28) "Minimum Electrical Installation Safety Code" means the adopted Oregon Electrical Specialty Code.

(29) "Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL)" means a laboratory recognized by the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under 29 CFR 1910.7.

(30) "NEMA" means the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

(31) "Off grid system" is a stand-alone system, connected to a structure, whose electrical systems are not connected to a utility-supplied electrical production and distribution network.

(32) "On grid system" is an electrical power system connected to a structure whose electrical systems are also connected to a utility-supplied electrical production and distribution network.

(33) "Plug-in Replacement" is a part, component or assembly designed to be inserted directly into a mating receptacle or socket such as printed circuit boards, control relays, control harnesses or other equipment connected by a cord or cable and plug assembly. A plug-in replacement does not have any field wiring that is connected to the plug-in part or assembly.

(34) "Power Circuitry" means that portion of the system, other than control, that provides electrical power to utilization equipment.

(35) "Registered Professional Electrical Engineer" is an individual licensed by the State of Oregon Board of Engineering Examiners as a professional electrical engineer under OAR chapter 820, division 10.

(36) "Renewable Electrical Energy System" as it relates to electrical energy generation, is the total components and subsystems that, in combination, convert wind energy, solar energy, micro-hydroelectricity, photovoltaic energy or fuel cell energy into electrical energy suitable for connection to a utilization load.

(37) "Repair" means to restore worn or damaged parts to a good, sound condition by means other than replacement.

(38) "Replacement" means substitution of complete units of damaged or worn equipment with similar new or used equipment of a size and rating that does not exceed the design capacity of the existing product.

(39) "Signing Supervising Electrician" or "Signing Supervisor" is a licensed supervising electrician who has been authorized by the electrical contractor to sign permits.

(40) "Similar Equipment," as applied to the limited maintenance specialty contractor license established by ORS 479.630(12), means components of light fixtures other than ballasts.

(41) "Special Deputy" means a person certified by the board or Chief Electrical Inspector to perform special deputy inspections allowed under ORS 479.760.

(42) "Stand-alone system" is a renewable electrical energy system that supplies power independently of an electrical production and distribution network.

(43) "Up to the load side of the inverter", as it relates to electrical energy generation equipment, is the renewable electrical energy system equipment up to the alternating current connection terminals of the inverter.

[Publications: Publications referenced are available from the agency.]

Stat. Auth.: ORS 479.630
Stats. Implemented: ORS 479.730
Hist.: DC 10, f. 4-13-72, ef. 5-1-72; DC 12-1981, f. 9-29-81, ef. 10-1-81; DC 10-1982, f. & ef. 3-1-82; Renumbered from 814-022-0105; BCA 44-1991, f. & cert. ef. 12-26-91; BCD 19-1996, f. 9-17-96, cert. ef. 10-1-96, Renumbered from 918-260-0005; BCD 4-1999, f. & cert. ef. 4-1-99; BCD 23-2000, f. 9-29-00, cert. ef. 10-1-2000; BCD 5-2001, f. 6-7-01, cert. ef. 7-1-01; BCD 23-2001(Temp), f. 12-28-01, cert. ef. 1-1-02 thru 6-29-02; BCD 9-2002, f. 3-29-02, cert. ef. 4-1-02; BCD 21-2002(Temp), f. 8-30-02, cert. ef. 9-1-02 thru 2-27-03; BCD 23-2002, f. 9-13-02 cert. ef. 10-1-02; BCD 34-2002, f. 12-20-02, cert. ef. 1-1-03; BCD 12-2003(Temp), f. & cert. ef. 6-24-03 thru 10-31-03; BCD 15-2003, f. & cert. ef. 10-1-03; BCD 4-2004, f. 3-31-04, cert. ef. 4-1-04; BCD 3-2007, f. 3-30-07, cert. ef. 4-1-07

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