Electrician wondered why a city inspector was calling about 'corrections' 3 months after he quit – until he realized who else had his license
At first the electrician thought that the inspector might be mistaken, but when they read the permit, it specified their name and license number
An electrician (u/Ivalice_17) was involuntarily dragged into the mud when a city inspector reached out to them about some "corrections" three months after they had resigned from the job. It was then that they realized that their professional reputation could be tarnished because of their former employer. However, not being acquainted with the laws regarding licenses, they jumped onto Reddit and asked people for advice. Their September 15, 2026, Reddit post has since gained over 6,800 upvotes.
Former employer is still using my master electrician license for new permits more than two months after I left, and a city inspector just contacted me about work I have never seen
by u/Ivalice_17 in legaladvice
Misuse of license
The author, who worked as a “Master Electrician of Record” for a Texas-based electrical contractor, resigned from the job in June. They gave a written notice and recorded the entire communication with the company over emails, from the final date to other employment details. Then in early September, a city inspector reached out to them asking about some "corrections" in a commercial project. At first the electrician thought that the inspector might be mistaken, but when they read the permit, it clearly specified their exact name and license number.
Perjury with former employee
Bamboozled, the employee pored over the permit database of all the cities where their former employee operated. To their utter shock, nearly six permits were issued on their name long after they resigned from the job. "I contacted the owner in writing. His response was basically that changing the Master Electrician of Record 'takes time' and that the company had a grace period while they found somebody else," they wrote. The owner also reassured that their personal license won’t be affected. The incident left the electrician in a limbo, and they were forced to wonder whether they should stay cool about it or go ahead and inform the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
Violation of law
The TDLR categorizes this type of violation as “improper use of license” and a high-severity fraudulent offense. Furthermore, as professionals discussed on Electrician Talk, the legitimate license holder on record can face severe fallout if their license is illegally used for a project where there is property damage, injury, or loss of life pulled under their credentials. According to Consumer Affairs, the Journal of Consumer Research, there are about 71,000 electricians employed in Texas, which makes the issue even more serious, widespread, and protest-worthy.
Most readers agreed that the matter goes beyond the legal norms. u/fables_of_faubus commented, “This is lawyer territory. There will be consequences for reporting it, which could ruin professional relationships or even bring more liability onto you if it's not done correctly. Find out what your options and responsibilities are before acting at all.” u/ballbusted73 said, “I am in law enforcement. This could actually be considered identity theft. In California, it's actually a felony to fraudulently use a license that's not issued to you. Not sure on laws in Texas though.”
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