2.3 Standards of Conduct & Revocation of Licensure
Key Takeaways
- 18VAC50-30-185 gives the board authority to impose remedial education, a monetary penalty under Code of Virginia § 54.1-202 A, or revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew a license or certification for violations of Title 54.1 Chapters 1 and 11 or the board's own regulations.
- 18VAC50-30-190 enumerates 19 prohibited acts, including furnishing substantially inaccurate or incomplete information to the board, negligence or incompetence in practice, aiding or abetting an unlicensed contractor, failing to obtain a required permit or inspection, and failing to comply with the VUSBC.
- Discipline is not automatic; the board may choose among remedial education, a monetary penalty, suspension, revocation, or refusal to renew, depending on the violation and aggravating or mitigating factors.
- Conviction of a felony or a non-marijuana misdemeanor involving lying, cheating, stealing, a sexual offense, drug distribution, physical injury, or conduct relating to the practice, occurring after initial licensure, must be reported to the board within 30 days — failure to report is itself a prohibited act.
- Allowing one's license to be used by an unlicensed or uncertified individual and aiding or abetting an unlicensed contractor are prohibited acts that commonly appear in exam scenarios involving loaned license numbers and permit-fronting arrangements.
Why Conduct Items Are the Easiest to Miss
The exam's two Conduct items reward the candidate who can read a fact pattern and match it to the right prohibited act in 18VAC50-30-190. The trap is not the obvious fraud case — it is the quiet violation: the journeyman who does not report a misdemeanor conviction within 30 days, or who lets a cousin "use the license" to pull a permit for a cash job. Knowing the 19 prohibited acts by category, not by rote, is what lets you spot the violation.
The Board's Disciplinary Authority (18VAC50-30-185)
18VAC50-30-185 authorizes the board to impose one or more of the following when a licensee or certificate holder is found to have violated Chapter 1 (§ 54.1-100 et seq.) or Chapter 11 (§ 54.1-1100 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia, or the board's own regulations:
- Remedial education. A targeted educational requirement, often used for first-time, lower-severity violations.
- Monetary penalty. Imposed in accordance with Code of Virginia § 54.1-202 A. The amount is set by board guideline and is not fixed in the regulation text.
- Suspension. The license is inactive for a defined period; the regulant may not lawfully practice during the suspension.
- Revocation. The license is terminated; the individual must requalify and reapply.
- Refusal to renew. The board declines to renew an expiring license based on the violation.
Discipline is not a menu where one remedy excludes the others; the board may combine remedies (for example, suspension plus remedial education plus a monetary penalty). The regulation does not prescribe a fixed penalty for each prohibited act, so the exam will not ask "what is the fine for X." It will ask whether the board has authority to act, or which prohibited act is present on the facts.
The 19 Prohibited Acts (18VAC50-30-190)
The following table organizes the prohibited acts most likely to appear on the journeyman electrician exam.
| # | Prohibited Act (18VAC50-30-190) | What It Looks Like in Practice | Typical Discipline Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Material failure to comply with governing statutes or board regulations | Ignoring renewal rules, practice standards, or conduct rules | Remedial education to suspension |
| 2 | Furnishing substantially inaccurate or incomplete information to the board | False hours on an application; omitting a prior license revocation | Suspension to revocation |
| 3 | Failing to report suspension/revocation by another state or a building code conviction | Holding an active Maryland license that was just suspended and not telling Virginia | Remedial education to suspension |
| 4 | Negligence or incompetence in the practice of the profession | Improper grounding, overfilled raceway, missed GFCI protection | Remedial education to revocation |
| 5 | Misconduct in the practice of the profession | Reckless or willful unsafe acts on the job | Suspension to revocation |
| 6 | Abandonment or unjustified failure to complete work contracted for (tradesmen on jobs under $1,000), or retention/misapplication of funds | Taking a deposit and walking off a small job | Suspension to revocation |
| 7 | Making misrepresentations or false promises likely to influence, persuade, or induce | Telling a homeowner a repair is required when it is not, to sell the work | Suspension to revocation |
| 8 | Aiding or abetting an unlicensed contractor, or allowing one's license to be used by an unlicensed/uncertified individual | Loaning a license number to an unlicensed employer so they can pull permits | Suspension to revocation |
| 9 | Offering anything of value to a government employee to circumvent construction laws | Bribing an inspector to pass failed work | Revocation |
| 10 | Conviction of a felony or specified misdemeanor (lying, cheating, stealing, sexual offense, non-marijuana drug distribution, physical injury, or relating to the practice) after initial licensure | A post-licensure larceny conviction | Suspension to revocation |
| 11 | Failing to inform the board within 30 days of such a conviction | Not reporting the larceny conviction | Separate prohibited act; remedial education to suspension |
| 12 | Being disciplined by any county, city, town, or state/federal body for actions relating to the practice | A locality suspending the right to pull permits | Remedial education to suspension |
| 13 | Failure to comply with the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code | NEC violations adopted through the VUSBC | Remedial education to revocation |
| 14 | Practicing in a classification or specialty for which the regulant is not licensed | Doing plumbing work on an electrical-only license | Suspension to revocation |
| 15-19 | Specialty failures (water well documents, energy analysis, liability insurance, fire sprinkler inspector certification) | Less commonly tested for electricians | Remedial education to suspension |
The Most Testable Conduct Scenarios
Scenario A — Loaned license. A journeyman lets a friend who is not licensed as a contractor pull permits using the journeyman's license number so the friend can bid on a kitchen renovation. This is prohibited act #8 (aiding or abetting an unlicensed contractor; allowing one's license to be used by an unlicensed individual) and is also a transfer violation under 18VAC50-30-170. The board may suspend or revoke.
Scenario B — Unreported conviction. A journeyman is convicted of a misdemeanor involving lying (false statement to a police officer) and does not tell the board within 30 days. Two prohibited acts are present: #10 (the conviction itself, if it is one of the listed categories) and #11 (the failure to report within 30 days). The exam may ask which separate violation the 30-day silence creates.
Scenario C — Inaccurate application. An applicant claims 240 hours of formal vocational training that were never documented by the training provider. This is prohibited act #2 (furnishing substantially inaccurate information to the board). The board may suspend or revoke, and if the applicant is not yet licensed, the board may deny the application.
Scenario D — Negligence. A journeyman installs a subpanel with an improperly bonded neutral bar and no GFCI protection in a kitchen remodel. The installation passes a careless first inspection but fails on a complaint reinspection. This is prohibited act #4 (negligence or incompetence) and #13 (failure to comply with the VUSBC). The board may impose remedial education, a monetary penalty, or suspension depending on severity.
The Disciplinary Process
18VAC50-30-185 incorporates the procedural rights of Code of Virginia Title 54.1. The regulant is entitled to notice of the charges, an opportunity to be heard, and the right to present evidence before the board acts. The board's action is a case decision subject to judicial review under the Administrative Process Act. The exam does not test procedural detail, but it does test that the board must find a violation before it acts — discipline is not imposed on a bare complaint.
A journeyman electrician is convicted of a misdemeanor involving lying (false statement) two years after initial licensure and does not report the conviction to the Board for Contractors. Under 18VAC50-30-190, how many separate prohibited acts has the journeyman committed?
Which of the following is the most accurate statement of the board's disciplinary authority under 18VAC50-30-185?
A journeyman electrician installs a subpanel with an improperly bonded neutral and no required GFCI protection, and the work fails a complaint reinspection. Which 18VAC50-30-190 prohibited acts are most directly implicated?