Brian Kelly knew the Florida Commercial Pool and Spa Test wouldn't be easy.

The president of Shamrock Pool Services in Due north Lauderdale, Fla., took several days off to study, and managed to pass the test. Just to earn his state contractor's license, he besides had to pass the Florida Business organization and Finance exam, a marathon mouse-clicking session that lasted almost 7 hours. Kelly was one of the few who passed on the commencement effort.

"It wasn't an piece of cake test," he says. "But I thought information technology was fair and beneficial to the general public."

Several states, including Florida, Texas and California, have now adopted regulations requiring any tech who does more than than pool cleaning to be licensed in some way.

Still, no two states divide their licensed service personnel into quite the same classifications, or organize their tests in the same manner. Here, we examine the process of obtaining a license in three different states, through the experiences of industry professionals who crossed the finish line.

Washington

When the state of Washington introduced the National Electric Code as its exam standard, even veteran techs agreed that the requirements became a existent claiming.

"Almost nobody passes the examination, even an electrician who's been active in the field," says Phil Holt, managing director of Leisure Pool-n-Spa, LLC in Kennewick, Launder. "Information technology's just so much material."

When Washington introduced the NEC licensing requirements, Holt took advantage of his years in the industry: He submitted an affirmation of experience to the state, and was issued a temporary license pending his passing the NEC-based exam. But even this proved to be a difficult hurdle.

"The only way you tin can become licensed in Washington is to get an electrical ambassador," he explains. "This means you have to rent or exist an electrician, and to do that, yous have to have training, which you can only get under a journeyman electrician. So, you'd accept to rent somebody to train nether, but to offset the process of becoming legal. Becoming licensed in this state is near impossible."

The exam itself was every bit perplexing for Holt. "When I went to take the test," he says, "I failed on the showtime effort, considering it had everything to exercise with wiring a edifice, and nothing to do with repairing a spa. We don't bring wires to [the spa]; we aren't electricians. There's nothing [on the examination] for everyone who'south been in the spa repair business."

After some additional studying, Holt was able to pass the test, which qualifies him to piece of work every bit a maintenance electrician. "I tin do electric repair work that's not associated with swimming pools and spas," he says. "So I'm now licensed to do every type of electrical work except the kind I need to do."

Texas

In 2003, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation adopted the NEC every bit its statewide test standard. The land likewise stepped upwards license enforcement efforts in major cities. This crackdown led to friction between officials and pool industry groups, such as the Aquatic Professionals Didactics Council, who opposed what they saw every bit a bias toward non-pool-related electrical questions on the certification exams.

In early 2007, APEC began working with TDLR to develop the Residential Appliance Installer license, a certification relevant to both electrical work and puddle service. Cheers to cooperation between both groups, March 2010 saw the official adoption of this revised ready of testing standards.

"When the governor signed [the measure], that was when people [in the industry] realized that they needed to start working toward getting licensed," says Noel Conley, owner of Miracle Puddle Service in Garland, Texas. "The first thing I did was buy [a copy of] the NEC 2008. I started studying it, bought some other electrical books, and took some grooming classes. I went out there and crossed my fingers, and hoped I could pass the examination the starting time time."

And pass he did; in fact, Conley was ane of the first techs in his land to be officially licensed nether the new standard. Since then, he's devoted much of his time to spreading helpful information about the examination to other techs. Just Conley, a longtime supporter of industry licensing, isn't but trying to keep people out of trouble.

"Licensing was something I'd thought we needed even before I knew we were working illegally," he says. "There are people out in that location who will disagree with me, but if you're working with line voltage, it's important that information technology's non just anybody doing the task."

Florida

In the land of Florida, simply cleaning a pool requires no special license. However, a service license is necessary for any tech wishing to perform work on mechanical components, such as the pump or filter. In addition, dissever electrical and gas licenses are also necessary for any tech performing such work.

"Florida has decided to take a strong licensing point of view," says Jennifer Hatfield, managing director of government and public affairs for the Florida Swimming Pool Association. "The state has had all sorts of licensing categories in place for years."

Of all the states with specific licensing requirements, Florida seems to be the well-nigh proactive about educating techs on the test expectations. "The state will give you a list of books that your exam's based on," says Steve Bludsworth, possessor of All-Pool Service & Supply in Orlando, Fla. "And at that place are schools that teach you about the exams."

Florida'southward testing standards are equally loftier as its organizational strictness. "I recall some of the testing requirements may exist the well-nigh stringent in the country of Florida," Kelly says. "To even sit for the [commercial contractor] test, you have to take a contractor's license in adept standing for 5 years or more than."

Subsequently the manufacture-specific test comes the Florida Business organisation and Finance exam, which covers country accounting and concern police, and often takes almost 7 hours to consummate. Though no tech would deny that the test is tough, Kelly says its range of questions was off-white.

In fact, he sees the exam's difficulty as a positive: "I recall it'south beneficial to the people of the state of Florida," he says. "If y'all're going to exist a contractor in this state, you've got to exist good, from hither on in."

Looking forwards

Licensing is spreading to new states at a gradual pace, but experts agree that it'south here to stay.

The Northeast Spa & Pool Clan has already introduced a measure for builders' licenses into the Connecticut legislature. And New York may not be far behind, says Larry Caniglia, NESPA's executive director in Hamilton, N.J. "I do think it's going to aggrandize across at least our region, and ultimately across the land," he explains.

Notwithstanding, the expansion isn't likely to come off without a hitch. "Await at the economic system across the country," says Hatfield, who also works every bit a government diplomacy associate for APSP. "There's a trend toward less regulation, not more, because people don't desire any barriers to someone'south power to brand a living. With the economy the way information technology is, you may see some states being a picayune hesitant for regulation like licensing."

As more state legislatures accost licensing, Hatfield plans to continue researching the pros and cons of various state codes. She'due south now working to assemble a model code template, which she hopes will exist flexible plenty to spark legislative discussion beyond the country. "It's not something that we're going to become and endeavour to force on people," she says, "information technology's simply that nosotros've had members in different states tell united states of america they want licensing. I think it could be a positive in many ways."