Coulee City Mandates Electrical Safety Inspections
New municipal code establishes safety standards and inspection fees for residential and commercial wiring.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Town Council of Coulee City has passed Ordinance No. 57, a new mandate regulating the installation, arrangement, alteration, repair, and inspection of all electrical wiring, fixtures, and appliances within town limits. Under the new law, the Mayor is empowered to appoint a competent inspector to verify that all electrical work conforms to the National Electrical Code. It is now unlawful for any firm or resident to connect electrical current to any building without a certificate of inspection. The ordinance further grants the inspector authority to disconnect power to any installation deemed dangerous to life or property and provides for a penalty of up to $100 for non-compliance. Fees for inspection services are set at $1.00 for up to twenty outlets, with additional charges for larger installations.
“It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, to use... any electric current... in or through... any wiring, apparatus or fixtures in or on any building until same shall have been inspected.”
This 1916 ordinance reflects the early, rapid professionalization of building safety codes as electricity moved from a luxury to a town-wide utility. Today, such bureaucratic municipal oversight is standard, though it continues to shape the cost and complexity of small-town housing development.
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