NC Low Voltage License (SP-FA/LV): Requirements + Practice Test

The NC low voltage license is the SP-FA/LV, short for Special Restricted Fire Alarm/Low Voltage. It covers fire alarm, burglar alarm and low voltage wiring only. You need 3,000 hours of experience, then 35 of 50 right on a 3-hour exam on the 2020 NEC and the 2013 NFPA 72, taken with your code books open. NCBEEC, North Carolina's electrical contractors board, issues it. Its 2026 exam handbook includes the application forms.

What are the NC low voltage license requirements?

1. Be at least 18 with 3,000 hours, including 2,000 primary.
2. Apply. Send NCBEEC the Examination Application, those forms and $125.
3. Book with PSI after its eligibility email. Approval gives you 90 days and one try.
4. Get licensed. Submit the New License Application and the first $100 yearly fee.
5. Take the board's free 4-hour Laws and Rules class within 12 months after, or up to 90 days before, you become a qualified individual, someone the board certifies after passing its exam. It covers your first renewal's 4 CE hours (rule .1101).

How low voltage hours count (rule .0202):

• Low voltage work: installing or maintaining these systems counts as primary, at 100%.
• NICET: time holding certification on NFPA 72, Level I through IV, from NICET (a national technician certifier) counts at 100%, for this license only.
• Other roles in rule .0202 count at their listed rates if gained in the low voltage field.

Fail, and you wait 3 months to retest with a new application and fee. A failed-exam review costs $25.

What work does the NC low voltage license cover?

Five kinds of systems (rule .0804):

• 50 volts or less: wiring systems at 50 volts or less, plus the control circuits tied to them.
• Over 50 volts, power-limited: only NEC Class 2 or Class 3 circuits (power-limited, under Article 725), or paging systems up to 70 volts.
• Line voltage feeding the system: up to 300 volts to ground, from the load side of a disconnect or junction box installed by others.
• Fire alarm systems: components wired to a common control panel to monitor flame, heat, smoke or water flow, under the NC State Building Code and NFPA 72.
• Burglar alarms: systems or devices that detect burglary or theft.

That disconnect or junction box must be installed by others, line side included, and permanently marked with the system it feeds. The wiring can't be in an NEC hazardous location.

Unlicensed workers may install some Class 2 and Class 3 systems the building code doesn't require (rule .0805). Fire alarm and burglar alarm systems never qualify.

A business that installs burglar alarms also needs an NC security systems license. Fire alarm work doesn't (G.S. 74D-3).

What is on the SP-FA/LV exam?

Approximate questions per topic (handbook):

• Not tested: overcurrent protection, services, special occupancies and appliances.
• The 21-question group covers NC licensing law (G.S. 87, Article 4), board rules (21 NCAC 18B), the NASCLA guide and NFPA 72. The law and rules are printed in the handbook.
• Books: bring your own 2020 NEC, 2013 NFPA 72 and NASCLA guide. No loose-leaf books or loose papers.
• Tabs and notes: permanent tabs such as JCR's, not sticky notes or stapled tabs. Pencil notes must be highlighted.
• Supplied: calculator, scratch paper and pencils. You get your score before you leave.

How is SP-FA/LV different from a Limited license?

Same hours and fee. Different work and exam.

A Limited, Intermediate or Unlimited license already covers low voltage work, within its project value limit (rule .0801(d)). An SP-FA/LV can't be upgraded. Moving up takes a new application and exam (rule .0501(d)). See JCR's Limited vs. Intermediate vs. Unlimited guide.

How many CE hours does an SP-FA/LV license in NC need?

Four hours of continuing education (CE) before each yearly renewal (rule .1101): 4 classroom hours, or 2 classroom plus 2 online.

• Extra hours carry forward in 2-hour blocks into the next one or two license periods (rule .1104).
• JCR CE: an 8-hour JCR CE class is $230. JCR's live Zoom classes count as NC classroom credit.

See JCR's NC CE guide.

NC low voltage license practice test: 5 questions

Keep your 2020 NEC and 2013 NFPA 72 open.

Question 1: Manual fire alarm box location

Under the 2013 NFPA 72, a manual fire alarm box must be located within what distance of each exit doorway on each floor?

1. 36 in.
2. 48 in.
3. 60 in.
4. 10 ft

Show the answerHide the answer

Answer: C, 60 in. NFPA 72 (2013) 17.14.8.4 requires manual fire alarm boxes within 5 ft (60 in.) of each exit doorway on each floor. 48 in. is the top of the 42 to 48 in. height range for the operable part (17.14.5), not the distance to the door.

Question 2: Wall-mounted strobe height

Using the prescriptive rules of the 2013 NFPA 72, a wall-mounted visible notification appliance must be mounted so that its entire lens is:

1. 40 to 60 in. above the finished floor
2. 80 to 96 in. above the finished floor
3. At least 90 in. above the finished floor
4. Within 12 in. of the ceiling

Show the answerHide the answer

Answer: B, 80 to 96 in. NFPA 72 (2013) 18.5.5.1 requires the entire lens to be not less than 80 in. and not greater than 96 in. above the finished floor. A performance-based design can set a different height.

Question 3: Fire alarm branch circuit disconnect

Under the 2020 NEC, the branch-circuit disconnecting means for an NPLFA fire alarm power supply must have what color identification?

1. Yellow
2. Orange
3. White
4. Red

Show the answerHide the answer

Answer: D, red. 2020 NEC 760.41(B) requires red identification on the circuit disconnecting means, marked "FIRE ALARM CIRCUIT," accessible only to qualified personnel. The branch circuit can't be fed through a GFCI or AFCI and supplies no other loads. 760.121(B) has the same rule for PLFA power sources.

Question 4: Class 1 power-limited circuits

A Class 1 power-limited circuit must be supplied from a source with a rated output of not more than:

1. 30 volts and 1000 volt-amperes
2. 50 volts and 100 volt-amperes
3. 150 volts and 1000 volt-amperes
4. 600 volts and 1000 volt-amperes

Show the answerHide the answer

Answer: A, 30 volts and 1000 volt-amperes. 2020 NEC 725.41(A) sets that limit for Class 1 power-limited sources. Class 1 remote-control and signaling circuits that aren't power-limited fall under 725.41(B), up to 600 volts.

Question 5: Primary protector grounding conductor length

At a one-family dwelling, the grounding conductor from a communications primary protector to the grounding electrode can be no longer than:

1. 5 ft
2. 10 ft
3. 20 ft
4. 50 ft

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Answer: C, 20 ft. 2020 NEC 800.100(A)(4) keeps that conductor as short as practicable and caps it at 20 ft in one- and two-family dwellings. If 20 ft can't be met, a dedicated ground rod may be used, bonded to the power grounding electrode system with 6 AWG copper or larger.

Common questions about the NC low voltage license

Is the NC low voltage license the same as the NC fire alarm license?

Yes. NCBEEC issues one license, the SP-FA/LV, for fire alarm, burglar alarm and low voltage wiring. There's no fire alarm-only contractor license.

How hard is the SP-FA/LV exam?

It's half the Limited exam's length: 50 questions in 3 hours, with the same 70% pass mark (35 right). About 21 questions come from NC law, the NASCLA guide and NFPA 72, so practice lookups in those, not just the NEC.

What does the NC fire alarm license cost?

$125 to apply and test, then $100 a year. Each renewal needs 4 hours of approved CE.

Where can I find an NC low voltage license practice test?

Start with the five questions above and the sample questions in the handbook. JCR's Low Voltage Mock Exam adds 294 more, on paper and online.