[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees
of the Village of Dobbs Ferry as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch.
127.
Electrical standards — See Ch.
158.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning — See Ch.
201.
Housing Standards — See Ch.
204.
[Adopted 2-1-1966 as Arts. 19-2 and 19-3 of the 1966 Dobbs
Ferry Village Code]
This article is enacted to require the licensing
of every plumber, including partnerships and corporations, before
and while engaged in the plumbing business in the Village.
A. Establishment. A Plumbing Licensing Board, hereinafter
referred to in this article as the "Board," consisting of five members,
is hereby established. The Board of Trustees shall appoint the members
of the Board and shall have authority to remove any member for cause
and after public hearing. Four of the members of the Board shall be
plumbing contractors or journeymen who have worked at least five years
at their trade, and one of the members of the Board shall be an officer
or employee of the Building Department. The Board shall elect a Chairman
and a Secretary from its membership.
B. Members first appointed and their successors. Of the
members first appointed, one shall be appointed for a term of one
year, two for terms of two years and two for terms of three years.
Their successors shall be appointed for terms of three years.
C. Vacancies. If a vacancy shall occur otherwise than
by expiration of term, it shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired
term.
D. Compensation. Each member of the Board shall be paid
$5 for each examination given for a Class A or Class B license pursuant
to the provisions of this article, except the officer or employee
of the Building Department.
E. Powers and duties.
(1) The Board shall meet at such times, in the opinion
of the Chairman or a majority of the Board, as are necessary or desirable
for the effective discharge of the business of the Board.
(2) Three members, including the Chairman, shall constitute
a quorum of the Board for the transaction of business. No determination
in regard to the issuance, modification, suspension or revocation
of a license shall be made except by the majority vote of at least
three members.
(3) The Board shall issue the licenses required by this
article in accordance with its provisions and shall have the power
to modify, suspend or revoke such licenses upon a violation of any
of the provisions of this article.
(4) The Board shall keep a record of all of its meetings,
proceedings, determinations and decisions.
A. Class A licenses (master plumbers' licenses). Except as provided in Subsection
B of this section, no person shall contract to, or conduct a business to, maintain, install or repair any plumbing systems, fixtures or equipment in the Village until such person shall apply for and obtain a Class A license (master plumber's license) to engage in such business as herein provided.
B. Class B licenses (limited master plumbers' licenses).
No institution, commercial, industrial or business establishment or
multiple residence located in the Village shall permit the owner or
its personnel to engage in the installation, alteration or repair
of plumbing systems, fixtures and equipment within its building, buildings
or property limits until such establishment shall apply for and obtain
a Class B license (limited master plumber's license) to engage in
such activities as herein provided.
C. Class C licenses (limited licenses for owners of one-,
two- and three-family houses). Owners of one-, two- and three-family
houses may be permitted to replace existing plumbing fixtures in their
houses, which shall constitute minor repairs. If such owners decide
to change the plumbing system or make any additions thereto in their
houses, they shall apply for and obtain a Class C license (limited
license for owners of one-, two- and three-family houses).
A. Class A licenses. An applicant for a Class A license
shall be 21 years of age or over, of good moral character, a citizen
of the United States and shall be at least one of the following:
[Amended 1-17-1989 by L.L. No. 2-1989]
(1) An employing plumbing contractor who has had an established
business for at least nine years in the installation, alteration and
repair of plumbing systems, fixtures and equipment or whose experience
working with his tools on the installation, alteration and repair
of plumbing systems, fixtures and equipment as a journeyman plumber
and as an employing contractor totals at least nine years.
(2) A plumber who has worked at least nine years with
his tools on the installation, alteration and repair of plumbing systems,
fixtures and equipment as a journeyman plumber.
(3) A graduate of a vocational, industrial or trade school
in plumbing and who has, in addition, worked at least five years with
his tools on the installation, alteration and repair of plumbing systems,
fixtures and equipment.
B. Class B licenses. An applicant for a Class B license
must be a partner, officer or other authorized representative of the
firm who is in a position to supervise or perform the projected installation,
alteration or repair of plumbing systems, fixtures and equipment.
C. Class C licenses. An applicant for a Class C license
must be the owner of a one-, two- or three-family house.
An application for a Class A, Class B or Class
C license shall be made in writing by furnishing all of the information
required on the appropriate form supplied by the Building Department.
An applicant shall receive written notice of the time and place to
appear before the Board for investigation as to his qualifications
for the license applied for.
[Amended 10-2-1984 by L.L. No. 6-1984]
A. Every applicant for a Class A, Class B or Class C
license shall be required to answer a reasonable number of questions,
written or oral, as devised by the Board, to show that he has sufficient
knowledge and technical ability to perform or supervise the installation,
alteration and repair of plumbing systems, fixtures and equipment;
and no license shall be issued unless the applicant obtains the minimum
passing score established by the Board. The minimum passing score
shall be the same and the examination shall be identical in scope
for all applicants for the same class of license.
B. Should an applicant fail to attain the minimum passing
score established by the Board, he may initiate a new application
not less than 30 days from the date of the examination.
[Amended 12-2-1969; 10-7-1980 by L.L. No. 21-1980; 11-18-1980 by L.L. No. 25-1980; 10-2-1984 by L.L. No. 6-1984]
A. Application and first-year fees.
(1) Class A and Class B plumbers' licenses. Upon applying
for a Class A or Class B license, the applicant shall deposit with
the Village, in cash or certified check, a fee as set from time to
time by the Board of Trustees, which shall be the fee for the examination
or test to obtain a license. If the applicant successfully passes
the test, an additional fee shall be paid in cash or certified check
to the Village, which shall be applied as the fee for the first year
of the license. Said additional fee shall be paid within 10 days of
the date of the test.
(2) Class C licenses. Upon applying for a Class C license,
an applicant shall deposit with the Village a fee as set from time
to time by the Board of Trustees, which shall constitute the fee for
the license. Should the license be denied, said sum shall be returned
to the applicant.
B. Renewal fees. The annual renewal fee for all Class
A and B licenses after the first year shall be as set from time to
time by the Board of Trustees, provided that such renewal is requested
by and issued to the same person as the original license. Such renewal
shall be due on January 1 of each year. Applicants awarded Class A
and B licenses during the month of December shall not be required
to pay the renewal fee for the year immediately following.
C. Certified copies of licenses. The fee for a certified
copy of a Class A license shall be as set from time to time by the
Board of Trustees.
A. Class A and Class B licenses shall remain valid indefinitely
upon payment of annual renewal fees unless suspended or revoked by
the Board as provided in this article.
B. Class C licenses shall be valid only until the work
covered thereby has been completed.
A. Licensees shall comply strictly with the provisions of Chapter
127 of this Code, entitled "Building Construction," and Article
II of this chapter.
B. No person shall lend, rent, transfer or assign in
any manner his license to any other person, nor shall any person make
use of a license which is not his own.
C. No person, unless issued a Class A license, shall
represent himself as a master plumber or licensed plumbing contractor
on signs, cards, stationery, vehicles, in advertising or in any other
manner for the purpose of pursuing such business in the Village.
D. A Class B license shall be valid only as it pertains
to work performed within the property limits of the firm to which
it is issued.
A. Before any Class A or Class B license is issued, certificates
of insurance protecting the Village, satisfactory to the Building
Inspector, shall be filed with him covering workers' compensation
as per New York State laws, public liability with limits of $100,000
to $300,000 and property damage with limits of $25,000 to $50,000.
B. Before any Class C license is issued, such certificates
of insurance and/or affidavits as may be required by the Board shall
be filed with the Building Inspector.
[Amended 10-2-1984 by L.L. No. 6-1984; 1-17-1989 by L.L. No.
2-1989]
The reciprocal recognition of plumbers' licenses
issued by other municipalities is hereby abolished, except that any
plumber who has held a reciprocal Class A license issued by the Village
of Dobbs Ferry for three consecutive years prior to the effective
date of this section is deemed to hold a Class A plumber's license.
The provisions of this article shall not apply
to plumbing installations in ships, railway cars and automotive equipment,
or the installation of plumbing systems, fixtures and equipment employed
by a water supply public utility in the exercise of its function as
a utility and located outdoors or in buildings used exclusively for
that purpose. This article shall not apply to any work involved in
the manufacture, assembly, test or repair of plumbing apparatus, materials
and equipment by a person, firm or corporation engaged in plumbing
manufacturing as its principal business. It shall not apply to any
building which is owned or leased in its entirety by the government
of the United States or the State of New York.
This article shall not be construed to relieve
from responsibility, nor lessen the responsibility of, any person
owning, operating, controlling or installing any plumbing systems,
fixtures or equipment for loss of life or damage to person or property
caused by any defect therein, nor shall the Village be deemed to have
assumed any such liability by reason of any license issued pursuant
to this article.
Any person aggrieved by any order, requirement,
decision or determination made by the Plumbing Licensing Board may,
within 20 days from the date of such order, requirement, decision
or determination, file a petition in writing with the Village Clerk
for a review of such action by the Board of Trustees, and such Board
shall thereupon hold a hearing in regard to such action upon written
notice to all parties concerned and reverse, modify or affirm such
action.
[Adopted 2-1-1966 as Art. 16-6 of the 1966 Dobbs Ferry
Village Code]
A. Before the construction or alteration of any plumbing
or drainage system is commenced, the owner or lessee, or the agent
of either, shall obtain a written permit therefor, and for that purpose
shall file an application in the office of the Building Inspector.
B. Ordinary repairs to plumbing and drainage systems
may be made without permit, but ordinary repairs shall not be construed
to include cases where new vertical lines or horizontal branches of
soil, waste, vent or leader pipes are proposed to be used.
C. Before the alteration or addition of any piping for
natural fuel gas is commenced, the owner, lessee or the agent of either
shall obtain a written permit therefor and, for that purpose, shall
file an application in the office of the Building Inspector.
[Added 1-17-1989 by L.L. No. 2-1989]
A. An application for a plumbing permit shall be filed
in duplicate, together with a fee as set from time to time by the
Board of Trustees for each fixture or connection to the plumbing system,
with a minimum fee as set by the Board of Trustees; two copies of
the specifications; two sets of photographic copies of the working
drawings of the proposed system or alteration; and such additional
drawings and information as the Building Inspector may require. The
specifications shall, if required, be on blanks provided by the Building
Inspector.
[Amended 6-5-1979 by L.L. No. 11-1979; 10-2-1984 by L.L. No.
6-1984]
B. The working drawings shall be drawn at a scale of
not less than 1/8 inch to one foot, with all dimensions plainly indicated
thereon, and they must consist of such floor plans and vertical cross
sections as may be necessary to show clearly all the plumbing work
to be done and must show partitions and methods of ventilating water
closet compartments.
C. Every application shall contain a verified statement
giving the full name and residence of the owner or owners and a description
of the lot where the work is to be done, by section, block and lot
number.
D. The plans and specifications upon which a permit has
been issued may be amended at any time before the completion of the
work for which the permit was sought, and such amendments, after approval,
shall be deemed part of the application and included in the permit.
E. The Building Inspector shall approve or reject any
application for a permit within a reasonable time and, if approved,
shall promptly issue a permit therefor to the applicant, together
with two certified copies of the approved specifications and drawings.
F. The work of construction or alteration of any plumbing
or drainage shall be carried out in accordance with the specifications
and drawings for which the permit was issued. A certified copy of
the approved specifications and drawings shall be kept at all times
on the premises from the commencement of the work to completion.
G. Where plumbing is to be done in conjunction with new
building construction or in conjunction with alterations of an old
building, no plumbing permit shall be granted until both the building
and the plumbing specifications and plans have been filed and approved.
Before commencing any work for which a permit has been obtained, the plumber engaged to do the work shall certify to the Building Inspector, in writing, that he has been engaged to do such work and is the person who will have the actual immediate charge of the work to be done, and no person, corporation or partnership holding a license issued pursuant to the provisions of Article
I of this chapter shall, for the benefit of any other person, corporation or partnership engaged in the plumbing business who is not so licensed, apply for, receive or make use of any permit granted to him by reason of holding such license.
A permit under which no substantial work has
been done within one year from the date of its issuance shall expire
by limitation.
The Building Inspector may, by written notice,
revoke any permit in case of any false statement or misrepresentation
as to a material fact in the application therefor or upon a violation
of any of the provisions of this Code, and thereupon all work shall
be stopped.
No person shall use or permit the use of any
new system of plumbing or drainage hereafter installed in any building
before the same has been tested pursuant to the provisions of the
State Building Construction Code under the supervision of the Building
Inspector and the Building Inspector has issued a certificate of completion
certifying that all work was completed in accordance with the provisions
of this Code.