[Adopted 4-3-1990 as Ch. 5, Art. I, Div. 2, of the 1989
Code]
As used in this Part 3, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
The legally designated authority of Kent County or the State
of Maryland or his authorized representative.
Any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership,
institution or public body, and includes the plural as well as the
singular.
No person, firm or corporation shall begin the
erection or construction of a new building in Kent County or undertake
the construction of any major additions or alterations to an existing
building which will in any way affect the water supply, sewage disposal
or plumbing fixtures, appliances connected with the water or sewerage
system, sewers or additions to present sewers without first having
obtained a permit from the Building Code Administrator of Kent County
as hereinafter provided.
Applicants for a permit shall be required to
give the location and description of the property, including, if applicable,
the name of the subdivision, lot number, size of lot and nature and
size of building or extent of addition or alterations to existing
buildings and the method of water supply and sewage disposal and number
and kind of plumbing fixtures and/or appliances connected with the
water and sewer system to be installed, on an application form obtainable
at the office of the Building Code Administrator for Kent County.
Said application must be accompanied by a rough drawing showing the
size, shape and general location of the owner's property and the location
of the existing or proposed building thereon and the water supply
and sewage disposal system in existence or proposed. After said application
has been duly processed in the Building Code Administrator's office,
it shall be delivered to the County Health Department for processing
and approval. The Health Department shall not approve any application
for a permit in any case where it is evident to it that the sanitary
requirements cannot or will not be complied with by the owner of the
property or where the percolation tests show that a cesspool or tile
field will not be satisfactory. When so approved by the County Health
Department, the application shall be returned to the office of the
Building Code Administrator, who shall issue to the applicant a sanitary
construction permit upon payment of the fee or fees as determined
by the County Commissioners.
All plumbing work done in the county in and
about or in connection with any building must conform to the Plumbing
Code approved by the Maryland State Board of Commissioners of Practical
Plumbing and to the regulations of the State Board of Health, provided
that chlorinated polyvinyl chloride plastic piping and fittings may
be used for the distribution of hot and cold potable water in residential
and commercial installations and provided that polyvinyl chloride
plastic piping and fittings may be used for drain, waste and vent
in any plumbing work done in the county. The use or installation of
the plastic piping and fitting must conform to the standards of the
National Sanitation Foundation. All indoor plumbing fixtures must
be installed under the supervision of a plumber holding a Kent County
plumbing license unless the work is being done by the property owner
himself, rental property excepted.
A.
No person shall engage in the business of constructing,
remodeling, altering or installing any septic system or part of any
septic system unless they are in possession of a valid license issued
by the Health Officer. This shall not apply to any person constructing,
remodeling or repairing their own septic system on their own property
where they reside or to any licensee whose license has been suspended
or revoked, if said licensee is correcting a defect on a job contracted
prior to the date of suspension or revocation, or to a holder of a
Kent County plumbing license.
B.
Any person desiring to obtain a valid septic system
contractor's license shall apply to the Health Officer on a form approved
for this purpose, provided that a license is not under suspension
or revocation.
C.
Licenses shall be issued for a period not in excess
of two (2) years and shall expire on June 1 of each year, renewable
every two (2) years. The application for such license must be accompanied
by a fee which is to be established from time to time by resolution
of the Board of County Commissioners and a performance bond, the amount
of which is to be established from time to time by resolution of the
Board of County Commissioners,[1] conditioned upon the contractor's proper installation
of septic tanks, dry wells, tile fields, etc., said bond to be in
such form as shall be prescribed by the County Building Code Administrator.[2]
D.
Any license may be suspended or revoked by the Health
Officer after a licensee has violated any provisions of the health
laws or septic tanks regulations of Kent County or the State of Maryland
or any other law or ordinance relating to the installation of septic
tanks in Kent County, Maryland.
E.
Any person whose license has been suspended or revoked
may, at any time, make application in writing to the Health Officer
for reinstatement of his license and, upon satisfactory proof of the
correction of all previous violations of Health Department or septic
tank regulations, shall be entitled to have his license reinstated.
F.
The holder of a license shall present it upon request
by employees or agents of the Board of Health, Plumbing Inspector
of Kent County or any officer of the law of Kent County or the State
of Maryland.
A.
Inspection of the property before and during the construction
authorized by the sanitary construction permits shall be made by the
Kent County Plumbing Inspector or Sanitarian or such persons as may
be designated by the Administrator as follows:
(1)
First inspection. All soil lines, drains, vents and
waterlines inside of any building must be inspected after they are
roughed in and before they are covered. All outside sewer facilities
must be inspected after installation and before being covered. Any
pump connected with a well must be inspected before being covered.
(2)
Second or final inspection. All work must be given
an inspection and receive final approval after all plumbing fixtures
and appliances connected with the water or sewer system are set, sewers
and wells are covered and job completed.
B.
In addition to the above-required inspections, the
Plumbing Inspector may make such other inspections as he deems necessary.
C.
The Inspector shall be authorized and empowered to
go upon the property whenever he deems it necessary or expedient to
do so to inspect the work as it progresses to see that it conforms
to the Plumbing Code and said health regulations and require the plumber
doing the work to correct the same.
The County Commissioners may appoint an Inspector
of Plumbing whose duty it shall be to make inspections of all properties
before and during the construction authorized under the permits issued
as provided herein. He shall see that all plumbing work performed
is in accordance with the Plumbing Code and that all water supply
and sewage disposal systems are in compliance with the State Board
of Health regulations. The Inspector of Plumbing shall be a master
plumber or some other qualified person. He shall be paid such salary
and expenses as the County Commissioners shall determine.
In addition to the other duties hereinafter
set forth, the Building Code Administrator shall hear and decide all
questions and disputes between property owners or their agents and
the Plumbing Inspector. Said County Building Code Administrator shall
also act as an advisor to the County Commissioners with respect to
the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Part
3. Any person, firm or corporation aggrieved by the decision of the
County Building Code Administrator may appeal to the Circuit Court
for Kent County.
A.
All plumbers doing work in Kent County must be licensed
in accordance with the provisions of § 12-301 of the Business
Occupations and Professions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
In addition, all master plumbers doing work in Kent County, whether
residents of said county or not, must obtain a county license from
the County Building Code Administrator. The application for said license
must be accompanied by a fee which is to be established from time
to time by resolution of the Board of County Commissioners and a performance
bond, the amount of which is to be established from time to time by
resolution of the Board of County Commissioners, conditioned upon
the plumber's proper installation of all plumbing fixtures, septic
tanks, cesspools, tile fields, appliances, etc. Said bond shall be
in such form as shall be prescribed by the County Building Code Administrator.
Said licenses shall be issued for the period of two (2) years (to
terminate June 30), but may be refused or revoked by said Building
Code Administrator in the event that it is shown that said master
plumber is either unable or unwilling to properly perform his work
and/or it becomes necessary to take action upon his bond filed as
aforesaid.
A.
Appliances such as automatic washers, combination
washers and dryers, disposals, hot-water heaters and dishwashers must
be installed by a master plumber or an appliance dealer or employee
thereof or other person duly licensed by the County Building Code
Administrator to make such installations, except that no such person
or licensee is required for replacement of an old appliance with a
new model or a similar appliance. Any appliance dealer or employee
thereof or any other person, not a master plumber, desiring to make
installation of appliances in Kent County as aforesaid must make an
application to the County Building Code Administrator for a special
county license. Said application must be accompanied by a fee which
is to be established from time to time by resolution of the Board
of County Commissioners and a performance bond, the amount of which
is to be established from time to time by resolution of the Board
of County Commissioners, conditioned upon said applicant's proper
installation of all appliances. Said bond shall be in such form as
shall be prescribed by the County Building Code Administrator. The
license shall be issued for a period of two (2) years, but may be
refused or revoked by the Building Code Administrator in the event
that it is shown that said licensee is either unable or unwilling
to properly perform his work and/or it becomes necessary to take action
upon his bond filed as aforesaid.[1]
B.
The Kent County Building Code Administrator is hereby
authorized and empowered to require said applicant for an appliance
installation license to pass such an examination (written or practical)
as said Building Code Administrator deems appropriate.
C.
The standard of plumbing work involved in installing
appliances must conform to the Plumbing Code approved by the Maryland
State Board of Practical Plumbing and to the regulations of the State
Board of Health.
A.
No person shall install an appliance, except the owner
of the home in Kent County (rental properties excepted), or undertake
the installation of any appliance in Kent County, other than the replacement
of an old appliance with a new model or similar appliance, which affects
or connects with any water supply, sewage disposal or plumbing system
without first having obtained a permit from the Building Code Administrator
of Kent County as hereinafter provided.
B.
The applicants for said appliance permits shall be
required to give the location of the property, name of the owner of
the property, the name and number of the appliance, a drawing showing
the existing water supply and existing sewer, number of fixtures and
appliances already installed and how this appliance will be connected
to the present water and/or sewer system. Upon approval of said application
by the County Health Department or County Plumbing Inspector, said
permit shall be issued by the Building Code Administrator of Kent
County at a cost of forty dollars ($40.) per installation.[1]
C.
If any substantial alteration or addition to the sewer
system is deemed necessary by the County Health Department or the
County Plumbing Inspector, the owner must obtain a permit from the
Health Department and the work must be performed as approved by said
Health Department.
D.
Upon the installation of said appliances, the same
shall be inspected by the County Plumbing Inspector under the same
rules and regulations as other plumbing installations.
E.
Nothing herein shall prohibit installation of appliances
as aforesaid by the purchaser and ultimate consumer, provided that
he makes the proper application, secures the proper permit and the
job is inspected by the Plumbing Inspector after it is completed.
A.
Any piping beyond the cold-water pressure tank, except
piping of cups and faucets for agricultural use, must be done by a
plumber holding a Kent County plumbing license. If installation necessitates
any work in the well, a permit must be obtained from the Building
Code Administrator and the work must be inspected by the Plumbing
Inspector before covering the well as hereinbefore set forth.[1]
B.
Nothing herein shall prohibit the purchaser and ultimate
consumer from installing a pump, drinking cup and cold-water pressure
tank without a license.
A.
Any person employed as a maintenance man in a cannery,
oyster house, crab house, milk plant or similar operation may do all
maintenance work on the machinery of the company and may maintain
the plumbing system of the plant without being licensed.
B.
Should said maintenance work require any new plumbing
fixtures, new sewers or additions to existing sewers handling human
waste, the work must be done by a plumber holding a Kent County plumbing
license and shall be governed by the same rules and regulations as
other plumbing installations.
Any firm or corporation can engage in the plumbing
business in Kent County, provided that it has a duly licensed master
plumber associated with the firm or corporation or employed by it
who regularly manages and supervises all plumbing installations.
Every person shall have the power and authority
to employ an unlicensed plumber or mechanic to do repair work about
his premises situated in the county, such as the repair of pumps,
windmills, pipes, machinery and work of like nature.
Any person violating the provisions of this Part 3 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable as provided in § 12-607 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
