[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Town Council of the Borough of Chambersburg as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch. 113.
Electric water heater license — See Ch. 135, § 135-8B.
Sewers and sewage disposal — See Ch. 242.
Water — See Ch. 292.
[Adopted 11-30-1964 by Ord. No. 64-36]
[Amended 2-11-1976 by Ord. No. 76-14]
For the purpose of this article, the following words shall have the meanings herein ascribed to them:
BOARD
The Plumbers' Examining Board as hereinafter established.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Chambersburg, a municipal corporation.[1]
MASTER PLUMBER
A plumber, as defined below, who is responsible for the performance of and/or supervision and direction of others in the performance of plumbing work, as defined below.
OUTSIDE WORK
Installation and repair of plumbing between the water and sewer mains and the exterior wall of a building.
[Added 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-6]
PIPING
A. 
Any pipe or conduit of any material installed to conduct water from the water system of the Borough to any point at which such water is used or released.
B. 
Any pipe or conduit of any material used to conduct wastewater or sanitary or industrial wastes from the point of origin thereof to the sewer system of the Borough or to any other point of disposal.
PLUMBER
Any person performing or assisting in the performance of plumbing work as defined below.
PLUMBING CODE
The Plumbing Code of the Borough of Chambersburg.[2][3]
[1]
Editor’s Note: The former definitions of "exempt work" and "fixture," which immediately followed, were repealed 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04.
[2]
Editor's Note: See Art. II of this chapter.
[3]
Editor’s Note: The former definitions of "Plumbing Inspector," "plumbing or plumbing work" and "regulated plumbing work," which immediately followed, were repealed 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04.
A. 
No person not licensed as a master plumber by the Borough of Chambersburg as hereinafter provided shall perform or supervise or direct any plumbing work as defined by this article. The work of a person working under the immediate supervision of a licensed master plumber and actually employed by him or by the licensed master plumber's employer shall be deemed to be the work of such licensed master plumber, and the licensed master plumber shall be responsible for the work of such person.
B. 
Notwithstanding the above, outside work may be performed by, or supervised by, individuals who are licensed by the Borough to perform outside work.
[Added 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-6; amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
C. 
No property owner, lessee or contractor performing work on property located within the Borough of Chambersburg shall employ to perform plumbing work any person not licensed as required by this chapter. The employment of persons to perform plumbing services who are not licensed as required by this chapter shall be a violation of the Borough of Chambersburg Plumbing Code subject to the penalties hereinafter provided.
[Added 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04]
[Amended 4-12-1978 by Ord. No. 78-12]
Any person who shall desire to obtain a license as a master plumber shall apply in writing to the Manager of Utilities of the Borough of Chambersburg on a form to be provided for that purpose, furnishing all information required thereon, and shall pay an application fee in such amount as is established from time to time by the Borough Council. Applications shall be accepted only from natural persons.
A. 
Such application shall thereupon be referred to the Plumbers' Examining Board for consideration at its next regular meeting. If the Plumbers' Examining Board, as hereinafter constituted, shall, after consideration of the training, experience, and integrity of the applicant, deem such applicant to be qualified for examination, the applicant shall be examined by the Board as to his skill and knowledge of the requirements of the trade of master plumber. If, by such examination, the applicant evidences to the satisfaction of the Board that he is competent to practice the plumber's trade, he shall be granted a license as a master plumber and shall be entitled to practice the trade of a master plumber in the Borough of Chambersburg and shall be subject to all of the privileges, responsibilities, and duties which have been and which may hereafter be established for such licensees by the Borough of Chambersburg.
B. 
The license of a master plumber shall be valid during the lifetime of the holder thereof unless sooner suspended or revoked, subject to annual registration as hereinafter required.
C. 
If an applicant shall fail to pass the qualifying examination he may, upon request, be re-examined at a later regular examination (but not sooner than six months) upon payment of a fee in such amount as is established from time to time by the Borough Council for each such re-examination.
D. 
No additional fee shall be required for the issuance of a license to a successful candidate and for registration for the balance of the then-current calendar year. If the Board, in its discretion, does not accept an applicant for examination, the fee paid by the applicant shall be returned to him.
[Amended 4-12-1978 by Ord. No. 78-12; 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
Any person who shall furnish evidence satisfactory to the Borough of his skill, experience, and current active practice as a plumber, as indicated by a license issued by another municipality or other comparable evidence, may, upon payment of a fee in such amount as is established from time to time by the Borough Council, be granted a special license as master plumber, which shall entitle the holder thereof to do the plumbing work involved in a single specified contract job. Each such special license shall designate the work for which it was issued and shall become void upon the completion of said work. Such special license may be suspended or revoked for cause. A special license may also be issued as provided in § 216-11 hereof.
[Amended 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-6; 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
A. 
A firm or other establishment (hereinafter referred to as "employer") which employs on a full-time basis a person competent to perform routine plumbing work within its own plant may request in writing that said employee be issued a limited license as a master plumber, and the Borough may, at its discretion, issue said limited license under such terms as it may prescribe. An examination may be required by the Board to determine the competence of the applicant. Said limited license shall entitle the holder thereof to do routine plumbing work and to install plumbing equipment on the premises of his employer, and not elsewhere, as long as he shall remain a full-time employee of said employer, and said license shall become void upon termination of said employment. Such limited license shall not authorize the holder thereof to perform, supervise, or assume responsibility for plumbing work performed by any person not a bona fide employee of said employer. The Borough may, at its discretion, designate conditions limiting or restricting the scope of work which may be performed under such limited licenses or any such license. All work performed under any such limited licenses shall be subject to the requirements of § 216-12 hereof relating to permits for regulated plumbing work.
B. 
Limited licenses for outside work shall be issued by the Borough (hereafter "outside license"). An outside license shall only be issued if an individual passes a test administered by the Borough. Such licenses are not limited to contractor employees. The outside license shall be considered the same as a master plumber's license (except only outside work may be performed) and all the requirements for master plumbers shall also apply to holders of a limited license to do outside work. The Borough may terminate an outside license for just cause.
[Amended 4-12-1978 by Ord. No. 78-12]
A. 
Each licensed master plumber, including each holder of a limited license, shall be subject to registration on a calendar-year basis. Every licensee wishing to continue in the practice of his trade as a plumber shall, prior to the first day of January of each year, apply at the office of the Manager of Utilities for the reregistration of his license for the ensuing calendar year and shall pay a fee in such amount as is established from time to time by the Borough Council therefor. Any plumber whose license has not been properly reregistered shall be considered as an unlicensed person. Any licensee changing the address of his place of business shall notify the office of the Manager of Utilities promptly of such change. A registry shall be kept by the Manager of Utilities of all persons holding licenses as master plumbers which shall indicate the address and the current status of the registration of the holder thereof.
B. 
The license of a master plumber, or any other plumbing license, may be revoked or suspended for cause by the Borough.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
Each licensee shall be issued a permanent certificate showing that he has been granted a license as a master plumber by the Borough of Chambersburg and an annually renewed license showing that his license is valid for the current year. Such new card shall be issued each year to each licensee upon payment of the fee aforesaid. A plumber may allow his license to lapse for a period no longer than three years and during the same period may request the reissuance thereof upon payment of the required fee without penalty or examination, provided that he does not practice his trade within the terms of this article during the time his license has lapsed. After the three years have lapsed, the applicant must be reexamined as a new applicant.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
Each registered master plumber shall carry standard policies of public liability and property damage insurance for the entire period that he is engaged in the practice of his trade.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
In the event that a registered master plumber shall die or become incapacitated, the Borough may, in its discretion, issue a special license to a qualified representative of the business enterprise operated by said plumber authorizing such representative to continue the business thereof for a period of not longer than 12 months.
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04]
A. 
Before commencing any regulated plumbing work as herein defined, the master plumber responsible for the performance of such work shall apply, in writing, over his signature to the Borough of Chambersburg for a permit to do such work and shall furnish all data required on the application form provided for the purpose, together with plans and general specifications describing the work to be performed. The plans accompanying the application shall be in a form acceptable to the Borough of Chambersburg.
B. 
A fee shall be paid for the issuance of each such permit in accordance with the schedule of such fees established by the Town Council of the Borough of Chambersburg.
C. 
The Borough shall review such proposed plans and specifications for adequacy and for compliance with the Plumbing Code of the Borough of Chambersburg and may require such revisions thereto as it may deem necessary. Upon approval thereof and payment of the prescribed fee a permit will be issued authorizing the performance of the proposed plumbing work. The amount of the fee paid shall be shown, in ink, on each permit, and a receipt shall be given by the Borough for the amount paid. No regulated plumbing work shall be begun until such a permit is issued therefor.
D. 
The Borough or an authorized agent thereof shall inspect all phases of the work covered by every permit so issued and shall require full conformance to all requirements of the Plumbing Code. No plumbing work shall be enclosed, covered, backfilled or otherwise hidden from view prior to such inspection. The Borough shall require prompt correction of any violation of said code or require the plumber to suspend all further work until such corrections are completed. Continued failure on the part of any plumber to perform his work in accordance with the Plumbing Code or failure to rectify defects in his work which have been reported as violations of the code shall constitute a violation of this article.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
E. 
Upon completion of the work covered by each permit, the master plumber responsible therefor shall report such completion on a form provided for the purpose and shall certify his compliance with the Plumbing Code.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
Only an authorized employee of the Borough of Chambersburg, a master plumber licensed under this chapter, or an individual licensed under this chapter to perform outside work shall make a connection to the water system of the Borough or connect or disconnect or open any water meter measuring water supplied by the Borough system, upon receipt of a permit for that purpose granted by the Borough of Chambersburg. Any connection to said supply system or to any unmetered portion of a connection to said supply system made by an unauthorized person which may permit water to be secured from such system without the same being properly measured by a meter installed for that purpose by the Borough shall be evidence of attempt to defraud the Borough of its proper revenues.
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04]
No residence, industrial plant or other establishment within the Borough of Chambersburg or otherwise served by the water and/or sewer systems of the Borough of Chambersburg shall use any other source of water piped under pressure on said premises for any reason on said premises unless the use of such source of water is registered with the Borough of Chambersburg. All piping carrying water from any such source shall be subject to inspection by the Borough at all reasonable times.
[Amended 3-11-1968 by Ord. No. 68-14; 2-11-1976 by Ord. No. 76-14]
A. 
There is hereby constituted a Plumbers' Examining Board whose duty it shall be to examine applicants for licensure by the Borough as master plumbers as hereinbefore provided and to certify the names of those applicants who qualify for such licensure and to perform such other duties as are herein prescribed.
(1) 
Said Board shall be composed of six members who shall serve without compensation and shall consist of the Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Departments, a Borough Plumbing representative recommended by the Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Departments, the Code Official or his representative, and three additional members appointed by Town Council at its organization meeting in January of each even-numbered year, whom shall all be plumbers licensed by the Borough of Chambersburg and in good standing. All vacancies in the Board shall be filled by motion passed by Council.
[Amended 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04]
(2) 
The Board shall establish such reasonable minimum requirements of training and experience for applicants for licensure as it may deem proper.
[Amended 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
(3) 
The Board shall elect from among its members a Chairman and a Secretary who shall perform the duties usually associated with such offices. Proper records of all formal actions of the Board shall be kept by the Secretary.
B. 
The Board shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter to consider formal applications for licenses, if any such applications remain without disposition upon the first day of said quarter, and shall in any event meet at least once in each calendar year. Notice of the time and place of the examination shall be given to each applicant at least seven days prior to the date of the examination. The Chairman of the Board may call such special meetings of the Board as he may deem proper, giving not less than 24 hours' notice to all members.
[Added 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
A. 
Any person who shall violate any provision of these rules and regulations shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $300, and costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment of such fine and costs, to imprisonment for not more than 30 days. In the case of continued violation, each day the violation continues may constitute a separate violation.
B. 
The conviction of a master plumber of any violation of these rules and regulations shall be cause for suspension or revocation of said plumber's license by the Borough. A suspended or revoked license may be reinstated by the Borough at its discretion under such terms as it may determine.
C. 
Property owners will be responsible for fees from any inspections that result in a code violation.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 216-18, Violations and penalties, as amended, was repealed 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04.
[Adopted 2-11-1976 by Ord. No. 76-40]
[Amended 10-28-1987 by Ord. No. 87-8; 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04; 7-14-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-03; 1-22-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-02; 11-9-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-09]
The effective Plumbing Code in the Borough of Chambersburg is the 2015 Edition of the International Plumbing Code as revised from time to time by regulations issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry interpreting and administrating the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, which Pennsylvania Code is mandatory for all Pennsylvania jurisdictions. The International Plumbing Code is hereby revised to reflect its application in the Borough of Chambersburg as follows:
A. 
Section 101.1 shall reference the Borough of Chambersburg as the adopting jurisdiction.
B. 
Section 106.6.2 is hereby revised to read as follows:
106.6.2 Fee Schedule. The fee schedule for all plumbing work in the Borough of Chambersburg shall be as adopted by resolution of Borough Council from time to time.
C. 
Section 106.6.3 Fee refunds. When it is determined that the full amount of any fee paid hereunder was erroneously paid or collected or for any other cause appropriate to be refunded, application for refund shall be made to the Borough. Refunds shall be authorized only as directed by Borough Council. No refund of any fee paid shall be made except upon written application filed by the original permittee not later than 180 days after the date of fee payment.
D. 
Section 108.4, entitled Violation penalties, is hereby revised to read as follows: Any person who shall violate a provision of this code or shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof or who shall erect, install over or repair plumbing work in violation of the approved construction documents or directive of the Code Official, or of a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of this code, shall be guilty of a summary offense punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus each day a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate violation.
E. 
Section 108.5, entitled Stop work orders, is hereby revised to provide as follows: Upon notice from the Code Official, work on any plumbing system that is being done contrary to the provisions of this code or in a dangerous or unsafe manner shall immediately cease. Such notice shall be in writing and shall be given to the owner of the property, or to the owner’s agent, or to the person doing the work. The notice shall state the conditions under which work is authorized to resume. Where an emergency exists, the Code Official shall not be required to give a written notice prior to stopping the work. Any person who shall continue any work in or about the structure after having been served with a stop work order, except such work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be in violation of this code and subject to the penalties described in Section 108.4 above.
F. 
Section 109, entitled Means of Appeal, is hereby revised to read as follows: In order to hear and decide appeals of orders, decisions or determinations made by the Plumbing Code Official relative to the application and interpretation of this Code, appeals will be to the Construction Code Board of Appeals established pursuant to Chapter 113, § 113-4, of the Code of the Borough of Chambersburg. For purposes of appeals arising under this chapter of the Borough Code, in addition to membership of the Board of Appeals as established under § 113-4 of the Code of the Borough, the Plumbing Code Official shall be an ex officio member of said Board but shall have no vote on any matter before the Board. All procedures of the Board so established shall be applicable to appeals under this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 216-20, Amendments, as amended, was repealed 7-14-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-03. Former § 216-21, Short title, as amended, was repealed 1-22-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-02.