There is hereby created and established the Office of the Plumbing
Inspector. He shall act under the direction of the Plumbing Board
and shall have supervision of all plumbing and drainlaying in the
City and shall perform such duties as are hereinafter prescribed.
The Plumbing Inspector shall have the right, during reasonable hours,
to enter any building in the City for performance of his duties. The
Plumbing Inspector shall review the suitability of alternate materials
for use and types of installation to the code and may grant a variance
form the strict application to the code if in his determination an
unnecessary hardship exists and the public health, safety and welfare
of the City of Seward are maintained. The Plumbing Inspector shall
have such assistants as the Council may provide; and when appointed
by the Council, such assistants shall have the same powers and duties
as the Plumbing Inspector. The Plumbing Inspector shall be appointed
by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council. The Water/Wastewater
Superintendent may be appointed Plumbing Inspector at the discretion
of the Mayor and Council. When the Water/Wastewater Superintendent
serves as Plumbing Inspector, he shall not receive any additional
compensation for his services as such Plumbing Inspector.
A.
It shall be the duty of the Plumbing Inspector to investigate all
cases reported to or referred to him of the use of imperfect material
or workmanship on any job of plumbing work or the violation of the
provisions of this article by a plumber, builder, or owner; to stop
such work; to order same removed and replaced in a proper and workmanlike
manner to conform to the spirit and intent of this article; and he
may further request the Attorney to file complaint against any person
for violation of any of the provisions of this article, and it shall
be the duty of the Attorney to prosecute the same without unnecessary
delay.
B.
The Plumbing Inspector shall make inspection of old plumbing work
at the request of the agent, owner, or occupant of any building or
premises where said plumbing work is located. In order to ascertain
whether or not the plumbing in said building or premises is in a sanitary
condition, the Plumbing Inspector shall have the right and authority
to enter any building or upon any premises at all reasonable hours
to ascertain if the provisions of this article or any ordinance relating
to plumbing have been or are being violated or being complied with.
Where he has reason to believe that defective or unsanitary plumbing
exists, and whenever defective or unsanitary plumbing is found, it
shall be the duty of the Plumbing Inspector to notify the agent or
owner of the premises on which the same is found to forthwith cause
such plumbing to be changed and to conform with the terms and requirements
of the Municipal Code, or to be changed and made sanitary in such
other manner as said Plumbing Inspector may authorize and direct.
Such owner or agent is hereby required, within 10 days after receiving
such notification, to comply therewith; or failing or neglecting to
do so, he shall be considered as maintaining unsanitary plumbing and
violating the requirement hereof; and it shall be the duty of said
Plumbing Inspector to make complaint against such owner or agent and
cause him to be prosecuted.
It shall be unlawful for the Plumbing Inspector to engage in
the business of plumbing or to perform any work as a plumber in the
City during the term of office as Plumbing Inspector.
