[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
This Chapter outlines the licensure requirements for individuals
engaging in the performance and/or oversight of Plumbing Work, and
the procedures and fees related to the administration and enforcement
of said requirements.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
Unless otherwise provided for in this Chapter, the Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings of St. Charles County, codified in Section 500.150 of the Ordinances of St. Charles County, Missouri (OSCCMo), as amended, and the Plumbing Code of St. Charles County, codified in Section 500.280, OSCCMo, as amended, shall govern the administration and enforcement of this Chapter.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
Unless otherwise expressly stated in this Chapter, the following
words and terms shall have the following meanings when used in this
Chapter.
The Director of the St. Charles County Division of Building
and Code Enforcement of the Department of Community Development or
a duly authorized representative of the Director.
Any individual who holds a Plumbing Contractor Business License
issued pursuant to this Chapter by St. Charles County and is charged
the responsibility to perform and/or oversee Plumbing Work.
Any individual who holds a Plumbing Contractor Business License
issued pursuant to this Chapter.
An individual who both owns and primarily resides in a single-family
residential property.
Any work subject to applicable Code standards set out in Section 625.010 of this Chapter, including the design, installation, construction, maintenance, service, repair, alteration, or modification of a product or equipment transferring liquid, gas, or similar system.
Any agency of the State of Missouri or any political subdivision
of the State.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
A.
The Code Official shall:
1.
Adopt certain rules and regulations to ensure the proper administration
and enforcement of this Chapter;
2.
Conduct investigations into all complaints against any Licensee;
3.
Suspend, revoke, refuse to renew, or place on probation the license of any Licensee who fails to correct any violations of this Chapter or of any applicable Code standard set out in Section 625.010 of this Chapter;
4.
Activate bonds to cover the cost for any work performed by a Licensee that does not meet minimum requirements of any applicable Code standard set out in Section 625.010 of this Chapter; and
5.
Review applications pursuant to this Chapter, test applicants
as and when required, and issue Plumbing Contractor Business Licenses
to applicants who comply with the licensure requirements provided
in this Chapter.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
Subject to Section 625.050 of this Chapter, an individual must have a Plumbing Contractor Business License issued pursuant to this Chapter to engage in business as a Licensed Plumbing Contractor in unincorporated St. Charles County or in any incorporated area of the County whose governing body has consented to contract with the County to enforce any applicable Code standard set out in Section 625.010 of this Chapter. No Licensee may allow any other individual to use his or her license for any purpose, except as provided in Section 625.050(A)(5) of this Chapter. An individual who is also registered pursuant to Chapter 327, RSMo., as an architect or professional engineer trained in design criteria for plumbing systems and qualified to design such systems is not exempt from the Plumbing Contractor Business License requirements when performing and/or overseeing Plumbing Work, subject to the exceptions to the licensure requirement contained in Section 625.050.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
A.
Section 625.040's licensure requirements shall not apply when
an individual:
1.
Is performing Plumbing Work for a public utility on construction,
maintenance, and development of its facilities;
2.
Is performing Plumbing Work on motor vehicles or agricultural
equipment;
3.
Is an Owner-Occupant of a single-family dwelling or accessory
building, is performing Plumbing Work on that dwelling or accessory
building, and demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Code Official
(by written examination, if necessary, in the Code Official's
sole discretion) the knowledge and skill to perform such work;
4.
Is trained and employed by a Public Entity to service or repair
its own plumbing systems and is performing Plumbing Work on those
systems;
5.
Is employed by a Licensed Plumbing Contractor and is performing
Plumbing Work authorized by and under the direct supervision of that
Licensee; or
6.
Is employed by a contractor installing the following public
utilities or public improvements and is working on installing the
following public utilities or public improvements:
a.
Water mains, potable water mains and service lines from the
water main to the meter, and (if the same contractor is installing
them) water service lines from the water meter to the structure served;
b.
Sanitary sewer mains and (if the same contractor is installing
them concurrently) sanitary sewer laterals connecting the main to
the structure served; and
c.
Storm water sewer mains.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
A.
To obtain a Plumbing Contractor Business License, an applicant must
meet the following minimum requirements:
1.
The applicant must be at least eighteen (18) years of age;
2.
The applicant must make application to the Code Official in
a format prescribed by the Code Official;
3.
The applicant must meet all requirements specified by this Chapter
and by rules and regulations promulgated by the Code Official;
4.
The applicant must pay the appropriate processing fees required
by the Code Official; and
5.
The applicant must pass the appropriate examination duly designated
by the Code Official in his or her sole discretion.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
A.
All applicants who meet the requirements for licensure in Sections 625.060 of this Chapter shall be issued the appropriate license. However, the Code Official may deny a license if the applicant has:
1.
Committed any act which, if committed by a Licensee, would be grounds for suspension or revocation of the license pursuant to Sections 625.030(A)(3) and 625.120 of this Chapter;
2.
Previously been denied a license for cause, or previously had
a license revoked for cause; or
3.
Knowingly made any false statement or misrepresentation on the
application for a license.
B.
Any individual aggrieved by a decision of the Code Official under
this Section may appeal to the St. Charles County Building Commission
and introduce any evidence in his or her defense. Any individual whose
application for a license has been denied may reapply for such a license,
but no sooner than one (1) year after the date of denial.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
All current holders of plumbing contractor licenses issued by St. Charles County shall be subject to all provisions of this Chapter, except that such individuals are exempt from this Chapter's testing requirements, unless their licenses expire without being renewed as required by Section 625.090 of this Chapter. The Code Official may prorate renewal fees for the purposes of extending the expiration date of licenses for existing plumbers to correspond with the renewal periods enumerated in Section 625.090.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
The Code Official shall renew or issue such Plumbing Contractor Business Licenses in active status for two-year terms beginning on the first day of January in even-numbered years and ending on the last day of December in the following odd-numbered year. To renew any such license, a Licensee must submit to the Code Official, before the license's expiration date, and in a format prescribed by the Code Official, an application for renewal along with the payment of the renewal fee enumerated in Section 625.110 of this Chapter. Late applications for renewal shall be accepted until, but no later than, March 31st with payment of late fees imposed in Section 625.110(C).
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
In lieu of renewing a license in active status as provided by Section 625.090 of this Chapter, a Licensee may apply for inactive license status for two-year terms, beginning and ending as provided in Section 625.090. A Licensee who obtains inactive license status may perform no Plumbing Work under the inactive license. To apply for inactive license status, a Licensee must submit to the Code Official, before the license's expiration date, and in a format prescribed by the Code Official, an application for inactive license status along with the required application fees. A Licensee whose license is on inactive status may change his or her license to an active status by applying for renewal as provided by Section 625.090. A Licensee who has a license in an inactive status for more than two (2) renewal periods must provide evidence of continued competency, as approved by the Code Official, to change his or her license to an active status.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
A.
The Code Official shall collect the following fees:
1.
Plumbing Contractor Business License initial application fee
of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per application;
2.
Plumbing Contractor Business License active status fee of two
hundred dollars ($200.00) per license for two (2) years; and
3.
Plumbing Contractors Business License inactive status fee of
fifty dollars ($50.00) to renew a license in an inactive status for
two (2) years.
B.
The Code Official may prorate the fees enumerated in Subparagraph
(A)(2) of this Section when first issuing licenses or when reactivating
licenses on inactive license status.
C.
The Code Official shall collect the following additional fees for
expired licenses when the application to renew is received after the
expiration date:
D.
A Licensee who fails to renew his or her license before April of the year following expiration, shall pay an additional one hundred dollars ($100.00) to reactivate the license in addition to any fees required in Section 625.110(A). A Licensee who reactivates his or her license per this Subsection is not required to pay any of the fees listed in Section 625.110(C) with the reactivation fee.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
A.
The Code Official may make investigations and conduct hearings and,
upon its own investigation or a complaint in writing, signed and verified
by the complainant, suspend, refuse to renew, or revoke any Plumbing
Contractor Business License (including a license on inactive license
status) if the Code Official finds that the Licensee has:
B.
Any individual aggrieved by a decision of the Code Official under
this Section may appeal to the St. Charles County Building Commission
and introduce any evidence in his or her defense. Any individual whose
Plumbing Contractor Business License has been revoked or who has been
refused renewal of his or her Plumbing Contractor Business License
may reapply for such a license, but no sooner than one (1) year after
the date of revocation or refusal to renew.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
All individuals licensed under this Chapter shall maintain on
file with the Code Official evidence of a contractor license bond
in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). This bond must
be kept in force at all times and be in the name of the license holder.
Failure to maintain such bond shall result in revocation or suspension
of license.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
All individuals licensed under this Chapter shall be required
to maintain on file with the Code Official a certificate of insurance
evidencing liability insurance coverage in the amount of five hundred
thousand dollars ($500,000.00) per incident. This insurance must be
kept in force at all times, and the certificate holder shall be listed
as St. Charles County. Failure to maintain such insurance shall result
in revocation or suspension of license.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
Upon notice from the Code Official that work is being performed contrary to provisions of this Chapter, such work shall be immediately stopped. The stop work order shall be in writing; shall be given to the owner of the property involved, or to that owner's agent, and to the individual doing the work; and shall state the conditions under which work will be permitted to resume. Any individual who shall continue any work in violation of the provisions of this Chapter after having been served with a stop work order shall be liable to a fine as provided by Section 625.160 of this Chapter, which fine shall be not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00).
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
Any individual who violates any provision of this Chapter, or
of any rule, regulation, order or license issued pursuant to this
Chapter may, in accordance with the regulations issued by the Code
Official, be assessed an administrative penalty by the Code Official.
The penalty shall not exceed the amount of two hundred fifty dollars
($250.00) for each violation. Each day a violation continues may be
deemed a separate offense. However, no administrative penalty may
be assessed until the individual charged with the violation has been
given notice of the violation and the opportunity for a hearing by
the St. Charles County Building Commission. Alternatively, St. Charles
County may institute legal action against any individual who violates
a provision of this Chapter, or of any rule, regulation, order or
license issued pursuant to this Chapter. Any such individual shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one
thousand dollars ($1,000.00). Each day that a violation continues
shall be deemed a separate offense.
[Ord. No. 19-036, 5-13-2019]
Enforcement of this Chapter shall be the responsibility of the
County Counselor.
