[Amended 12-3-2019 by Ord. No. 6-2019]
A.
Required. Any person desiring or intending to conduct the trade,
business or calling of a plumber or of plumbing in the City as a master
plumber, a residential plumber, HVAC contractor, or engaging in the
installation, alteration or inspection of sprinklers shall submit
to an examination before the Board of Examining Plumbers as to their
experience and qualifications for such trade, business or calling,
and it shall be unlawful for a person to conduct such trade, business
or calling in the City unless and until they shall have obtained a
certificate of competency from the City Clerk.
B.
Licensing scope.
(1)
Residential plumber license. The term "three-dwelling-unit residential
plumber" is hereby replaced with the term "residential license." A
residential plumbing license authorizes the license holder to engage
in the business of installing, altering, removing, maintaining, expanding
and repairing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning and plumbing
systems, including the installation and alteration of fuel gas distribution
piping and equipment, appliances and venting systems on all residential
buildings with the exception of residential buildings containing any
nonresidential commercial spaces.
(2)
HVAC license. HVAC licensees may engage in the business of installing,
altering, removing, maintaining, expanding and repairing heating,
ventilation and air-conditioning systems, including the installation
and alteration of fuel gas distribution piping and equipment, appliances
and venting systems on all buildings in the City of Oneonta.
(3)
Master plumber license. Master plumbers may engage in the business
of installing, altering, removing, maintaining, expanding and repairing
heating, ventilation and air-conditioning and plumbing systems, including
the installation and alteration of fuel gas distribution piping and
equipment, appliances and venting systems on all buildings in the
City of Oneonta.
(4)
Fire suppression contractor license. Fire suppression contractors
may perform all work related to installing, annual inspections, altering,
removing, maintaining, expanding and the repair of sprinkler systems
in the City of Oneonta.
C.
Certificate of competency. A certificate of competency and license
shall be issued, without further examination, to all persons having
held such certificates in the City prior to the effective date of
this chapter.
D.
Examination and original license fees. There shall be a nonrefundable
application for examination fee that shall be set by resolution from
time to time by the Common Council of the City of Oneonta. The fee
for an original license shall be set by resolution from time to time
by the Common Council of the City of Oneonta for each individual firm
or corporation. An insurance policy to the City of Oneonta individually,
and/or as an additional insured, is required to indemnify the City
against liability for bodily injury, property damage, costs and expenses
which the City may incur or suffer by reason of the granting of such
permit. Such policy shall be at least in the sum of $500,000 single
limit for bodily injury and property damage liability combined and
shall be in such form as may be prescribed or approved by the City
Attorney. This requirement is necessary for renewals.
E.
Term; renewal fee.
(1)
Licenses shall be issued for the calendar year beginning on January
1 and expiring on December 31 of each year. Licenses shall be renewable
yearly at the office of the City Clerk, upon payment of the annual
license renewal fee as set by resolution from time to time by the
Common Council of the City of Oneonta.
(2)
Any master plumber, residential plumber, HVAC, or fire suppression
contractor previously licensed in the City of Oneonta who is applying
to renew a license that has expired shall be subject to the following
rules and regulations:
(a)
A license may be renewed within five years of its expiration
upon payment of the appropriate fee and showing proof of insurance.
Persons in active military service can make application for renewal
under this provision for a period of 10 years after expiration of
a license.
(b)
A license may be inactive if the licensee pays the yearly fee
but does not furnish insurance. The license is therefore inactive,
and no plumbing/HVAC or fire suppression work may be done or permits
issued, until the license is removed from this inactive status.
F.
Restricted licenses, unlicensed contractors and contractors licensed
by other entities.
(1)
It shall be unlawful for any out-of-City contractor and any contractor licensed by another entity to do any plumbing, HVAC or fire suppression work in the City without first obtaining a license as required in § 210-8 of this chapter. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, where an applicant for a master plumber, residential plumber, HVAC, or fire suppression contractor license establishes to the Board of Examining Plumbers' satisfaction that the applicant holds a current license from another state or political subdivision thereof, or from the State of New York or any political subdivision thereof, which license was issued on the basis of a qualifying examination, the Board of Examining Plumbers shall have the power to waive the written examination, at its discretion.
(2)
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, where an applicant
for a master plumber license, residential plumber license, or HVAC
license establishes to the satisfaction of the Board of Examining
Plumbers that he or she has completed at least 10 full years of full-time
work, or the equivalent over a longer period of time, in either of
said fields, either working independently or under the direction of
a master plumber, residential plumber, or HVAC contractor, respectively,
and attendance at, and certification from, an accredited school of
plumbing and/or HVAC training, with affidavits that support such qualifications,
the examination requirement shall be waived, and that person shall
be granted a license for the type of work appropriate to the applicant's
experience and education.
(3)
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, where an applicant
for a master plumber license, residential plumber license, or HVAC
license establishes to the satisfaction of the Board of Examining
Plumbers that he or she has completed at least 20 full years, or the
equivalent over a longer period of time, of full-time work in either
of said fields, either working independently or under the direction
of a master plumber, residential plumber, or HVAC contractor, respectively,
with affidavits that support such qualifications, the examination
requirement shall be waived, and the applicant shall be granted a
license for the type of work appropriate to the applicant's experience.
(4)
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, where an applicant
for a fire suppression contractor license establishes to the satisfaction
of the Board of Examining Plumbers that the applicant has proof of
at least eight years of full-time work experience in the fire suppression
field; or a combination of equivalent experience and education, with
affidavits supporting such qualifications; as well as a current and
valid NICET III certification in either "Water-Based Systems Layout"
or "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems," that applicant
shall be granted a license for the type of work appropriate to the
applicant's experience.
(5)
Community action agencies that are New York State-certified and financed
and overseen by the New York State Division of Housing and Community
Renewal Energy Services Bureau, or any other comparable or applicable
state agency shall, upon application, receive a restricted license
limited to the installation of furnaces, boilers and domestic water
heaters for homeowners who are low-income-qualified under state and
federal assistance programs in buildings that are entirely residential
in use and contain no more than one dwelling unit.
(6)
The fee for such licenses shall be set by resolution from time to
time by the Common Council of the City of Oneonta.
G.
Property owners. A property owner of a one- or two-family dwelling, only which they themselves occupy, may perform plumbing work thereon, excluding work on heating and domestic water-heating equipment in two-family dwellings, if they obtain a permit pursuant to § 210-9.
H.
Journeymen and apprentice tradespersons.
(1)
Any person employed by a master plumber, a residential plumber, HVAC
contractor, or fire suppression contractor shall carry with them at
all times an identification card that identifies them as either an
apprentice or journeyman. Said identification cards shall be obtained
at the office of the City Clerk, and said card shall state the name,
age and residence of the apprentice or journeyman, by whom he is employed
and any other information required by the Board of Examining Plumbers.
(2)
Apprentice cards shall be issued to persons who are not qualified
journeymen for a yearly fee as set by resolution from time to time
by the Common Council of the City of Oneonta, and all such cards shall
expire on December 31 of the calendar year issued.
(3)
Journeymen cards shall be issued only upon proof of four years of
experience as an apprentice, or graduation from an accredited school
of plumbing, or a combination of education and experience equivalent
to four years. A journeyman must be approved by the Board of Examining
Plumbers. If the journeyman is part of a reciprocal license application
with another governmental agency, the City Clerk and Code Enforcement
Officer may approve the application.
(4)
Journeymen cards shall be issued only to persons who are qualified
journeymen for the sum which shall be set by resolution from time
to time by the Common Council of the City of Oneonta, and all such
cards shall expire on December 31 of the calendar year issued.
(5)
Each identification card shall be signed by both the employer and
employee, and said employee must carry said card on their person at
all times that they are working on the job.
(6)
When said journeyman or apprentice is no longer employed by the licensee
who obtained and paid for their said identification card, said apprentice
or journeyman shall surrender their card to their former employer,
and said licensee employer shall thereupon deliver said card to the
City Clerk for revocation and cancellation.
I.
Terms; nontransferable; revocation. Said licenses shall be renewed annually and shall be for the calendar year of issuance. Said licenses are not transferable and shall be pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 166, Licenses and Permits, of the Code of the City of Oneonta. Said license is revocable for cause and particularly for the neglect or omission to obtain a permit and pay the inspection fee provided for and pursuant to § 210-9 of this chapter for each and every installation, original or replacement, of a boiler, furnace, space heater or hot-water heater of any description in the City of Oneonta, New York.
J.
Filing of application. An application for such license shall be filed
with the City Clerk upon the forms provided, together with payment
of the fee therefor and the delivery of the bond herein required.
The City Clerk shall act upon said application and approve or disapprove
of the same.
A.
Application and fees. All work of plumbing in the City of Oneonta
and the districts served by the water and/or sewer system of the City
shall be done under permit issued by the City Clerk and the City Plumbing
Inspector in accordance with the rules of the Board of Public Service,
and the City Clerk shall immediately send to the City Engineer notice
of the payment of the permit. Each such application for a permit shall
be accompanied by payment of the fee therefor set forth in the fee
schedule as set by resolution from time to time by the Common Council
of the City of Oneonta.
B.
Responsibility for obtaining required permits. It shall be the responsibility
of the licensee, or the homeowner doing their own work, to apply for
and obtain all permits required by the provisions of this chapter.
Said permits shall be issued to said applicants as permittee for their
employment at the property designated in the application upon the
payment of the required fee therefor.
C.
Construction documents. Each application for a permit shall contain
a description and location of the proposed work. All engineering calculations,
diagrams, construction documents and other such data shall be submitted
in two or more sets with each application for a permit. Construction
documents, computations and specifications to be prepared and designed
by a registered design professional when required by state law shall
be submitted with the application. Construction documents shall be
drawn to scale and shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the
location, nature and extent of the work proposed and show in detail
that the work conforms to the provisions of this code. Construction
documents for buildings more than two stories in height shall indicate
where penetrations will be made for pipes, fittings and components
and shall indicate the materials and methods for maintaining required
structural safety, fire-resistance rating and fire blocking.
D.
Exemption for construction documents. The code official shall have
the authority to waive the submission of construction documents, calculations
or other data if the nature of the work applied for is such that reviewing
of construction documents is not necessary to determine compliance
with this code.
E.
Heating systems. Permits are required for the new installation or
replacement installation of boilers, furnaces, hot-water heaters,
gas dryers, and for the installation of all gas heating units of any
description, size or manufacture. The fee therefor as set by resolution
from time to time by the Common Council of the City of Oneonta shall
be paid to the City Clerk before the permit may be issued.
F.
Sprinkler systems. A permit for the installation or alteration of
a fire suppression sprinkler system shall be required. Detailed plans
shall be supplied with the permit application and shall, where required,
bear the mark of a licensed professional engineer or registered architect.
All such systems shall be installed properly and in accordance with
the approved plans by contractors holding a fire suppression contractor
license as described by this chapter. All installations or alterations
to fire suppression sprinkler systems shall be subject to the inspection
and approval of the Plumbing Inspector.
G.
Failure to apply for permits. Any person who fails to apply for and
secure a permit as required by the provisions of this section shall
be required to file the necessary applications with all required attachments
and shall pay all applicable fees and, in addition, shall be required
to pay an inspection fee as determined by the Common Council.
H.
Exemptions. The following work shall be exempt from the requirement
for a permit:
(1)
The stopping of leaks in drains, water, soil, waste or vent pipes,
provided, however, that if any concealed trap, drainpipe, water, soil,
waste or vent pipes become defective and it becomes necessary to remove
and replace the same with new material, such work shall be considered
as new work, and a permit shall be obtained and inspection made as
provided in this code.
(2)
The clearing of stoppages or the repairing of leaks in pipes, valves
or fixtures, and the removal and reinstallation of bathroom and kitchen
fixtures, provided such repairs do not involve or require the rearrangement
of valves, pipes or fixtures.
A.
Required. In each instance where a permit is required as herein provided,
all piping, traps and fixtures of every plumbing system; all fire
suppression systems, parts thereof as well as supporting mechanical
systems; all appliances, boilers, furnaces, space heaters, hot-water
heaters and all other such units heated or fired by electricity, gas
or liquid petroleum shall be inspected by the City as hereinbefore
provided to assure compliance with the requirements of this chapter
and the installation thereof in accordance with the approved plans
and permit.
B.
Plumbing Inspector's duties. Inspections and tests shall be made by the City of all new fire suppression systems, plumbing, heating, hot water and appliance installations and of all alterations, renewals or extensions of the same, except those that are exempt from the permit requirements found under § 210-9H. The City shall also be required to help the Board with additional duties, such as plumbing/HVAC/fire suppression license examinations and proctoring.
C.
Permittee's duties. It shall be the duty of the plumber, HVAC or
fire suppression contractor issued a permit pursuant to provisions
of this chapter as permittee to notify the City when the work is ready
to be inspected and tested. No system shall be covered or concealed
until such inspection and testing has been made and approved by the
City.
A.
Required. In each instance where a permit is required as herein provided,
all piping, traps and fixtures of every plumbing system; all fire
suppression systems, parts thereof as well as supporting mechanical
systems; all appliances, boilers, furnaces, space heaters, hot-water
heaters and all other such units heated or fired by electricity, gas
or liquid petroleum shall be inspected by the city as hereinbefore
provided to assure compliance with the requirements of this chapter
and the installation thereof in accordance with the approved plans
and permit.
B.
Plumbing Inspector's duties. Inspections and tests shall be made by the Plumbing Inspector of all new fire suppression systems, plumbing, heating, hot water and appliance installations and of all alterations, renewals or extensions of the same, except those that are exempt from the permit requirements found under § 210-9H. The Plumbing Inspector shall also be required to help the Board with additional duties, such as plumbing/HVAC/fire suppression license examinations and proctoring.
C.
Permittee's duties. It shall be the duty of the plumber, HVAC or
fire suppression contractor issued a permit pursuant to provisions
of this chapter as permittee to notify the Plumbing Inspector when
the work is ready to be inspected and tested. No system shall be covered
or concealed until such inspection and testing has been made and approved
by the Plumbing Inspector.
A.
State Fire Prevention and Building Code applicable to plumbing. In
case of a dispute between a plumber, HVAC or fire suppression contractor,
and the Plumbing Inspector as to the proper interpretation of any
of the provisions of the State Fire Prevention and Building Code or
this chapter, the Plumbing Inspector shall report the facts to the
Board of Examining Plumbers, and at their option the contractor may
also report the facts to the Board of Examining Plumbers. Upon receipt
of such report, the Board of Examining Plumbers shall set a date for
a hearing, providing for due and timely notice to be given to the
parties interested.
B.
Appeal to the Board of Examining Plumbers shall be final.
