[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of West Seneca 9-26-1988.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building Code administration and enforcement — See Ch. 55.
Electrical inspections — See Ch. 65.
Excavations in streets — See Ch. 70.
Sewers — See Ch. 97.
Subdivision of land — See Ch. 103.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance superseded former Ch. 90, Plumbers, Licensing of, adopted 5-23-1960, effective 7-1-1960.
   As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER or MASTER PLUMBER
Any mechanic who has served his apprenticeship or learned his trade or handicraft and works at it mostly by the day, week or month, not on his own account, but as a servant or employee of another, and shall include any person who holds himself out to the public as a plumber.
SEWER CONTRACTOR
A person or persons offering their services for the installation of sewer and drainage pipe, outside of a structure.
No person, firm or corporation shall do any plumbing, sewer or drainage work in any premises in the Town of West Seneca unless such person, firm or corporation shall first be duly licensed in the manner provided by this chapter.
A domestic corporation desiring or intending to conduct the trade, business or calling of plumbing, sewer or drainage in this Town as employing or master plumber may do so, provided that one or more officers of such corporation, separately or aggregately, actually hold and own at least 51% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of said corporation, and provided that each of such officers holding such percentage of the stock is the holder of a certificate of competency issued by the Board of Plumbing Examiners, and also a plumbing license issued by the Town Clerk. All such corporations shall register in the office of the Town Clerk.
The license shall be printed on a form to be determined by the Town Clerk. Said form shall contain the date of issuance, the license number, the fee paid and the name of the person licensed. All licenses shall expire on December 31 following the date of issuance. All licenses shall be signed by the Town Clerk.
A. 
Any person, firm or corporation who shall desire a license to conduct plumbing, sewer or drainage business within the Town of West Seneca shall apply in person, or, in the case of a corporation, by a qualified person, at the office of the Town Clerk and register his or its name and address with the Town Clerk upon application forms to be approved by the Town Board.
B. 
Said application form shall contain the name, age and address of the applicant, a statement of the kind of work the applicant has been engaged in for the past five ears, together with the names of employers and locations of various projects that he has worked upon, a statement of the experience and qualifications of the applicant in doing plumbing work, together with such other and further information that the Town Clerk, Town Board and Board of Plumbing Examiners shall deem desirable.
The Town Clerk shall issue a license authorizing said applicant to conduct such business in the Town of West Seneca upon having been satisfied that the applicant has met the following conditions:
A. 
Obtaining of certificate. A certificate from the Board of Plumbing Examiners stating that the applicant has satisfactorily passed the various examinations and is qualified to be a master plumber or sewer contractor shall be obtained. Said certificate must be dated within one year of the date of application to the Town Clerk.
B. 
Proof of financial responsibility. The applicant shall file with the Town Clerk certificates of insurance naming the Town of West Seneca and protecting the same to the extent of the following limits: $500,000 for each occurrence for bodily injury liability; $100,000 for each occurrence for property damage liability (effective January 1, 1989).
C. 
License fee. The annual fee for a license shall be the sum of $175 for the master plumber and $75 for sewer contractors.
[Amended 11-28-2011 by L.L. No. 8-2011]
A renewal license shall be issued by the Town Clerk each year to any person, firm or corporation holding a license at the expiration of the previous year without examination upon payment of the license fee of $75 for master plumber and $50 for sewer contractor and upon filing a renewal of the required bond and proof of financial responsibility. If, however, the applicant for the renewal license is not made within 30 days after the expiration of the prior existing license, such license shall be deemed to have lapsed. A new license shall not be issued except upon new application made pursuant to § 90-6 above.
No license holder shall allow his name or license to be used by any other person or party either for the purpose of obtaining permits or doing any work under his name. Plumbers or sewer contractors will be held responsible for the violation of any rules of the Town Board by journeymen plumbers or others while in their employ. The forfeiture or suspension of the license of any plumber shall operate as the forfeiture or suspension of the license if a copartner or the superintendent of construction of a corporation. A separate license will not be granted to any person employed by said partnership or corporation so long as the license of the offending plumber or sewer contractor is under forfeiture or suspension and he continues to be associated with or employed by said partnership or corporation.
A license issued to a firm or corporation shall terminate on dissolution of said firm or corporation or upon termination of employment of the superintendent of construction of a corporation, unless said corporation shall have in its employ another person duly licensed under this chapter who shall succeed said superintendent.
A license cannot be transferred to any successor in the business or to any person whomsoever under any circumstances.
All licenses shall expire on the 31st day of December of the year issued and may be renewed within 30 days preceding expiration and may be renewed pursuant to § 90-7.
The Town Clerk may revoke any license issued to any person under the provisions of this chapter for cause after a hearing on three days' notice to said person.
A. 
The Examining Board of Plumbers is hereby established and hereinafter called the "Board" and shall consist of five members: Town Building Inspector or Plumbing Inspector as the Town Board may dictate; one member of the Town Board; and three persons who have actively engaged in the plumbing business for at least 10 years next preceding their membership on such Board.
B. 
The last four members shall be appointed by resolution of the Town Board and must be residents of the Town of West Seneca. The term of office of the last-mentioned two members shall be two years. Said two years shall coincide with the term of office of the Town Board, and that of the first three members shall be the term to which each has been appointed or elected, as the case may be. Vacancies shall be filled by the Town Board for unexpired terms.
C. 
The two members who are not, in their primary capacity, Town officials shall receive as compensation as such Board member such amount as a majority of said Board shall determine, but, in no event, shall such compensation for any one member total more than $500 per year. The intent of this subsection is that the Building Inspector or Plumbing Inspector and Town Board member shall serve without compensation.
A. 
The Board of Plumbing Examiners shall have jurisdiction over and examine all persons desiring or intending to engage in the plumbing and sewer business or employing plumbers in the Town of West Seneca with the power of examining persons applying for examination for certificates of competency as such employing or master plumbers to determine their fitness and qualifications for conducting the business of master plumbers and to issue certificates of competency to all such persons who shall have satisfactorily passed the examination or examinations before such Board and shall be, by it, determined to be qualified for conducting the business as employing or master plumbers in such Town.
B. 
The Board of Plumbing Examiners shall hold one examination a year during February, for which the entrance fee shall be set by the Town Board pursuant to adoption of an annual fee schedule.
[Amended 11-28-2011 by L.L. No. 8-2011; 1-25-2016 by L.L. No. 3-2016]
C. 
A special examination may be held at any time at the discretion of the Board of Plumbing Examiners. The expense of such examination shall be the sum of $175, which shall be deposited with the Town Clerk by the applicant for such examination.
[Amended 11-28-2011 by L.L. No. 8-2011]
D. 
The Board of Plumbing Examiners shall have the power to examine by written examination and/or oral examination and/or demonstrative examination. A "written examination" within the meaning of this section shall mean an examination of all applicants who apply for such and shall be held on the same day at the same time and same place. Such examination shall be uniform for all applicants.
E. 
All applications to take the examination shall be made with the Town Clerk upon payment of the necessary fee. All applications shall be made at least five days before the date set for the examination.
F. 
The Board of Plumbing Examiners shall publish in the official newspaper of the Town, at least 10 days before the examination date, notice of the date and place where such examination shall be held. The Board of Plumbing Examiners shall, in its discretion, determine the nature, extent and type of examination to be held.
To establish a record of his beginning in apprenticeship, every plumbing apprentice or learner, regardless of age, who contemplates filing an application for a plumber's license shall, within 60 days after the beginning of such apprenticeship, register with the Town Clerk and the Board of Plumbing Examiners on a blank to be furnished by said Board, setting forth the date on which the apprenticeship will begin, age, by whom employed or trade school which he has attended and such other information as the Board may require. Such registration shall be considered evidence by the Board of Plumbing Examiners in determining experience. An apprentice shall not be placed in charge of work or of installing plumbing, nor shall he do such work alone. Neither can such apprentice install plumbing under the supervision of a master plumber when such master plumber is not also physically present and taking an active part in the installation.
Any person who violates any provisions of this chapter or any regulation adopted hereunder is guilty of an offense punishable by a fine not exceeding $350 for the first violation; a minimum of $350 and a maximum of $700 for a second violation within five years; and a maximum of $1,000 for a third or subsequent violation within five years; or imprisonment for a period not to exceed six months, or both. Each week's continued violation shall constitute a separate violation.
A person or firm holding a master plumber's license in the Town of West Seneca will be exempt from obtaining a sewer contractor's license and may do said sewer work under his master plumbing license.
If any section or part thereof of this chapter shall be determined to be void, unconstitutional or invalid by a proper court of law, such determination shall not be deemed to affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof.