[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Scotia: Art. I, 8-13-1969 as Ch. 8, Art. II, of the 1969 Code of Ordinances; Art. II, 6-12-1996 as L.L. No. 9-1996. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Plumbers Examining Board — See Ch. 63.
Fire prevention and building construction — See Ch. 150.
Sewers — See Ch. 200.
Water — See Ch. 245.
[Adopted 8-13-1969 as Ch. 8, Art. II, of the 1969 Code of Ordinances]
As used in this Article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY
A certificate awarded to a master plumber who has achieved a passing grade in an official examination.
CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION OR LICENSE
The annual registration of a certificate of competency shall constitute a license showing that the holder has currently registered and is thereby authorized to engage in the business or practice of plumbing as an employing or master plumber.
EMPLOYING PLUMBER
A master plumber who operates a plumbing business and has journeyman plumbers in his employ.
JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER
A person who has served an apprenticeship by working at the plumbing trade or as a plumber's helper for a period of at least five (5) years.
MASTER PLUMBER
A journeyman plumber who has successfully passed an examination and has been issued a certificate of competency in plumbing.
PLUMBING
The practice of installing, extending or altering any piping, fixtures, appliances and appurtenances in connection with any sanitary or storm drainage system, within or adjacent to any building or structure, including the attendant venting and water supply systems, and their connections with a public system or other approved terminals.
Any person, before engaging in the trade, business or practice of plumbing in the Village of Scotia, shall be a licensed master plumber and shall hold a current certificate of registration issued by the village, except that a special temporary permit for a single plumbing job may be issued to a person holding a current master plumber's license issued by any municipality of the State of New York.
There shall be a Plumbers Examining Board as established by Chapter 63, Plumbers Examining Board, of the Village Code.
A. 
Duties of the Board. The Examining Board shall be responsible for the examination, certification and registration of all persons desiring to engage in the trade, business or practice of plumbing as employing or master plumbers in the Village of Scotia.
B. 
Clerk of the Board. The Village Clerk-Treasurer shall be Clerk of the Examining Board. He shall attend all meetings of the Board and keep minutes and records of its official actions. His salary as Village Clerk-Treasurer shall be full remuneration for these duties.
C. 
Meetings of the Board. Regular meetings of the Board shall be held annually and at other times as is deemed necessary, at the initiation of the Board or upon request of the Mayor. All meetings shall be open to the public.
[Amended 3-14-1990 by L.L. No. 1-1990]
A. 
Applications for license. A written application, together with the required examination fee, shall be filed with the Board on forms provided therefor and containing such information as may be required to determine the applicant's fitness and qualifications.
(1) 
An applicant must be a qualified journeyman plumber.
(2) 
Each applicant shall furnish two (2) references, one (1) of whom shall be currently registered as a master plumber in the Village of Scotia.
(3) 
No application shall be accepted from any person who, at the time of applying, may be unlawfully engaged in the practice of plumbing.
B. 
Examinations.
(1) 
Examination by the Board shall be in two (2) parts:
(a) 
A written test consisting of questions to determine the applicant's knowledge of the plumbing trade and his qualifications to engage in the business as an employing or master plumber.
(b) 
A practical working test to determine the applicant's skill as a journeyman plumber.
(2) 
An applicant who fails to achieve a passing grade in either part of the examination shall not be eligible for another examination within four (4) months. Examination question papers of previous examinations shall be a public record and open to public inspection.
C. 
Certificate of competency. Each person who achieves a passing grade shall receive a certificate of competency which, when properly registered, will constitute a license to do work as a master plumber.
(1) 
A certificate of competency shall become lapsed if it is not registered for a period of five (5) consecutive years, in which case reinstatement shall require a new application and examination.
(2) 
A lost certificate may be replaced with a duplicate thereof without examination and upon payment of the required fee, if the records of the Examining Board show that such certificate had been issued within the past five (5) years or registered within the past three (3) years.
D. 
Revocation of certificate.
(1) 
The Examining Board shall have the power to conduct hearings on charges of incompetency and/or the violation of any provision of this chapter by any plumber to whom a certificate of competency has been issued and may revoke or suspend the certificate of competency of any plumber found guilty of any or all of the charges preferred against him.
(2) 
The plumber charged shall be served with a written notice setting forth the charges of incompetency or violations with which he is charged, which notice shall be served on him personally or by registered mail not less than ten (10) days prior to the hearing. He may be represented by counsel and shall have the right to cross-examine witnesses produced in support of said charges or violations and shall also have the right to produce his own witnesses in his defense.
(3) 
A majority vote of the entire Examining Board shall be required in order to revoke or suspend a certificate of competency.
(4) 
No person may be reexamined for a certificate of competency within a period of one (1) year after revocation of a previous certificate issued to said applicant.
Any person holding a valid certificate of competency as a master plumber may be registered as a licensed plumber in the Village of Scotia upon registration of such certificate and payment of the required fee therefor.
A. 
All certificates of registration or licenses shall expire with each calendar year.
B. 
Annual renewal for the following year may be applied for during the month of December at the regular annual renewal rate.
C. 
An additional charge of twenty dollars ($20.) shall be added to the annual fee for any renewal applied for after the last day of December.
A domestic corporation may conduct a plumbing business in the Village of Scotia as an employing plumber under the following conditions:
A. 
One (1) or more of the corporate officers shall hold a certificate of competency in plumbing and be currently licensed in the village as a master plumber.
B. 
The corporate officer or officers holding such certificate shall individually or jointly hold at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the issued and outstanding stock of said corporation.
C. 
In case such a qualifying corporate officer shall die, the corporation may continue the practice of plumbing during the time necessary for administration of the estate of the deceased, not exceeding two (2) years, provided that a remaining corporate officer shall hold a currently registered certificate of competency.
D. 
A corporation qualified to conduct a plumbing business as above shall also be licensed as an employing plumber upon registration and payment of the required fee.
Examination and license fees shall be in accordance with a consolidated schedule of fees as established and maintained by the Board of Trustees.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 135, Fees.
The Examining Board shall have power to ascertain the durability of materials and joints and determine their applicability in the Village of Scotia within the performance objectives of the plumbing standards of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and subject to the limitations imposed therein. Such determination shall take precedence over the uses of standard materials and joints permitted by the above-mentioned plumbing standards.
[Added 10-13-1993 by L.L. No. 4-1993]
Violations of this chapter shall be punishable as provided in the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code Act (§ 382 of the Executive Law).
[Adopted 6-12-1996 as L.L. No. 9-1996]
The provisions and requirements of this Article shall apply to all plumbing work in the Village of Scotia and to all plumbing work on any real property situated outside the corporate limits of the village but connected directly or indirectly to the water supply system or to the sanitary system of the village.
Before any plumbing work shall be started, a permit shall be obtained from the Plumbing Inspector, except that no permit shall be required for the repair or replacement of a valve or faucet or for the clearance of a stoppage or leak within a building, provided that no changes are made in the piping system.
A. 
Plumbing Inspector. The plumbing standards shall be administered and enforced by the Plumbing Inspector, who shall be appointed from time to time by the Board of Trustees.
B. 
Duties of Inspector. The Plumbing Inspector shall administer and enforce all the provisions of law and regulations pertaining to plumbing work in connection with the water supply and sanitary sewer systems of the Village of Scotia.
(1) 
He shall issue all permits for plumbing and drainage.
(2) 
He may revoke a permit if there is a violation of any provision of this Article or any false statement or misrepresentation in the application, plans or specifications.
(3) 
He shall issue all appropriate notices or orders to correct unsanitary or defective conditions to require the necessary safeguards during construction and ensure compliance with the requirements of law or regulations.
(4) 
He shall inspect all plumbing work during construction. No connection shall be made to water mains supplied with water from the Village of Scotia or sewers which connect with or are part of the sewerage system of the Village of Scotia until approval of the plumbing work by the Plumbing Inspector after final inspection. Application for final inspection must be made by the plumber or permit holder within two (2) days after the plumbing work has been completed.
C. 
Records and reports. The Plumbing Inspector shall keep permanent official records (in the village offices) of all transactions and activities conducted by him, including all applications received, permits issued, fees charged, inspection reports and notices and orders issued. All such records shall be public records open to public inspection during business hours.
Whenever the Village Building Inspector receives an application for a permit by any building construction or alteration, he shall require that detailed plans and specifications be submitted for any plumbing work involved and that the Plumbing Inspector be notified thereof.
Applications shall be made in writing to the Plumbing Inspector on forms provided therefor. Applications shall be accompanied by detailed plans and a layout of all plumbing work proposed to be done, together with specifications of all materials to be used, and such other information as may be required by the Plumbing Inspector.
No permit for plumbing and drainage work shall be issued until the fees established by resolution of the Board of Trustees are paid by the applicant to the Plumbing Inspector. The Plumbing Inspector shall determine from the plans and specifications the fees required by this Article.
If, in the course of the work, it is found necessary to make any change from the approved plans or specifications, revised plans and specifications shall be submitted for the written approval of the Plumbing Inspector.
A. 
To a Scotia licensee. Permits to do plumbing work may be issued to any master or employing plumber currently licensed by the Village of Scotia.
B. 
To an out-of-town licensee. A permit may be issued for a single specified job to a master plumber currently licensed by any municipality in New York State upon payment of the required fees.
C. 
To a homeowner. A permit for repairs or alterations may be issued to any person who owns and resides in a single-family or two-family dwelling; or, for new construction, to a person building a single-family or two-family dwelling with the intention of residing therein; however, no more than one (1) permit for such new construction may be issued to the same person in any twelve-month period. Such a permit may include only the plumbing work to be performed within the walls of a building and shall not include permission to make any tap into or connection with a village water main or sewer line.
A. 
Connections to a village water or sewer system shall be made only by a licensed plumber upon written permission and under the direct supervision of the Plumbing Inspector.
B. 
Before a sewer main is tapped or opened for a new connection or replacement of an existing connection, the licensed plumber responsible for the job shall furnish a surety bond in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.) or a certificate of comprehensive liability insurance, naming the village as an additional insured, in an amount adequate to protect the village against any damage that might occur to its sewer mains resulting from such work.
The plumbing permit and inspection fee covers one (1) inspection of the rough plumbing work and one (1) inspection of the final plumbing work. If for any reason the Plumbing Inspector is required, in his judgment, to make additional inspections, additional fees shall be charged to cover the cost thereof.
The Plumbing Inspector or the Village Engineer shall have the right to inspect any plumbing system at all such times as may be deemed necessary to protect the public health.
Upon written notice from the Plumbing Inspector, the owner or lessee shall be required to correct, within three (3) days, any and all unsanitary or defective conditions which are likely to have immediate detrimental effect. He shall also correct, within a time specified by the Plumbing Inspector, other unsanitary or defective conditions which may, over a period of time, have a detrimental effect on health. In the event that the owner or lessee shall fail to correct such condition within the period allowed herein, the sewer and/or water connections may be shut off by the village.
The planning and execution of all plumbing work referred to herein and all fixtures and materials used therefor shall conform to the plumbing standards of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code.
For the purpose of planning and completing plumbing work in the Village of Scotia and elsewhere as specified herein, the technical provisions of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code shall apply with the following modifications:
A. 
Building Sewers Under Public Ways (P606-1). Building sewers under public ways shall have a minimum inside diameter of four (4) inches and shall be of extra-weight cast-iron soil pipe material or PVC STR 35.
B. 
Building Sewers Within Property Lines (P 606-2).
(1) 
Building sewers within property lines shall have a minimum Inside diameter of four (4) inches and shall be extra-weight cast-iron soil pipe or PVC STR 35.
(2) 
Building sewers of independent sanitary drainage systems for chemical wastes shall be of materials approved for such use. Building sewers installed in filled or unstable ground shall be laid upon an approved continuous support.
C. 
Water Service Pipes Under Public Ways (P 606-13). This section to read as follows: "Water service pipes under public ways shall have a minimum inside diameter of three-fourths inch and shall be of 'K' copper."
D. 
Water Service Pipes in Property Lines (P 606-14). Water service pipes within property lines shall be of any of the following materials: cast-iron water pipe, extra heavy galvanized wrought iron, extra heavy galvanized open-hearth iron or extra heavy galvanized steel pipe, brass or copper pipe, cement lined standard wrought-iron pipe or copper tube of Type "K". Minimum inside diameter of three-fourths (3/4) inches, one-half (1/2) inch I.D. pipe may be used for one-family dwellings only for repairing of an existing water service.
For the purpose of securing for the public the benefits of new developments in the plumbing industry and yet insuring public health, the Examining Board of Plumbers may make or cause to be made, at the expense of the promotor or submitter, investigations of new materials, equipment and appliances suitable for use in the Village of Scotia not provided for in this code and shall make rules setting forth the conditions under which such materials, equipment and appliances may be used.
No officer, agent or employee of the Village of Scotia shall render himself personally liable for any damage that may accrue to persons or property as a result of any act required or permitted in the discharge of the duties under this Article. Any suit brought against any officer, agent or employee of the Village of Scotia as a result of any act required or permitted in the discharge of his duties under this Article shall be defended by the Village Attorney of the Village of Scotia until the final determination of the proceedings thereon.
Violations of this Article shall be punishable as provided for in § 188-9 herein.