title
An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending the Allegheny County Health Department's Rules and Regulations, Article XV, Plumbing and Building Drainage.
body
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:
SECTION 1.
Article XV, Plumbing and Building Drainage, of the Allegheny County Health Department's Rules and Regulations is amended as delineated in the following subsections. If a section of the Article is not referenced, it shall remain in its current form. Any section skipped in the amendment of those provisions shall also remain in its current form.
A. Article XV, § 101.3 shall be amended as follows:
101.3 The Department shall approve or disapprove the applications and conduct examinations for licensing of Journeyman and Master plumbers and the registration of apprentice plumbers.
B. Article XV, § 200 shall be amended as follows:
200.1 No person, other than a licensed master plumber, shall engage in the business of plumbing or expose the sign of plumbing or any advertisement pertaining thereto, except wholesale or retail plumbing fixture suppliers.
200.2 Any firm or corporation, desiring to engage in the business of plumbing, shall have at least one member of said firm or corporation in possession of a master plumber's license who shall register with the Department along with the name or names of all officers of the firm or corporation for which he is registering.
200.3 No person other than a licensed master plumber, or a licensed journeyman plumber in the employ of a licensed master plumber, or a registered plumbing apprentice in the employ of a licensed mater plumber, shall install, alter, or make connections with any sewer, water, drain, or any pipe connected therewith; or alter the location of any existing plumbing fixtures, water distribution piping system or sewer drainage system:
Except:
1. Existing single family dwellings: Any permit required by this Article may be issued to a bonafide owner-occupant of an existing single family dwelling, which is to be occupied by the owner exclusively for living purposes, to do any work regulated by the Article on said dwelling and any of its accessory buildings on the condition that the said owner personally purchase all material and perform all labor in connection therewith. Such privilege does not convey the right to violate any of the provisions of this Article, nor is it construed as exempting any such property owner from obtaining a permit, nor covering or concealing work in any manner until after it has been inspected by the Administrative Authority's inspectors, nor from payment of the required fees therefore.
2. Repairs which involve the working parts of a faucet or valve, the clearance of stoppages, or the replacement of defective faucets or valves, may be made without a permit. However, a permit shall be obtained when any part of the plumbing system becomes defective and necessitates replacement or alteration.
3. Allied Trades may install equipment not identified as plumbing but which may require water and/or waste connections such as heating, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration, fire sprinkler systems, and industrial piping and may connect such systems to water and waste outlets originally provided for in the plumbing and drainage systems, without a permit, when such connections are made in conformance with Article requirements provided that: where such equipment or systems are being added to a structure and no provisions have previously been provided for water supply and/or drainage outlets, the services of a registered plumber will be required; provided further that: installers of any potable water using equipment or systems subject to backflow and/or which would in any way utilize toxic materials or chemicals which could potentially contaminate the potable water supply, shall be required to engage the services of a registered plumber to install proper backflow prevention devices as approved by the Administrative Authority.
4. Installation of public facilities: The “Drainage System” regulated by this Article includes all the piping within public or private premises, which conveys sewage, rain or other wastes to a legal point of disposal, but does not include the mains of a public water or sewer system or a public or private sewage treatment or disposal plant.
200.4 No licensed master plumber shall do plumbing in the County of Allegheny unless a valid current permit to do such work has been issued by the Administrative Authority.
200.5 No licensed master plumber shall employ any person who is not currently licensed as a plumber or registered as an apprentice plumber to perform plumbing work under any contract entered into by the licensed master plumber; and no licensed plumber or registered apprentice plumber shall perform any plumbing work except as supervised by a licensed master plumber.
200.6 Every licensed master plumber shall display on the front of his place of business a sign bearing his name or the name of the firm or corporation along with the words “Registered Master Plumber” in letters not less than three inches high, except where land use regulations adopted by a city, borough or township prohibit such a sign. In such an event, the required sign shall conform to these land use regulations. All vehicles used by a master plumber in the operation of his business shall bear his name or the name of his company, and the words “Registered Master Plumber” or his license number, which shall be known as a HEALTH PERMIT number and may be abbreviated to H.P. and then his number.
200.7 Every licensed master plumber shall give immediate notice to the Department of any change in the place of his business; and upon the termination of his business.
200.8 No person, firm, or corporation, carrying on the business of plumbing, shall allow his name to be used by any person, directly or indirectly, either to obtain a permit or permits, or to do any work under his license.
C. Article XV, § 233 shall be amended as follows:
§ 233 LICENSING OF MASTER AND JOURNEYMAN PLUMBERS AND REGISTRATION OF APPRENTICES PLUMBERS.
233.1 All licenses shall be valid for a twelve month period.
233.1 No master plumber's license shall be granted a journeyman plumber until he has had at least one year's experience as a licensed journeyman plumber and has successfully passed the required examination.
No journeyman plumber's license shall be granted a registered apprentice plumber until he has a maximum of four years experience as a registered apprentice plumber, has satisfactorily completed 576 hours of related technical training at an accredited school, and has successfully passed the required examination. (Note: conditional licenses may be granted to apprentices who have not fulfilled four full years of experience as a registered appreciate provided documentation that the requirement has been met is submitted prior to renewal of any journeyman plumbers license.)
233.2 All apprentice plumbers shall register with the Department at the beginning of their apprentice training.
D. Article XV, § 234 shall be amended as follows:
The Department shall adopt rules and regulations for the examination of applicants for master and journeyman plumber licenses. The Department shall conduct examinations at least twice a year. Notice shall be given no less than two weeks prior to the dates scheduled for the examinations in at least two newspapers of general circulation in the County of Allegheny.
E. Article XV, § 235.1 through § 235.3 shall be amended as follows:
235.1 A licensed master or journeyman plumber, desiring to continue in the business or work of plumbing, shall, within 30 days prior to the birth date of the licensed master or journeyman plumber, apply to the Department for a renewal of his license and made payment of the annual license renewal fee as specified in Section 240.3. No examination shall be required for the renewal of a master or journeyman plumber's license, provided proper application and payment is made in the time period specified above.
235.2 Unless a licensed master or journeyman plumber shall have been excused from paying the annual fee pursuant to Section 240.3 (3) or shall comply with the requirements of Section 235.1, such failure to comply will be deemed a request for transfer to inactive status and any persons failing to comply will be transferred to inactive status.
235.3 A licensed master or journeyman plumber who has retired or is not engaged in plumbing shall file with the Department a notice in writing that the plumber desires voluntarily to assume inactive status and discontinue the business of plumbing.
F. Article XV, § 239 shall be amended as follows:
The Department shall maintain a register of all licensed master and journeyman plumbers and registered apprentice plumbers. The register shall be open to public inspection in accordance with rules, regulations or policies governing the inspection of other departmental records.
G. Article XV, § 240.2 through § 240.4 shall be amended as follows:
240.2 Examination Fee
Before an applicant for a master or journeyman plumber license shall be permitted to take the examination required by this Article he shall pay to the Treasurer of the County of Allegheny the following Fee:
1. For a master plumber exam $50.00
2. For a journeyman plumber exam $50.00
240.3 License Fees
Before a master's or journeyman's plumbing license is issued or is renewed for the next calendar year, the applicant shall pay to the Treasurer of the County of Allegheny the following Fee:
1. For the renewal of a master plumber's license $200.00
2. For the renewal of a journeyman plumber's license $60.00
3. For the renewal of an apprentice plumber's card $10.00
4. Chief Plumbing Inspector, Assistant Chief Plumbing Inspector, Supervisors and Inspectors employed by the Department shall be exempt for such time as they are employed in the aforementioned capacities with the Department.
240.4 Temporary License Fees
Any person desiring a temporary license pursuant to Section 238 shall, upon application, pay to the Treasurer of the County of Allegheny the following Fee:
1. Temporary Master Plumber's License $100.00
2. Temporary Journeyman Plumber's License $50.00
H. Article XV, § 300 shall be amended to delete the definitions of “Plumber (Apprentice),” “Plumber (Journeyman),” and “Plumber (Master)” and add the following:
Plumber, the term “Plumber” shall mean a person who is not on inactive status, having satisfied the Allegheny County Health Department as to his knowledge of the installation of plumbing and has been licensed by the Department to install plumbing.
SECTION 2. If any provision of this Ordinance shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Ordinance which shall be in full force and effect.
SECTION 3. Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Ordinance is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Ordinance.