The purpose of this Article is to provide basic
and uniform minimum standards and rules governing the practice, trade
or business of plumbing within the City of Watertown, New York, in
order to ensure the safety, health and welfare of the occupants and
users, the general public or persons passing near or living in the
vicinity of all building and their accessory structures.
These standards and rules shall apply to all
new installations, alterations, rearrangements, repairs or replacements
to the plumbing and drainage facilities inside of or connecting to
any building or structure within the boundary lines of the City of
Watertown, New York.
A.
The Watertown Examining Board of Plumbers shall hereby
be established by virtue of and in full accordance with Article 4,
Chapter 26, of the General City Law of the State of New York.
B.
The Watertown Examining Board of Plumbers shall carry
out its duties in the manner of and in full compliance with the present
provisions of said General City Law of the State of New York.
A.
No person individually shall engage in the plumbing business or engage to erect, install, alter, repair or make any addition to the plumbing or drainage of any building in the City of Watertown, nor shall any person expose a sign or any advertisement indicating that he is engaged in such business or engages to do any such work, nor shall any person, except as an employee as provided in Subsection D hereof, do any such work unless such person is an employing or master plumber and shall have first obtained a certificate of competency from the Examining Board of Plumbers of the City of Watertown in the manner provided by the General City Law of the State of New York and holds such certificate, holds a certificate of registration in compliance with said General City Law and complies with all the provisions applying under said General City Law to persons for whom it is lawful to conduct the trade, business or calling of a plumber or of plumbing in the said City and to persons for whom it is lawful to engage in or carry on the trade, business or calling of an employing master plumber in the said City.
B.
No member of any partnership shall engage in the plumbing business or engage to erect, install, alter, repair or make any additions to the plumbing or drainage system of any building in the City of Watertown, nor shall any partner or any member of a partnership expose a sign or any advertisement indicating that such firm is engaged in the business of plumbing or engages to do any such work, nor shall any partner, the members of any partnership nor any other person or persons in behalf of such firm in said City engage in the plumbing business or engage to do any of said work or expose a sign or advertisement or do or cause to be done any of said work unless every partner directly or indirectly engaged in the plumbing and drainage work in any manner whatsoever has first obtained a certificate of competency as a master plumber and holds such certificates as are referred to in Subsection A hereof and who complies with all the provisions and requirements set forth.
C.
No corporation, except as permitted by § 45-a
of the General City Law, shall engage in the plumbing business or
engage to erect, install, alter, repair or make any addition to the
plumbing or drainage of any building in the City of Watertown, nor
shall any corporation nor any member of any corporation nor any officer,
director, agent or employee of any corporation, the members or any
part of the members nor any officer, director, agent or employee of
any corporation nor any other person or persons, in behalf of such
corporation in the said City, engage in the plumbing business or engage
to do any of the said work or expose any such sign or advertisement
or do or cause to be done any of said work unless one (1) or more
officers holding at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the issued stock
of such corporation is an employing or master plumber who has first
obtained and holds both the certificates and requirements set forth
in said section as to be complied with by the persons referred to
in said section and who superintends, attends to and has charge of
the plumbing work of such corporation. It shall be lawful for any
corporation complying with the provisions of this section to engage
in the business of plumbing in the City of Watertown.
D.
No person shall do any work in the plumbing business or in erecting, installing, altering, repairing or making any addition to the plumbing or drainage of any building in the City of Watertown, except as the employee or corporation complying with the provisions of Subsections A, B, and C hereof and under the direction of an employing or master plumber who has first obtained and holds both of the certificates referred to in Subsection A hereof and who complies with all the provisions and requirements set forth in said section.
A.
Examination.
(1)
Every person desiring to engage in the business of
plumbing in the City of Watertown shall first apply to the Watertown
Examining Board of Plumbers giving such information as is required
by said Board and shall pay the fees that shall be as established
at least annually by the Watertown City Council through a budget resolution
that adopts a City Fees and Charges Schedule. Said schedule shall
be available to the public at the office of the Watertown City Clerk.
[Amended 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986; 6-15-1992; 8-15-2016 by L.L. No. 2-2016]
(2)
No person shall be examined by the Watertown Examining
Board of Plumbers unless he shall have had experience of at least
ten (10) years as a journeyman plumber or five (5) years as a plumbing
apprentice, learner or helper and five (5) years as a journeyman plumber.
The Watertown Examining Board of Plumbers may, in its discretion,
waive the requirements of this subsection in unusual cases where a
person's training and experience shall be the substantial equivalent
of the foregoing requirements.
(3)
No application shall be received from any person who
is not a citizen of the United States.
(4)
The time and place of holding examinations shall be
at the discretion of the Watertown Examining Board of Plumbers on
notice to the applicant or applicants.
(5)
A person who passes the examination shall be eligible
to receive a certificate of competency as a master plumber; provided,
further, that the Examining Board is satisfied that he is a person
of good repute, character and responsibility and otherwise qualified
to engage in the business of plumbing in the City of Watertown. Before
issuing a certificate of competency, said Board shall inquire into
the applicant's fitness and qualification for conducting such business
and may require the applicant to submit such evidence under oath.
(6)
Reexamination.
[Amended 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986; 6-15-1992]
(a)
In the event that an applicant fails to qualify
for a certificate of competency as a master plumber, he may apply
for a reexamination after a lapse of three (3) months and the payment
of the following fees: three hundred dollars ($300.) total or one
hundred dollars ($100.) per section. [Passing of all three (3) sections
is required for a license.]
(b)
In the event that the applicant again fails
to qualify, he may not be given another examination (within the discretion
of the Watertown Plumbing Board) for a period of one (1) year and
must pay the following additional reexamination fees: three hundred
dollars ($300.) total or one hundred dollars ($100.) per section.
[Passing of three (3) sections is required for a license.]
B.
The certificate of competency as a master plumber
shall be printed on the form now in use.
C.
In case a certificate of competency as master plumber
is lost by the holder thereof, the Watertown Examining Board of Plumbers
shall issue, upon payment of a fee of five dollars ($5.), a new certificate.
[Amended 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986; 6-15-1992; 8-15-2016 by L.L. No.
2-2016]
Each plumber having a certificate of competency
and conducting a legitimate plumbing business in the City of Watertown
shall be issued a yearly license, said license to expire June 30.
An annual fee will be paid as established at least annually by the
Watertown City Council through a budget resolution that adopts a City
Fees and Charges Schedule. Said schedule shall be available to the
public at the office of the Watertown City Clerk.
[Amended 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986]
It shall be the duty of the Inspector of Plumbing
to inspect all plumbing and drainage done in the City of Watertown,
New York, and to enforce the provisions of the State Uniform Fire
Prevention and Building Code applicable to plumbing and of this chapter.
