[Added 9-14-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-10]
No person shall work at or carry on the business
of plumbing, house drainage or building drainage unless and until
he shall have been registered as such by the Township, nor unless
and until he shall have been licensed as such as provided in this
article.
No person shall be eligible to be registered
or licensed as a plumber unless regularly engaged for the major portion
of his livelihood in the business of plumbing, house drainage and
building drainage, nor unless he regularly maintains a separate place
of business in which the major portion of the business conducted therein
is that of plumbing, house drainage and building drainage.
A record shall be kept of all registrations
and licenses pursuant to this article which shall be available for
inspection by any interested persons.
Application for new licenses under this article
shall be made in the handwriting of the applicant on a proper form
supplied by the Plumbing Inspector. The applicant shall state the
type of work, together with a description of and a reference to substantial
jobs performed. The application shall be accompanied by one or more
letters from former employers certifying to the applicant's character,
qualifications and fitness to receive the license applied for. The
application shall be accompanied by the prescribed fees.
A.
Every person desiring to be licensed as an apprentice
plumber shall file a written application for license on the form supplied
by the Plumbing Inspector, setting forth the following:
(1)
Name.
(2)
Age.
(3)
Place of residence.
(4)
Name and address of master plumber with whom applicant
intends to serve his apprenticeship in plumbing.
(5)
Such other information as the Township may from time
to time require or as the Plumbing Inspector may deem necessary to
properly complete his investigation of the qualifications of the applicant
for licensure.
B.
Upon receipt of the application for licensing as an
apprentice plumber, the Plumbing Inspector shall investigate the personal
character and qualifications of such applicant, and if he finds the
applicant is properly qualified to be so licensed, shall, upon payment
of the license fee, issue a license as an apprentice plumber.
C.
If the Plumbing Inspector refuses to issue a license
to the applicant, the applicant shall have the right, within 30 days
after such refusal, to appeal therefrom to the Township's Director
of Economic Development.
A.
A person who has served at least 7,500 working hours
as an apprentice plumber, or 6,000 working hours together with three
years of 144 hours each of approved plumbing school, may apply to
the Plumbing Inspector to take the examination for licensure as a
journeyman plumber.
B.
The application must be filed at least two weeks prior
to the next scheduled examination.
C.
In the event that the applicant shall successfully
complete the examination, the Plumbing Inspector shall issue a journeyman
plumber's license to the successful applicant upon payment of the
applicable license fee.
A.
A licensed journeyman plumber who has completed at
least two years as a licensed journeyman plumber in the Township may
apply at least two weeks before the next scheduled examination for
examination as a master plumber.
B.
Upon successfully completing the examination, the
Plumbing Inspector, after the applicant has posted his master plumber's
bond and paid the applicable fee, shall issue a master plumber's license
to the applicant.
A.
Examinations shall be written responses to appropriate
questions concerning the Code.
B.
In order to qualify for a master or journeyman plumber's
license, the applicant shall, if examined in writing, correctly answer
at least 75% of the questions propounded.
C.
Any person who fails to pass an examination may apply
for reexamination at the next test.
D.
Examinations for those seeking licensure as journeyman
plumbers and master plumbers will be conducted during the months of
June and December of each year.
A.
All licenses issued under this article shall expire
on December 31 of each year and may be renewed by filing an application
for renewal with the Plumbing Inspector and the payment of the applicable
fee between December 15 and January 31.
B.
In the event that any person's license should lapse
for failure to renew the same as herein provided, such license may
only be renewed after the applicant has met such conditions, including,
but not limited to, the serving of additional time as an apprentice
or journeyman and the taking of additional examinations as the Township
may prescribe, and paid such fees and penalties as may be required.
(1)
A master plumber who fails to renew his license before
April 1 of the current year will be required to take the master's
plumbing test at its next given date to be reinstated as a master
plumber.
(2)
A journeyman plumber who fails to renew his license
before April 1 of the current year will be required to take the journeyman's
plumbing test at its next given date to be reinstated as a journeyman
plumber.
A.
No person will be issued a temporary journeyman or
master plumber's license to regularly engage in plumbing work in the
Township.
B.
A temporary license may be granted by the Plumbing
Inspector to a master plumber or journeyman plumber who has been duly
licensed by and holds a currently valid license issued by another
municipality if, after investigation, the Plumbing Inspector is satisfied
that the applicant meets Springettsbury Township's qualifications
as a master plumber.
C.
A temporary license issued in accordance with this
section shall only authorize such licensee to secure one plumbing
permit and perform the work covered by such permit during each calendar
year and shall not authorize or permit such licensee to regularly
engage in the plumbing business in the Township.
A.
An inactive master plumber shall not perform any plumbing
work in the Township while holding an inactive plumber's license.
B.
In the event that any inactive master plumber shall
desire to perform any plumbing work in the Township and before such
time as he shall actively perform any such work, such inactive master
plumber shall apply to the Township for active status and shall pay
to the Township the difference between his inactive fee and the regular
master plumber's fee.
C.
Application for inactive master plumber status must
be made on the form provided by the Plumbing Inspector on or before
December 31 preceding the year in which the person wishes to apply
for inactive status.
A.
Reasons for revocation. The Plumbing Inspector may
revoke any license issued under this article if it was obtained through
nondisclosure, misstatement or misrepresentation of a material fact
either as to the applicant's personal character or other qualifications
or for the violation of any of the provisions of this article or for
any other ordinance of the Township or for the conviction of any crime
in any court of record.
B.
Notice of revocation and hearing. No license shall
be revoked until the Plumbing Inspector shall have given the licensee
a written notice enumerating the charges against him and notifying
him of the date, not less than five days from the receipt of the notice,
on which the Director of Economic Development will conduct hearing
on the charges at which he may be present to introduce testimony and
shall have the right to cross-examination.
C.
Service of notice. The notice required in Subsection B of this section may be served as follows:
(1)
By the Plumbing Inspector, a copy of such notice to
the licensee; or
(2)
By sending such notice United States certified mail,
return receipt requested, to the address used by the licensee at the
time of his application for his current license or such later address
as such licensee shall have given to the Township in writing as an
official change of address.
D.
Testimony, etc. All testimony before the Director
of Economic Development shall be given under oath.
E.
Decision of the Director. The decision of the Director,
based solely upon the record of the hearing before him, shall be in
writing, set for the reasons therefor, become a part of the record,
and a copy thereof shall be served upon the licensee within 60 days
of the last hearing before the Director in the manner provided for
service of the notice upon the licensee.
F.
Right to Request Hearing. A person whose license has
been revoked shall have the right to appeal the Director's decision
to the Township's Board of Supervisors within 10 days from the date
of service of the decision of revocation. Within 30 days of the person's
request for a hearing, the Board of Supervisors shall hold a hearing
in the manner set forth above.
G.
Right to appeal. A person whose license has been revoked
shall have the right to appeal from such revocation to the Court of
Common Pleas within 30 days from the date of service of the decision
of revocation upon such person and not thereafter.
A.
To whom licenses granted. Plumbing permits shall only
be granted to a master plumber, duly licensed in the Township, in
person, after the submittal to and approval by the Township of all
information, plans, specifications, certificate of workmen's compensation
insurance in an adequate amount required by Pennsylvania law, and
any other information as required by this Code or any ordinance of
the Township.
B.
Presence required. A journeyman or master plumber
must be present at all times on all plumbing work performed in the
Township.
C.
Number of apprentices and laborers limited. No more
than two apprentices and one laborer may be used on plumbing work
for each journeyman on the job.
D.
Record of apprentices, journeymen and laborers. Master
plumbers shall keep a record at all times of the laborers, apprentices
and journeymen employed by them and shall at the time of their employment
supply their names to the Plumbing Inspector in writing.
E.
Permits procured on only one license. In any plumbing
business or corporation, when more than one person is issued a master
plumber's license, permits may be lifted or procured on only one license.
The Township must be notified in writing of the designated master
plumber.
Every master plumber, journeyman plumber and
apprentice plumber shall have in their possession at all times when
engaged in plumbing work a certificate of license to be furnished
by the Board, showing that such workman is the holder of a license
issued pursuant to this article, and such workman shall exhibit the
same upon request.
Fees for examinations and licenses shall be
set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.
Any owner or person as those terms are defined
in the Code, who or which violates or permits the violation of any
provision of this article or of the Code shall commit a summary criminal
offense, and upon conviction by a District Justice, shall be subject
to a fine of up to $1,000 plus costs, and imprisonment to the extent
allowed by law for summary offenses for each violation. Each day of
a violation, and each separate violation of this article or the Code,
shall be considered a separate offense.
