Columbia Amendments ordinance (§ 6-52)

The code adopted by this article is hereby amended by substituting the following sections in lieu of those sections with corresponding numbers in the code, or, where there is no corresponding section in the code, the following sections shall be enacted as additions to the code:

101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the Plumbing Code of Columbia, Missouri, hereinafter referred to as "this code."

101.5 License Required.

(a) No individual shall engage in the business of plumbing in the City of Columbia unless licensed as a master plumber under the provisions of this code.

(b) No individual, firm, partnership or corporation shall engage in the business of installing, repairing or altering plumbing unless the plumbing work performed in the course of such business is under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber, and under the direct supervision of a licensed master plumber or licensed journeyman plumber employed on such installation or alteration full time to assure proper and accurate work as prescribed by this code.

(c) No person who has obtained a master plumber's license shall allow their name to be used by another person for the purpose of obtaining permits, or for doing business or work under this license. Every person licensed shall notify the director of community development of the address of licensee's place of business, if any, and the name under which such business is carried on, and shall give immediate notice to the director of any change in either.

(d) All work authorized by a plumbing permit shall be done under the direct supervision of a licensed master or journeyman plumber.

(e) A maximum 1:3, journeyman to apprentice plumber ratio is allowed.

101.6 Examination and certification. The director shall establish standards and procedures for the qualifications, examination, and licensing of master plumbers, journeyman plumbers, residential plumbers and apprentice plumbers, and shall issue an appropriate certificate of competency to each person who meets the qualifications therefore and successfully passes the standard examination for master plumber or journeyman plumber as prepared and published by Thomson Prometric, ATTN: National Construction Program, 1260 Energy Lane, St. Paul, MN 55108 or the ICC National Standardized Examinations Program, www.iccsafe.org/contractor (1-877-783-3926) for Contractor Trades Testing. The director shall keep an official record of all transactions.

101.6.1 Reciprocity. The director shall grant reciprocity and issue a license to an applicant who meets the minimum qualifications set forth in this section.

A plumber who meets the following requirements shall be granted a journeyman plumber license: 8,000 hours of plumbing experience with certification of satisfactory completion of the Thomson Prometric, ICC, or other plumbing examination administered by a state of the United States of America.

A plumber who meets the following requirements shall be granted a master plumbing license: 12,000 hours of plumbing experience with certification of satisfactory completion of the Thomson Prometric, ICC, or other plumbing examination administered by a state of the United States of America.

101.7 Re-examinations. Any person, who fails to pass the examination, as prescribed by the director, may apply for re-examination after the expiration of thirty (30) days.

101.8 Temporary permit. The director may issue a temporary license pending the examination, providing the applicant holds a similar license from an equivalent board. Such permit shall not be valid for more than sixty (60) days.

101.9 Application. Any person desiring to be certified as a licensed plumber shall make written application to the director.

101.10 Surety Bond. Before the issuance of a certificate of competency to a contracting master plumber or the registration of a plumbing contractor, the applicant shall file a surety bond for not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00), subject to the approval of the city counselor, conditioned that the applicant will indemnify and keep harmless the City of Columbia from all liability, from any accident or damages arising from negligence or non-skillfulness in doing or protecting applicant's work, or for any unfaithful or inadequate work done in pursuance of the license, and that applicant will also restore the street, sidewalk, pavement or other public property or right-of-way, and fill all excavations to be made, so as to leave the sidewalk, street, pavement or other public property or right-of-way in as good shape or condition as applicant found them, and indemnify and keep the city harmless from any damage suffered by the failure to do and keep and maintain them in good repair in accordance with community development department standards and specifications of the City of Columbia, Missouri, for a period of one (1) year next thereafter, and that applicant will pay all fines imposed for the violation of any rule or regulation adopted by the city and in force during the term of the license and pay all fees set forth in this ordinance.

101.11 Expiration and revocation of certificate. All certificates of competency issued by the director shall be valid from the date of issuance until the renewal date as listed in Section 101.13, or when revoked by the director. Business licenses required of plumbers, contractors, and contracting master plumbers shall expire annually in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances.

The director may revoke any certificate if obtained through non-disclosure, misstatement, or misrepresentation of a material fact, or if a penalty has been imposed upon a certificate holder under the provisions of this ordinance. Before a certificate can be revoked, the certificate holder shall have notice in writing enumerating the charges against the certificate holder, and be entitled to a hearing by the director, not sooner than five days from receipt of the notice. The certificate holder shall be given an opportunity to

present testimony, oral or written, and shall have the right to cross-examination. All testimony shall be given under oath. The director shall have the power to administer oaths. The decision of the director shall be based upon the evidence produced at the hearing and made a part of the record thereof. Any person aggrieved by a decision of the director may appeal to the circuit court as provided in chapter 536 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. A person whose certificate has been revoked shall not be permitted to apply for renewal within one year of the date of revocation.

101.12 License fees. A plumbing contractor or contracting master plumber shall pay annual business license fees to the City of Columbia in an amount to be determined under the provisions of chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances. A master plumber, a journeyman plumber, and apprentice plumber employed by a licensed plumbing contractor shall pay no business license fees.

101.12.1 Certificate fees. Certificate fees are as follows:

City of Columbia Journeyman Certificate .....$30.00

City of Columbia Master Certificate .....$90.00

101.12.2 Certificate issuance. All applicants approved by the director for Journeyman certificate shall pay a thirty dollar ($30.00) fee prior to the issuance of the certificate. Master certificates shall require a payment of ninety dollars ($90.00) prior to the issuance of the certificate. Certificates issued in September, October, or November of the renewal year are not required to pay a renewal fee in December.

101.13 Certificate renewal. A master plumber, journeyman plumber or a maintenance journeyman plumber certificate shall be renewed every three (3) years. The renewal fee is thirty dollars ($30.00) for a journeyman certificate, ninety dollars ($90.00) for a master certificate.

101.14 Qualifications for examination.

Master Plumber: Applicants for examination shall:

1. Submit completed application to the director of community development including name, address, telephone number, type of certificate requested, and other information as required.

2. Prove four thousand (4,000) hours of active employment under direct supervision of a master plumber, as a journeyman plumber or be registered with the State of Missouri as a licensed professional engineer and be actively engaged in the business of plumbing contracting. Time enrolled in an appropriate plumbing trade school or plumbing training program beyond the journeyman level may be considered by the director as partial fulfillment of this requirement.

3. List names, address and telephone number of all previous employers under which applicant has worked as an apprentice or journeyman plumber, including dates and years. Provide evidence of hours worked, employment records, time cards, etc.

4. Successfully complete examination as required by the director.

Journeyman Plumber: Applicants for examination shall:

1. Submit a completed application to the director of community development including name, address, telephone number, type of certificate requested, and other information as required.

2. Prove eight thousand (8,000) hours of active, on the job training only, during employment, under the supervision of a journeyman plumber, as an apprentice plumber. Time enrolled in an appropriate plumbing trade school or plumbing apprenticeship training program may be considered by the director as partial fulfillment of this requirement.

3. List names, address and telephone number of all previous employers under which applicant has worked as an apprentice including dates and years. Provide evidence of hours worked, employment records, time cards, etc.

4. Successfully complete examination as required by the director.

Maintenance Plumbers Certificate: Maintenance plumbers are authorized to perform routine plumbing maintenance on fixtures and equipment only for a specified employer. Applicants for examination shall:

1. Submit a completed application to the director of community development including name, address, telephone number, type of certificate requested, and other information as required.

2. Prove six thousand (6,000) hours of active employment as an apprentice plumber. Time enrolled in an appropriate plumbing trade school or apprenticeship training program may be considered by the director as partial fulfillment of this requirement.

3. List names, address and telephone number of all previous employers under which applicant has worked as an apprentice including dates and years. Provide evidence of hours worked.

4. Successfully complete examination as required by the director.

Residential Journeyman Plumber: (limited license for one- and two-family detached dwelling units only). Applicants for examination shall:

1. Submit completed application to the director of community development including name, address, telephone number, type of certificate requested, and other information as required.

2. Prove six thousand (6,000) hours of active employment as an apprentice plumber. Time enrolled in an appropriate plumbing trade school or apprenticeship program may be considered by the director as partial fulfillment of this requirement.

3. List names, address and telephone number of all previous employers under which applicant has worked as an apprentice including dates and years. Provide evidence of hours worked.

4. Successfully complete examination as required by the director.

Apprentice Plumber: Applicants for examination shall:

1. Submit completed application to the director of community development including name, address, telephone number, employer's name, signature of a licensed master plumber, and other information as required.

SECTION 103 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - DIVISION OF BUILDING AND SITE DEVELOPMENT

103.1 Director. The administration and enforcement of this code shall be the duty of the director of community development, who is designated the code official for purposes of this code. The code official is hereby authorized to take such action as may be reasonably necessary to enforce the provisions of this code. Such persons may be appointed and authorized as assistants or representatives of the director as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this code.

103.2 Appointment. Delete in its entirety.

103.3 Deputies. Delete in its entirety.

103.4 Liability. Any officer or employee charged with the enforcement of this code, while acting on behalf of the city, shall not thereby render such individual liable personally, and is hereby relieved from all personal liability for any damage accruing to persons or property as a result of any act performed in the discharge of official duties. Any suit instituted against any officer or employee because of an act performed by that officer or employee in the lawful discharge of duties and under the provisions of this code shall be defended by the legal representative of the jurisdiction until the final termination of the proceedings. The officer or employee shall not be liable for costs in any action, suit or proceeding that is instituted pursuant to the provisions of this code; and any officer or employee acting within the scope of employment and in good faith and without malice, shall be free from liability for acts performed under any of its provisions or by reason of any act or omission in the performance of official duties in connection therewith. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed a waiver of the immunities and protection afforded to the city or officers and employees pursuant to state and federal law.

103.4.1 Legal defense. Delete in its entirety.

103.5 Restriction of employees. An employee connected with the Department of Community Development - Division of Building and Site Development shall not be engaged in or directly or indirectly connected with the furnishing of labor, materials or appliances for the construction, alteration or maintenance of a building, or the preparation of plans or of specifications therefore, unless such employee is the owner of the building; nor shall such employee engage in any work which conflicts with such employee's official duties or with the interest of the department.

106.4 By whom application is made. Application for a permit shall be made by a licensed master plumber, except as provided herein. Plumbing permits may be issued to the general contractor, on behalf of the master plumber, for new one- and two-family dwellings and building alteration or building additions for one- and two-family dwellings to install all or part of any plumbing system. All plumbing work must be performed by a plumber licensed by the City of Columbia, or as allowed by ordinance.

Any permit required by this code may be issued to any person to do any work regulated by this code in a single-family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes, including the usual accessory buildings and quarters in connection with such buildings, provided the person is a bona fide owner of the dwelling, will

occupy the dwelling, and will personally purchase all material and perform all labor authorized by the permit. Any person obtaining a permit under this section shall not be issued another permit within two (2) years.

The applicant shall meet all qualifications established by rules promulgated with this code or by ordinance, resolution, or statute. The full names and addresses of the owner, lessee, applicant and of the responsible officers, if the owner or lessee is a corporate body, shall be stated in the application.

Exception: Plumbers holding a maintenance plumbers certificate who are regular employees of the firm or corporation for which the work is to be performed, may obtain a permit to do plumbing work on the premises of the firm or corporation provided the work is not associated with work requiring a building permit.

106.6.2 Fee schedule. For the purpose of this code, any fixture, accessory, appliance or equipment of any nature requiring a permanent or rigid connection to any sewer or water line, will be classified as a fixture and the permit will be assessed as such. The plumbing permit fees shall be as follows with a thirty-five dollars ($35.00) minimum:

For each tap or opening into any public sewer, or private sewer that is connected to a public sewer .....$72.90

Lateral/tap repair/replace WH .....$35.00

Per fixture for the first twenty-five fixtures .....$5.67

For each additional fixture or opening .....$1.62

For each floor drain, garage drain, or any other fixture, appliance, or waste line connecting directly with the drainage system of the building .....$3.24

Any required re-inspection will be charged in accordance with the Building Code of Columbia, Missouri.

In no case shall the fee for permits be less than thirty-five dollars ($35.00) for structures not previously plumbed or alterations of, or extensions to, existing plumbing.

106.6.3 Fee refunds. The code official shall authorize the refunding of fees as follows:

1. The full amount of any fee paid hereunder which was erroneously paid or collected.

2. Not more than seventy-five (75) percent of the permit fee paid when no work has been done under a permit issued in accordance with this code.

3. Delete in its entirety.

The code official shall not authorize the refunding of any fee paid, except upon written application filed by the original permittee not later than one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of fee payment.

108.4 Penalties. Any person who shall violate a provision of this code or shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof or who shall install plumbing work in violation of an approved plan or directive of the code official, or of a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of this code, shall be guilty of an ordinance violation, punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding ninety (90) days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.

108.5 Stop work orders. Upon notice from the code official, work on any plumbing system that is being done contrary to the provisions of this code or in a dangerous or unsafe, manner, shall immediately cease. Such notice shall be in writing and shall be given to the owner of the property, or to the owner's agent, or to the person doing the work. The notice shall state the conditions under which work is authorized to resume. Where an emergency exists, the code official shall not be required to give a written notice prior to stopping the work. Any person who shall continue any plumbing work in or about the structure after having been served with a stop work order, except such work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe conditions, shall be liable to a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

Section 109 Means of Appeal. Delete in its entirety and replace with the following:

109.1 Application for appeal. Any aggrieved person shall have the right to petition the building construction codes commission regarding a decision of the code official to refuse to grant a modification of the provisions of this code covering the manner of construction or materials to be used in the erection, alteration or repair of a plumbing system. The applicant for a plumbing certification may appeal a decision of the director to deny or revoke certification to the building construction codes commission. Application for appeal shall be filed in accordance with the procedures set out in Section 113 of the International Building Code as amended and adopted by the City of Columbia, Missouri.

305.4.1 Sewer Depth. Building sewers, including the portion of the building drain beyond the exterior wall, shall be a minimum of thirty (30) inches below finished grade. The building official may approve a lesser depth of the building drain portion if there are extraordinary circumstances (e.g., bedrock).

Table 308.5 Hanger Spacing. Footnote B shall be used for water distribution piping only.

405.3.1. Water closets, urinals, lavatories, bidets. All water closets shall be spaced at least fifteen (15) inches from the centerline of the fixture to any wall or plumbing fixture except the centerline of the water closet may be spaced twelve (12) inches if located next to the bathtub.

410.2 Small occupancies. Drinking fountains shall not be required for an occupant load of 15 or fewer. In business, mercantile, and storage occupancies where drinking fountains are required, the following exceptions are permitted to substitute for one hundred percent (100%) of the required drinking fountains if the required number is not greater than one (1):

1. A water cooler or bottled water dispenser;

2. Individual bottles of water;

3. A break room sink, bar sink, or kitchen sink provided all sinks have an approved standard faucet per IPC 424.1.

602.3. Individual water supply. Add the following to the end of the first sentence: A potable public water supply system shall be considered available to a building when any portion of the property is located within two hundred twenty-five (225) feet of the public water main.

701.2 Sewer required. Every building in which plumbing fixtures are installed and every premises having drainage piping shall be connected to a public sewer, where available, or where a public sewer is not available, a private sewage disposal system shall be provided conforming to Chapter 29 of the Code of Ordinances and the Building Code of Columbia, Missouri.

701.2.1 Public system available. A public sewer system shall be considered available to a building when any portion of the property is located within two hundred twenty-five (225) feet of the public sewer.

705.10.2 Solvent cementing. Delete exceptions.

903.1 Roof extension. The number to be inserted in this section shall be twelve (12) inches (304.8 mm).