RELATES TO:
KRS
318.010,
318.020,
318.030,
318.040,
318.050,
318.054,
318.060,
318.080
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
318.130 requires the Department of Housing,
Buildings and Construction to promulgate and amend the Kentucky State Plumbing
Code to regulate plumbing.
KRS
318.040(1)(d) authorizes the
commissioner to promulgate administrative regulations establishing
qualifications for a master plumber's license and a journeyman plumber's
license. KRS
318.040(2) and (3) require
the department to establish examination requirements and procedures.
KRS
318.050 requires the department to establish
reasonable application fees for licensure as a master plumber or journeyman
plumber. KRS
318.054(3) requires the
department to establish reasonable renewal fees for master plumbers and
journeyman plumbers. This administrative regulation establishes the
application, examination, and renewal requirements for master plumbers and
journeyman plumbers.
Section 1.
Examinations.
(1) Examination applications.
(a) All examination applicants for any
plumber's license shall submit to the department:
1. A completed Plumbing Examination
Registration Form, Form PLB-3;
2.
The appropriate non-refundable examination fee:
a. For a master plumber, $150; or
b. For a journeyman plumber, fifty (50)
dollars; and
3. A
passport-sized color photograph of the applicant taken within the past six (6)
months.
(b) If an
applicant fails to successfully complete the appropriate examination within one
(1) year from the date of the first notice of examination, the application
shall be void.
(2)
Examination design.
(a) The State Plumbing
Examining Committee shall design the examination requirements.
(b) All examinations shall include:
1. Written questions pertaining to basic
principles of plumbing, KRS Chapter 318, 815 KAR Chapter 2, and 815 KAR Chapter
20; and
2. Inserting the proper
pipe size on a prepared drawing that indicates all stacks, wastes, and vents
and the connected plumbing fixtures.
a. The
proper sizing of main stacks shall be given more importance than other
piping.
b. Deductions shall be
required for oversized piping and for undersized piping.
3. The journeyman plumber's license
examination shall include a practical section in which the applicant shall
demonstrate the ability to properly install plumbing by engaging in certain
activities, such as making proper connections of various plumbing materials.
a. An applicant for a journeyman plumber's
license examination shall furnish the plumbing materials required for the
practical examination.
b. The
department shall notify the applicant at least one (1) week prior to the date
of examination as to what plumbing materials are needed.
4. The examination requirements shall be more
complex for the master plumber's license examination than the journeyman
plumber's license examination.
(3) Examination schedule.
(a) Regular examination of applicants for a
master plumber's license or a journeyman plumber's license shall be conducted
yearly during the months of February, May, August, and November.
(b) A special examination may be conducted
during other times of a year as the department directs.
(c) Notice of the time and place of
examination shall be given by the department at least one (1) week prior to the
date of examination to each person who has a registration form on file,
approved in accordance with subsection (1) of this section.
(4) Examination retakes. Within
one (1) year from the date of the applicant's first notice of examination:
(a) An applicant who fails to attend or
successfully complete an examination for which he has been scheduled may
request to reschedule or retake the examination. Except for the examination
fee, an applicant shall not resubmit the requirements in subsection 1 of this
section.
(b) An applicant for a
journeyman plumber's license who passes the written portion, the drawing
portion, or the practical portion of the examination, but not all portions, may
apply to retake only the portion failed.
(c) An applicant for a journeyman plumber's
license who failed to achieve a passing score on the retaken portion of the
examination may apply to retake the failed portion of the
examination.
(d) An applicant shall
pay the full examination fee for a retake of any portion of the
examination.
(5) A
passing score on an examination shall be valid for three (3) years.
Section 2. Master Plumber License
Application. To qualify for licensure as a master plumber, an applicant shall:
(1)
(a)
Have held a valid journeyman plumber's license for a minimum of two (2) years
within the past five (5) years immediately preceding application and be
actively employed in plumbing under the supervision of a licensed master
plumber for a minimum of two (2) years;
(b) Hold an engineer license in Kentucky and
be sufficiently experienced in mechanical engineering, as determined by the
department based upon the number and complexity of the applicant's past
mechanical engineer projects;
(c)
Hold a valid plumbing license issued by another state for a minimum of two (2)
years within the past five (5) years immediately preceding application;
or
(d) Have been engaged in the
practice of plumbing in another state that does not issue a plumbing license,
in a capacity equivalent to a master plumber, for a minimum of four (4)
consecutive years immediately preceding application.
(2) Master plumber license application.
(a) An applicant for a master plumber license
shall submit to the department:
1. A completed
Application for License as a Master Plumber, Form PLB-1;
2. Proof of successfully completing the
Kentucky master plumber examination with a passing score of a minimum of eighty
(80) percent obtained for each portion of the examination; and
3. A license fee of $250.
(b) A master plumbing license
applicant applying with experience under subsection (1)(c) or (d) of this
section shall submit proof of successfully completing the journeyman plumber
examination pursuant to Section 3(2)(b) of this administrative
regulation.
(3) The
initial license fee for a master plumber may be prorated for not less than
seven (7) months or more than eighteen (18) months and shall expire on the
final day of the applicant's birth month.
Section 3. Journeyman Plumber License
Application. To qualify for licensure as a journeyman plumber, an applicant
shall:
(1)
(a) Have At least two (2) consecutive years
of experience as an apprentice plumber; or
(b) Complete a department approved course
that includes content on the practice of plumbing or the Kentucky State
Plumbing Code and at least one (1) year of experience as an apprentice
plumber.
(2) Journeyman
plumber license application. An applicant for a journeyman plumber license
shall submit to the department:
(a) A
completed Application for License as a Journeyman Plumber, Form
PLB-2;
(b) Proof of successfully
completing the Kentucky journeyman plumber examination with a passing score of
a minimum of seventy-five (75) percent obtained for each portion of the
examination; and
(c) A license fee
of sixty (60) dollars.
(3) The initial license fee for a journeyman
plumber may be prorated for not less than seven (7) months or more than
eighteen (18) months and shall expire on the final day of the applicant's birth
month.
Section 4. License
Renewals.
(1) Filing for renewal. A master
plumber and a journeyman plumber shall submit to the department:
(a) The applicable renewal fee made payable
to the Kentucky State Treasurer of:
1. $250
for a master plumber; or
2. Sixty
(60) dollars for a journeyman plumber;
(b) Proof of completing the continuing
education requirements established in
815 KAR 2:010;
(c) Proof of insurance as required by
KRS
318.030 for a master plumber; and
(d) A completed Form DHBC L-1, Licensing
Renewal Application.
(2)
Inactive status.
(a) To place a plumbing
license in inactive status:
1. A master
plumber shall pay an initial inactive fee of $125.
2. A journeyman plumber shall pay an initial
inactive fee of thirty (30) dollars.
(b)
1. An
inactive master plumber shall not secure a plumbing permit, advertise,
represent himself as a qualified master plumber, or otherwise engage in the
work of a master plumber.
2. An
inactive journeyman plumber shall not represent himself as a qualified
journeyman plumber or otherwise engage in the work of a journeyman
plumber.
(c) To
reactivate a plumbing license, the inactive licensed plumber shall complete all
renewal requirements of subsection (1) of this section and pay the appropriate
reactivation fee:
1. $125 for a master
plumber; or
2. Thirty (30) dollars
for a journeyman plumber.
Section 5. Change of information.
(1) A licensee shall notify the department of
any change to the name or address of the business or employer.
(2) Death of a master plumber.
(a) If the master plumber representing a
company dies, the company shall notify the department within ten (10) days of
the master plumber's death.
(b) The
180 day interim period established in
KRS
318.054 shall begin on the date the master
plumber dies.
(c) The company shall
not be required to renew the deceased's master plumber license, if the license
renewal date falls within the 180 day interim period.
(d) The company shall not use the deceased
master plumber's license after the expiration date of the interim
period.
(e) The company shall
notify the department when the company has a replacement master plumber to
represent the company.
Section 6. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) The following material is incorporated by
reference:
(a) "Application for License as a
Master Plumber", Form PLB-1, April 2023;
(b) "Application for License as a Journeyman
Plumber", Form PLB-2, April 2023;
(c) "Plumbing Examination Registration Form,
Form PLB-3, October 2019; and
(d)
"Licensing Renewal Application", Form DHBC L-1, April 2023.
(2) This material may be
inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the
Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing, 500
Mero Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-5412, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. and is available online at
http://dhbc.ky.gov.