HB1228eng 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1228 Engrossed LRB097 05210 CEL 45259 b

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Plumbing License Law is amended by changing Sections 13.1, 16, and 42 as follows:

(225 ILCS 320/13.1)

Sec. 13.1. Plumbing contractors; registration; applications.

(1) On and after May 1, 2002, all persons or corporations desiring to engage in the business of plumbing contractor, other than any entity that maintains an audited net worth of shareholders' equity equal to or exceeding $100,000,000, shall register in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

(2) Application for registration shall be filed with the Department each year, on or before the last day of September, in writing and on forms prepared and furnished by the Department. All plumbing contractor registrations expire on the last day of September of each year.

(3) Applications shall contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person and the plumbing license of (i) the individual, if a sole proprietorship; (ii) the partner, if a partnership; or (iii) an officer, if a corporation. The application shall contain the business name, address, and telephone number, a current copy of the plumbing license, and any other information the Department may require by rule.

(4) Applicants shall submit an original certificate of insurance documenting that the contractor carries general liability insurance with a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence, a minimum of $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury, property damage insurance with a minimum of $50,000 or a minimum of $300,000 combined single limit, and workers compensation insurance with a minimum $500,000 employer's liability. No registration may be issued in the absence of this certificate. Certificates must be in force at all times for registration to remain valid.

(5) Applicants shall submit, on a form provided by the Department, an indemnification bond in the amount of $20,000 or a letter of credit in the same amount for work performed in accordance with this Act and the rules promulgated under this Act.

(6) All employees of a registered plumbing contractor who engage in plumbing work shall be licensed plumbers or apprentice plumbers in accordance with this Act.

(7) Plumbing contractors shall submit an annual registration fee in an amount to be established by rule.

(8) The Department shall be notified in advance of any changes in the business structure, name, or location or of the addition or deletion of the owner or officer who is the licensed plumber listed on the application. Failure to notify the Department of this information is grounds for suspension or revocation of the plumbing contractor's registration.

(9) In the event that the plumber's license on the application for registration of a plumbing contractor is a license issued by the City of Chicago, it shall be the responsibility of the applicant to forward a copy of the plumber's license to the Department, noting the name of the registered plumbing contractor, when it is renewed. In the event that the plumbing contractor's registration is suspended or revoked, the Department shall notify the City of Chicago and any corresponding plumbing contractor's license issued by the City of Chicago shall be suspended or revoked.

(Source: P.A. 94-55, eff. 6-17-05; 94-258, eff. 7-19-05; 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)

(225 ILCS 320/16) (from Ch. 111, par. 1115)

Sec. 16. (1) Any city, village or incorporated town, having a population of 500,000 or more may, by an ordinance containing provisions substantially the same as those in this Act and specifying educational or experience requirements equivalent to those prescribed in this Act, provide for a board of plumbing examiners to conduct examinations for, and to issue, suspend, or revoke, plumbers' licenses, within such city, village or incorporated town. Upon the enactment of such ordinance the provisions of this act shall not apply within any such municipality except as otherwise provided herein.

(2) Any person licensed as a plumber pursuant to such ordinance, or licensed by the Department under this Act, may engage in plumbing anywhere in this State.

(3) Any board of plumbing examiners created pursuant to this Section shall maintain a current record similar to that required of the Director by Section 8 of this Act, and shall provide the Department with a copy thereof. The Department shall be advised of changes in such record at least every six months.

(4) In the event that the plumbing contractor's license is suspended or revoked by any city, village, or incorporated town, having a population of 500,000 or more, the city, village, or incorporated town shall notify the Department.

(Source: Laws 1953, p. 1293.)

(225 ILCS 320/42)

Sec. 42. Home rule. Pursuant to paragraph (h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 the power to regulate the licensing of plumbers, to promulgate the promulgation of a minimum plumbing code of standards, and the power to regulate the registration of irrigation contractors and plumbing contractors shall, except as may otherwise be provided within and pursuant to the provisions of Section 16 and Section 16.1 of this Act, be exercised by the State and may not be exercised by any unit of local government, including home rule units.

(Source: P.A. 91-678, eff. 1-26-00.)