Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Requirements - North Carolina

Listed below are the current state requirements for a(n) Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler in the state of
North Carolina .

Completion Requirements
Attention North Carolina Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors: Beginning with the renewal of license for years beginning on or after January 1, 2003, each holder of a Plumbing, Heating or Fuel Piping license, must have completed 6 hours of approved continuing education during the preceding calendar year as a condition of license renewal.

The board does not accept distance education as an acceptable means of fulfilling continuing education requirements. Only non-distance education approved by the board is acceptable. To obtain a list of approved courses and course providers, please contact the state board directly at the number and address listed at the bottom of the page.

Beginning with the renewals of license for years beginning on or after January 1, 2003, each holder of a Fire Sprinkler Contractor’s license not current on the continuing education requirements for NICET must complete 6 hours of continuing education in areas related to fire sprinkler contracting during the preceding calendar year as a condition of license renewal.

Persons holding multiple qualifications from the Board must complete at least 2 hours in each qualification, totaling at least 6 hours annually, provided that the 4 hour block described in Paragraph (c) shall take priority and on PH-12&13 contractor shall be required to complete more than 6 hours annually under this Rule.

Renewal Dates
Renewal occurs December 31 annually.

Invoices are mailed to all active licensees at the last known address on record with the Board, at least one month in advance of the expiration date of license.

A renewal check list, instructions for completing the renewal, Form VR- (year) and Form 5 are also mailed with the invoice.

Statute:
21 NCAC 50, Section .1400

Special Designations or Stipulations:
For the information of all licenses, the Board shall maintain a calendar of all courses available during a 6-month period.

Continuing education courses taken in 1999, 2000, 2001, or 2002 may be applied to the 6-hour annual requirement for 2003 renewals. Thereafter, licensees may not carry over hours from one calendar year to the next.

Continuing education shall not be required of holders of Fire Sprinkler Contractor’s licenses, licensed pursuant to the minimum requirements of certification for Level III, sub-field of Automatic Sprinkler System Layout, National Institute for Certification of Engineering Technologies (NICET), provided such persons remain in compliance with the continuing education requirements of NICET.

A license which expires may be reinstated within 3 years of the date of expiration upon written request. Upon presentation of satisfactory evidence that the licensee has not engaged in the business of either plumbing or heating or fire sprinkler contracting since the expiration of his license, payment of the license fee for the current year only will be required. In the absence of such evidence, the license may be reinstated within 3 years of the date of expiration upon payment of the current license fee, the license fee for the year for which such evidence is omitted and all subsequent years, together with the penalty imposed by GS 87-22.

Audit Potential:
Random

Allowed Carry-Over Hours:
None

Applicable Course of Study:
In order for course credit to be obtained, the course must be approved and consist of instruction in areas related to plumbing, heating and air conditioning contracting such as the technical and practical aspect of: the analysis of plans and specifications, estimating costs, fundamentals of installation and design, codes, fire hazards and other subjects as those may relate to engaging in business as a plumbing, heating or fuel piping contractor or to plumbing or heating systems.

Business ethics, taxation, payroll, cash management, contract preparation or similar subjects as related to plumbing or heating contracting will also be approved.

No more than 2 hours annually may be dedicated to ethics, taxation, payroll, cash management, contract preparation or similar subjects as related to plumbing or heating contracting.

At least once every 3 calendar years, each applicant for license renewal, other than fire sprinkler licensees, must complete a 4 hour block of instruction devoted entirely to N.C. and local building codes including recent changes or amendments to those codes. This 4-hour block may be counted towards the required 6 hours for the calendar year in which the block is taken.

Instructors shall be given credit for lecture hours spent educating other licensees in approved courses.

Approval will be granted only for courses on building code content and changes therein.

Actual instruction does not include introductory remarks, breaks, business meetings, marketing of equipment, advertisements or time spent on non-approved subjects.

Each hour of instruction may include on break of 10 minutes duration.

In order for course credit to be obtained, the course must be taught by the instructor listed when the course was approved by the Board.

Courses shall have a minimum of 1 hour of actual instruction and a maximum of 6 hours of actual instruction, per day.

Courses shall be held in facilities conducive to learning. Such facilities include community colleges, technical schools, or community centers.

Courses shall be open to all interested licensees that the host facility can reasonably accommodate and for audit by Board representatives; courses may not be restricted to employees, dealers or members of a particular firm or group.

Once listed on the 6-month course roster, a course may not be cancelled during that 6-month period.

Though courses may have commercial sponsors, the courses shall not include promotion of products or services of a particular firm or manufacturer.

Correspondence, home study, license exam preparation (cram) courses shall not be approved.

To obtain approval of a course an applicant must submit a written application to the board at least 45 days before the proposed course date which must include:
(1) two substantially complete sets of written course materials and a detailed course outline; and
(2) an application cover sheet on a form supplied by the Board identifying the applicant, the name, training and experience of all speakers, the proposed date(s) of the course, the host facility, the place where applicants for enrollment should be sent, the cost, the total continuing education hours being offered, and any hours dedicated to the block course on code.

Preliminary review of course applications shall be carried out by a committee appointed by the Board, which will include providers of approved courses.

As a condition of course approval, providers shall agree to submit to the board, in the form provided by the Board, and within 30 days of the course date set out on the application, an alphabetical listing of all licensees who attended and completed the course and a copy of any course materials distributed to participants together with certification that the course was provided consistent with the application.

Licensees may select courses other than those offered by pre-approved providers. In order to obtain approval, the licensee must submit a written application for approval on a form obtained from the Board upon completion of each such course. In lieu of such form, an advertising brochure may be submitted, provided the brochure includes the topic, content of lecture material, date, time, location, name and qualifications of speaker and the number of contact hours received upon completion of the program. The licensee must also prove independent verification of attendance. Board evaluation of courses not pre-approved may result in disapproval.

Proof of Compliance:
Licenses may not be renewed without documentation of course attendance, course name, course number, content and teacher in the form required by the Board.

To obtain one hour of continuing education credit a licensee and a course sponsor must certify the licensee’s completion of one hour of actual instruction in a sponsored course.

Licensees shall submit, prior to license renewal, certification of the number of continuing education hours completed in that calendar year.

Upon request, applicants will provide evidence of the course title, number, teacher, location and date, hours in fact attended, and a copy of the certificate provided by the teacher at the conclusion of the course.

Non-Compliance Penalties:
In the event of failure to renew the license certificate before or during the month of January each ear, the Board shall increase the license fee 10% for each month or fraction of a month that payment is delayed not to exceed the amount of the annual license fee.

If a license is not renewed within 3 years after expiration, the Board requires reexamination.

Falsification or misstatement of continuing education information shall be grounds for failure to renew licenses and disciplinary action, including revocation or suspension of licenses.

Following a finding of noncompliance with these continuing education requirements, renewal will not be allowed, discipline may be imposed as indicated by 21 NCAC 50 .1401 of this Section, and the licensee may be required to complete sufficient coursework to eliminate the deficiency prior to license reinstatement of renewal.

Disallowed Credits:
Except with prior approval by the Board, a licensee will receive no credit for a course for which the licensee has previously received credit in the current or two preceding calendar years.

Exceptions or exemptions:
Newly licensed individuals will have no continuing education requirements for the calendar year in which they first become licensed.

Licensees who are unable to fulfill the required number of hours as the result of illness as certified by an attending physician may petition the Board in writing for an exemption or request approval of an individualized plan tailored to their physical limitations. Such requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the Board without undue delay, consistent with the requirements applicable to all licensees.

Licensees who are over the age of 65, and who will not be engaged in bidding supervising or other activities for which license is required during the coming year, except as an employee of another licensee, may apply to the Board and obtain an exemption. If exemption is granted and the licensee thereafter wishes to engage in activity requiring license, the continuing education must be completed and satisfactory proof provided to the Board before the activity requiring license is undertaken.

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