1.

 General qualifications.

 The board shall adopt, by rule, general qualifications for licensure. References may be required as part of the licensing process.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 105.18

  • Apprentice: means any person, other than a helper, journeyperson, or master, who, as a principal occupation, is engaged in working as an employee of a plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems contractor under the supervision of either a master or a journeyperson and is progressing toward completion of an apprenticeship training program registered by the office of apprenticeship of the United States department of labor while learning and assisting in the design, installation, and repair of plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems, as applicable. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Board: means the plumbing and mechanical systems board as established pursuant to section 105. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Contractor: means a person or entity that provides plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems services on a contractual basis and who is paid a predetermined amount under that contract for rendering those services. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Department: means the Iowa department of public health. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • HVAC: includes all natural, propane, liquid propane, or other gas lines associated with any component of an HVAC system. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Hydronic: includes all low-pressure and high-pressure systems and all natural, propane, liquid propane, or other gas lines associated with any component of a hydronic system. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Journeyperson: means any person, other than a master, who, as a principal occupation, is engaged as an employee of, or otherwise working under the direction of, a master in the design, installation, and repair of plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems, as applicable. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Master: means any person who works in the planning or superintending of the design, installation, or repair of plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems and is otherwise lawfully qualified to conduct the business of plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic systems, and who is familiar with the laws and rules governing the same. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Mechanical professional: means a person engaged in the HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic industry. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Plumbing: includes potable water piping, potable water treating or using equipment, medical gas piping systems, fuel gas piping, water heaters and vents, including all natural, propane, liquid propane, or other gas lines associated with any component of a plumbing system. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Refrigeration: includes all natural, propane, liquid propane, or other gas lines associated with any component of refrigeration. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • Rule: includes "regulation". See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Sheet metal: means heating, ventilation, air conditioning, pollution control, fume hood systems and related ducted systems or installation of equipment associated with any component of a sheet metal system. See Iowa Code 105.2
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2.

 Plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, and hydronic licenses and contractor licenses.

 The board shall issue master licenses for plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, and hydronic professionals. The board shall issue journeyperson licenses for plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, and hydronic professionals. A plumbing license shall allow an individual to perform work defined as plumbing. A mechanical license shall allow an individual to perform work defined as HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, and hydronic. An HVAC-refrigeration license shall allow an individual to perform work defined as HVAC and refrigeration. A hydronic license shall allow an individual to perform work defined as hydronic. A sheet metal license shall allow an individual to perform work defined as sheet metal. The board shall issue the separate licenses as follows:

 a.

 Apprentice license.

 In order to be licensed by the board as an apprentice, a person shall do all of the following:

 (1) File an application, which application shall establish that the person meets the minimum requirements adopted by the board.
 (2) Certify that the person will work under the supervision of a licensed journeyperson or master in the applicable discipline.
 (3) Be enrolled in an applicable apprentice program which is registered with the United States department of labor office of apprenticeship.
 b.

 Journeyperson license.
 (1) In order to be licensed by the board as a journeyperson in the applicable discipline, a person shall do all of the following:

 (a) File an application and pay application fees as established by the board, which application shall establish that the person meets the minimum educational and experience requirements adopted by the board.
 (b) Pass the state journeyperson licensing examination in the applicable discipline.
 (c) Provide the board with evidence of having completed at least four years of practical experience as an apprentice. Commencing January 1, 2010, the four years of practical experience required by this subparagraph division must be an apprenticeship training program registered by the United States department of labor office of apprenticeship.
 (2) A person may simultaneously hold an active journeyperson license and an inactive master license.
 (3) An individual who has passed both the journeyperson HVAC-refrigeration examination and the journeyperson hydronic examination separately shall be qualified to be issued a journeyperson mechanical license without having to pass the journeyperson mechanical examination.
 c.

 Master license.
 (1) In order to be licensed by the board as a master, a person shall do all of the following:

 (a) File an application and pay application fees as established by the board, which application shall establish that the person meets the minimum educational and experience requirements adopted by the board.
 (b) Pass the state master licensing examination for the applicable discipline.
 (c) Provide evidence to the board that the person has previously been a licensed journeyperson or master in the applicable discipline.
 (2) An individual who has passed both the master HVAC-refrigeration examination and the master hydronic examination separately shall be qualified to be issued a master mechanical license without having to pass the master mechanical examination.
 d.

 Contractor license.

 In order to be licensed by the board as a contractor, a person shall do all of the following:

 (1) File an application and pay application fees as established by the board and establish that the person meets the minimum requirements adopted by the board. Through June 30, 2017, the application shall include the person’s state contractor registration number. After July 1, 2017, the application shall include proof of workers compensation insurance coverage, proof of unemployment insurance compliance, and, for out-of-state contractors, a bond as described in chapter 91C.
 (2) Maintain a permanent place of business.
 (3) Hold a master license or employ at least one person holding a master license under this chapter.
 3.

 Combined licenses, restricted licenses.
 a. The board may issue single or combined licenses to persons who qualify as a contractor, master, journeyperson, or apprentice under any of the disciplines.
 b. Special, restricted license. The board may by rule provide for the issuance of special plumbing and mechanical professional licenses authorizing the licensee to engage in a limited class or classes of plumbing or mechanical professional work, which class or classes shall be specified on the license. Each licensee shall have experience, acceptable to the board, in each such limited class for which the person is licensed. The board shall designate each special, restricted license to be a sublicense of either a plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic license. A special, restricted license may be a sublicense of multiple types of licenses. An individual holding a master or journeyperson, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC-refrigeration, sheet metal, or hydronic license shall not be required to obtain any special, restricted license which is a sublicense of the license that the individual holds. Special plumbing and mechanical professional licenses shall be issued to employees of a rate-regulated gas or electric public utility who conduct the repair of appliances. “Repair of appliances” means the repair or replacement of mechanical connections between the appliance shutoff valve and the appliance and repair of or replacement of parts to the appliance. Such special, restricted license shall require certification pursuant to industry-accredited certification standards.
 c. The board shall establish a special, restricted license fee at a reduced rate, consistent with any other special, restricted license fees.
 d. An individual that holds either a master or journeyperson mechanical license or a master or journeyperson HVAC-refrigeration license shall be exempt from having to obtain a special electrician’s license pursuant to chapter 103 in order to disconnect and reconnect existing air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
 4.

 Waiver for military service.

 Notwithstanding section 17A.9A, the board shall waive the written examination requirements and prior experience requirements in subsection 2, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (1), and subsection 2, paragraph “c”, for a journeyperson or master license if the applicant meets all of the following requirements:

 a. Is an active or retired member of the United States military.
 b. Provides documentation that the applicant was deployed on active duty during any portion of the time period of July 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009.
 c. Provides documentation that shows the applicant has previously passed an examination which the board deems substantially similar to the examination for a journeyperson license or a master license, as applicable, issued by the board, or provides documentation that shows the applicant has previously been licensed by a state or local governmental jurisdiction in the same trade and trade level.
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