(1) The department shall issue a certificate of competency to all applicants who have passed the examination and have paid the fee for the certificate. The certificate may include a photograph of the holder. The certificate shall bear the date of issuance, and shall expire on the birthdate of the holder immediately following the date of issuance. The certificate shall be renewable every other year, upon application, on or before the birthdate of the holder, except for specialty plumbers defined by RCW 18.106.010(10)(c) who also have an electrical certification issued jointly as provided by RCW 18.106.050(3) in which case their certificate shall be renewable every three years on or before the birthdate of the holder. The department shall renew a certificate of competency if the applicant: (a) Pays the renewal fee assessed by the department; and (b) during the past two years has completed sixteen hours of continuing education approved by the department with the advice of the advisory board, including four hours related to electrical safety. For holders of the specialty plumber certificate under RCW 18.106.010(10)(c), the continuing education may comprise both electrical and plumbing education with a minimum of twelve of the required twenty-four hours of continuing education in plumbing. If a person fails to renew the certificate by the renewal date, he or she must pay a doubled fee. If the person does not renew the certificate within ninety days of the renewal date, he or she must retake the examination and pay the examination fee.

The journey level plumber and specialty plumber certificates of competency, the medical gas piping installer endorsement, and the temporary permit provided for in this chapter grant the holder the right to engage in the work of plumbing as a journey level plumber, specialty plumber, or medical gas piping installer, in accordance with their provisions throughout the state and within any of its political subdivisions on any job or any employment without additional proof of competency or any other license or permit or fee to engage in the work. This section does not preclude employees from adhering to a union security clause in any employment where such a requirement exists.

(2) A person who is indentured in an apprenticeship program approved under chapter 49.04 RCW for the plumbing construction trade or who is learning the plumbing construction trade may work in the plumbing construction trade if supervised by a certified journey level plumber or a certified specialty plumber in that plumber's specialty. All apprentices and individuals learning the plumbing construction trade shall obtain a plumbing training certificate from the department. The certificate shall authorize the holder to learn the plumbing construction trade while under the direct supervision of a journey level plumber or a specialty plumber working in his or her specialty. The certificate may include a photograph of the holder. The holder of the plumbing training certificate shall renew the certificate annually. At the time of renewal, the holder shall provide the department with an accurate list of the holder's employers in the plumbing construction industry for the previous year and the number of hours worked for each employer. An annual fee shall be charged for the issuance or renewal of the certificate. The department shall set the fee by rule. The fee shall cover but not exceed the cost of administering and enforcing the trainee certification and supervision requirements of this chapter.

(3) Any person who has been issued a plumbing training certificate under this chapter may work if that person is under supervision. Supervision shall consist of a person being on the same job site and under the control of either a journey level plumber or an appropriate specialty plumber who has an applicable certificate of competency issued under this chapter. Either a journey level plumber or an appropriate specialty plumber shall be on the same job site as the noncertified individual for a minimum of seventy-five percent of each working day unless otherwise provided in this chapter. The ratio of noncertified individuals to certified journey level or specialty plumbers working on a job site shall ((be: (a) Not more than two noncertified plumbers working on any one job site for every certified specialty plumber or journey level plumber working as a specialty plumber; and (b) not more than one noncertified plumber working on any one job site for every certified journey level plumber working as a journey level plumber)) vary based upon the following schedule and the hours of training cited herein must be documented hours pursuant to subsection (2) of this section:

An individual who has a current training certificate and who has successfully completed or is currently enrolled in an approved apprenticeship program or in a technical school program in the plumbing construction trade in a school approved by the workforce training and education coordinating board, may work without direct on-site supervision during the last six months of meeting the practical experience requirements of this chapter.

(4) An individual who has a current training certificate and who has successfully completed or is currently enrolled in a medical gas piping installer training course approved by the department may work on medical gas piping systems if the individual is under the direct supervision of a certified medical gas piping installer who holds a medical gas piping installer endorsement one hundred percent of a working day on a one-to-one ratio.

(5) The training to become a certified plumber must include not less than sixteen hours of classroom training established by the director with the advice of the advisory board. The classroom training must include, but not be limited to, electrical wiring safety, grounding, bonding, and other related items plumbers need to know to work under RCW 19.28.091.


State of Washington	65th Legislature	2018 Regular Session