(A) Contractor registration.
(1) Permit required. Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert, or replace any electrical, mechanical, or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by codes adopted by the county, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make an application to the Director of Zoning and Building and obtain the required permit.
(2) Registration required. The owner or occupants of single-family detached residential dwellings are permitted to obtain permits and perform work to said residence and accessory structures. Work being performed on structures by persons other than an owner/occupier of a primary single-family detached residential dwelling and accessory structures including all persons, firms, corporations, owners, authorized agents, or contractors shall be registered with the county. See division (B) below for electrical contractor and division (C) below for mechanical contractors for specific requirements.
(3) Permit and compliance bond required. Any person, firm, or corporation desiring to engage in the business of any form of building construction or reconstruction, including, but not limited to, concrete and masonry contracting, demolition contracting, electrical contracting, fire sprinkler contracting, fire suppression contracting, fire alarm contracting, general contracting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning contracting, lawn sprinkler contracting, swimming pool contractors and installers, private sewage disposal contracting, roofing contracting, sign contracting, siding and window contracting, and radon mitigation contracting, or any similar trade required to obtain a permit per county ordinances shall register with the office of Zoning and Building Safety effective March 1 of each year, and shall file with the office of Zoning and Building Safety a compliance bond, with the form thereof to be furnished by the Building Inspector, in the amount of $10,000, conditioned upon the faithful performance of all the provisions of this chapter. This bond is a continuous bond and shall remain in full force and effect until canceled by notice. The surety shall have the right to cancel this bond for future liability upon 30 days’ written notice to the County Zoning and Building Safety. Plumbing contractors shall provide a copy of current state contractor registration and license of plumber of record.
(4) Proof of insurance required. General contractors, upon registration, shall provide the following: Proof of liability insurance acceptable to the office of Zoning and Building Safety in the type and amount listed below.
(a) Each applicant shall obtain and maintain for the duration of such registration, public liability and property damage insurance in the minimum amount and for as hereby specified: $100,000 for each occurrence of property damage, and $300,000 for each occurrence of personal injury or bodily harm. Such policy shall provide that it cannot be canceled except upon written notification to the office of Zoning and Building Safety at least 30 days prior to the date of cancellation. Proof shall be a certificate of insurance.
(b) Proof that the applicant has obtained workers’ compensation insurance or that the applicant is an approved self-insurer of workers’ compensation. Proof shall either be the certificate of insurance from the insurance provider or the certificate of approval as a self-insurer issued by the State Industrial Commission. If an applicant is a sole proprietorship or partnership then the applicant shall not be required to provide proof of workers’ compensation insurance. Such applicant’s application shall include a sworn statement that the applicant has no employees.
(5) Fees. Effective March 1, 2014, the fee for registration of all contractors shall be $50 and shall be valid for one year, and the filing fee for plumbing contractors shall be $50 and shall be valid for one year.
(B) Electrical contractor registration.
(1) The term ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR shall mean and include any person engaged in the business of installing, erecting, repairing, or contracting to install, erect, or repair electrical equipment. An applicant for an ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR shall be of legal age to conduct business in the state.
(2) (a) Except as provided in division (B)(3) below, before any person shall engage in the business of electrical contracting in the county, and before any person now engaged in the business or any class thereof shall continue in the business of electrical contracting, such person shall be required to register and be licensed with the county.
(b) The license required by this section shall be issued only to an individual, and not to a corporation or firm.
(3) The following persons shall not be required to register as an electrical contractor pursuant to division (B)(2) above, nor shall they be required to pay a registration fee:
(a) Electricians employed by an electrical contractor to perform or to supervise electrical work; and
(b) Persons performing electrical work in their own domiciles, with the assistance of any member of said owner-occupant’s family and household, however, the Director of Zoning and Building Safety shall require a sufficient display of electrical experience of a practical and elementary character so as to test the person’s knowledge and qualifications of the electrical work to be done in the interest of safeguarding life and property. The owner-occupant shall obtain a permit for any such work and shall call for inspection by the county.
(4) An electrical contractor who is licensed in any county, city, or village in the state or Iowa shall be required by the county to register and pay a registration fee; however, the Director of Zoning and Building Safety shall require a sufficient display of electrical experience of a practical and elementary character so as to test the knowledge and qualifications of an electrical contractor subject to this division (B) for the electrical work to be done in the interest of safeguarding life and property.
(5) No registration required by this section shall be issued until the applicant therefor has established proper qualifications and has successfully completed an examination conducted by a nationally recognized testing agency, as approved by the Director of Zoning and Building Safety.
(6) Before any registration required by this chapter is issued, the applicant therefor shall furnish a compliance bond in the penal sum of $10,000. The bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the applicant’s work in accordance with the provisions of the adopted codes. This shall be a continuing bond until canceled by notice. The surety shall have the right to cancel this bond for future liability upon 30 days’ written notice to the Director of Zoning and Building Safety, which notice must be received by the office of Zoning and Building Safety to be effective.
(7) No person permitted to register under the provisions of this section shall install or repair electrical equipment for electric light, heat, or power purposes after the expiration of the registration or after the registration shall have been revoked pursuant to this section, unless the registration or renewal thereof shall have been received.
(8) Registrant must have taken 12 hours of update courses within one year of adoption of any new or revised code for each code change and must submit a certificate of completion prior to renewal of the license.
(9) Registration required by this section is prohibited from being loaned, rented, assigned, or transferred.
(C) Mechanical contractor registration.
(1) The term MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR shall mean and include any person engaged in the business of installing, maintaining, altering, or repairing mechanical systems that are permanently installed and/or utilized to provide control of environmental conditions and related processes within buildings. This also includes those mechanical systems, system components, equipment and appliances, the installation of fuel gas distribution piping and equipment, and fuel gas-fired appliances and fuel gas-fired appliance venting systems. An applicant for a MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR shall be of legal age to conduct business in the state.
(2) Except as provided in division (C)(3) below, before any person shall engage in the business of electrical contracting in the county, and before any person now engaged in the business or any class thereof shall continue in the business of electrical contracting, such person shall be required to register with the county. The registration required by this section shall be issued only to an individual, and not to a corporation or firm.
(3) The following persons shall not be required to register as a mechanical contractor pursuant to division (C)(2) above, nor shall they be required to pay a registration fee:
(a) Persons employed by a mechanical contractor to perform or to supervise mechanical work; and
(b) Persons performing mechanical work in their own domiciles, with the assistance of any member of said owner-occupant’s family and household, however, the Director of Zoning and Building Safety shall require a sufficient display of mechanical experience of a practical and elementary character so as to test the person’s knowledge and qualifications of the mechanical work to be done in the interest of safeguarding life and property. The owner-occupant shall obtain a permit for any such work and shall call for inspection by the county.
(4) A mechanical contractor who is licensed in any county, city, or village in the state or Iowa shall be required by the county to register, and pay a registration fee; however, the Director of Zoning and Building Safety shall require a sufficient display of mechanical experience of a practical and elementary character so as to test the knowledge and qualifications of an mechanical contractor subject to this division (C) for the mechanical work to be done in the interest of safeguarding life and property.
(5) No registration required by this section shall be issued until the applicant therefor has established proper qualifications and has successfully completed an examination conducted by a nationally recognized testing agency, as approved by the Director of Zoning and Building Safety.
(6) Before any registration required by this chapter is issued, the applicant therefor shall furnish a compliance bond in the penal sum of $10,000. The bond shall be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the applicant’s work in accordance with the provisions of the adopted codes. This shall be a continuing bond until canceled by notice. The surety shall have the right to cancel this bond for future liability upon 30 days’ written notice to the Director of Zoning and Building Safety, which notice must be received by the office of Zoning and Building Safety to be effective.
(7) No person permitted to register under the provisions of this section shall install or repair electrical equipment for electric light, heat, or power purposes after the expiration of the registration or after the registration shall have been revoked pursuant to this section, unless the registration or renewal thereof shall have been received.
(8) A registration required by this section is prohibited from being loaned, rented, assigned, or transferred.
(Res. passed 2-18-2014)