Chapter 34. Plumbing and Gas Fitting

In this Chapter, the following words and phrases have the following meanings:

Director: The Director of the Department of Permitting Services.

Gas fitter: A registered, licensed master gas fitter who is authorized to install and supervise the installation of gas fitting work, but who is not authorized to do plumbing work.

Gas fitting: The work, beginning at the outlet of the meter, of putting together, installing, connecting and the maintenance and repair of any piping, fitting, fixtures or other appliances which are to contain gas for heat, light or power, including attachments and appurtenances.

Install, repair or maintain: The installation, repair or maintenance of any plumbing or gas fitting equipment or part thereof, including alterations, renewals or extensions of the same.

Journeyman gas fitter: A registered, licensed journeyman gas fitter, working under the supervision of a master gas fitter in the installation of gas fitting work. A journeyman gas fitter may not do plumbing work.

Journeyman plumber: A registered, licensed journeyman plumber, working under the supervision of a master plumber in the installation of plumbing and gas fitting work.

Plumber: A registered, licensed master plumber who is authorized to install and supervise the installation of plumbing and gas fitting work.

Plumbing: The practice, materials and fixtures used in the installation, maintenance, extension and alteration of all piping, fixtures and other apparatus on private property for bringing in the water supply to and removing the liquid and water borne wastes from the premises; also such similar work when done under legal permit in the public ways by private persons.

The council hereby adopts as the plumbing and gas fitting regulations of the county all those regulations, as amended, as of the effective date of this section, which have been adopted by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, under the authority of chapter 122, Acts of 1918, General Assembly of Maryland, or under the authority of chapter 256, Acts of 1955, General Assembly of Maryland, as amended, known and designated as "The Plumbing and Gas Fitting Regulations of the Washington Suburban Sanitary District" (such plumbing regulations are dated February 16, 1954), with such amendments as are specified in this article.

The regulations adopted by section 34-2 shall not apply within the Maryland-Washington Metropolitan District, or the Washington Suburban Sanitary District to the extent that the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has authority to adopt or has adopted equivalent regulations for such respective districts; nor shall such regulations be in effect within any special taxing area to the extent that such special taxing area has authority to adopt equivalent regulations; provided, that, if the governing body of such area adopts these or equivalent regulations and requests the county to provide for the administration and enforcement of the same within such special taxing area, the county executive is hereby directed to administer the regulations within such area.

Every new or replacement community and multiuse water supply system or sanitary sewerage system must be designed and floodproofed:

The plumbing regulations adopted by Section 34-2 are amended as follows:

The gas fitting regulations adopted by section 34-2 are hereby amended as follows: In chapter II, sections 201.1, the first paragraph of 201.21, 201.4, 201.5, 202.1, 202.2, 202.33, 202.34, 202.35, 202.43, 202.5, 202.7, 202.8, 202.9, 202.10, 202.11, 202.12, 202.13, and 202.14 are hereby deleted.

Plumbers and gas fitters will be held responsible for the violation of such parts of the regulations adopted by section 34-2 as concern them, whether by themselves or their employees or agents. Under no circumstances whatever shall verbal permission given at any time by anyone be considered as a justification for any deviation from or a violation of such regulations.

Water supply, sewerage, plumbing and gas fitting work on private property, with the exception of excavating and refilling trenches, outside work in the installation of septic tanks, septic tank cleaning and well drilling, shall be done by a master plumber-gas fitter or by a journeyman plumber under the supervision of a master plumber-gas fitter, both of whom shall be registered as specified in this chapter. Every person or at least one member of every firm or one officer of every corporation, doing or contracting to do plumbing or gas fitting work shall be a registered master plumber or master gas fitter. Every plumber or gas fitter working as a journeyman shall have a journeyman's registration card issued under this chapter.

Gas appliance servicemen not qualified for registration under this chapter as a master gas fitter or journeyman gas fitter, and whose activities are limited to the repair of gas appliances for electrical or mechanical defects and not gas fittings or gas-operated parts of an appliance, are hereby authorized, for the purposes of repair and service only, to disconnect the appliance from the gas line and reconnect such appliance, subject to the conditions set out in sections 34-10 to 34-12.

Every gas appliance serviceman who desires to perform any work authorized by Section 34-9 must apply to the Department of Permitting Services for a limited gas appliance serviceman's registration card. The card must be renewed annually and must be issued upon payment of a registration fee of $3. Before a card is issued, the applicant must show by examination a thorough knowledge of all safety measures in temporary disconnecting and reconnecting of gas appliances from the gas pipe line, or furnish proof of training or experience with a reputable company in such limited gas fitting work. The work must be performed in accordance with applicable gas fitting regulations. A person registered under this Section must not perform any gas fitting work except as provided in this Section and the registration card must specifically state the extent of gas fitting work which that person may perform.

Any firm, company, association, corporation or partnership in the business of gas appliance repair or employing gas appliance servicemen shall post a single bond annually in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) under the terms and conditions of section 34-17, which bond shall cover all servicemen employed by the company. Individual servicemen, not employees, shall post a bond of five hundred dollars ($500.00) under such section.

All applicable provisions of sections 34-16 to 34-20 shall apply to firms and servicemen posting bonds and registered under this article.

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter or the plumbing and gas fitting regulations adopted by section 34-2 shall be subject to punishment for a class A violation as set forth in section 1-19 of chapter 1 of the County Code.

It shall be unlawful for any person to install, repair or maintain any plumbing or gas fitting equipment unless such person shall have obtained a license as provided for in this article.

Applicants holding a current, valid license issued by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, or from the state board of commissioners of practical plumbing, may obtain a plumber's or gas fitter's license from the Department of Permitting Services upon delivery to the County of a corporate bond executed by a surety or guaranty company qualified to transact business in the state in the amount of $1,000; except that a journeyman need not furnish this bond. Bonds must run to the County, and must be conditioned on the licensee performing all work done by the licensee in the County in accordance with applicable plumbing and gas fitting regulations. The County has no responsibility nor may the County pass judgment in any financial or other controversy between the master plumber or gas fitter and the public under the bond or under any circumstances.

Applicants for a license under this Article must apply for registration with the Department of Permitting Services. Applicants applying for registration as a master plumber, master gas fitter or master plumber-gas fitter, must pay to the County a fee of $5 at the time of filing an application on a form provided by the Department. At the time of filing an application for a journeyman plumber's license or journeyman gas fitter's license, the applicant must pay to the County a fee of $3. The fees are not returnable under any circumstances. After qualification and payment of the required fee, including in the case of master plumbers or gas fitters the presentation of a current trader's license, and approval of the bond as specified in this Article, the Department must place the name of the master plumber or gas fitter, along with other pertinent data, on the Department's register and issue a card designating "master plumber" or "master plumber-gas fitter" or "master gas fitter" or "journeyman plumber" or "journeyman gas fitter" to the applicant.

The qualifications for registration as a plumber or journeyman shall be the same as set forth in sections 303.1, 303.2, 303.5, 304.1, 304.2, 304.4, and 306 of the plumbing regulations adopted by section 34-2 and the qualifications for registration as a gas fitter or journeyman shall be set forth in sections 202.31, 202.32, 202.42, and 202.6 of the gas fitting regulations adopted by section 34-2.

Registration cards will not be issued under this article to a firm or corporation, but only to an individual master plumber or master gas fitter who shall then be considered as the responsible representative of the firm or corporation. A master plumber or gas fitter may represent only one firm or corporation.

The registration card issued under this article shall be kept on the person of the licensee at all times while he is engaged in plumbing or gas fitting work.

The holder of a plumber's registration card as provided for in this article permits the performance of gas fitting in accordance with the gas fitting rules and regulations as well as plumbing work. However, gas fitters will be permitted to do gas fitting work only.

A registration card issued under this article may not be transferred under any circumstances. A registration card issued to any member of a firm or officer of a corporation shall become void upon the dissolution of the firm or corporation, and a new registration card shall be necessary for the party to continue in business.

No plumber or gas fitter shall allow his name or registration to be used by any other person for obtaining permits, doing work or for any purpose whatsoever.

Holders of licenses issued under this article shall display the same in a prominent place at their place of business and, upon demand, shall give the number of the license to any person who shall demand the same.

If any license issued under this article is lost, defaced or destroyed, the licensee may obtain a duplicate upon application to the director and payment of a fee of one dollar ($1.00).

Plumbing or gas fitting licenses or certificates from any other state, territory or the District of Columbia will not be honored.

Licenses issued under this article shall expire on May 31 of each year and may be renewed upon application to the director. Applicants for renewal of a master plumber's or master gas fitter's license shall pay to the county, at the time of filing such application, a fee of five dollars ($5.00), and for a journeyman's license, three dollars ($3.00).

If a master plumber or gas fitter goes out of business, takes other associates into the business with him or if an organization with which he is associated changes, he shall promptly notify the director, in writing, of that fact, and his registration card shall become void. Before entering into a new business organization, he will be required to re-register and take out a registration card in the same manner and at the same cost as at the time of the original registration.

Permits may be withheld, at any time, from any licensee who violates the regulations adopted by section 34-2, performs generally unsatisfactory work, refuses to remedy defective work or who refuses or neglects to compensate the county for damage caused to its property, or to discharge any other indebtedness to the county. In addition, the county may call upon his bonding company for such indemnity as may be necessary.

The director may revoke or suspend any license issued under this article if he finds that the licensee has given false information on his application for license or renewal of license or has violated any provision of this chapter or any provision of the plumbing and gas fitter's regulations adopted by section 34-2.

If any licensee shall have his state registration revoked or his registration revoked with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, his registration with Montgomery County shall immediately become void.

Before revoking or suspending any license, except when the same has been revoked by the state or the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the director shall afford the licensee an opportunity for a hearing to show cause why his license should not be revoked or suspended. The director shall give such licensee at least ten (10) days' notice of such hearing by registered mail and such notice shall state the complaint and alleged violation.

Any person who believes himself aggrieved by any action of the director under this section may appeal to the county board of appeals by filing a notice of such appeal with the clerk of the board of appeals within not more than ten (10) days after receiving notice of the action of the director.

Any master plumber, gas fitter, journeyman plumber or journeyman gas fitter regularly employed for public work or by any institution, industrial establishment or public utility shall be exempt from this article, but he shall not carry on any outside business of plumbing or gas fitting unless he complies with this article. The plumbing or gas fitting business so carried on shall be in strict accordance with the plumbing and gas fitting regulations.