Washington SB 5744: Concerning plumbing supervision.

Bill Text

AN ACT Relating to plumbing supervision; amending RCW 18.106.070; 1
and reenacting and amending RCW 18.106.010.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 18.106.010 and 2021 c 65 s 15 are each reenacted and 4
amended to read as follows:5
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 6
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.7
(1) "Advisory board" means the state advisory board of plumbers.8
(2) "Department" means the department of labor and industries.9
(3) "Director" means the director of department of labor and 10
industries.11
(4) "Journey level plumber" means any person who has been issued 12
a certificate of competency by the department of labor and industries 13
as provided in this chapter.14
(5) "Like-in-kind" means having similar characteristics such as 15
plumbing size, type, and function, and being in the same location.16
(6) "Medical gas piping" means oxygen, nitrous oxide, high 17
pressure nitrogen, medical compressed air, and other medical gas or 18
equipment, including but not limited to medical vacuum systems.19
(7) "Medical gas piping installer" means a journey level plumber 20
who has been issued a medical gas piping installer endorsement.21
S-0794.2
SENATE BILL 5744
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session
By Senators Valdez, Schoesler, and Warnick
Read first time 02/15/23. Referred to Committee on Labor & Commerce.
p. 1 SB 5744

(8) "Plumber trainee" or "trainee" means any person who has been 1
issued a plumbing training certificate under this chapter but has not 2
been issued an appropriate certificate of competency for work being 3
performed. A trainee may perform plumbing work if that person is 4
under the appropriate level of supervision.5
(9) "Plumbing" means that craft involved in installing, altering, 6
repairing and renovating potable water systems, liquid waste systems, 7
and medical gas piping systems within a building as defined by the 8
plumbing code as adopted and amended by the state building code 9
council, and includes all piping, fixtures, pumps, and plumbing 10
appurtenances that are used for rainwater catchment and reclaimed 11
water systems within a building.12
(10) "Plumbing contractor" means any person, corporate or 13
otherwise, who engages in, or offers or advertises to engage in, any 14
plumbing work covered by the provisions of this chapter by way of 15
trade or business, or any person, corporate or otherwise, who employs 16
anyone, or offers or advertises to employ anyone, to engage in any 17
plumbing work as defined in this section. The plumbing contractor is 18
responsible for ensuring the plumbing business is operated in 19
accordance with rules adopted under this chapter.20
(11) "Residential service plumber" means anyone who has been 21
issued a certificate of competency limited to performing residential 22
service plumbing in an existing residential structure.23
(a) In single-family dwellings and duplexes only, a residential 24
service plumber may service, repair, or replace previously existing 25
fixtures, piping, and fittings that are outside the interior wall or 26
above the floor, often((,)) but not necessarily in a like-in-kind 27
manner. In any residential structure, a residential service plumber 28
may perform plumbing work as needed to perform drain cleaning and may 29
perform leak repairs on any pipe, fitting, or fixture from the leak 30
to the next serviceable connection.31
(b) A residential service plumber may directly supervise plumber 32
trainees provided the trainees have been supervised by an appropriate 33
journey level or specialty plumber for the trainees' first two 34
thousand hours of training.35
(c) A residential service plumber may not perform plumbing for 36
new construction of any kind.37
(12) "Residential structures" means single-family dwellings, 38
duplexes, and multiunit buildings that do not exceed three stories.39
p. 2 SB 5744

(13) "Service plumbing" means plumbing work in which previously 1
existing fixtures, fittings, and piping is repaired or replaced, 2
often((,)) but not necessarily((,)) in a like-in-kind manner, or 3
plumbing work being performed as necessary for drain cleaning.4
(14) "Specialty plumber" means anyone who has been issued a 5
specialty certificate of competency limited to:6
(a) Installation, maintenance, and repair of the plumbing of 7
single-family dwellings, duplexes, and apartment buildings that do 8
not exceed three stories;9
(b) Maintenance and repair of backflow prevention assemblies; or10
(c) A domestic water pumping system consisting of the 11
installation, maintenance, and repair of the pressurization, 12
treatment, and filtration components of a domestic water system 13
consisting of: One or more pumps; pressure, storage, and other tanks; 14
filtration and treatment equipment; if appropriate, a pitless 15
adapter; along with valves, transducers, and other plumbing 16
components that:17
(i) Are used to acquire, treat, store, o