105.18 - QUALIFICATIONS AND TYPES OF LICENSES ISSUED. - Iowa Statutes

105.18 QUALIFICATIONS AND TYPES OF LICENSES ISSUED. 1. General qualifications. The board shall adopt, by rule, general qualifications for licensure. The board may consider the past felony record of an applicant only if the felony conviction relates to the practice of the profession for which the applicant requests to be licensed. References may be required as part of the licensing process. 2. Plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, and hydronic licenses and contractor licenses. The board shall issue separate licenses for plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, and hydronic professionals and for contractors 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. c. Master license. In order to be licensed by the board as a master, a person shall do all of the following: (1) 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. (2) Pass the state master licensing examination for the applicable discipline. (3) Provide evidence to the board that the person has previously been a licensed journeyperson or master in the applicable discipline. 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, which application shall provide the person's state contractor registration number and establish that the person meets the minimum requirements adopted by the board. (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, HVAC, refrigeration, or hydronic license. An individual holding a master or journeyperson, plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, 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. 4. Waiver. Notwithstanding section 17A.9A, the board shall through December 31, 2009, waive the written examination requirements and prior experience requirements in subsection 2, paragraph "b", subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (c), and subsection 2, paragraph "c", subparagraph (3), for a journeyperson or master license if the applicant meets either of the following requirements: a. The applicant meets both of the following requirements: (1) The applicant has previously passed a written examination which the board deems to be substantially similar to the licensing examination otherwise required by the board to obtain the applicable license. (2) The applicant has completed at least eight classroom hours of continuing education in courses or seminars approved by the board within the two-year period immediately preceding the date of the applicant's license application. b. The applicant can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant has five or more years of experience prior to July 1, 2008, in the plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, or hydronic business, as applicable, which experience is of a nature that the board deems to be sufficient to demonstrate continuous professional competency consistent with that expected of an individual who passes the applicable licensing examination which the applicant would otherwise be required to pass.          Section History: Recent Form 2007 Acts, ch 198, §18; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §105, 202; 2008 Acts, ch 1089, §8, 10, 12; 2009 Acts, ch 151, §19