CYPRESS : City May Require Permits of Plumbers

The City Council tonight will take up an ordinance requiring all plumbers working in the city to obtain a special permit. The Cypress ordinance would be the first of its kind in an Orange County city.

The ordinance, suggested by Councilman John Kanel, would force all plumbers to pass a certification test beyond that required by the State Contractors Licensing Board.

“How do we protect homeowners if someone passes (himself) off as a plumber?” Kanel said. “I thought it was something that would be appropriate.”

Currently, only contractors are required to pass a city competency test. But if the ordinance is adopted, all independent plumbers and those working under a contractor would have to be certified, City Atty. Jerry M. Patterson said.

The council originally considered the item last month but delayed action because of several questions, including concerns about how the program would be administered and whether plumbers are being singled out.

“This raises several questions,” said Councilman Walter Bowman. “Why are we just doing it for plumbers?”

Because of the amount of work the program would generate, the staff recommended that an outside agency should handle the certification process. According to a staff report, several organizations exist that handle the administration of the testing. Usually they charge a fee to the city, which is passed on to the plumber in the form of a licensing charge.

About 17 cities in California have adopted similar ordinances, including Sacramento, Burbank and Glendale.