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Help & SupportChapter 4-4: Building Contractor License12
The purpose of this chapter is to protect the public health and safety by assuring that the persons responsible for the construction of buildings and other structures in the city are qualified to perform such services and that they possess insurance to protect consumers from losses due to their activities. It is further the intent of the city council that owners of properties be permitted without special qualification to perform minor work on buildings that they own other than altering a load-bearing structure or performing work covered by the city's electrical, mechanical, or plumbing codes.
Ordinance No. 5177 (1989)
4-4-2 Definition of Contractor.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, a "contractor" means any person who undertakes with or for another person within the city to build, construct, alter, repair, add to, move, inspect pursuant to chapter 10-3, "Rental Licenses," B.R.C. 1981, or wreck any building or structure, or any portion thereof.
(b) The following persons are not contractors within the meaning of this chapter:
(1) Subcontractors working for and under the supervision of a general contractor licensed under this chapter;
(2) Plumbers, electricians, mechanical and fire or other specialized tradespeople for whom another license is required by the city; and
(3) A homeowner who builds, constructs, alters, repairs, adds to, moves, or wrecks any building or structure, or any portion thereof that constitutes the owner's residence or a building or structure accessory thereto, that is intended for the owner's personal use. This exception is available only as to one such building or structure during a calendar year.
Ordinance Nos. 6015 (1998); 7023 (1999)
(a) No person shall perform any work as a contractor in the city without first obtaining a license from the city manager under this chapter.
(b) No permit shall be issued for work to be done by a person who does not have a valid, current license as required by this chapter for the type of work to be performed.
(c) No person other than a Class A or Class B licensed contractor shall perform work requiring the supervision of an architect or structural engineer.
(d) No person other than a Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D licensed contractor shall wreck any structure.
4-4-4 Classification of Licenses.
(a) A Class A license entitles the licensee to contract for the construction, alteration, wrecking, or repair of any type or size of building or structure permitted by the International Building Code 130. The annual fee for a Class A license is that prescribed by section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981.
(b) A Class B license entitles the licensee to contract for the construction, alteration, wrecking, or repair of all commercial and residential buildings or structures defined as Type V, Type V-1 hour, Type IV, Type II-N, and Type III-N in the International Building Code.13 The annual fee for a Class B license is that prescribed in section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981.
(c) A Class C license entitles the licensee to contract for:
(1) The construction, alteration, wrecking, or repair of any R-3 occupancies or of R-1 occupancies, as defined in the International Building Code, chapter 10-5, "Building Code," B.R.C. 1981, of two stories or less not involving reinforced concrete construction; and
(2) The repair of non-residential buildings not involving load-bearing structures. But this Class C license does not entitle the holder to contract for construction, alteration, or repair of public buildings or places of public assembly, nor for non-residential projects whose total value of the labor and material exceeds $5,000.00. The annual fee for a Class C license is that prescribed in section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981.
(d) A Class D license entitles the licensee to contract for labor or for labor and materials involving only one trade, these trades will be identified as listed below:
| D-1. | Moving and wrecking of structures |
| D-2. | Roofing |
| D-3. | Siding |
| D-4. | Landscaping, irrigation and site work |
| D-5. | Detached one-story garage and sheds accessory to single-family dwellings |
| D-6. | Mobile home installer |
| D-7. | Elevator and escalator installer |
| D-8. | Class not identified above but requiring a building permit and inspection |
| D-9. | Rental housing inspector |
A Class D licensee may be licensed to perform more than one such trade. The annual fee for Class D license is that prescribed in section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981.
(e) A Class E license entitles the licensee to contract for the building or construction of:
(1) All fences of any size or value, and
(2) Minor structures, including, without limitation, sheds of two hundred square feet or less, or for the alteration or repair of other buildings or other structures, if total value of the labor and materials for each such project does not exceed $2,000.00, the total square footage of each such project does not exceed two hundred square feet, and such work does not involve any load-bearing structure of the building. The annual fee for a Class E license is that prescribed in section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981.
(f) A Class F license entitles the licensee to construct, alter, or repair the licensee's own building or structure, if the total value of the labor and material for each such project does not exceed $500.00 and if the project does not involve alteration of a load-bearing structure or work governed by the city's electrical, mechanical, or plumbing codes.14
Ordinance Nos. 5177 (1989); 6015 (1998); 7023 (1999)
4-4-5 License Application and Qualifications.
(a) An applicant for an initial building contractor license shall:
(1) Apply on forms furnished by the city manager, provide such information relating to the applicant's competence, education, training, and experience as the manager may require; and pay the fee prescribed in section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981;
(2) If applying for a license on or after January 1, 1983, successfully pass an examination designed by the manager to test the applicant's qualification for the category of license requested; and
(3) Provide evidence of insurance coverage required by section 4-1-8, "Insurance Required," B.R.C. 1981.
(b) An applicant for a Class F license need not comply with paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section. An applicant for a Class D-9 license need not comply with paragraph (a)(3) of this section, and the city manager may substitute attendance at a seminar on rental housing inspection given by the city for the examination required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section of D-9 licensees.
(c) An applicant for a Class D-9 license shall show proof of current American Society of Home Inspectors, Inc., certification or tested candidate status after passing the ASHI test, current certification as a building inspector by the International Conference of Building Officials or the International Code Council, possession of a current, valid Class A, B, or C general contractor's license, or licensure by the state as an architect or mechanical or structural engineer.15
Ordinance Nos. 7023 (1999); 7189 (2002)
A licensee under this chapter, who, after January 1, 1983, has passed an examination designed by the city manager to test the qualifications for the category of license requested, may renew the license by completing an application on forms furnished by the manager, filing the certificate of insurance prescribed by section 4-1-8, "Insurance Required," B.R.C. 1981, and paying the fee prescribed by section 4-20-4, "Building Contractor License and Building Permit Fees," B.R.C. 1981.
4-4-7 Authority to Deny Issuance of License.
(a) The city manager may deny an application for a license under this chapter upon a finding of any of the conditions in subsection 4-1-9(a), B.R.C. 1981, or upon a determination that:
(1) The applicant has had any contractor license revoked or suspended;
(2) The applicant has failed to pass an examination designed to test the applicant's qualification for the license requested or is otherwise not qualified by education, training, or experience to perform the work authorized by the license; or
(3) The applicant has previously failed to comply with the ordinances and regulations of the city relating to conducting any contracting business licensed by this code.
(b) If the city manager denies a license application under this section, the manager shall follow the procedures prescribed by subsection 4-1-9(b), B.R.C. 1981.
4-4-8 Contractor Responsibilities.
(a) A contractor licensed under this chapter is responsible for all work performed under each contract executed pursuant to such license, whether the contractor, an employee, or a subcontractor performs the work.
(b) If weather forecasts predict high winds, the contractor shall take reasonable steps to control flying debris, dust or missiles at a construction site.
(c) A contractor licensed under this chapter is responsible for making, or causing to be made, a construction specific asbestos inspection to identify possible asbestos contaminants before beginning work on any existing building.
(d) No Class D-9 contractor shall inspect any rental housing in which the inspector, or any relative by blood, marriage, or adoption through the second degree of consanguinity has a financial interest.
Ordinance Nos. 5493 (1992); 6015 (1998); 7023 (1999)
4-4-9 Revocation and Suspension of License.
The city manager may suspend or revoke a license issued under this chapter for the grounds and under the procedures prescribed by section 4-1-10, "Revocation of Licenses," B.R.C. 1981. Grounds for suspension or revocation include, without limitation, failure to maintain required insurance.
The term of the license issued under this chapter is twelve months from the date of issuance.
12 Adopted by Ordinance No. 4637. Derived from Ordinance Nos. 3874, 3876.
13 Chapter 10-5, "Building Code," B.R.C. 1981.
14 Chapters 10-6, "Electrical Code," 10-9, "Mechanical Code," and 10-10, "Plumbing Code," B.R.C. 1981.
15 When a baseline inspection is required as part of the rental housing licensing program specified in chapter 10-3, "Rental Licenses," B.R.C. 1981, that portion of the inspection which covers subsections (c), (d), and (e) of section 10-2-9, "Electrical Standards," B.R.C. 1981, shall be done by a licensed rental housing inspector who is also an ASHI certified rental housing inspector, and ICBO or ICC certified building inspector, or an electrical contractor licensed by the city.