By Reyna of Bexar                                     H.B. No. 3236
         77R9329 MXM-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to exceptions to the regulation of plumbing.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 3(a), The Plumbing License Law (Article
 1-5     6243-101, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as
 1-6     follows:
 1-7           (a)  The following acts, work and conduct shall be expressly
 1-8     permitted without license:
 1-9                 (1)  Plumbing work done by a property owner in a
1-10     building owned or occupied by him as his homestead;
1-11                 (2)  [Plumbing work done outside the municipal limits
1-12     of any organized city, town or village in this state, or within any
1-13     such city, town or village of less than five thousand (5,000)
1-14     inhabitants, unless required by ordinance in such city, town or
1-15     village of less than five thousand (5,000) inhabitants;]
1-16                 [(3)]  Plumbing work done by anyone who is regularly
1-17     employed as or acting as a maintenance man or maintenance engineer,
1-18     incidental to and in connection with the business in which he is
1-19     employed or engaged, and who does not engage in the occupation of a
1-20     plumber for the general public;  construction, installation and
1-21     maintenance work done upon the premises or equipment of a railroad
1-22     by an employee thereof who does not engage in the occupation of a
1-23     plumber for the general public; and plumbing work done by persons
1-24     engaged by any public service company in the laying, maintenance
 2-1     and operation of its service mains or lines to the point of
 2-2     measurement and the installation, alteration, adjustment, repair,
 2-3     removal and renovation of all types of appurtenances, equipment and
 2-4     appliances, including doing all that is necessary to render the
 2-5     appliances useable or serviceable; appliance installation and
 2-6     service work done by anyone who is an appliance dealer or is
 2-7     employed by an appliance dealer, and acting as an appliance
 2-8     installation man or appliance service man in connecting appliances
 2-9     to existing piping installations; water treatment installations,
2-10     exchanges, services, or repairs.  Provided, however, that all work
2-11     and service herein named or referred to shall be subject to
2-12     inspection and approval in accordance with the terms of all local
2-13     valid city or municipal ordinances;
2-14                 (3) [(4)]  Plumbing work done by an irrigator licensed
2-15     under Chapter 34, Water Code, or an installer licensed under
2-16     Chapter 33, Water Code. A person holding a valid license from the
2-17     Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners shall not be required to be
2-18     licensed by any other board or agency when installing or working on
2-19     a lawn irrigation system;
2-20                 (4) [(5)]  Plumbing work done by an LP Gas installer
2-21     when working and licensed under Chapter 113, Natural Resources
2-22     Code, as amended;
2-23                 (5) [(6)]  Plumbing work, limited to the provision of a
2-24     residential potable water supply or residential sanitary sewer
2-25     connections, for a project in a geographic area that is located in
2-26     a county any part of which is within 50 miles of an international
2-27     border that is done by an organization that:
 3-1                       (A)  is certified by the Texas Natural Resource
 3-2     Conservation Commission to provide "self-help" project assistance;
 3-3     and
 3-4                       (B)  provides the board with the following
 3-5     information before the 30th day before the date the project begins:
 3-6                             (i)  a specific project location;
 3-7                             (ii)  the intended duration of the project;
 3-8     and
 3-9                             (iii)  other information the board may
3-10     require, including a post-construction report signed by a plumbing
3-11     inspector that the plumbing facilities are safe.
3-12           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect January 1, 2002, and
3-13     applies to the design, installation, or maintenance of a plumbing
3-14     system performed on or after that date.  The design, installation,
3-15     or maintenance of a plumbing system performed before that date is
3-16     governed by the law in effect on the date that the design,
3-17     installation, or maintenance occurred, and the former law is
3-18     continued in effect for that purpose.