In this chapter:

1. (1) "Board" means the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners.
2. (1-a) "Executive director" means the executive director of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners.

3. (2) "Drain cleaner" means a person who:

   1. (A) has completed at least 4,000 hours working under the supervision of a master plumber as a drain cleaner-restricted registrant;
   2. (B) has fulfilled the requirements of and is registered with the board; and
   3. (C) installs cleanouts and removes and resets p-traps to eliminate obstructions in building drains and sewers.

4. (3) "Drain cleaner-restricted registrant" means a person who:

   1. (A) has worked as a plumber's apprentice under the supervision of a master plumber;
   2. (B) has fulfilled the requirements of and is registered with the board; and
   3. (C) clears obstructions in sewer and drain lines through any code-approved existing opening.

5. (4) "Journeyman plumber" means a person licensed under this chapter who:

   1. (A) has met the qualifications for registration as a plumber's apprentice or for licensing as a tradesman plumber-limited license holder;
   2. (B) has completed at least 8,000 hours working under the supervision of a master plumber;
   3. (C) installs, changes, repairs, services, or renovates plumbing or supervises any of those activities; and
   4. (D) has passed the required examination and fulfilled the other requirements of the board.

6. (5) "Master plumber" means a person licensed under this chapter who:

   1. (A) is skilled in the planning and superintending of plumbing and in the practical installation, repair, and servicing of plumbing;
   2. (B) secures permits for plumbing work;
   3. (C) is knowledgeable about the codes, ordinances, or rules governing the activities described by Paragraphs (A) and (B);
   4. (D) performs or supervises plumbing work; and
   5. (E) has passed the required examination and fulfilled the other requirements of the board.
7. (6) "Plumber's apprentice" means a person other than a master plumber, journeyman plumber, or tradesman plumber-limited license holder who, as the person's principal occupation, learns about and assists in the installation of plumbing, has fulfilled the requirements of and is registered by the board, and works under the supervision of a master plumber and the direct supervision of a licensed plumber.

8. (7) "Plumbing" means:

   1. (A) a fixture, appurtenance, appliance, or piping, including a disposal system, used in or around a building in which a person lives or works or in which persons assemble, to:

      1. (i) supply or recirculate water, other liquid, or gas; or
      2. (ii) eliminate sewage for a personal or domestic purpose;

   2. (B) a fixture, appurtenance, appliance, or piping used outside a building to connect the building to:

      1. (i) a supply of water, other liquid, medical gases and vacuum, or other gas on the premises; or
      2. (ii) the main in the street or alley or at the curb;

   3. (C) a fixture, appurtenance, appliance, or piping, including a drain or waste pipe, used to carry wastewater or sewage from or within a building to:

      1. (i) a sewer service lateral at the curb or in the street or alley; or
      2. (ii) a disposal or septic terminal that holds private or domestic sewage; or
   4. (D) the installation, repair, service, or maintenance of a fixture, appurtenance, appliance, or piping described by Paragraph (A), (B), or (C).

9. (8) "Plumbing inspector" means a person who:

   1. (A) is employed by a political subdivision, or contracts as an independent contractor with a political subdivision, to inspect plumbing in connection with health and safety laws, including ordinances, and plumbing and gas codes; and
   2. (B) has passed the required examination and fulfilled the other requirements of the board.

10. (9) "Residential utilities installer" means a person who:

    1. (A) has completed at least 2,000 hours working under the supervision of a master plumber as a plumber's apprentice;
    2. (B) has fulfilled the requirements of and is registered with the board; and
    3. (C) constructs and installs yard water service piping for one-family or two-family dwellings and building sewers.

11. (10) "Tradesman plumber-limited license holder" means a person who:

    1. (A) has completed at least 4,000 hours working under the direct supervision of a journeyman or master plumber as a plumber's apprentice;
    2. (B) has passed the required examination and fulfilled the other requirements of the board;
    3. (C) constructs and installs plumbing for one-family or two-family dwellings; and
    4. (D) has not met or attempted to meet the qualifications for a journeyman plumber license.

12. (11) "Water supply protection specialist" means a person who holds an endorsement issued by the board to engage in the inspection, in connection with health and safety laws, including ordinances, of:

    1. (A) the plumbing of a public water system distribution facility; or
    2. (B) customer-owned plumbing connected to the water distribution lines of a public water system.

13. (12) "Water treatment" means a business conducted under contract that requires ability, experience, and skill in analyzing water to determine how to treat influent and effluent water to change or purify the water or to add or remove minerals, chemicals, or bacteria. The term includes:

    1. (A) installing and servicing fixed or portable water treatment equipment in a public or private water treatment system; or
    2. (B) making connections necessary to install a water treatment system.

Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1421, Sec. 3, eff. June 1, 2003.

Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 819, Sec. 1(a), eff. Sept. 1, 2003;

Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1276, Sec. 14A.301(a), eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 804 (S.B. 1410), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.