SECTION 158:50-5-2. Limitations of licenses

(a)   License duties.

(1)   Journeyman is a person who possesses the knowledge and skills to perform mechanical work within a category or categories without direct supervision.

(2)   Contractor is a person who possesses the knowledge and skills of a journeyman and who is responsible, either to the contractor or the contractor's employer, for planning, contracting, supervising, or furnishing labor and/or materials used for mechanical work. A mechanical contractor shall only be associated with and responsible for one mechanical firm. However, a mechanical contractor may be responsible for one firm with branch offices.

(A)   Active contractor is one who is actively performing as a contractor and who has met the bond and insurance requirements for licensure.

(B)   Inactive contractor is one who has met all the licensing requirements of a contractor, but has chosen not to currently perform as a contractor. An inactive contractor is not required to provide bond or insurance, and will be regulated as a journeyman.

(b)   License categories.

(1)   Limited mechanical HVAC license. A limited mechanical HVAC license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair a ventilation (duct) system and/or:

(A)   any cooling product, system, or equipment including the process piping, that has a cooling capacity of no more than twenty-five (25) tons, and/or

(B)   all heating equipment including the process piping that have a heat input of no more than 500,000 Btu/h per appliance, and/or

(C)   natural gas piping, refrigeration, and sheet metal.

(2)   Limited residential journeyman license. A limited residential journeyman license entitles the licensee to install complete new systems for detached one or two family dwellings and multiple single family dwellings (townhouses) not more than three stories in height with a separate means of egress. Installations shall include 5-ton or less cooling systems and 150,000 Btu/h or less heating systems and related accessories such as humidifiers, filtering systems, kitchen vent hoods, exhaust fans and clothes dryer vent exhausts for such dwellings. Such installations shall not include any fuel gas piping, welding, soldering, brazing or final connection of refrigerant lines or final connection of any electrical wiring permitted to be installed in accordance with Oklahoma statutes.

(3)   Limited residential installer license. A limited residential installer license entitles the licensee to install complete new systems in new construction for detached one or two family dwellings and multiple single family dwellings (townhouses) not more than three stories in height with a separate means of egress. Installations shall include 5-ton or less cooling systems and 150,000 Btu/h or less heating systems and related accessories such as humidifiers, filtering systems, kitchen vent hoods, exhaust fans and clothes dryer vent exhausts for such dwellings. Such installations shall not include any fuel gas piping, welding, soldering, brazing or final connection of refrigerant lines or final connection of any electrical wiring permitted to be installed in accordance with Oklahoma statutes. Further:

(A)   The limited residential installer is a person who possesses the knowledge and skills to perform limited residential mechanical work within this category without direct supervision while under the employment or supervision of a Mechanical Contractor.

(B)   No licensee shall allow an apprentice under his or her direct supervision to perform mechanical work for which the limited residential installer is not licensed to perform, or be allowed more than three (3) apprentices per limited residential installer,

(C)   Applicants for a limited residential installer license must be at least eighteen (18) years of age and have:

(i)   one (1) year of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade in category for which he or she is applying, or

(ii)   a vocational diploma certifying completion of an educational program consisting of a minimum of two hundred and fifty (250) or more hours from a school, approved by the Committee, which exhibits knowledge of the trade and in the category of limited residential applied for, and six (6) months of verifiable experience in the mechanical trade, or

(iii)   equivalent, verifiable experience in the mechanical trade while serving in the U.S. military.

(D)   The examination requirements for an installer's license can be found in OAC 158:50-9-1(c).

(E)   A license cannot be issued or renewed until the applicant has paid any and all outstanding fines due and owing to any division of the Construction Industries Board.

(F)   Information on license, renewals, and examination fees can be found in OAC 158:50-9-2 (for journeyman)

(G)   Continuing education requirements can be found in OCA 158:50-9-7.

(4)   Unlimited mechanical HVAC license. An unlimited mechanical HVAC license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair a ventilation (duct) system and/or:

(A)   any cooling product, system, or equipment, including the process piping, and/or

(B)   heating equipment, including the process piping, and/or

(C)   natural gas piping, process piping, refrigeration, and sheet metal.

(5)   Natural gas piping license. A natural gas piping license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all natural gas piping.

(6)   Process piping license. A process piping license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all process piping.

(7)   Refrigeration license. A refrigeration license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair refrigeration products, systems, or equipment, including the process piping.

(8)   Sheet metal license. A sheet metal license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all ferrous and nonferrous duct systems.

(9)   Ground source piping license. A ground source piping license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain or repair all piping outside a structure for a ground source (earth or water) loop pipe.

(10)   Fueled Hearth Product Work license. A Fueled Hearth Product Work license allows for the licensee to install, service or repair Fueled Hearth Product Work as defined in this Chapter.

(A)   The Fueled Hearth Product Work licensee shall be certified by the NFI through examination in the certification categories of gas, wood, or pellets for the work performed which, upon providing satisfactory proof of successful passage of any of the three (3) fuel classes of NFI examination, will meet the examination and experience requirements of this license.

(B)   The Fueled Hearth Product Work Contractor licensee, in addition to providing satisfactory proof of successful passage of the appropriate NFI examination, shall provide satisfactory proof of having read the Mechanical Licensing Act and Mechanical Industry Regulations and shall comply with the contractor requirements of this Chapter including, but not limited to, proof of general liability insurance, compliance with workers' compensation insurance laws, bond, lawful presence, along with providing satisfactory proof of successfully passing the business and law portion of any Mechanical Contractor examination or otherwise demonstrating minimum competency in business operations by any three (3) from the below listed items:

(i)   Registration with the Oklahoma Secretary of State for the last five (5) years,

(ii)   A letter (stating the specific professional service has been provided to the hearth product installation business of the Contractor applicant for a period of at least five (5) years) from a professional service provider used by your business including those who: prepare taxes, payroll, financial statements, provide legal services, banking, risk management or other professional services provided to your business,

(iii)   Satisfactory proof of filing state business taxes for the last five (5) years,

(iv)   Satisfactory proof of business entity filing with another state agency or registered business,

(v)   Satisfactory proof of business operations for the last five (5) years such as bidding, estimating, quoting, contract/project management, customer relations, employee management, jobsite safety, or financial management, or

(vi)   Any other substantial proof of business operations for the last five (5) years.

(C)   Unless otherwise stated in this Section, all licensees and apprentices must comply with all other provisions of this Chapter.

(D)   The licensed Fueled Hearth Product Work person can only perform work in the same certification category of gas, wood, or pellets as their certification and the apprentice must perform work in the same certification category of the licensee who is directly supervising the apprentice.

(E)   No licensee shall perform mechanical work in a category under which he or she is not licensed or work outside of the confinements of the Fueled Hearth Product Work classification of certification of gas, wood, or pellets.

(F)   There is no work experience requirement for licensing in Fueled Hearth Product Work and work experience under this category does not count towards the experience requirement of any other license category in this Chapter.

(G)   Information on license, application, and renewal fees can be found in OAC 158:50-9-2.

(H)   Continuing education requirements per OAC 158:50-9-7 can be satisfied for Fueled Hearth Product Work licensees by providing proof of continuing education or retesting as required by NFI.

(I)   All licensees must maintain current NFI certification in order to renew his or her license.

(11)   Petroleum refinery journeyman license. A petroleum refinery journeyman license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair all petroleum refinery process piping, and said license is limited to petroleum refinery process piping work only. A petroleum refinery journeyman shall be under the direction and supervision of a licensed unlimited mechanical contractor or a licensed process piping mechanical contractor.

(12)   Medical gas journeyman license. A medical gas journeyman license entitles the licensee to install, alter, modify, service, maintain, or repair medical gas or medical-surgical vacuum systems, or equipment, including the piping. A medical gas journeyman shall be under the direction and supervision of a licensed unlimited mechanical contractor or a licensed process piping mechanical contractor.

[Source: Added at 19 Ok Reg 732, eff 1-22-02 (emergency); Added at 19 Ok Reg 1276, eff 5-28-02; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 388, eff 11-14-08 (emergency); Amended at 26 Ok Reg 2458, eff 7-11-09; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 776, eff 10-30-12 (emergency); Amended at 30 Ok Reg 1543, eff 7-11-13; Amended at 31 Ok Reg 920, eff 9-12-14; Amended at 35 Ok Reg 925, eff 10-1-18; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 1055, eff 10-1-20]