The summaries of the Colorado Court of Appeals published opinions constitute no part of the opinion of the division but have been prepared by the division for the convenience of the reader. The summaries may not be cited or relied upon as they are not the official language of the division. Any discrepancy between the language in the summary and in the opinion should be resolved in favor of the language in the opinion.
SUMMARY August 27, 2020
2020COA130
No. 19CA1144, Welch v. Colorado State Bd. of Plumbing — Professions and Occupations — Plumbers — Apprentices; Constitutional Law — Due Process
A division of the court of appeals considers whether section
12-58-117, C.R.S. 2018, repealed and replaced by section 12-155-
124, C.R.S. 2019, of the Plumbing Practice Act is unconstitutionally
vague and, in doing so, applies principles of statutory construction
to determine whether the statute requires line-of-sight supervision
of plumbing apprentices at the job site. The division concludes that
section 12-155-124 is not void for vagueness because the terms
here challenged, although ambiguous, are capable of a
constitutional construction. Because the division concludes that
section 12-155-124 only requires that a licensed plumber
supervising apprentices be within a sufficient distance of the apprentice, whether in or outside a building, in order to monitor,
inspect, and sign off on the apprentice’s work with reasonable
frequency, the division vacates the Board’s order. COLORADO COURT OF APPEALS 2020COA130
Court of Appeals No. 19CA1144 Colorado State Plumbing Board Nos. 2016-1285 & 2016-2488
Michael E. Welch and Confidence Plumbing Co., Inc.,
Appellants,
v.
Colorado State Plumbing Board,
Appellee.
ORDER VACATED
Division II Opinion by JUDGE PAWAR Román and Tow, JJ., concur
Announced August 27, 2020
Springer and Steinberg, P.C., Jeffrey A. Springer, Aaron C. Acker, Craig L. Pankratz, Denver, Colorado, for Appellants
Philip J. Weiser, Attorney General, Cristel Shepherd, Assistant Attorney General, Denver, Colorado, for Appellee ¶1 In this appeal from an agency hearing, we consider, for the
first time, whether the Plumbing Practice Act requires “line-of-sight”
supervision of an apprentice plumber. As necessarily interrelated
with that inquiry, we determine what supervision “at the job site”
means in the same statute. Applying principles of statutory
construction, we conclude that the statute does not require
line-of-sight supervision, and that to “supervise apprentices at the
job site” requires that a licensed plumber be within a sufficient
distance of the apprentice, whether in or outside a building, in
order to monitor, inspect, and sign off on the apprentice’s work with
reasonable frequency.
I. Procedural Background
¶2 Confidence Plumbing Co., Inc. (Confidence) and its owner,
Michael E. Welch, appeal the order of the Colorado State Plumbing
Board (Board) disciplining them for violations of the Plumbing
Practice Act. §§ 12-58-101 to -117, C.R.S. 2018, repealed and
1 replaced by §§ 12-155-101 to -124, C.R.S. 2019.1 The Board2 found
that Mr. Welch and Confidence violated section 12-155-124, C.R.S.
2019, by allowing a plumbing apprentice to use a soldering torch
without having line-of-sight supervision from a licensed plumber.
As a result, the Board imposed a $2300 fine against Mr. Welch and
Confidence, suspended Mr. Welch’s journeyman and master
plumber licenses for five years, and suspended Confidence’s
plumbing contractor registration for five years. On appeal, Mr.
Welch and Confidence challenge the constitutionality of section
12-155-124, as well as the Board’s adoption of the interpretation of
the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) that “supervision” under that
section requires line-of-sight oversight of apprentices at the job site.
1 In particular, section 12-58-117, C.R.S. 2018, was relocated to section 12-155-124, C.R.S. 2019, with only minor nonsubstantive changes that are not relevant to this dispute. Ch. 136, sec. 1, § 12-155-124, 2019 Colo. Sess. Laws 1010. 2 We note that the Board (through the Attorney General) is both the
petitioner that prosecuted enforcement before the administrative law judge, as well as the reviewing entity (through the Board’s conflicts program director) that issued the final order on appeal. While this is the normal procedure, we attempt to minimize confusion by referring to the petitioner as the Attorney General and the reviewing entity as the Board.
2 ¶3 Though we disagree with Mr. Welch and Confidence that
section 12-155-124 is unconstitutional, we agree that the Board
incorrectly interpreted section 12-155-124 in applying it to Mr.
Welch’s conduct. We therefore vacate the Board’s order.
II. Relevant Facts
¶4 In 2016, a plumbing apprentice working for Confidence
performed plumbing work in an unfinished house that was part of a
master-planned community in Aurora, Colorado. Pursuant to the
Plumbing Practice Act, a registered plumbing apprentice may
perform plumbing work without a license, provided that he or she is
“under the supervision of a licensed plumber.” § 12-155-124(1).
“Supervision requires that a licensed plumber supervise apprentices
at the job site.” Id.
¶5 A building inspector for the city of Aurora saw the apprentice
using a soldering torch on a domestic water line. The inspector also
saw that a licensed plumber was not in the house with the
apprentice. Based on his observations, the building inspector filed
a complaint with the Board, alleging that Mr. Welch and Confidence
had engaged in “unlicensed practice.” In a response to the
complaint, Mr. Welch stated:
3 [W]e did and do have a licensed supervisor on the jobsite when plumbing installations are performed. It should be noted, however, that a jobsite is not just one building in residential construction, but several homes located in a larger community. The supervisor may not have been in that particular home at the time of the complaint, but he was on site.
¶6 Upon referral from the Board, the Attorney General filed a
petition with the Office of Administrative Courts, charging Mr.
Welch and Confidence with failing to supervise the apprentice in
violation of section 12-155-124.3 The petition requested that (1) Mr.
Welch’s journeyman and master plumber licenses be placed on
probation for five years; (2) Confidence’s contractor registration be
placed on probation for five years; and (3) Mr. Welch and
Confidence pay a fine of $2300. See § 12-58-110, C.R.S. 2018,
repealed and replaced by § 12-155-113, C.R.S. 2019.
¶7 The ALJ held a hearing on the petition. Several witnesses
testified regarding supervision of plumbing apprentices at job sites,
including Mr. Welch, the building inspector, a journeyman plumber
3The petition included an additional charge against Mr. Welch and Confidence for failing to supervise a different plumbing apprentice, but the ALJ found that the Attorney General failed to prove its allegations as to that charge. That charge is not at issue on appeal.
4 and former Confidence employee, and the Board’s program director.
The ALJ also heard evidence regarding a citation brought against
Mr. Welch and Confidence several years earlier for failure to
supervise an apprentice on two separate occasions that resulted in
a stipulation in which Mr. Welch and Confidence agreed to a fine.
¶8 The ALJ issued an initial decision order, finding that Mr.
Welch and Confidence violated section 12-155-124. The ALJ
specifically concluded that section 12-155-124 requires licensed
plumbers to maintain line-of-sight supervision over apprentices
using soldering torches and that “job site” means the same building
in which the apprentice is working. In so concluding, the ALJ cited
the testimony from Confidence’s former employee as particularly
persuasive regarding line-of-sight supervision for apprentices using
soldering torches.
¶9 The ALJ did not impose the sanctions requested in the
petition, however, finding them “too harsh.” Instead, the ALJ
placed Mr. Welch’s master and journeyman plumber licenses and
Confidence’s contractor registration on probation for one year and
imposed a $500 fine, pursuant to section 12-155-113.
5 ¶ 10 Mr. Welch and Confidence, as well as the Attorney General,
filed exceptions to the ALJ’s initial order. The Attorney General
modified the originally requested sanctions, seeking instead to
suspend Mr. Welch’s plumber licenses and Confidence’s contractor
registration for one year, in lieu of placing them on probation. Mr.
Welch and Confidence responded that section 12-155-124 is
unconstitutionally vague; section 12-155-124 does not require
line-of-sight supervision; and the ALJ improperly relied on the
former employee’s testimony in interpreting the statute.
¶ 11 In its final order, the Board adopted the ALJ’s findings of
evidentiary fact and ultimate conclusions, determining that section
12-155-124 requires line-of-sight supervision at the job site over
apprentices using soldering torches. However, the Board declined
to resolve the meaning of “job site,” noting that “there was no need
for the Administrative Court to determine whether a ‘jobsite’ is a
single house identified on a permit or a group of homes in a
development — either way line-of-sight supervision is required while
an apprentice solders a domestic water line.” The Board also found
that it lacked jurisdiction to address Mr. Welch and Confidence’s
constitutional challenge to section 12-155-124. Citing Mr. Welch
6 and Confidence’s prior offense for failing to supervise an apprentice,
as well as the “high potential for fire when soldering with a torch,”
the Board determined that harsher sanctions were warranted than
those the ALJ had imposed. It suspended Mr. Welch’s master and
journeyman plumber licenses and Confidence’s contractor
registration for five years and imposed a $2300 fine.
¶ 12 Mr. Welch and Confidence appeal the Board’s final order,
contending that (1) section 12-155-124 is unconstitutionally void
for vagueness; (2) the Board erred by adopting the ALJ’s
interpretation of section 12-155-124 to require line-of-sight
supervision when apprentices use soldering torches; and (3) the
Board erred by determining that the ALJ properly relied on
Confidence’s former employee’s testimony as the basis for her
interpretation of the statute. We disagree with Mr. Welch and
Confidence’s claim that the statute is unconstitutionally vague. We
agree, however, that the Board erroneously interpreted the statute.
Because we vacate the order, we need not address Mr. Welch and
Confidence’s third contention.
7 III. Section 12-155-124 Is Not Void for Vagueness
¶ 13 Mr. Welch and Confidence contend that section 12-155-124
violates due process and must be declared void because it contains
impermissibly vague terms and standards. They argue that section
12-155-124 is vague because it fails to clearly define “supervision,”
“job site,” and “supervise apprentices at the job site,” leaving
plumbing licensees without appropriate guidance for the
supervision of apprentices. We conclude that section 12-155-124 is
not void for vagueness because the challenged terms, although
ambiguous, are capable of a constitutional construction.
A. Jurisdiction
¶ 14 Administrative agencies do not have the authority to determine
the constitutionality of statutes they are charged with enforcing.
Arapahoe Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. v. City & Cty. of Denver, 831
P.2d 451, 454 (Colo. 1992). “That function may be exercised only
by the judicial branch of government.” Id. In cases involving direct
review of agency action, the court of appeals has initial jurisdiction
to review the constitutionality of a statute. Celebrity Custom
Builders v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 916 P.2d 539, 541 (Colo.
App. 1995).
8 B. Burden of Proof and Standard of Review
¶ 15 In determining the constitutionality of a statute, we begin with
the presumption that the statute is valid. Coffman v. Williamson,
2015 CO 35, ¶ 13. The burden is on the party challenging the
statute to prove it is unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt.
Id. Statutory terms should be construed in a manner that
preserves the statute’s constitutionality. People v. Zapotocky, 869
P.2d 1234, 1240 (Colo. 1994). If the statute is capable of multiple
constructions, one of which is constitutional, the constitutional
interpretation should be adopted. Id.
¶ 16 We review an agency’s statutory interpretation de novo.
Lobato v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 105 P.3d 220, 223 (Colo.
2005). We may defer to the agency’s interpretations of its governing
statutes, but “we ‘are not bound by an agency decision that
misapplies or misconstrues the law.’” Welby Gardens v. Adams Cty.
Bd. of Equalization, 71 P.3d 992, 1000 (Colo. 2003) (quoting El Paso
Cty. Bd. of Equalization v. Craddock, 850 P.2d 702, 704-05 (Colo.
1993)). The agency’s reading of a statute cannot alter the statutory
language by adding or subtracting words. Holcomb v. Jan-Pro
Cleaning Sys., 172 P.3d 888, 894 (Colo. 2007).
9 ¶ 17 Our primary task in construing a statute is to ascertain and
give effect to the intent of the legislature. People v. Iannicelli, 2019
CO 80, ¶ 19. To determine legislative intent, we look first to the
plain language of the statute, giving the words their common
meanings. Id. We must read and consider the statute as a whole
“to give consistent, harmonious, and sensible effect to all its parts.”
State v. Nieto, 993 P.2d 493, 501 (Colo. 2000) (quoting People v.
Dist. Court, 713 P.2d 918, 921 (Colo. 1986)). And we must avoid
statutory constructions that would lead to illogical or absurd
results. Iannicelli, ¶ 20.
¶ 18 If the statutory language is clear and unambiguous, we must
interpret the statute as written. Zapotocky, 869 P.2d at 1238. If,
however, the intended meaning of the statutory language is unclear
and the statute is capable of more than one reasonable
construction, the statute is considered ambiguous, and we may
apply a body of accepted intrinsic and extrinsic aids in order to
discern legislative intent. Id.; see also Holcomb, 172 P.3d at 890.
Such interpretive aids include “[t]he common law or former
statutory provisions, including laws upon the same or similar
subjects”; the legislative declaration and purpose of the statute; and
10 the consequences of a particular interpretation. § 2-4-203(1)(d),
C.R.S. 2019; Gallion v. Colo. Dep’t of Revenue, 171 P.3d 217, 221-22
(Colo. 2007).
C. Analysis
1. Section 12-155-124 Is Ambiguous
¶ 19 A “[p]lumbing apprentice” is “any person, other than a master,
journeyman, or residential plumber, who, as his or her principal
occupation, is engaged in learning and assisting in the installation
of plumbing.” § 12-155-103(9), C.R.S. 2019. The Plumbing
Practice Act requires that apprentices be supervised by licensed
plumbers.
Any person may work as a plumbing apprentice for a registered plumbing contractor but shall not do any plumbing work for which a license is required pursuant to this article 155 except under the supervision of a licensed plumber. Supervision requires that a licensed plumber supervise apprentices at the job site. One licensed journeyman plumber, master plumber, or residential plumber shall not supervise more than three apprentice plumbers at the same job site.
§ 12-155-124(1). A plumber charged with supervising an
apprentice is responsible for the apprentice’s work, and the
plumber’s license may be revoked, suspended, or denied, under
11 section 12-155-113, for improper work performed under his or her
supervision. § 12-155-124(2).
¶ 20 But what does supervision of apprentices at the job site
require for compliance with section 12-155-124? The Board
resolved this question by requiring line-of-sight supervision over
apprentices using soldering torches at the job site. However, in
looking to the plain language of the statute, we see that section
12-155-124 does not expressly provide that compliance requires
this specific degree of supervision. See Bd. of Educ. v. Wilder, 960
P.2d 695, 703 (Colo. 1998) (laws must provide fair notice of what
conduct is prohibited or mandated, or risk inviting arbitrary and
discriminatory enforcement). The plain language of the statute says
“[s]upervision requires that a licensed plumber supervise
apprentices at the job site” and that one licensed plumber shall not
supervise more than three apprentices at the same job site.
§ 12-155-124(1) (emphasis added).
¶ 21 Despite legislating the supervision of apprentices — violation
of which may result, as it did here, in a five-year license suspension
and a $2300 fine — the Plumbing Practice Act does not define
“supervision,” “supervise,” or “job site” anywhere in its text. And
12 the Board has not provided any written guidance in the form of
rules or position statements to assist individuals in the plumbing
trade in ensuring compliance with the statute.
¶ 22 Because the terms in question are not defined by statute, we
first look to their dictionary meanings. Cowen v. People, 2018 CO
96, ¶ 14. The terms “job site” and “supervise” or “supervision” are
defined broadly by both common and technical dictionaries.
¶ 23 The common dictionary definition of “supervise” is “to be in
charge of.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://perma.cc/X8D2-
3XEC. The term “job site” does not have its own common dictionary
definition, but in the context of this case, we can combine the
definitions of “job” and “site” to ascertain the common meaning of
the full term. The word “job” means “the object or material on
which work is being done,” Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
https://perma.cc/F9XY-XWM9, and “site” means “the spatial
location of an actual or planned structure or set of structures (such
as a building, town, or monuments),” or, alternatively, “the place,
scene, or point of an occurrence or event,” Merriam-Webster
Dictionary, https://perma.cc/3JNM-67MA. In combining these
definitions within the context of plumbing, “supervise apprentices
13 at the job site” means for a licensed plumber to be in charge of
apprentices at the spatial location of an actual or planned structure
or set of structures on which, or the place or scene where, plumbing
work is being done.
¶ 24 As defined by a technical construction dictionary,
“supervision” means “[d]irection of work performed by the
contractor’s (or others) workers on site, as specifically defined by
the contract.” RSMeans Illustrated Construction Dictionary 307
(student ed. 2012). And “job site” means “[t]he area within the
defined boundaries of a project.” Id. at 170. Combining these
technical definitions, we see that “supervise apprentices at the job
site” means for a supervising plumber to direct the work performed
by apprentices in the area within the defined boundaries of a
project, as specifically defined by the applicable contract.
¶ 25 In reviewing these definitions, we conclude that their common
meanings are insufficient to resolve the questions at issue —
namely, what is practically required of a licensed plumber to
supervise or “be in charge of” an apprentice, and what is the
physical proximity required of the licensed plumber in relation to
the apprentice’s location?
14 ¶ 26 The commonly accepted definitions leave the challenged terms
susceptible to more than one reasonable interpretation, as is
illustrated by the testimony elicited during the ALJ hearing. At the
hearing, several witnesses testified as to their understanding of
what is required to “supervise apprentices at the job site” based on
their plumbing experience. Their testimony establishes consensus
that a single “job site” is generally associated with a single
construction permit number. But ambiguity remains: What does
supervision “at the job site” contemplate when multiple buildings in
a planned residential community are encompassed within a single
permit?
¶ 27 Based on the witnesses’ hearing testimony, we can discern at
least three possible interpretations of “supervise apprentices at the
job site”:
(1) A licensed plumber must be in the same building as and
have direct line-of-sight of an apprentice at all times
when the apprentice is performing plumbing work.
(2) As a general rule, a licensed plumber should accompany
an apprentice in the same building, but that is not
always required, especially if an emergency arises for
15 which the licensed plumber must leave. Apprentices
should only be permitted to use soldering torches with
direct line-of-sight supervision.
(3) A licensed plumber need not be in the same building as
the apprentice but must be in one of the buildings under
construction on the permit and must inspect and sign off
on the apprentice’s work.
¶ 28 Based on this testimony, the ALJ derived her own
interpretation of section 12-155-124: a licensed plumber must
remain in the same building in which an apprentice is working and
is required to maintain line-of-sight supervision over apprentices
using soldering torches.
¶ 29 Because the intended scope of section 12-155-124 is unclear
and, as the testimony reveals, capable of more than one reasonable
construction, we conclude that section 12-155-124 is ambiguous.
Holcomb, 172 P.3d at 890; Zapotocky, 869 P.2d at 1238. We must
therefore turn to other tools of statutory interpretation to guide our
analysis.
16 2. Common Law and Laws on Similar Subjects
¶ 30 Section 12-155-124 has not previously undergone judicial
scrutiny. In doing so now, we first look to the construction of laws
on similar subjects for assistance. Town of Erie v. Eason, 18 P.3d
1271, 1276 (Colo. 2001). Like the Plumbing Practice Act,
Colorado’s statutes governing the practice of electricians are also
found in Title 12, Business Professions and Occupations. See
§§ 12-115-101 to -124, C.R.S. 2019. And also like the Plumbing
Practice Act, the statutes regulating electricians contain a provision
for the supervision of apprentices by licensees, see § 12-115-115,
C.R.S. 2019, and a provision for disciplinary action against a
licensee for failure to supervise apprentices properly, see
§ 12-115-122, C.R.S. 2019.
¶ 31 Notably, however, the electrician statutes were substantively
modified in 2019 to “define[] the difference between supervision and
direct supervision as it applies to apprentices.” Legislative Council
of the Colo. Gen. Assembly, Fiscal Note on S.B. 19-156, at 2 (Mar.
7, 2019), https://perma.cc/K6UY-EDDY; see Ch. 136, sec. 14,
§ 12-115-115, 2019 Colo. Sess. Laws 3204; Ch. 136, sec. 17,
§ 12-115-122, 2019 Colo. Sess. Laws 3207-08.
17 ¶ 32 The relevant statutory versions in effect prior to the
amendments stated:
(1) Any person may work as an apprentice but shall not do any electrical wiring for the installation of electrical apparatus or equipment for light, heat, or power except under the supervision of a licensed electrician. The degree of supervision required shall be no more than one licensed electrician to supervise no more than three apprentices at the jobsite.
(2) Any electrical contractor, journeyman electrician, master electrician, or residential wireman who is the employer or supervisor of any electrical apprentice working at the trade shall be responsible for the work performed by such apprentice. . . .
(3)(b) Such apprentice shall be under the supervision of either a licensed electrician or a residential wireman as set forth in subsection (1) of this section.
§ 12-23-110.5, C.R.S. 2018 (emphasis added). And a licensed
electrician could be disciplined by the State Electrical Board for
failure to “adequately supervise an apprentice who is working at the
trade pursuant to section 12-23-110.5.” § 12-23-118(1)(j), C.R.S.
2018 (emphasis added).
¶ 33 Following the Department of Regulatory Agencies’ sunset
review of the article governing the practice of electricians, the
18 legislature modified the statutes to specifically qualify all
occurrences of electrician apprentice “supervision” as “direct”:
(1) Any person may work as an apprentice but shall not do any electrical wiring for the installation of electrical apparatus or equipment for light, heat, or power except under the direct supervision of a licensed electrician. A licensed electrician shall not directly supervise more than three apprentices at a job site.
(2) An electrical contractor, journeyman electrician, master electrician, or residential wireman who is the employer or direct supervisor of any electrical apprentice working at the trade is responsible for the work performed by the apprentice. . . .
(3)(b) An apprentice must be under the direct supervision of a licensed electrician as set forth in subsection (1) of this section.
§ 12-115-115 (emphasis added). And a licensed electrician can now
be disciplined by the State Electrical Board for failure to
“adequately directly supervise an apprentice who is working at the
trade pursuant to section 12-115-115.” § 12-115-122(1)(j)
(emphasis added).
¶ 34 Furthermore, the legislature added definitions for “direct
supervision” and “supervision” to the electrician statutory scheme:
19 “Direct supervision” means that the supervising licensed master electrician, journeyman electrician, or residential wireman is physically present at the same physical address where the apprentice is working.
....
“Supervision” means the management of a project to ensure that work on the project is done correctly and according to the law.
§ 12-115-103(2.5), (12), C.R.S. 2019.
¶ 35 We find these amendments to the electrician statutes
informative, in that the legislature chose to apply this narrower
definition of supervision only to electrician apprentices, not to
plumbing apprentices. If the legislature intended that the
references to supervision of electrician apprentices referred to direct
“management of a project to ensure that work on the project is done
correctly and according to the law,” there would have been no need
for it to qualify the term.
¶ 36 The legislature could have made similar modifications to the
analogous sections of the Plumbing Practice Act, but it did not. Cf.
Mook v. Bd. of Cty. Comm’rs, 2020 CO 12, ¶¶ 34-35 (observing that
the term “contiguous” as more narrowly defined in other unrelated
statutes does not contain similar qualification language in the
20 statute at issue, thereby informing the court’s statutory
interpretation analysis). “Just as important as what the statute
says is what the statute does not say. . . . We should not construe
these omissions by the General Assembly as unintentional.”
Auman v. People, 109 P.3d 647, 656-57 (Colo. 2005). We therefore
interpret the legislature’s omission of such qualifying language
regarding the supervision of apprentices from the Plumbing Practice
Act as intentional. Id. at 657.
¶ 37 Though nonbinding, we also find support in case law from
other jurisdictions involving the supervision of subordinates and
construction at job sites. In a case that required the court to
determine insurance liability for weather delays in a construction
project, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Louisiana relied on a dictionary of architecture and construction to
find that “the term job site means, quite simply, the site of a
construction project. The term ‘site’ is also defined as ‘the specific
location of a building or buildings.’” J. Ray McDermott & Co. v. Fid.
& Cas. Co., 466 F. Supp. 353, 364 (E.D. La. 1979) (emphasis added)
(citations omitted).
21 ¶ 38 And our own supreme court, albeit in dicta, provides
additional guidance. In a case decided in 1926, the court affirmed
judgment entered against several plumbing apprentices for
engaging in plumbing work without a license in violation of a city
ordinance. Evans v. City & Cty. of Denver, 79 Colo. 533, 247 P. 173
(1926). The court concluded that the apprentices’ employer had
“allowed [them] to work alone and without supervision to such an
extent that the apprentices were really working as journeymen
plumbers.” Id. at 536, 247 P. at 174. But in so concluding, the
court declared in dicta that
[e]ven under the strictest view of it an apprentice need not perform every stroke of his labor as a learner under the constant eye of the master, so long as the superior skill of the master appears in the work through his directions and instructions given to the apprentice.
Id. (quoting City of St. Louis v. Bender, 154 S.W. 88, 92 (Mo. 1913)
(Lamm, J., concurring)) (emphasis added).
¶ 39 We find this dictum instructive in at least discounting the
requirement for line-of-sight supervision of apprentices engaged in
plumbing work. The Evans court stated that supervision of
apprentice plumbers under a 1926 city ordinance did not require
22 “the constant eye of the master,” provided that the supervising
plumber’s directions and instructions appear in the final product.
Id. (quoting Bender, 154 S.W. at 92) (Lamm, J., concurring).
¶ 40 Finally, several cases involving violation of the federal
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) indicate that direct,
line-of-sight supervision of trade apprentices is not required. See
Capital Elec. Line Builders of Kan., Inc. v. Marshall, 678 F.2d 128,
131 (10th Cir. 1982) (concluding that the supervising licensed
electrician was not required to actually accompany apprentices in
the aerial bucket or oversee their work from below because “such a
requirement would be unreasonable”); Horne Plumbing & Heating
Co. v. Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm’n, 528 F.2d 564,
569-70 (5th Cir. 1976) (finding that there was nothing more that
the supervisor could have done to prevent the OSHA violation “other
than personally directing the operation himself,” which the court
determined “would be a wholly unnecessary, unreasonable, and
infeasible requirement” because, although “the courts have
emphasized the importance of adequate instruction and supervision
in safety matters, they have consistently refused to require
measures beyond those which are reasonable and feasible”); Cape &
23 Vineyard Div. of New Bedford Gas v. Occupational Safety & Health
Review Comm’n, 512 F.2d 1148, 1155 (1st Cir. 1975) (“There is
nothing in the record indicating that prudence would require a
supervisor or buddy constantly to watch the employee on the pole,
or that any such practice would be feasible.”).
¶ 41 With this framework in mind, we enlist further guidance from
other principles of statutory construction.
3. Legislative Declaration and Purpose of the Statute
¶ 42 The Plumbing Practice Act’s legislative declaration proclaims
that the purpose of the Act is to safeguard public health. See
§ 12-58-101(2), C.R.S. 2018. And ensuring that plumbing
apprentices are appropriately supervised certainly falls within the
purview of this purpose.
(1) The general assembly hereby finds that:
(a) Improper plumbing can adversely affect the health of the public and that faulty plumbing is potentially lethal and can cause widespread disease and an epidemic of disastrous consequences;
(b) To protect the health of the public, it is essential that plumbing be installed by persons who have proven their knowledge of the sciences of pneumatics and
24 hydraulics and their skill in installing plumbing.
(2) Consistent with its duty to safeguard the health of the people of this state, the general assembly hereby declares that individuals who plan, install, alter, extend, repair, and maintain plumbing systems should be individuals of proven skill.
§ 12-58-101, C.R.S. 2018.
¶ 43 Similarly, the Board’s program director testified at the ALJ
hearing that the public policy behind apprentice supervision is “to
ensure the correct and safe installation of the plumbing.”
¶ 44 Recalling from above the multiple interpretations offered by
witnesses during the ALJ hearing of what it means to supervise
apprentices at the job site, it is apparent that the public safety
objective can be achieved under each of the perceived
constructions. Whether a licensed plumber maintains line-of-sight
supervision of an apprentice during soldering only, accompanies an
apprentice at all times, or is nearby but returns to inspect and sign
off on the apprentice’s work, the public policy of ensuring correct
and safe installation of plumbing can be achieved.
¶ 45 Yet, clear construction of section 12-155-124 remains elusive
because it does not sufficiently prescribe the level or type of
25 supervision required. So, taking these safety objectives into
account, we turn finally to the Board’s interpretation of section
12-155-124 and consider its consequences.
4. Consequences of the Board’s Interpretation
¶ 46 In her initial decision, the ALJ concluded that section
12-155-124 requires licensed plumbers to maintain line-of-sight
supervision when apprentices use soldering torches and that job
site refers to the same building in which the apprentice is working.
In its final order, the Board adopted the ALJ’s ultimate conclusions,
agreeing that section 12-155-124 requires line-of-sight supervision
of apprentices using soldering torches, but did not specifically
define job site, reasoning that line-of-sight supervision necessarily
requires that the supervising plumber and apprentice be in the
same building.
¶ 47 As an initial matter, we recall that principles of statutory
construction prohibit the Board from altering statutory language by
adding or subtracting words. See Holcomb, 172 P.3d at 894. And
terms even slightly similar to line-of-sight supervision or those
alluding to a job site being a single building are nowhere to be
found in the Plumbing Practice Act. Therefore, the Board
26 inappropriately altered the language of section 12-155-124 by
adding words.
¶ 48 Relatedly, and as previously discussed, the legislature recently
amended the electrician statutes to specify that apprentice
supervision must be “direct” — with “direct supervision” requiring
that the supervising electrician “is physically present at the same
physical address where the apprentice is working.” § 12-115-103.
As we pointed out, the legislature declined to make similar
amendments to the Plumbing Practice Act. We further note that,
though the legislature added language in the electrician statutes to
delineate between “supervision” and “direct supervision,” it did not
define “direct supervision” as requiring line of sight. In so noting,
we are reminded of our supreme court’s declaration that “[j]ust as
important as what the statute says is what the statute does not
say.” Auman, 109 P.3d at 656-57.
¶ 49 Furthermore, adopting the Board’s interpretation would lead
to a construction that is not consistent or in harmony with other
parts of the statute. See Nieto, 993 P.2d at 501. As discussed
above in Part III.C.1, section 12-155-124 directs that a licensed
plumber is not permitted to supervise more than three apprentices
27 at the same job site. Under the Board’s construction requiring
line-of-sight supervision, the three apprentices would not only have
to be in the same building simultaneously but also all working in
the supervisor’s line of sight, creating potential logistical difficulties,
or even thwarting the benefit of allowing one supervisor to supervise
three apprentices.4
¶ 50 Absent clear language from the legislature indicating an intent
to define “supervise” as line-of-sight supervision, we conclude that
the Board misconstrued the law by reading additional words into
section 12-155-124 that do not appear in the statutory language.
See Holcomb, 172 P.3d at 894. And because we are not bound by
an agency decision that misapplies or misconstrues the law, see
Welby Gardens, 71 P.3d at 1000, we decline to endorse the Board’s
construction.
4 We acknowledge that the newly amended electrician statutes also allow for supervision of up to three electrician apprentices at a job site and that the supervision in that context must be “direct.” See § 12-115-115, C.R.S. 2019. But “direct” supervision there requires only that a supervising electrician be physically present at the same physical address where the three apprentices are working. Being physically present does not necessarily equate with a line-of-sight view, which removes the logistical issue present with the Board’s interpretation of the plumbing statute here.
28 5. What it Means to Supervise Apprentices at the Job Site
¶ 51 None of the previously discussed tools of statutory
construction, standing alone, provides us with a clear meaning for
“supervise apprentices at the job site.” But by synthesizing the
results from our application of these tools, we can arrive at a
constitutionally valid construction of the statute.
¶ 52 We conclude that to “supervise apprentices at the job site”
means that a licensed plumber must be within a sufficient distance
of the apprentice, whether in or outside a building, such that by
monitoring, inspecting, and signing off on the apprentice’s work
with reasonable frequency, the correct and safe installation of
plumbing can be achieved. This construction is wholly consistent
with each of the statutory canons we examined:
1. Plain meaning: under our interpretation, a licensed plumber
will be in charge of apprentices at the spatial location of a
structure or set of structures on which plumbing work is
being done by the apprentices.
2. Laws on similar subjects: cognizant of the legislature’s
amendments to define “direct supervision” in the electrician
statutes and intentional omission of similar terms in the
29 Plumbing Practice Act, our construction does not read into
the statute words that were not included.
3. Common law: drawing guidance from our supreme court, an
apprentice need not be under “the constant eye of the
master” because the supervising licensed plumber will
periodically evaluate the apprentice’s work to ensure that
the directions and instructions provided to the apprentice
appear in the final product. See Evans, 79 Colo. at 536,
247 P. at 174 (quoting Bender, 154 S.W. at 92) (Lamm, J.,
concurring).
4. Legislative declaration and purpose of the statute: with a
licensed plumber monitoring, inspecting, and signing off on
an apprentice’s work with reasonable frequency, the correct
¶ 53 This construction of section 12-155-124 allows us to preserve
the constitutionality of the statute, as we are required to do. See
Zapotocky, 869 P.2d at 1240.5
5To be clear, we do not mean to suggest that the legislature could not, if it chose to, specifically provide for line-of-sight supervision,
30 IV. Mr. Welch and Confidence Did Not Violate Section 12-155-124
¶ 54 Finally, we further conclude that, based on the ALJ’s findings
of evidentiary fact, Mr. Welch and Confidence did not violate section
12-155-124.
¶ 55 We have determined that compliance with the statute requires
that a licensed plumber supervising apprentices be within a
sufficient distance of the apprentices, whether in or outside a
building, such that by monitoring, inspecting, and signing off on
the apprentice’s work with reasonable frequency, the correct and
safe installation of plumbing can be achieved. In the initial order,
the ALJ found that the supervising journeyman plumber was
working near the house in which the apprentice was working when
the apprentice was using the soldering torch. Moreover, the ALJ
or define “job site” as a single building or even a more specific locus of work. We only hold that, in the absence of such clear language, the statute as interpreted by the ALJ and adopted by the Board may provide constitutionally deficient notice of what the statute requires. See Rein v. Meagher, 2020 CO 56, ¶ 33 (“The essential inquiry in addressing a void for vagueness challenge is whether the statute ‘forbids or requires the doing of an act in terms so vague that persons of ordinary intelligence must necessarily guess as to its meaning and differ as to its application.’” (quoting People v. Gross, 930 P.2d 933, 937 (Colo. 1992))).
31 accepted and adopted as part of her findings Mr. Welch’s testimony
that (1) all of the houses in the entire master-planned community
were the “job site,” with journeymen at the site working in multiple
houses; and (2) the supervising journeymen were expected to
inspect and sign off on the work done on the premises that day or
face disciplinary measures. Accordingly, we conclude that Mr.
Welch and Confidence complied with the requirements of section
12-155-124 as set forth in this opinion.
¶ 56 Because we conclude that section 12-155-124 is constitutional
but that the Board erred in its interpretation of the statute, we do
not reach Mr. Welch and Confidence’s additional contention that
the Board also erred by finding that the ALJ properly relied on the
former Confidence employee’s hearing testimony for her
interpretation.
V. Conclusion
¶ 57 The Board’s order is vacated.
JUDGE ROMÁN and JUDGE TOW concur.