§ 5-20-12. Corporations and firms engaging in business.
(a) No corporation, firm, association, partnership, or other entity shall engage in business,
advertise, make application for and take out permits, bid for work, or represent itself
as a master plumber, a master irrigator, or master water-filtration/treatment-system
installer unless:
(1) A licensed master plumber, as provided in this chapter, shall be continuously engaged
in the supervision of the entity's plumbing installation, irrigation installation,
commercial water-filtration/treatment-system installation, maintenance, and repair
work and the licensed master is an officer of the corporation, a partner in the partnership,
or a similarly authorized principal of any firm, association, or other entity; or
(2) The entity possesses a valid plumbing contractor's license, master irrigator's license,
or master water-filtration/treatment-system installer's license duly issued by the
department of labor and training as described in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Upon application of any of the entities listed in subsection (a) of this section in
form and substance prescribed by the department of labor and training, and receipt
of the fee for the application and license, which shall be equal to the fee for a
master plumber's license, master irrigator's license, or master water-filtration/treatment-system
installer's license as described in § 5-20-16, the department of labor and training shall issue the applicant entity a license
as a plumbing contractor, irrigation contractor, or commercial water-filtration/treatment-system
contractor. The plumbing contractor's, irrigation contractor's, or commercial water-filtration/treatment-system
contractor's license shall specify the name of the entity holding the license and
shall state that the license holder shall:
(1) Have a licensed contractor master plumber, as that term is defined in § 5-20-12.1, who is continuously engaged in the supervision of the entity's plumbing installation,
maintenance, and repair work and who is an officer of the corporation, a partner in
the partnership, or a similarly authorized principal of any firm, association, or
other entity; or
(2) Continuously employ at all times, while holding the license, a duly licensed master
plumber, master irrigator, or master water-filtration/treatment-system installer as
provided in this chapter, who is continuously engaged in the supervision of the entity's
plumbing installation, irrigation installation, commercial water-filtration/treatment-system
installation, maintenance, and repair work. The plumbing contractor's, master irrigator's,
and water-filtration/treatment-system installer's license shall entitle the entity
holding the license to engage in business, advertise, bid for work, or represent itself
as a master plumber, master irrigator, and master water-filtration/treatment-system
installer or a plumbing contractor and shall also entitle the entity to make application
for and take out permits through its duly authorized officer or similarly authorized
principal, as well as through the duly licensed contractor master as described in
this section, or the duly licensed master plumber, master irrigator, or master water-filtration/treatment-system
installer continuously employed by the entity as stated in this section, as the case
may be. The contractor's license shall not, in and of itself, permit a principal,
officer, employee, or agent of the entity holding the license to individually engage
in installation, maintenance, or repair work as described above unless that principal,
officer, employee, or agent is individually licensed so to do.
(c) Any work engaged in, advertised for, applied for by permit, bid for, or represented
to be permissible shall be solely of the type for which the licensed master plumber,
master irrigator, or master water-filtration/treatment-system installer who serves
as an officer, or similarly authorized principal, of the entity or who is continuously
employed by the entity holding a plumbing contractor's license, irrigation contractor's,
or commercial water-filtration/treatment-system contractor's license, is duly licensed
to perform.
(d) Any licensed master plumber, master irrigator, or master water-filtration/treatment-system
installer who serves as an officer, or similarly authorized principal of this type
of entity, or who is continuously employed by an entity holding a plumbing, irrigation,
or commercial water-filtration/treatment-system contractor's license shall represent
the interests of one such entity and only one such entity at any given time as described
in this section.
(e) In the event that the licensed master plumber, master irrigator, or master water-filtration/treatment-system
installer described in this section ceases to be an officer or similarly authorized
principal of one of the entities described in this section, or ceases to be continuously
employed by an entity holding a plumbing contractor's license for any reason whatsoever,
the entity shall provide written notice of the cessation to the department of health
no more than fourteen (14) days after the effective date of occurrence of the cessation.
Any entity so affected shall provide written notice of the cessation to the department
of labor and training specifying the licensed master plumber, master irrigator, or
master water-filtration/treatment-system installer who is replacing the departed licensed
master plumber referenced in this section no more than forty-five (45) days after
the effective date of occurrence of the cessation.
(f) No corporation, firm, association, partnership, or other entity that engages in, offers
to engage in, or represents that it engages in plumbing installation, irrigation system
installation, or commercial water-filtration/treatment-system maintenance or repair
work in the state of Rhode Island is permitted to incorporate, form, qualify to do
business, or otherwise register with the Rhode Island secretary of state's office
until and unless that office has first received a written confirmation from the department
of labor and training that all requisite licenses to be issued by the department of
labor and training have been so issued and remain in good standing.
(g) Any willful violation of this section is grounds for revocation of license as further
described in § 5-20-27.