# Who are you fooling?



## ICE (Jan 26, 2012)

California has rules about what license it takes to pull a permit.  Without getting into all of the details, the idea is to have a licensed electrical contractor perform el work, mechanical contr. for mechanical work etc.  A general building contractor can pull any and all permits within certain guidelines.  The way it is set up, the GC must have a building permit and then is allowed to pull other trades permits as long as they are not related to the building permit and there must be at least two unrelated trades.

Well here is a typical outcome.  There is a building permit to drywall the garage, an electrical permit to install two GFCI in the kitchen and one GFCI in each bathroom and a mechanical permit to replace a furnace.

The kitchen and bathrooms already had GFCI and the garage has been drywalled since the house was built 20 years ago. No work is planned.

So it's the furnace that this job is all about.

The condensate drain pipe was cut off so that the furnace could be installed below the existing coil.

When I asked the contractor why he didn't restore the condensate drain pipe he said; "That is the way we found it."

I voided all of the permits on the basis that the building and electrical permits are a ruse to qualify for the mechanical permit.

The contractor argued that the rules do not say that any work must be done, only that the permits exist.

I couldn't help but smile and wonder, just how stupid does he think I am?

I can already hear many of you saying, "Big deal! It's just a furnace, write the correction to fix the pipe and move on."  ICE can't go with the flow, that's WATER.


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## pete_t (Jan 26, 2012)

Tell the homeowner not to pay him and to file a complaint with the CSLB, then hire a licensed mechanical contractor.

Chapter 12

CSLB License Law

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS CODE

Article 4

Classifications

7057

(b) A general building contractor may take a prime contract or a

subcontract for a framing or carpentry project. However, a general

building contractor shall not take a prime contract for any project

involving trades other than framing or carpentry unless the prime

contract requires at least two unrelated building trades or crafts

other than framing or carpentry, or unless the general building

contractor holds the appropriate license classification or

subcontracts with an appropriately licensed contractor to perform the

work. A general building contractor shall not take a subcontract

involving trades other than framing or carpentry, unless the

subcontract requires at least two unrelated trades or crafts other

than framing or carpentry, or unless the general building contractor

holds the appropriate license classification. The general building

contractor may not count framing or carpentry in calculating the two

unrelated trades necessary in order for the general building

contractor to be able to take a prime contract or subcontract for a

project involving other trades.


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