Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a)
No person or business
shall act as a fire sprinkler contractor licensed under the
Act, or advertise or assume to act as such, or use any title
that suggests the person is engaged in such practice or occupation,
unless licensed by the Office. [225 ILCS
317/12]
b) Any person or business that services any
fire sprinkler system must be licensed as a fire sprinkler contractor. If
performing routine inspection or testing, then a fire sprinkler inspector
license under Section
109.45 is also required, except
as provided in subsection (c) of Section 15 of the Act.
c) License Relationship:
1) A fire sprinkler contractor that performs
routine inspection or testing of a fire sprinkler system shall employ at least
one licensed fire sprinkler inspector at the time of the routine inspection or
testing. A fire sprinkler contractor may hold dual licenses as a fire sprinkler
contractor and a fire sprinkler inspector if the individual meets the
qualifications for each license separately as set forth in this Part. An
individual who:
A) holds both a fire sprinkler
contractor license and a fire sprinkler inspector license; and
B) performs the routine inspection or
testing, meets the requirement to employ at least one licensed fire sprinkler
inspector at the time of the routine inspection or testing.
2) A fire sprinkler contractor
shall follow the process set forth in Section
109.60 regarding notice to the
Office of the termination of a fire sprinkler inspector's employment.
d) Application for Licensure as a
Fire Sprinkler Contractor
1) An applicant for
a fire sprinkler contractor license shall submit to the Office:
A) A completed application form provided by
the Office.
i) The application shall include
the name and address of the business, along with an email address. The address
shall be an actual street address and shall include the city, state and zip
code. A post office box number is not acceptable as an address.
ii) The names and personal addresses of all
officers of the business applying.
iii) If an assumed name is to be used, a copy
of the assumed name certificate for the business.
iv) The name and personal address of the
designated certified person or the responsible managing employee, as
applicable.
B) Proof of
credentials for a designated certified person or responsible managing employee.
i) For a designated certified person the
applicant shall provide:
* a copy of the individual's current Illinois Professional
Engineers License or current NICET Level III or higher certification in
water-based fire protection systems layout [225 ILCS
317/20] ; and
* an affirmative statement signed by the individual
acknowledging his or her role as the designated certified person for the fire
sprinkler contractor. [225 ILCS
317/20(g)] .
ii) For a responsible managing employee, the
applicant shall provide:
* the responsible managing employee's qualifications and last
three years of work experience;
* the name, address and telephone number for each person who
can verify those qualifications and work experience; and
* an affirmative statement signed by the individual
acknowledging the individual's role as the responsible managing employee for
the fire sprinkler contractor.
C) A Certificate of Insurance for
personal injuries of not less than $500,000 per person
or $1,000,000 per occurrence, and, in addition, not less than $1,000,000 per
occurrence for property damage. [225 ILCS
317/35] A new certificate of insurance shall be
provided to the Office prior to the expiration date of any certificate of
insurance in effect during the license period. The certificate of insurance
shall provide for the Office to receive written notice of cancellation no less
than 30 days in advance of termination of the certificate.
D) Provide evidence of compliance with the
Illinois Workers' Compensation Act [820 ILCS 305
].
E) An organizational chart for
each business location showing the supervisory duties of the designated
certified person or responsible managing employee.
F) A list of each license issued to the
applicant by any state, local or federal governmental entity in the previous 3
years to engage in fire sprinkler contracting.
G) Provide a statement of whether the
applicant is currently subject to disciplinary action or has been adjudicated
to have violated conditions of a license in any jurisdiction.
H) Additional business documents, as
applicable:
i) A corporation, including
limited liability corporations, shall provide evidence of current registration
in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State as an Illinois
corporation or evidence of compliance with the Assumed Business Name Act
[805 ILCS
405 ]. A foreign corporation must submit a copy of the
Certificate of Authority to transact business in this State.
ii) Partnerships shall submit an affidavit
stating that the partnership has been legally formed.
iii) Limited partnerships shall submit a
letter of authority from the Secretary of State's Limited Partnership
Department.
2) Continuing Education for Renewal
A) For renewal applications, the designated
certified person or responsible managing employee must provide proof that the
individual has completed at least 16 hours of continuing
education since the issuance of the current license, with at
least 8 hours of continuing education completed during each year of the current
license.
B) A designated
certified person or responsible managing employee who holds a current license
as a professional engineer or has a current NICET
Level III or IV certification in water-based fire protection systems
layout shall be deemed to have met the continuing education
requirement. [225 ILCS
317/35(b)]
3) Upon submission of the completed
application, including all requisite information and documentation, the Office
shall review the application for licensure. The Office shall verify that the
applicant is in good standing with the Illinois Department of Revenue.
A) During review of the application for
licensure, the Office shall consider past history of the applicant. Past
history of the applicant includes, but is not limited to, any citations or
other discipline imposed by any jurisdiction or any occurrences of unlicensed
work by the applicant or any person known by the Office to be associated with
the applicant, such as a previous or predecessor company.
B) In addition to any other reason for
refusal, the Office may refuse to issue a fire sprinkler contractor license on
the basis of the past history of the applicant.
4) Failure to submit a completed application
within 30 calendar days of initial receipt of an application by the Office
shall cause the application to expire and a new, completed application must be
submitted for review.
5) After
reviewing the applicant's completed application, the Office shall invoice the
applicant who meets all conditions for licensure for the fee amount in
accordance with Section
109.150. No license shall be
issued until the applicable fees have been paid.
6) Upon receipt of the requisite fee amount,
the applicant shall be assigned a fire sprinkler contractor license number and
issued a certificate of licensure. The certificate shall be prominently
displayed in the business location of the fire sprinkler contractor, or in a
location where the Office or AHJ may readily verify the fire sprinkler
contractor is licensed. The certificate shall bear the following information:
A) Name and street address of the fire
sprinkler contractor;
B) The fire
sprinkler contractor license number; and
C) The date of issuance and date of
expiration.
7) If the
business has more than one business location from which it will service fire
sprinkler systems, then each location that a business contracts business out of
shall require:
A) a separate designated
certified person or responsible managing employee; and
B) a separate license.
e) Maintaining Conditions of
Licensure
1) A fire sprinkler contractor is
required to maintain in effect the conditions under which the fire sprinkler
contractor was licensed, or the license shall be suspended.
2) A fire sprinkler contractor that has
required documentation or certifications under subsection (d) that expire or
lose effect prior to the date of the license's expiration shall submit proof of
replacement to the Office prior to the date on which the documentation or
certificates expire.
3) A person
working as a fire sprinkler contractor on a suspended license shall be subject
to discipline and penalties under Section
109.120 or the Act.