The purpose of the provisions of this article is to establish rules and regulations for the installation and maintenance of plumbing facilities in the city.

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-182, 2-19-96)

(a)

The position of plumbing inspector is hereby created, and the executive official in charge shall be known as the plumbing inspector.

(b)

The plumbing inspector shall be appointed by the city manager. He shall serve at the will and pleasure of the city manager.

(c)

During the temporary absence or disability of the plumbing inspector, the city manager shall designate an acting plumbing inspector.

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-183, 2-19-96)

Cross reference— Officers and employees, § 2-36 et seq.

The plumbing inspector shall be physically capable of making the necessary examinations and inspections. He shall not have any interest whatever, directly or indirectly, in the sale or manufacture of plumbing supplies or their installation.

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-184, 2-19-96)

(a)

The plumbing inspector shall receive applications required by the plumbing code adopted in section 14-551, issue permits and furnish the prescribed certificates. He shall examine the premises for which permits have been issued, and shall make necessary inspections to see that the provisions of law are complied with and that installation and/or maintenance is carried out under the provisions of the plumbing code. He shall enforce all provisions of the plumbing code. He shall, when requested by proper authority, or when the public interest so requires, make investigations in connection with matters referred to in the plumbing code and render written reports on the same. To enforce compliance with law, to remove illegal or unsafe conditions, to secure the necessary safeguards during installation and/or maintenance, he shall issue such notices or orders as may be necessary.

(b)

Inspections required under the provisions of the plumbing code shall be made by the plumbing inspector or his duly appointed assistant. The plumbing inspector may accept reports of inspectors of recognized inspection services, after investigation of their qualifications and reliability. No certificate called for by any provision of the plumbing code shall be issued on such reports unless the reports are in writing and certified to by a responsible officer of such inspection service.

(c)

The plumbing inspector shall keep comprehensive records of applications, of permits issued, of certificates issued, of inspections made, of reports rendered and of notices or orders issued. All such records shall be open to public inspection for good and sufficient reasons at the stated office hours, but shall not be removed from the office of the plumbing inspector without his written consent.

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-185, 2-19-96)

(a)

There are hereby adopted for the city for the purpose of establishing minimum standards for plumbing installations within the city those certain codes known as the International Plumbing Code and the International Fuel Gas Code, 2024 editions and all appendices thereto, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., of which one copy of each is filed with the city secretary, save and except such portions as are hereinafter deleted, modified, added or amended in sections 14-552 and 14-553. The codes are hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if set out at length in this section, and the provisions of such code shall be controlling in all plumbing installations within the city, save and except such portions of such codes as may be inconsistent with this article.

(b)

Within such codes, when reference is made to the duties of certain officials named therein, the designated official of the city who has duties corresponding to those of the named officials in such codes shall be deemed to be the responsible official insofar as enforcing the provisions of such codes is concerned.

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-186, 2-19-96; Ord. No. 99-08, § 2, 4-19-99; Ord. No. 00-12, § 4, 5-15-00; Ord. No. 03-15, § 1, 4-21-03; Ord. No. 05-01, § 3, 1-17-05; Ord. No. 2007-7, § 3, 3-19-07; Ord. No. 2014-19, § 3, 6-16-14; Ord. No. 2019-04, § 9, 2-18-19; Ord. No. 2024-27, § 6, 8-19-24)

(a)

Plumbing license required. All persons who engage in the business of or work at the actual installation, alteration, repair and renovating of plumbing shall possess either a master or journeyman plumber's license in accordance with the provisions of the Plumbing License Law (Vernon's Ann. Civ. St. art. 6243-101), except when a property owner is performing plumbing in the property owner's homestead in compliance with V.T.C.A., Occupations Code, § 1301.051.

(b)

Permits required. It shall be unlawful to construct, install or cause to be installed any plumbing without securing a plumbing permit therefor; provided, however, that no plumbing permit is required to do minor repairs such as the maintenance, repair or replacement in kind of the following:

(1)

Yard hydrants and sill cocks.

(2)

Flush valves and floatballs in water closet tanks.

(3)

Accessible traps on lavatories or sinks.

(4)

Replacing of plumbing fixtures where no change or roughing-in is involved.

The examples in subsection (b) of this section are representative only and should not be considered as a limitation on the term "minor repairs."

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-187, 2-19-96; Ord. No. 2023-03, § 2, 2-27-2023)

Chapter 1, Scope and administration, Section 103, Department of plumbing inspection, of the International Plumbing Code is hereby deleted in its entirety.

Section 103, Department of inspection, of the International Fuel Gas Code is hereby deleted in its entirety.

Section 114.4, Violation penalties, of the International Plumbing Code and Section 113.4, Violation penalties, of the International Fuel Gas Code is hereby deleted in its entirety.

Chapter 1, Section 112, Means of appeals, of the International Plumbing Code and the International Fuel Gas Code is hereby deleted in its entirety.

Chapter 6, Water supply and distribution, Section 605.1, is hereby amended to provide as follows:

The installation of a water service or water distribution pipe shall be Type K, sleeved through concrete slabs with pipe insulation (to maintain the vapor barrier) and shall be prohibited in soil and ground water contaminated with solvents, fuels, organic compounds or other detrimental materials causing permeation, corrosion, degradation or structural failure of the piping material. Where detrimental conditions are suspected, a chemical analysis of the soil and ground water conditions shall be required to ascertain the acceptability of the water service or water distribution piping material for the specific installation. Where detrimental conditions exist, approved alternative materials or routing shall be required.

Appendix A of the International Plumbing Code is hereby deleted.

(Ord. No. 96-02, art. III, § 4-188, 2-19-96; Ord. No. 99-08, § 3, 4-19-99; Ord. No. 00-12, §§ 5—8, 5-15-00; Ord. No. 03-15, § 2, 4-21-03; Ord. No. 05-15, § 1, 5-16-05; Ord. No. 2007-18, § 1, 4-16-07; Ord. No. 2006-32, § 1, 11-20-06; Ord. No. 2014-25, § 2(Exh. A), 6-16-14; Ord. No. 2019-04, § 10, 2-18-19; Ord. No. 2024-27, § 7, 8-19-24)