Solobay Praises Movement of Plumbing License Bill

State Sen. Tim Solobay praised this week’s committee approval of a bill that would regulate Pennsylvania’s plumbing industry to protect both consumers and experienced contractors.

“Homeowners should be able know whether someone running a plumbing business has the training and experience to do the job,” Solobay, D-Canonsburg, said. “As it stands now, anyone can call himself a plumber and the requirements can vary from town to town and state to state. Creating a uniform licensing system will protect the wallets of consumers and the reputations of experienced contractors.”

Senate Bill 441 creates a statewide licensing board for plumbing contractors and prohibits anyone from advertising themselves as an apprentice, journeyman or master plumber unless licensed by the board.  Solobay had introduced a similar bill, Senate Bill 395, earlier this year.

“It has been quite a job to balance the protection of consumers with the protection of jobs and this week’s action represents an important step forward that preserves that balance,” Solobay said.

Senate Bill 441 cleared the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee Tuesday by a vote of 13-1, and heads to the Senate floor for a vote.

Under current law, plumbers face a patchwork of local regulations varying by municipality across the state, and some municipalities have no standards. Pennsylvania plumbers also have difficulty working in neighboring states because of the lack of a statewide standard, Solobay said. 

The bill will pave the way for recognition of Pennsylvania licenses in other states. The bill applies across Pennsylvania, except in Allegheny and Philadelphia counties which have their own testing procedures and plumbing codes.