Colorado § 12-155-124 - Apprentices - registration - data-sharing agreement - discipline - rules.

§ 12-155-124. Apprentices - registration - data-sharing agreement - discipline - rules.

(1) A person may work as a plumbing apprentice for a registered plumbing contractor but shall not do any plumbing work for which a license is required pursuant to this article 155 except under the supervision of a licensed plumber. Supervision requires that a licensed plumber supervise apprentices at the job site. One licensed journeyworker plumber, master plumber, or residential plumber shall not supervise more than three plumbing apprentices at the same job site.

(2) A master, journeyworker, or residential plumber who is the supervisor of a plumbing apprentice is responsible for the work performed by the apprentice. The license of a plumber may be revoked, suspended, or denied under section 12-155-113 for any improper work performed by a plumbing apprentice while under the supervision of the licensee.

(3) By July 1 each year, a registered plumbing contractor, an apprenticeship program registered with the United States department of labor's office of apprenticeship, and a state apprenticeship agency recognized by the United States department of labor that employs a plumbing apprentice in this state shall report to the board the name and contact information of each plumbing apprentice in the apprenticeship program and the cumulative number of practical training hours each plumbing apprentice has completed toward the licensure requirements specified in section 12-155-110. The board shall keep the information reported pursuant to this subsection (3) confidential from all parties other than from the plumbing apprentice through the plumbing apprentice's individual registration account. The department of regulatory agencies shall, if existing resources are available or if the department receives gifts, grants, or donations pursuant to subsection (8) of this section, indicate whether the plumbing apprentice has completed the required practical training hours in the department of regulatory agencies' online apprenticeship directory.

(3.5) [Editor's note: Subsection (3.5) is effective January 1, 2027.]

(a) (I) A registered plumbing contractor shall not register with the board pursuant to subsection (3) of this section a plumbing apprentice who is in a construction industry apprenticeship program registered with the United States department of labor or a state apprenticeship agency recognized by the United States department of labor unless the plumbing apprentice is enrolled in an apprenticeship program training the plumbing apprentice for an occupation officially recognized by the United States department of labor as a plumbing or mechanical-related occupation, as defined by the United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics, occupational employment and wage statistics occupation codes 17.3013, 47.2152, or 49.9021.

(II) On or before July 1, 2027, the state apprenticeship agency and the department, if existing resources are available or if the department receives sufficient gifts, grants, or donations pursuant to subsection (8) of this section, shall establish a data-sharing agreement to allow verification of eligibility for registration with the board pursuant to subsection (3.5)(a)(I) of this section.

(b) (I) If the board determines that a plumbing apprentice is not in compliance with subsection (3.5)(a) of this section, the board shall notify the plumbing contractor that registered the apprentice with the board. Within thirty days after notification of noncompliance, the plumbing contractor shall provide proof that the apprentice is eligible to be registered as a plumbing apprentice with the board. If the board verifies within sixty days after notification of noncompliance that the plumbing apprentice is eligible to be registered as a plumbing apprentice, the plumbing apprentice will remain registered with the board.

(II) If the board cannot verify that a plumbing apprentice is eligible to be registered as a plumbing apprentice within sixty days after notice of noncompliance pursuant to subsection (3.5)(b)(I) of this section, the board shall remove the plumbing apprentice's registration with the board, and the noncompliant plumbing apprentice shall not perform work as a plumbing apprentice in the state.

(III) This subsection (3.5) does not apply to a plumbing apprentice whose training is provided directly by the plumbing contractor or another plumbing training program that is not an apprenticeship program registered with the United States department of labor or a state apprenticeship agency.

(4) On and after July 1, 2021, contingent on the availability of existing resources within the department or the receipt of gifts, grants, and donations pursuant to subsection (8) of this section:

(a) (I) A plumbing apprentice who has been registered for at least six years, has completed six thousand eight hundred hours of practical training, and meets all other license requirements specified in section 12-155-110 shall take the license examination at least every two years in alignment with the license renewal cycle until the plumbing apprentice receives a passing score.

(II) If a plumbing apprentice has failed to pass the license examination in two consecutive two-year periods, the plumbing apprentice may request an exemption from the board from future examination requirements. The board shall grant the exemption if the board determines that the plumbing apprentice has legitimate educational or professional circumstances that justify the exemption. The board shall promulgate rules concerning the process of requesting and approving license examination exemptions.

(b) A plumbing apprentice who has been registered for at least six years and who does not meet the license requirements specified in section 12-155-110 shall take the license examination at least once every two years in alignment with the license renewal cycle until the plumbing apprentice receives a passing score. Once the plumbing apprentice passes the license examination, the apprentice must meet all other license requirements specified in section 12-155-110 before the board may issue a license to the plumbing apprentice.

(5) (a) If the cumulative training hours of a plumbing apprentice are not reported as required by subsection (3) of this section or if a plumbing apprentice fails to take the license examination as required by subsection (4) of this section, the board may suspend the plumbing apprentice's registration until the requirements are met.

(b) If a plumbing apprentice who is required to take the license examination pursuant to subsection (4) of this section has a learning disability, the plumbing apprentice, plumbing contractor, or apprenticeship program may request that the board make accommodations for the plumbing apprentice to take the examination with the appropriate level of support.

(6) A registered plumbing contractor, an apprenticeship program registered with the United States department of labor's office of apprenticeship, and a state apprenticeship agency recognized by the United States department of labor shall remove each plumbing apprentice that is no longer employed as an apprentice from the apprenticeship program and annually notify the board of the termination of the employment.

(7) Repealed.

(8) The department may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of this section.

Source: L. 2019: Entire title R&RE with relocations, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1010, § 1, effective October 1. L. 2020: (3) to (8) added, (SB 20-120), ch. 244, p. 1173, § 2, effective September 14. L. 2023: (3) and (6) amended, (SB 23-051), ch. 37, p. 144, § 17, effective March 23. L. 2024: (1) and (2) amended, (HB 24-1344), ch. 343, p. 2330, § 25, effective July 1, 2025. L. 2025: (3.5) added, (HB 25-1284), ch. 403, p. 2302, § 2, effective January 1, 2027.

Editor's note: (1) This section is similar to former § 12-58-117 as it existed prior to 2019.

(2) Subsection (7)(b) provided for the repeal of subsection (7), effective July 1, 2021. (See L. 2020, p. 1174.)

ANNOTATION

Supervision by a licensed plumber of an apprentice at the job site required by subsection (1) does not require line-of-site supervision. Instead, it requires the licensed plumber to be within a sufficient distance of an apprentice, whether in or outside a building, in order to monitor, inspect, and sign off on the apprentice's work with reasonable frequency. Welch v. Colo. State Plumbing Bd., 2020 COA 130, 474 P.3d 236.