A bill looking to establish a statewide mechanical license for contractors has received initial approval in the Missouri Senate. Under the bill, companies would be required to have at least one statewide license holder employed.
Bill sponsor, state Senator Nick Schroer, R-St. Charles County, has been trying to pass this bill for years.
“One contractor license would apply statewide,” he explained on the Senate floor. “Whether you had a county that didn’t have regulations or these types of requirements or county that did, like St. Louis County, for example, and all of their many political subdivisions, that statewide license would apply to all of them and supersede any type of local rule.”
Tasks outlined under the bill include work on heating and air systems, boilers and water heaters, fuel and fuel oil appliances, and other mechanical systems.
Schroer said that political subdivisions can establish their own mechanical contractor’s license, but would be required to recognize a statewide license in lieu of a local license for contracting work.
“This isn’t changing any of the regulations locally that people may have,” he said. “It’s not changing any licensing requirements that somebody could obtain in a political subdivision. But what this would do is allow for somebody to have that optional license, and instead of having 15 of them, it is very duplicative, it’s very costly in those types of scenarios, but they could get this working on the residential work as described on page four. They could have one contractor model.”
Under the legislation, the statewide license will be regulated by the Division of Professional Registration.
The bill still needs another Senate vote of support before heading to the House.
Click here for more information on Senate Bill 80.
