Started at a new shop a few weeks ago, Gloucester County, service and repipes. Better place, actually sends me to school. Today a homeowner in Washington Township told my boss he'd already pulled the plumbing permit himself to "save money" and just wanted us to do the work. Boss said no and walked away from a decent job.
Is that a real rule or is my boss being stubborn? Can a homeowner even pull a plumbing permit in NJ? And if he can, why can't a licensed shop just work under it?
Master Plumber, second-generation shop owner · 23 years · Hudson County, NJ
Mentor
Your boss isn't being stubborn. My father used to say the permit is your name on the job. As I understand it, a homeowner can pull a permit for work on his own single-family house that he lives in, when he's doing the work himself. Once he hires a contractor, the contractor is supposed to pull it under his own license. Working under the homeowner's permit doesn't take your boss's license off the line if something goes wrong.
Electrical inspector (former contractor) · 26 years · Ocean County, NJ
Mentor
Not legal advice. That matches how I've seen it handled across the subcodes: the homeowner permit is for a homeowner doing his own work. Call the local construction office if you want it from them; most will explain it in two minutes.