Minimum experience qualifications for a department-issued license.
Columbus City Codes § 4114.505
in effect4114.505 - Minimum experience qualifications for a department-issued license.
(A) Home Improvement Limited Contractor License. The applicant for a home improvement limited contractor license in the following fields of specialization shall have a minimum of one full year of "hands-on" installation experience in that field for which a license is applied for:
(1) Residential roofing;
(2) Residential siding, windows, and doors;
(3) Residential wood deck installation;
(4) Residential basement waterproofing;
(5) Residential prefabricated fireplaces and wood or coal stoves;
(6) Residential masonry fireplaces;
(7) Residential fencing;
(8) Residential sidewalks and driveway approaches;
(9) Residential exterior lathing and stucco;
(10) Residential swimming pool and spas;
(11) Residential asphalt paving;
(12) Residential irrigation sprinkler; and/or
(13) Residential gypsum board installer.
(B) "Hands-on" experience shall be characterized by the active personal involvement of the applicant in the activity directly related to the type of license for which an application was made.
(C) Sewer, Water, or Combined Sewer/Water Contractor License. All applicants for either a sewer contractor license or a water contractor license shall demonstrate prior approval from Columbus Water & Power in a manner as prescribed by such department.
(D) Journeyperson Plumber License. The minimum experience required for an applicant for a journeyperson plumber license shall be as follows:
(1) Have a minimum of five full years of experience in the plumbing trade installing building services plumbing systems and apparatus including potable water systems; or, completed a United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship Training (USDOL, BAT) certified plumbing apprenticeship program.
(2) Satisfactorily complete and pass, with a grade of at least 70 percent, the written examination(s) as prescribed herein. The required examinations shall be administered by an approved testing agency as identified by the chief building official and approved by the appropriate board of review. After one year from the date that a passing score was achieved on any required examination for a department-issued license, the passing score for that examination or examinations shall become invalid unless an application for licensure has been made.
(3) An applicant's failure to pass the required examination shall not operate to deny the applicant the right to take such examination at a future scheduled date, provided the applicant makes proper application for such later examination with the approved testing agency.
(E) In the event there ceases to be an approved testing agency to provide the examination(s) required by Chapter 4114, the director shall immediately notify, in writing, the Skilled Trades Review Board and the journeyperson plumbers of this fact. The director shall also issue a statement, in writing, of policy and procedure to be used until such time an approved testing agency has been identified by the director.
(F) In lieu of the above requirements of division (A) above, an applicant for a home improvement limited contractor license may be:
(1) A registered design professional who holds a current and valid certificate as an architect or engineer as allowed under the Ohio Revised Code and who is experienced in residential design and construction; or
(2) A graduate architect or engineer, with at least one full year's experience as a designer or installer in the specific field of work for the type of home improvement contractor license for which application is made.
(G) In lieu of the above requirements of divisions (C) or (D), an applicant for either a sewer contractor license or a journeyperson plumber license may be:
(1) A registered professional engineer who holds a current and valid certificate issued under the applicable provisions of the Ohio Revised Code in the specific field of work for the type of license for which application is made; or,
(2) A graduate engineer with at least one (1) full years' experience as a designer or installer in the specific field of work for the type of license for which application is made.
(H) Determination of a Full Year. A "full year" of experience shall be based on 12 calendar months during which the applicant has hand's on experience with the specific craft, trade, or profession for which an application for a department-issued license has been made.
(Ord. 1670-01 § 1 (part): Ord. 1697-2006 § 12; Ord. No. 0151-2009, §§ 8, 36, 6-22-2009; Ord. No. 1201-2014, § 1, 4-27-2015; Ord. No. 1812-2017, § 4, 7-31-2017; Ord. No. 1042-2018, § 1, 5-7-2018; Ord. No. 3340-2025, § 2, 12-15-2025; Ord. No. 1882-2026, § 1, 6-29-2026)
Source: City of Columbus, City Codes and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/oh/columbus/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT41BUCO_CH4114LIREENPR_4114.505MIEXQUDESULIFetched: 10/27/2026