Jackson considers raising fee for general contractor license

That guy pounding his hammer on your roof ... are you sure he's not a plumber?

In Jackson, there's no way to tell for sure, at least going by the type of license issued by the city. City officials are looking into raising general contractor's license fees in hopes of discouraging people from doing work outside their field of expertise.

Unlike cities like Cape Girardeau that require plumbers, builders and electricians to take tests in order to get a license, Jackson will issue a license to anyone who pays a fee and shows proof of workers' compensation -- if it is required by state law for that particular type of work.

License fees vary in Jackson, which has seen rapid growth and a considerable amount of new construction in the last decade. Most of the licenses, such as electric and plumbing, are $25. For just $10 more, a plumber can get a general contractor's license which would allow a plumber to do other types of work. Any general contractor who does electric and plumbing work, however, must also have an electric and plumbing license.

A general contractor's license is meant to be issued to overseers of bigger projects that involve more than one construction discipline, said Jackson building and planning superintendent Janet Sanders. With a general contractor's license, the overseer can subcontract jobs to other licensed contractors. But some, Sanders said, are using the general contractor permit to do work they may not specialize in.

"What we have are plumbers who act as general contractors just because it's almost the same price," she said.

Sanders said having more specific licenses on the books would help residents know what they're getting when they need work done.

As it stands now, if a homeowner called Jackson City Hall for a list of brick contractors, the homeowner would have only four choices. There are only four building licenses; one painting license, one plaster/drywall license and one roofing contractor's license.

By comparison, there are 206 general contractor's licenses on the books at Jackson City Hall.

'Go by reputation'

Many people, though, don't rely on the city's licenses as a point of reference.

For instance, Jackson resident Fritz Sander has used the same roofer, Calvin Sailor, to do a handful of roofing jobs on rental property.

"What we do is just simply go by reputation and knowledge of the person over time, by word of mouth," Sander said. "I've never looked at Sailor's license, but he's well-known and we trust him. If I do have a question on somebody, I'll check a reference."

The city offers some protection to residents by providing inspections, but, as Sanders pointed out, homeowners can't expect the laborer to ask for permits and inspections.

"Ultimately it's the homeowners' responsibility," she said.

Sanders is suggesting that the general contractor's license fee be raised to $65, although that figure was lightly debated at Monday night's study session of the board of aldermen and could change. She said her idea would be to include plumbing and electric licenses with the contractor's license at the higher rate. She believes a higher fee may encourage more specific licenses.

Others do not.

Phil Penzel, an alderman for the city and also the president of a construction company, said $65 is not enough to solve the problem.

Penzel said the best way he sees to solve the problem is to begin testing license applicants, especially those applying for general contractor and electrical licenses.

Sanders said the department, which has been overhauling its codes and ordinances, is not quite ready to take that step.

"With all the other changes we've made in regulations, the changes in the permitting processes, we think we probably don't need to add that at this moment," she said.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635

GETTING PERMISSION

The city of Jackson requires permits and licenses for many kinds of work. Jackson building and planning superintendent Janet Sanders said many people are not aware that they need permits for certain jobs like swimming pools and fences. Here is a list of some of the more common licenses and permits issued by the city:LICENSES

Type of license Fee No. issued in Jackson

General contractor $35 206

Building contractor $25 4

Brick contractor $25 3

Concrete contractor $25 17

Electrical contractor $25 115

Excavating contractor $25 0

Painting contractor $10 1

Plastering contractor $25 1

Plumbing contractor $25 50

Roofing contractor $25 1PERMITS

Building permit: $10 for first $5,000 in construction cost, then $1 per $1,000.

Electrical permit: $10

Temporary electric fee: $150

Mechanical permit: $10

Plumbing permit: $15

Sewer-tap permit: $180

Water-tap permit: $250

Boring under street: $300

Driveway permit: $0

Flood-plain permit: $0

Grading permit: $0, but bond required for cost of erosion control.

Storm-water permit: Depends on size and nature of the project.