Plumbing fraud bill OKd unanimously in Hempstead

The Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously Tuesday to pass legislation that penalizes fraudulent uses of plumbing licenses.

The vote came after a brief public hearing in which representatives from the Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Contractors of Long Island, the Building Inspectors Association of Nassau County and the Plumbers Local 200 union said they supported the bill.

The law punishes a master plumber who is found to help “perpetuate this type of fraud” by claiming to do work that was actually completed by an unlicensed plumber or a plumber who does not work for a licensed master plumber.

The master plumbers under investigation must go through a hearing of the Plumbing Examiners Board, which could issue a license suspension or revocation. The master plumbers could also receive civil penalties of at least $3,000 per violation.

Potential master plumbers must pass a three-part test after working for a licensed plumber for at least seven years before they can become a licensed master plumber in the town’s unincorporated area. The town has licensed about 760 master plumbers.