In September, the Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC) posted an important update that you need to be aware of…
From the BCC:
“Effective October 1, 2020, a BCC team member may issue a citation to a person that is licensed under 1980 PA 299, or 2016 PA 407, or required to hold a license or certificate under these acts if staff observes from an investigation, inspection, or complaint that conduct or conditions exist or have existed that violate these acts or rules promulgated or orders issued under these acts.”
They are putting together a task force and increasing their number of visits to jobsites and issue citations for unlicensed builders. You were supposed to have received notice already but in case you didn’t, here are the key pieces you need to know.
What does this mean for you?
The critical point here is that anyone that is licensed or is required to hold a license is subject to potential citation by the BCC. The BCC will send a member of their field operations team to your worksite and based on what they find, can issue you a citation if you are in violation of certain regulations.
What are they looking for?
The BCC has identified a few key areas they are going to focus on. Each of these are important and completely within your control to get ahead of.
1. Lack of Identification – a citation due to this can happen if you lack proof that you are licensed and have government issued identification.
This is the simplest to make sure you are compliant with. Get your license, carry your ID with you and you won’t have to worry.
This is the biggest concern if you aren’t licensed yet within the state. If your trade requires you to have a license, you are still subject to receiving a citation under these regulations!
If you aren’t licensed yet, check out our guide to obtaining your Michigan Builders License.
2. No Permit Status – working without a permit is a simple and unnecessary way to receive a citation.
This applies to anyone who is required to be licensed, such as:
- Building officials
- Inspectors
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Mechanical contractors
- Residential builders
- Maintenance and alteration contractors
- Boiler tradesmen
If you don’t have your permit, don’t start working. It’s just opening an easy way for the BCC to issue a citation and will cause them to look deeper at what is going on since you skipped a basic, required step in the process.
3. Unregistered Apprentices – this applies specifically to any non-licensed individual assisting with electrical or plumbing work.
Like before, if either you or one of your team members is supposed to be licensed or registered in the state, take care of it BEFORE they start working on a job site. It just takes one oversight to invite the BCC to start digging further in, pulling you away from your work and slowing progress on a project.
What happens if you get a citation from the BCC?
Based on their announcement, each citation can be up to $100 each. That’s money you can easily save just by going through the necessary steps to have the proper identification and ensure your team members are licensed and registered within the state before starting work.
You do have the ability to contest the citation within 30 days of when it is issued. All of that information will be contained on the citation itself.
How can you get licensed and ensure compliance?
To obtain a Michigan Builders License, you must complete a 60-hour prelicensure course from an approved provider, submit an application and complete an exam.
As an approved prelicense education provider, we offer 3 different course options to complete the 60-hour prelicensure education requirements. For a step by step breakdown of what you need to do and where to find the information, we put together a detailed guide on how to get your license done.
Click here to learn what you need to do to get your Michigan Builders License.
