Missouri Contractors Under Federal Control - April 2010

[James H. Bushart]

To some, it may come as a shock and surprise that Missouri does not have any standards for building a building or licensing a contractor.

Lobbyists have successfully kept lawmakers from passing laws that could ensure that inferior building practices and materials were not a common practice, as they are in Missouri counties without codes.

Apparently, the federal government has decided to step in.

Effective 4/1/10....all contractors who will be working on a home that was built during or before 1978 will require EPA certification. Those who do the work without the certification are subject to fines not to exceed $32,000 for each occurrence.

Missouri contractors should read the guidelines provided by the EPA at the earliest date. This is big and, it appears, is only the beginning.

Where I live...in Barry County....electricians, plumbers and hvac technicians are born qualified. That is true. Every infant who has taken a breath already possesses all of the qualifications that the state will require for him to grow up and wire the building you sleep in. At least for now.

[Rick Maday]

Originally Posted by jbushart

Where I live...in Barry County....electricians, plumbers and hvac technicians are born qualified. That is true. Every infant who has taken a breath already possesses all of the qualifications that the state will require for him to grow up and wire the building you sleep in. At least for now.

Licensing should solve that.

[James H. Bushart]

Originally Posted by rmaday

Licensing should solve that.

And it will. And no serious discussions on licensing those who inspect their work will be entertained until they are licensed.