SB-988 Home inspectors

Senate Bill No. 988
CHAPTER 225

An act to add Section 7196.2 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions and vocations.

Approved by Governor August 27, 2018. Filed with Secretary of State August 27, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 988, Galgiani. Home inspectors.
Existing law regulates a person who performs certain home inspections for a fee in connection with a transfer of real property. Existing law provides that it is the duty of a home inspector who is not licensed as a general contractor, structural pest control operator, or architect, or registered as a professional engineer to conduct a home inspection with the degree of care that a reasonably prudent home inspector would exercise.
Under this bill, if a home inspector observes any shade of yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing, as defined, during a home inspection, the home inspector would be required to include that observation and a specified notification in the home inspection report. The bill would require the degree of care of a reasonably prudent home inspector to be used in determining whether a home inspector has complied with that requirement.
DIGEST KEY
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal Committee: no Local Program: no
BILL TEXT
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as the “Proper Bonding and Grounding of Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing Act.”
SEC. 2. Section 7196.2 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:
7196.2. (a) If a home inspector observes any shade of yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing during a home inspection, the home inspector shall include that observation, and the following notification, in the home inspection report:

“Manufacturers of yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing believe that yellow corrugated stainless steel tubing is safer if properly bonded and grounded as required by the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Proper bonding and grounding of this product can only be determined by a licensed electrical contractor.”

(b) For purposes of this section, “corrugated stainless steel tubing” means a flexible, stainless steel pipe used to supply natural gas and propane in residential, commercial, and industrial structures.
© The degree of care specified in Section 7196 shall be used in determining whether a home inspector has complied with the requirements of subdivision (a).

I never hear anything about this from InterNACHI before or after it passed.

There is going to be a discussion about this very subject this Thursday at the local CREIA meeting. You should attend

I wish I could. I attend a networking group that meets on the third Thursday of each month so there is always a timing conflict.

I’ve known about this one, though I didn’t realize it was going through.

It’s not that big of a deal, as it says is an inspect shall identify CSST as present if we see it, which any decent home inspector should be doing anyway.

It’s been in my reports for years, when appropriate.

Though the law is another weird twist. The state doesn’t care if the house is burning down, an electrical hazard, or has other dangerous items, but it better not have a missing or unidentified CSST!

I have also been identifying CSST and noting potential issues when it is not properly bonded as well. I have added exact wording provided in the bill to my existing narratives on the issue.

Thanks Eugene, I have added the same.

The silly thing is, even if the CSST is clearly bonded and grounded properly, the home inspector can not deem it safe. We have no choice but to punt it to an electrician.

Though I can’t ever recall seeing CSST properly bonded.

We’ve been giving courses on this for years in Texas where they have a similar law and it’s part of the House of Horrors training.

That doesn’t exactly help Californians or the rest of the country now, does it??

Not much here does.