Ulster committee floats contractor licensing law

Ulster County is considering creation of a law that would require contractors in the county to be licensed. And the proposal has the support of at least one official with a contractor”™s association, who said it protects homeowners and honest contractors alike.

The preliminary discussions are being carried out in the Ulster County Legislature”™s labor relations committee and is aimed at protecting property owners from being victimized by unscrupulous contractors or incompetent workmanship.

Committee Chairman Phil Terpening, a Democrat of Rosendale said he has reached out across the county to get input on the proposal, known as the Ulster County Commercial Construction and Home Improvement Contractor License Law. He said he has also sought comments on the proposal from the Legislature”™s attorney and from the county attorney.?“I think people, when they hire a contractor, have a right to know three things: that the contractor is competent, ethical and has insurance. I think this law could help do that,” said Terpening, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties have such laws and Orange County is considering adopting a general contractors”™ licensing law. The city of Kingston has a contractor law and the adjacent town of Ulster held a public hearing recently on adopting such a law, a hearing that drew a crowd of critics against the idea.

Patricia Ploeger, executive director of the Hudson Valley Mechanical Contractors Association, endorses the idea, saying it has paid off in the counties where it was adopted by simplifying life for contractors and customers alike. She said that in Westchester County, the countywide contractors law was adopted in the early 1990s to unify a patchwork of 42 different contractor laws passed by various municipalities.

 

She said it is effective. “I think it protects people,” said Ploeger. “It gives homeowners assurance it”™s not a fly-by-night operation. It certifies that you know what they are doing and have a seal of approval, so to speak. It differentiates a bona fide contractor from someone who picks up a set of wrenches and says, ”˜I”™m going to be a plumber.”™”

 

In general, the contractor licensing laws require companies or individuals doing trade work such as plumbing or electrical wiring to attain a certain level of experience and demonstrate competence by passing a standardized test in their field.

The Ulster County law, if enacted, would require all contractors doing more than $1,500 worth of work on a residence or business to hold a county license. The law would set the amount of money a consumer would have to give to the contractor as a down payment for work, spell out payment terms and set requirements for record-keeping by the contractor.?The proposed law also calls for the creation of a board to oversee the licensing of contractors. The board would hear complaints filed against contractors and could revoke the licenses of those found to be in violation of the law. Administration of the law would be financed through licensing fees paid by contractors.?Ploeger said that while there are arguments being made that contractors shouldn”™t have to pay a fee to ply their trade, the cost “is really a drop in the bucket.” She said the fee in Westchester if $500 annually which is a business expense that is written off on taxes and provides a framework for proof that can be brandished to would-be customers that a company has liability insurance and basic competence.

For Ulster County, Terpening said, there are no firm plans to bring the law to the floor of the Legislature at any particular meeting, saying it is a work in progress. “It”™s out there for input and revision,” he said.