For the purpose of this chapter, the term “plumbing” means the installation of pipes, fixtures and other apparatus, either for supplying water or for removing liquid and waterborne wastes, or both, and shall also include the installation of fixtures, drainage and vent systems and water distribution systems, as the case may be, and may include gas fitting insofar as those persons engaging in plumbing may also be gas fitters; however, it shall not include the installation of underground yard irrigation systems. Plumbing fixtures shall include all receptacles intended to receive and discharge water, liquid or water-carried waste to a drainage system with which they are connected.

(Ord. 944; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

The governing body shall designate such individuals as it may deem necessary to inspect plumbing, underground yard irrigation systems and sewers and to enforce the provisions of this chapter or any other ordinances of the city pertaining to plumbing or to installation of underground yard irrigation systems. Such designated inspectors shall have supervision over all plumbing, underground yard irrigation systems and drainlaying done within the city, shall inspect all work during construction, installation, alteration or repair coming within such inspectors' designated duties, and shall cause the same to be done according to the conditions of this chapter, other ordinances which may apply and all rules and regulations pertaining thereto. Upon completion of any such work in a satisfactory manner, the inspector shall make final inspection and issue a certificate of approval to the plumber in charge, or the underground yard irrigation installer, or the owner of the premises. The inspectors shall have the right to enter the premises at all reasonable times to ascertain whether the provisions of this chapter and other regulations are being complied with.

(Ord. 944; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

Any persons, firm or corporation desiring to engage in the business of plumbing or to carryon any plumbing work in the city must be licensed and qualified as hereafter provided:

(a)   An application shall be made in writing to the city clerk, verified under oath, which shall give the name of the applicant, his age and address, and shall state in detail the educational qualifications or training of the applicant together with his previous training and experience as a plumber and/or gas fitter (or both), and the utilities director, may require said applicant to submit to a written and/or oral examination covering the common provisions of the plumbing and gas fitting standards and good practices, and shall in all cases make an investigation of the skill and reputation of said applicant for the doing of satisfactory plumbing and/or gas fitting work, including a practical demonstration of the same, if requested by the applicant. If said applicant is found to be qualified to engage in such business, the city clerk shall issue a plumber's and/or gas fitter's license. Licenses for plumbers and gas fitters shall be issued upon payment of an annual fee of twenty-five dollars. All such licenses shall expire at the end of a twelve month period. Those presently holding licenses will not be required to obtain a new license until their liability insurance expires. Such license shall be renewable as in the case of an original license; provided, that any applicant who shall present a certificate of a board of examiners of plumbers of any city of Kansas of over five thousand population (or a license valid in such city), the city clerk shall issue a license upon payment of the required fee and the filing and approval of the required liability insurance: provided, further, that any firm or corporation may obtain a plumber's and/or gas fitter's license under this chapter when one or more members or employees of such firm or corporation shall be licensed under this chapter and upon payment of the license fee or fees for each person licensed and the filing of a proof of insurance.

(b)   Before any license shall be issued, each such person, firm or corporation shall file proof of liability insurance in the amount of $100,000 with the city clerk; provided, that the owners of property doing plumbing work on their own property may be issued permits in their own names without filing the aforesaid proof of insurance, but any person or persons assisting such owner in doing plumbing work shall be licensed and insured as provided in this section; provided, further, that persons, firms or corporations engaged in other business but doing their own plumbing work and having in their employ a licensed plumber doing such work shall not be required to file any such proof of insurance.

(c)   No person shall turn any valve in the city's water system without the express permission from the utilities director.

(d)   All water services connected to the city's meters or water lines must have a minimum of four feet of copper pipe at the connection.

(Ord. 921; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

No person shall uncover any public sewer for any purpose or open or take off any manhole, flush tank or inlet cover or make or cause to be made any connections with the sewer mains or laterals of the public sewers of the city or build any sewer connection without first obtaining from the city clerk a written permit to make the connection to the sewer. The permit shall be issued upon payment to the city clerk of a fee of thirty dollars for each such connection to be made within the city limits, and upon payment to the city clerk of a fee of one hundred dollars for each such connection to be made within the city limits. No permit shall be issued to any person who shall not be licensed and whose liability insurance shall not have been approved as provided in the foregoing section or who does not have a valid and subsisting certificate of coverage on file. A separate permit shall be required for each connection to the sewer lateral. The sewer connection permit shall be made out on blank forms provided by the city which shall show the date, the serial number, name of the plumber or drain layer, owner of the property, street number, number of the block and lot being served, the distance of the wye branch from the center of the nearest downstream manhole. The permit book shall be provided with duplicate stubs for each such permit for the purpose of their record.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building, other than accessory buildings located on the same premises, except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, courtyard or driveway, and in such cases the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer. All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer to the public sewer main or lateral shall be borne by the owner of the building or premises. Old building sewers may be used in connection with a new building sewer only when found on examination and test of the plumbing inspector to meet all the requirements of this article.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

No plumbing shall be installed in any building in the city until a permit shall have been obtained from the city clerk authorizing and describing the work. Said permits shall in no case be issued to any person or firm except the same be licensed under the provisions of this article; provided, that the owner of the premises may obtain a permit in his own name to do plumbing work to be completed personally by him, but shall employ only licensed plumbers and/or gas fitters.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

No permit or license shall be required under this chapter for any minor repair work not amounting to renewal of any existing plumbing installations or fixtures which shall include the repairs of leaks in pipes, traps or cocks, opening up stoppage in waste or supply lines, traps or drains, or the replacing of broken or old fixtures when waste or supply pipes are not disturbed, or the replacing of frozen pipes inside of buildings.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

Certain documents, three copies of which are on file and are open for inspection of the public in the office of the city clerk of the city, being marked and designated as “Uniform Plumbing Code, 1991 Edition,” including the appendix chapters, and the “IAPMO Installation Standards” published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, excluding Part I, 30.4 and Table No.3-A, be and are adopted as the code of the city regulating the design, construction, quality of materials, erection, installation, alteration, repair, location, relocation, replacement, addition to, use or maintenance of plumbing systems in the city providing for issuance of permits and each and all of the regulations, provisions, conditions and terms of such “Uniform Plumbing Code, 1991” published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, on file in the office of the city clerk are referred to, adopted and made a part hereof as if fully set out in this chapter.

(Ord. 868; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

When no wye is available in the public sewer line to receive the building sewer drain line, a neat hole may be cut in the public sewer to receive the building sewer with an entry in the downstream direction at an angle of about forty-five degrees. The invert of the building sewer at the point of connection shall be at a point four inches or more above the invert of the public sewer. The connection shall be made by the use of a saddle and a smooth neat joint shall be made and the connection made secure and watertight by encasement in concrete; provided, that a forty-five degree ell with a spigot end cutoff, not to extend past the inner surface of the public sewer, may be installed. All such work shall be done by a plumber under the supervision of the city plumbing inspector.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

No unshredded garbage, butchers' offal, dead animals, trash, or any other solid substance or obstruction of any kind whatsoever shall be placed, thrown or deposited in any sewer, manhole, flush tank, catchbasin, or drain, and no person shall injure, break or remove any portion of any catchbasin, manhole, lamphole, or flush tank or any part of any sewer or drain.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

A thorough test and inspection of each individual plumbing system when roughing-in is completed shall be made at the expense of the plumber or of the owner or occupant of the property on which the plumbing is located, under the supervision of the inspector of sewers and plumbing. The test shall be made by filling the entire system with water and testing each and every joint in an approved manner. If any defects in the joints or elsewhere are found, the same shall be repaired or replaced before the system is accepted by the inspector of sewers and plumbing. No such plumbing system shall be used by the owner or occupant of the property where the same is installed, or by any other person until such a time as the work has been approved and accepted by the inspector of sewers and plumbing as provided in Section 4-302.

(Ord. 724; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)

The fee for a permit to construct, enlarge, erect or replace a plumbing system in the city shall be determined as follows:

The fee for the installation of an underground sprinkler system will be: $10.00

(Ord. 872; Code 1974, Chapter 15.12; Code 2014)