By Shauna Krause, President, Capitol Services
Like Joni sang it, ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.’ Another contractor discovers he ‘HAZ’ missed the difference between class and certification…
Q: You have always helped with my licensing needs in the past. I was checking the status of my license because I was thinking of exploring being an Responsible Managing Officer (RMO) for another company and noticed the “C-20”( HVAC) classification is no longer on my license. Can you look back and see what happened to it?
A: In looking back, when the CSLB started requiring “C-20” contractors to have Worker’s Compensation Insurance on record, regardless of whether they have employees or not, you filed to have the “C-20” removed. It hasn’t been five years since you removed it, so if you want to add it back on the license along with a Worker’s Compensation certificate, you can do that without needing to re-test. Other classifications which require Worker’s Comp on file with the CSLB regardless of whether they have employees are “C-8”(Concrete), “C-22” (Asbestos Abatement),” C-39”(Roofing), and “D-49” (Tree and Palm).
Q: Our former RMO left the company last year and when we called the CSLB they looked up our license and suggested that one of the other Officers listed on the license could apply to replace the former Qualifier for all of our classifications, without having to sit for the exams because they have all been listed as Officers for over five years.
We applied for the replacement and listed all the classifications (“A”,”B”, “C-12”, and HAZ). As far as we knew, everything was approved. We received a letter stating our current Officer is now the Qualifying Individual on the license. Yesterday, we received a letter from the CSLB stating the HAZ classification has been removed from our license for failure to replace the previous Qualifier within 90 days. I’m assuming this is a mistake, can you help us fix this with the CSLB?
A: The Hazardous Substance Removal (HAZ) is a certification and not a classification. The exam cannot be waived, even for an Officer who has been listed on the license for over five years. During the replacement process you did, the CSLB should have reached out to let you know the HAZ certification needed to be on the HAZ application, not the replacement application, and the exam cannot be waived. To add it back to the license, you’ll need to complete and submit the HAZ application. No experience is required, just the Trade exam.
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While knowledge is power, knowing where to go for the answers is half the battle. Get expert assistance immediately when you call 866-443-0657, email info@cutredtape.com, or write us at Capitol Services, Inc., 3609 Bradshaw Rd, Ste H, #343, Sacramento, CA 95827. Search past columns at www.cutredtape.com