Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from California's official board.
California regulates fire sprinkler work twice over: the contracting business must hold a Contractors State License Board C-16 Fire Protection Contractor licence, and since July 2017 the individual who installs, alters or repairs a water-based system must also hold a CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal Fire Sprinkler Fitter certification.
| Requirements | CSLB defines the C-16 classification as follows: a fire protection contractor lays out, fabricates and installs all types of fire protection systems, including all the equipment associated with these systems, excluding electrical alarm systems. To qualify for a CSLB licence an individual must be 18 or older and have at least four full years of experience at a journey level, or as a foreman, supervisor or contractor, within the ten years preceding application; a journeyman is defined as a fully qualified, experienced worker able to perform the trade without supervision, or a person who has completed an apprenticeship program. Up to three years of the four may be credited for a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship from an accredited apprenticeship program, up to two years for a four-year degree in a related field, or up to 1.5 years for an associate degree in building or construction management, with at least one year of practical experience required. Applicants must pass the trade and the business and law examinations and file a $25,000 bond. Separately, following Assembly Bill 433, regulations at California Code of Regulations Title 19, Division 1, Chapter 5.5 took effect July 1, 2017 requiring individuals who install, alter or repair water-based fire protection systems to hold a CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal Fire Sprinkler Fitter certification. Certification applicants must be at least 16, hold an active C-16 or have successfully completed a California state or federally approved Fire Sprinkler Fitter Apprenticeship Program, file the Fire Sprinkler Fitter Certification Application (AES 1005) with a $150 fee, and pass a written certification examination administered by a third-party OSFM contractor. Apprentices must be registered in an approved apprenticeship program, be employed by a licensed C-16, work under the direct supervision of a certified fire sprinkler fitter, and file the Apprentice/Trainee Registration Application (AES 1005A) with a $150 fee; a trainee not yet in an approved program may work for up to one year before enrolling. Covered work includes wet, dry, pre-action and deluge sprinkler systems, small hose connections, standpipes, private fire service mains and appurtenances, hydrants and monitor nozzles, water spray and foam water systems, fire pumps, water storage tanks and water mist systems. Excluded are one- and two-family residential sprinkler systems, underground supply lines up to the first joint at the base of the riser, and pre-engineered water-based fixed extinguishing systems. OSFM states that a C-16 licence is a company licence and the Sprinkler Fitter Certification is an individual certification, so an individual C-16 holder who personally performs installation, alteration or repair work must also be certified. |
| Reciprocity | CSLB operates a reciprocity program with Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and North Carolina, and the applicant must be applying for a classification on that state's reciprocal classifications list. C-16 Fire Protection appears on that list for Arizona (matched to Arizona's C-16 Fire Protection Systems) and for Nevada (matched to Nevada's C-41 Fire Protection). OSFM's published sprinkler fitter materials do not address out-of-state certification. |
| Renewal | CSLB active licences expire every two years and inactive licences every four years. The OSFM Fire Sprinkler Fitter certification is renewed annually: California Code of Regulations Title 19, Division 1, Chapter 5.5, Section 939(d) provides that an original certification is valid from the date of issuance through June 30, and thereafter each certification is renewed annually and is valid from July 1 through June 30. A certified fire sprinkler fitter must complete three units of ANSI/IACET accredited continuing education within each three-year period, verified by OSFM every three years at renewal; if proof is not received at the third-year renewal the fitter must re-apply as a new applicant, pay all fees and pass a written examination. |
| Notes | California regulates fire sprinkler work twice over: the contracting business must hold a Contractors State License Board C-16 Fire Protection Contractor licence, and since July 2017 the individual who installs, alters or repairs a water-based system must also hold a CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal Fire Sprinkler Fitter certification. |
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Sources: osfm.fire.ca.gov, www.cslb.ca.gov, www.cslb.ca.gov, www.cslb.ca.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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