Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Kentucky's official board.
Kentucky regulates fire sprinkler work statewide through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, which licenses the sprinkler contractor, certifies the individual certificate of competency holder who must hold NICET Level III in automatic sprinkler system design, and separately certifies fire sprinkler inspectors. State law exempts limited area systems of ten sprinkler heads or fewer served by a domestic water supply in a single structure.
| Requirements | KRS 198B.560 provides that no person other than a certificate holder or an employee of a certificate holder may engage in the preparation of technical drawings, installation, repair, alteration, extension, maintenance or inspection of a fire protection sprinkler system, or represent themselves as a certified fire protection sprinkler contractor, without first obtaining the license or certificate under KRS 198B.570 or 198B.580. The same statute exempts state and local building officials, fire marshals, fire inspectors and insurance inspectors acting in their official capacities, professional engineers preparing plans or performing construction inspection under KRS Chapter 322, and limited area sprinkler systems served by a domestic water supply consisting of ten sprinkler heads or less in one structure. Under 815 KAR 7:080 the certificate of competency for fire protection sprinkler systems requires proof of current NICET certification in fire protection engineering technology automatic sprinkler system design, level III or higher; the same regulation also provides certificate categories for range hood suppression systems (manufacturer's training certification) and chemical suppression systems (manufacturer certification for pre-engineered, or NICET special hazard systems layout technician level III for engineered). The initial certificate of competency fee is $125 and the contractor license fee is $250. The Department's certificate of competency application form states that the applicant is or intends to be engaged in the preparation of technical drawings, installation, repair, alteration, addition, maintenance or inspection of fire protection sprinkler systems, and requires notice to the Commissioner within 30 days of any change in employment status. Separately, KRS 198B.6401 requires a fire sprinkler inspector certification, issued to an applicant who is at least eighteen, submits the department's application, provides a certificate of insurance with general liability coverage of at least $500,000 covering erroneous acts or failure to act as a fire sprinkler inspector (or an affidavit from a licensed sprinkler contractor that the applicant is and will be its employee), and either provides passing scores on a standardized examination approved by the commissioner or holds current NICET "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems" Level 2 or higher. |
| Reciprocity | The full text of 815 KAR 7:080, the rule governing the fire protection sprinkler system certificate of competency and contractor licence, contains no reciprocity, comity, or out-of-state licence recognition provision. What Kentucky publishes instead is a national-certification route in place of a state examination: 815 KAR 7:080 § 4 requires an applicant for the Fire Protection Sprinkler Systems certificate of competency to submit proof of current NICET certification in fire protection engineering technology, automatic sprinkler system design, level III or higher, with parallel manufacturer-training or NICET routes for range-hood and chemical-system certificates. There is no written state examination for this certificate, the NICET credential plus the fee and forms is the qualifying route. Note that a fire ALARM reciprocity provision for NICET II holders exists in a different KAR chapter and does not apply to the sprinkler credential. |
| Renewal | 815 KAR 7:080 Section 7 provides that each license and certificate expires on the last day of the licensee or certificate holder's birth month, with renewal fees of $125 for each certificate and $250 for each license. The Department's Renewal Application for Sprinkler Systems Certification requires the inspector to submit either six hours of continuing education for water-based systems or current NICET Level II or higher certification in Inspection and Testing of water-based systems, a notarized employer affidavit on company letterhead, a photo, and a $50.00 fee, and requires a certificate of liability insurance including errors and omissions if the applicant is not employed by an active Kentucky sprinkler contractor. |
| Notes | Kentucky regulates fire sprinkler work statewide through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, which licenses the sprinkler contractor, certifies the individual certificate of competency holder who must hold NICET Level III in automatic sprinkler system design, and separately certifies fire sprinkler inspectors. State law exempts limited area systems of ten sprinkler heads or fewer served by a domestic water supply in a single structure. |
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Sources: apps.legislature.ky.gov, apps.legislature.ky.gov, apps.legislature.ky.gov, dhbc.ky.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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