Certificate; expiration; renewal; inactive certificate; continuing education.

(1) Certificates shall expire every 2 years at midnight on June 30. All certificates must be renewed every 2 years. The failure to renew a certificate before June 30 shall cause the certificate to become inoperative, and it is unlawful thereafter for a person to engage, offer to engage, or hold herself or himself out as engaging in contracting under the certificate unless the certificate is restored or reissued. A certificate which is inoperative because of failure to renew shall be restored on payment of the proper renewal fee if the application for restoration is made within 90 days after June 30. If the application for restoration is not made within the 90-day period, the fee for restoration must be equal to the original application fee, and, in addition, the State Fire Marshal must require examination or reexamination of the applicant.

(2) A person who holds a valid certificate may maintain such certificate in an inactive status during which time she or he may not engage in contracting. An inactive status certificate shall be void after a 2-year period. An inactive status certificate may be reactivated upon application to the State Fire Marshal and payment of the initial application fee.

(3)(a) A certificate for the Contractor I, II, and III classifications as defined in this chapter may not be renewed unless the certificateholder produces documentation of at least 32 contact hours of continuing education in the fire protection discipline during the biennial licensure period. Holders of Contractor IV certificates are required to obtain 14 contact hours of continuing education encompassing the appropriate National Fire Protection Association fire sprinkler documents before renewal. Holders of Contractor V certificates are required to obtain 14 contact hours of continuing education before renewal, at least 1 hour of which is in the fire protection discipline. Any continuing education hours approved pursuant to chapter 489 by the Construction Industry Licensing Board for underground utility and excavation contractors shall be considered as also approved to comply with Contractor V continuing education requirements. A Contractor V certificateholder shall provide to the State Fire Marshal evidence of approval of such coursework by the Construction Industry Licensing Board.

(b) Any continuing education hours approved by the department for a Contractor I, Contractor II, Contractor III, Contractor IV, or Contractor V certificateholder shall be considered as also approved to comply with continuing education requirements for licensees under the Construction Industry Licensing Board. Such continuing education requirements under this section may include seminars and conferences if the program and subject thereof is acceptable to the State Fire Marshal.

(c) The contact hours of continuing education must be obtained within the licensure period.

(4) The renewal period for the permit class is the same as that for the employing certificateholder. The continuing education requirements for permitholders are what is required to maintain NICET Sub-field of Inspection and Testing of Fire Protection Systems Level II, equivalent training and education as determined by the division, or higher certification plus 8 contact hours of continuing education approved by the State Fire Marshal during each biennial renewal period thereafter. It is the responsibility of the permitholder to maintain NICET II certification or equivalent training and education as determined by the division as a condition of permit renewal after July 1, 2008.