§ 28-27-6. Corporations and firms engaged in business. (a) No corporation, firm, association or partnership shall engage in business, advertise, make application for and take out permits, bid for work, or represent itself as a mechanical contractor, pipefitter, refrigeration/air conditioning, fire protection sprinkler systems master or contractor or sheet metal contractor unless:

(1) A licensed mechanical contractor, pipefitter, refrigeration/air conditioning, fire protection sprinkler systems master, or sheet metal contractor as applicable, as provided in this chapter is continuously engaged in the supervision of that entity's installation, maintenance, and repair work and the licensed master is an officer of the corporation, a partner in the partnership, or a similarly authorized principal of any such firm, association, or other entity; or

(2) That entity possesses a valid mechanical contractor, pipefitter, refrigeration-air conditioning, fire protection sprinkler systems contractor's or sheet metal contractor license, as applicable, duly issued by the department of labor and training as further described in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Upon application of any of the above entities in form and substance prescribed by the department of labor and training, and receipt of the fee for the application and license which shall be equal to the fee for a mechanical contractor, pipefitter, refrigeration-air conditioning, sheet metal, fire protection sprinkler systems master, or sheet metal contractor license as described in § 28-27-17, as the same may be amended from time to time, the department of labor and training shall issue the applicant entity a license as a mechanical contractor, as applicable. The contractor's license shall specify the name of the entity holding the license and shall state that the license holder: (1) has a masters license in the mechanical trades, as defined in § 28-27-1.0, and who is continuously engaged in the supervision of the entity's installation, maintenance, and repair work, and who is an officer of the corporation, a partner in the partnership, or a similarly authorized principal of any such firm, association, or other entity; or (2) continuously employs at all times while holding this license a person with a masters license in the applicable mechanical trade, as provided in this chapter, who shall be continuously engaged in the supervision of the entity's installation, maintenance, and repair work. The contractor's license shall entitle the entity holding the license to engage in business, advertise, bid for work, or represent itself as a mechanical contractor, and also entitles the entity to make application for and take out permits through its duly authorized officer or similarly authorized principal as well as through the duly licensed contractor master as described in this section or the duly licensed master continuously employed by the entity as stated in this section, as the case may be. The contractor's license shall not, however, in and of itself permit a principal, officer, employee, or agent of the entity holding the license to individually engage in installation, maintenance, or repair work as described in this section unless the principal, officer, employee, or agent is individually licensed to do so.

(c) Any work engaged in, advertised for, applied for by permit, bid for, or represented to be permissible, shall be solely of the type for which the licensed master or contract master who serves as an officer or similarly authorized principal of the entity or who, in the case of a licensed master, is continuously employed by the entity holding a contractor's licenses, is duly licensed to perform.

(d) Any licensed master or contractor master who serves as an officer or similarly authorized principal of such an entity or who, in the case of a licensed master, is continuously employed by an entity holding a contractor's license, shall represent the interests of one such entity and only one such entity at any given time as described in this section.

(e) If the licensed master or contractor master described in this section ceases to be an officer or similarly authorized principal of one of the entities described in this section or, in the case of a licensed master, ceases to be continuously employed by an entity holding a contractor's license for any reason whatsoever, the entity shall provide written notice of the cessation of continuous employment to the department of labor and training no more than fourteen (14) days after the effective date of occurrence of the cessation. Any entity so affected shall provide written notice to the department of labor and training specifying the licensed master or contractor master who shall replace the departed licensed master or contractor master, as applicable, referenced in this section no more than forty-five (45) days after the effective date of occurrence of the cessation.

(f) No corporation, firm, association, partnership, or other entity which engages in, offers to engage in, or represents that it engages in the mechanical trades for the purpose of maintenance, or repair work in the state of Rhode Island shall be permitted to incorporate, form, qualify to do business, or otherwise register with the Rhode Island secretary of state's office until and unless that office has first received a written confirmation from the department of labor and training that all requisite licenses to be issued by the department of labor and training have been issued and remain in good standing.

(g) Any willful violation of this section shall be grounds for revocation of license as further described in § 28-27-21.

History of Section. (P.L. 1990, ch. 102, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 180, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 263, § 1; P.L. 1998, ch. 239, § 1; P.L. 1999, ch. 330, § 1; P.L. 1999, ch. 437, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 380, § 2.)