For purposes of this chapter:

(1) "Bid" means an offer to furnish labor, equipment, or materials or other services regulated by this chapter.

(2) "Board" means the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board.

(3) "Certification" means an individual who is registered with the department and who has been issued a certificate as a qualifying party for a fire sprinkler contractor.

(4) "Contractor" means an individual or entity licensed to engage in the planning, sale, installation, repair, alteration, addition, maintenance, or inspection of fire sprinkler systems.

(5) "Department" means the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

(6) "Entity" means a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, cooperative, corporation, or other legal entity authorized by law and approved by the board.

(7) "Fire sprinkler contractor" means an entity or individual approved by the board to engage in the planning, sale, installation, repair, alteration, addition, maintenance, or inspection of fire protection sprinkler systems or water spray systems, but does not include local building officials, fire inspectors, or insurance inspectors when acting in their official capacity.

(8) "Fire sprinkler system" means a system of overhead or underground piping, or both, to protect the interior or exterior of a building or structure from fire where the primary extinguishing agent is water and designed in accordance with fire protection engineering standards. The system includes the overhead and underground fire water mains, fire hydrants and hydrant mains, standpipes, and hose connection to sprinkler systems, supplied from a reliable, constant, and sufficient water supply, such as a gravity tank, fire pump, reservoir, or pressure tank, or connection by underground piping to a city main but does not include dual or multi-purpose water lines supplying fire systems or equipment, potable water, or process water, or both. The system is a network of specially sized or hydraulically designed piping installed in a building, structure, or area, generally overhead, and to which sprinklers are connected in a systematic pattern. The system includes a controlling valve and a device for actuating an alarm when the system is in operation. The system is usually activated by heat from a fire and discharges water over the fire area. Fire protection sprinkler systems include the following types: water based or wet-pipe systems, water foam systems, dry-pipe systems, preaction systems, residential systems, deluge systems, combined dry-pipe and preaction systems, non-freeze systems, and circulating closed loop systems.

(9) "Grandfather qualifying party" means an individual who qualified for certification to become a primary qualifying party for a fire protection sprinkler contractor before September 1, 1985, and who has not met the NICET Level III or IV Technician Certification requirement in "Fire Protection Engineering Technology Automatic Sprinkler System Layout" to qualify a fire sprinkler contractor as a primary qualifying party.

(10) "Individual" means a natural person, male or female.

(11) "Licensee" means a fire sprinkler contractor who has been issued a license by the department to engage in fire sprinkler system work.

(12) "Misconduct" means grounds for revocation, suspension, or other discipline of a licensee for violation of this chapter or a satisfactory showing that a licensee has had a license or other authorization to practice in a construction-related field denied, canceled, revoked, or suspended or disciplined in another state or federal jurisdiction.

(13) "NFPA" means the National Fire Protection Association.

(14) "NICET" means the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies.

(15) "Permit" means a written document or certification from an authority or municipal jurisdiction to allow any entity or individual to engage in contracting within their area of authority or jurisdiction.

(16) "Primary qualifying party" means a full-time employee of a fire sprinkler contractor who holds a valid NICET Level III or IV Technician Certificate in "Fire Protection Engineering Technology Automatic Sprinkler System Layout" and who has been issued a qualifying party certificate by the board to qualify an entity as a fire sprinkler contractor. The individual has been designated by the licensee as the principle individual responsible for directing or reviewing fire sprinkler contractor work.

(17) "Qualifying party" means an individual who has received a NICET Level III or IV Technician Certification in "Fire Protection Engineering Technology Automatic Sprinkler System Layout" and who is an employee of a fire sprinkler contractor who has been issued a qualifying party certificate.

(18) "Revocation" means the cancellation or withdrawal of a license or certification or other authorization issued by the board either permanently or for a period specified by the board. An individual whose license or certification or other authorization has been permanently revoked by the board shall never again be eligible for a license or certification from the board.

(19) "Total cost of construction" means the actual cost incurred by the owner, all contractors, subcontractors, and other parties for labor, material, equipment, profit, and incidental expenses for the entire project. This does not include the cost of design services unless those services are included in a construction contract.

HISTORY: 2005 Act No. 177, Section 1.