Utah Master Plumber Law and Rule Exam: Practice Test & Licensing Guide

A DOPL investigator serves you with a citation for a qualifying violation under the Construction Trades Licensing Act. If you want to contest it at a hearing, how long do you have to notify the Division in writing?

Answer: 20 calendar days after service

Utah Code 58-55-503(5)(b)(ii) requires every citation to state that the recipient must notify the Division in writing within 20 calendar days after service to contest it. Under 58-55-503(5)(d), if no hearing is requested within those 20 days the citation becomes the Division's final order. 30 days is the contest period for a UOSH safety citation (34A-6-303), not a DOPL citation. Note: Chapter 58-55 is recodified effective January 1, 2027; this provision moves to Section 58-55-604(3).

Reference: Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55 (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act), 58-55-503(5)(b)(ii) and (5)(d)

The master plumber who serves as the qualifier for a plumbing contractor quits. If the company notifies DOPL in writing within the required time, how long does the company's license remain in force while it finds a replacement qualifier?

Answer: 60 days

Under Utah Code 58-55-304(6), the licensee must notify the Division in writing within 10 days after the qualifier leaves. If it does, the license stays in force for 60 days after the qualifier left, and the qualifier must be replaced within that period or the license is automatically suspended. Failing to give notice can lead to immediate suspension (58-55-304(7)). Note: Chapter 58-55 is recodified effective January 1, 2027; this provision moves to Section 58-55-107(8).

Reference: Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55 (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act), 58-55-304(6)

Freezing weather makes a water test impractical, so you plan to air test a new PVC drain, waste, and vent system under Utah's amendment to IPC Section 312.3. What is the maximum test pressure allowed?

Answer: 6 psi

Utah Code 15A-3-303(3) adds Utah procedures to IPC Section 312.3 that allow plastic DWV pipe to be air tested when water isn't available or freezing limits its use. No drain and vent system may be pressurized above 6 psi, measured on gauges graduated to no more than three times the test pressure. The 5 psi figure is the standard IPC air test for DWV. The 50 psi figure is the minimum for the Utah water-supply air test. The Utah amendment text is the same in the 2023 version (2021 IPC) and the July 2026 version (2024 IPC).

Reference: Utah Code Title 15A, Chapter 3, Part 3 (Statewide Amendments to the International Plumbing Code), 15A-3-303(3) (IPC Section 312.3)

A reduced pressure principle backflow assembly is installed on a new commercial building. Under the Utah amendment to the IPC backflow-testing section, when must it be tested?

Answer: At installation or within 10 days of being placed into service, immediately after repairs or relocation, and at least annually

Utah Code 15A-3-303(5) replaces the IPC testing section (312.10.2 in the 2021 IPC, 312.11.2 in the 2024 IPC). RP, double check, PVB, detector, and spill-resistant assemblies must be tested at installation or within 10 days of being placed into service, immediately after repair or relocation, and at least annually. Under 15A-3-303(6), a Utah Certified Backflow Assembly Tester must do the testing. The testing schedule and the tester requirement are the same in the 2023 version (2021 IPC) and the July 2026 version (2024 IPC); the 2026 text changes only the agency named as adopting the field test procedures (from the Utah Cross Connection Control Commission to the Utah Division of Drinking Water).

Reference: Utah Code Title 15A, Chapter 3, Part 3 (Statewide Amendments to the International Plumbing Code), 15A-3-303(5)

Your crew is digging a 4-1/2-foot-deep trench for a sewer lateral in soil a competent person has examined and found no sign of a potential cave-in. Under 29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1), is a protective system required?

Answer: No, because it is less than 5 feet deep and the competent person found no indication of a potential cave-in

29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1) requires a protective system for each employee in an excavation, except when the excavation is entirely in stable rock or is less than 5 feet deep and a competent person's examination shows no indication of a potential cave-in. Four feet is the depth that triggers a means of egress (1926.651(c)(2)) and atmospheric testing where hazards are expected (1926.651(g)(1)(i)). It is not the cave-in protection trigger.

Reference: 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA Safety and Health Regulations for Construction), 1926.652(a)(1)(ii)

A plumber is installing roof drains along an unprotected roof edge on a commercial building, 14 feet above grade. Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1), what height triggers the duty to provide fall protection?

Answer: 6 feet

29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) requires protection by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems for each employee on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge 6 feet or more above a lower level. Ten feet is the trigger for scaffolds under 1926.451(g)(1). Four feet is the general-industry trigger, not the construction trigger.

Reference: 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA Safety and Health Regulations for Construction), 1926.501(b)(1)

A plumbing contractor hires a new journeyman on Monday, June 2 (the first day the journeyman works). Under Utah's Centralized New Hire Registry Act, what is the reporting deadline if the employer isn't on an approved semimonthly schedule?

Answer: Within 20 days after the date of hire

Utah Code 35A-7-104(2)(a) requires the employer to send the new-hire information to the Department of Workforce Services no later than 20 days after the date of hire or rehire. The alternative in (2)(b) is a department-approved semimonthly schedule with reports 12 to 16 days apart. Under 35A-7-102(3), the date of hire is the first day the employee performs labor or services for pay.

Reference: Utah Code Title 35A, Chapter 7 (Centralized New Hire Registry Act), 35A-7-104(2)(a)

A journeyman on your Utah jobsite breaks an arm in a fall from a ladder and is admitted to the hospital. Under Utah's UOSH rules, how soon must the employer notify UOSH?

Answer: Within 8 hours of occurrence

Utah Code 34A-6-301(3)(b)(ii) and R614-1-5(B)(1) require each employer to notify UOSH within 8 hours of any work-related fatality, any disabling, serious, or significant injury, and any occupational disease incident. R614-1-3(I) defines that injury to include hospital admission and fractures. The federal 24-hour hospitalization window in 29 CFR 1904.39 doesn't govern Utah employers, because R614-1-4(A)(1) excludes 1904.39 in favor of the Utah rule.

Reference: Utah Admin. Code R614-1 (UOSH General Provisions), R614-1-5(B)(1)

A plumber's employer has workers' compensation insurance. An employee's sprained wrist requires a doctor visit and a prescription. Under R612-200-1(A)(2), how soon must the employer report the injury to its insurance carrier?

Answer: Within 7 days after receiving initial notice of the injury

R612-200-1(A)(2) requires an employer to report each work injury, other than first-aid-only injuries, within 7 days after receiving initial notice. An insured employer reports to its insurance carrier, a self-insured employer to its claims administrator, and an uninsured employer directly to the Division. Fourteen days is the carrier's deadline to submit the First Report of Injury to the Division under R612-200-1(B)(2).

Reference: Utah Admin. Code R612-200 (Workers' Compensation Rules - Filing and Paying Claims), R612-200-1(A)(2)

A master plumber runs a commercial crew. Under R156-55c-401(2), how many licensed apprentice plumbers may one licensed supervisor have under immediate supervision on a non-residential project?

Answer: Three

R156-55c-401(2) allows a licensed supervisor up to three licensed apprentice plumbers under immediate supervision on non-residential projects, and up to three on residential projects. Exceeding the allowed ratio is unlawful conduct under Utah Code 58-55-501(12). Failing to meet supervision requirements is also unprofessional conduct under R156-55c-501(1).

Reference: Utah Admin. Code R156-55c (Plumber Licensing Act Rule), R156-55c-401(2)