You asked if (1) if the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) regulates the fees charged for the required continuing education courses for plumbers and electricians and (2) the Department of Public Safety (DPS) could open its continuing education courses for plumbing and electrical inspectors to plumbers and electricians to meet their continuing education requirements.

DCP does not regulate continuing education course fees. As private businesses, they set their own fees. It approves schools to provide courses and specific courses (CGS § 20-334d) and maintains a list of approved providers on its website. It currently lists eight plumbing course providers and 24 electrical course providers. Courses fees range from $ 125 to $ 150, according to Richard Hurlburt, Director of DCP’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.

The DPS courses are open to plumbers and electricians, but DCP has not approved DPS and its courses for credit under the DCP continuing education program. DCP prescribes course content. DCP bases requirements for plumbers on the type of license held. The minimum number of hours may range from three to eight and one-half. A contractor must take at least 2. 5 hours on business principles, business law, apprentice rules, federal safety standards, and business insurance and liability. DCP requires the seven-hour electrical continuing education course to include (1) a three-hour component on licensing law,

federal safety standards, and related building codes, such as the 1999 State Fire Safety Code and the 2003 International Residential Code and (2) a four-hour component on the National Electrical Coded 2002.

Because the DPS courses were originally intended for building inspectors, its courses are primarily concerned with code compliance and changes. The DPS website does not provide a course description for inspections related to plumbing, but its course description for Residential Electrical Inspection states that it (1) takes an in-depth look at the 2003 International Residential Code issues that are not covered in the 2002 national codes and (2) takes a quick look at common mistakes made in single-family home electrical service installation. It does not cover the DCP-required component on licensing law, federal safety standards, and related building codes.

DD: ro