3. a. No person shall advertise, enter into or engage in the business of landscape irrigation contracting unless the person has first secured a business permit from the board and such person or an officer, partner or employee who is or will be actively engaged in the business for which a business permit is sought has obtained a landscape irrigation contractor certificate from the board in accordance with the provisions of P.L.1991, c.27 (C. 45:5AA-1 et seq.), and such certified landscape irrigation contractor shall assume full responsibility for inspection and supervision of all landscape irrigation contracting work to be performed by the permittee. If a permittee or business permit applicant employs more than one certified landscape irrigation contractor, the permittee or business permit applicant shall designate which certified landscape irrigation contractor shall assume full responsibility for inspection and supervision of all landscape irrigation contracting work to be performed by the permittee. Any single act or transaction, including the advertising of available services, shall constitute engaging in the business of landscape irrigation contracting. A certified landscape irrigation contractor shall not be entitled to qualify more than one person for a business permit.

b. Officers, employees, and duly authorized representatives of the United States, the State, or any political subdivision thereof performing work on the property of the public entity; vendors of landscape irrigation components, materials, or equipment who perform only such functions as delivery, rendering of advice or assistance in the installation or normal warranty service or exchange of defective or damaged goods; contractors engaged in the design, fabrication, installation or construction of irrigation apparatus, or irrigation equipment of any type which is to be used solely for agricultural purposes in the production of harvestable and saleable vegetative or animal products; plumbing contractors as defined by section 2 of P.L.1968, c.362 (C. 45:14C-2); and employees engaged in landscape irrigation contracting for a permittee which has at least one certified landscape irrigation contractor, are exempt from the requirement of a certificate imposed by this act.

c. If a landscape irrigation system is connected to a potable water supply, the landscape irrigation contractor’s connection is to begin at the downstream side of a properly installed backflow prevention device as required by the Plumbing Subcode of the Uniform Construction Code adopted pursuant to section 5 of the “State Uniform Construction Code Act,” P.L.1975, c.217 (C. 52:27D-123).

d. (1) Landscape contractors are exempt from obtaining a certificate as provided in P.L.1991, c.27 (C. 45:5AA-1 et seq.) when replacing sprinkler heads damaged during lawn mowing or grounds maintenance or when making minor incidental repairs to sprinkler piping damaged during landscape construction.

(2) The exemption provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not apply to the installation of automatic controllers, electric or hydraulic control valves, drip irrigation systems and micro-irrigation systems, or to the performance of irrigation system service or maintenance.

e. Golf course employees performing work on landscape irrigation systems on the golf course where they are currently employed, are exempt from obtaining a certificate as provided in P.L.1991, c.27 (C. 45:5AA-1 et seq.).

f. A business permit shall not be required in connection with landscape irrigation contracting performed by an employee of a community association for the community association’s landscape irrigation system. For purposes of this subsection, “community association” means a condominium, homeowner, fee simple, cooperative or other community association.

g. Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent individuals licensed or certified in this State under any other law from engaging in the profession for which they are licensed or certified.

L.1991, c.27, s.3; amended 2009, c.229, s.2.