BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES May 21, 2026 - Plumbing

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Location: 100 S. Charles Street, Tower 1
Conference Room 3309
Baltimore, MD 21201
Held via Video Conference
meet.google.com/qks-niad-yfo
By Phone via Teleconference
1-414-909-7588 (PIN: 385820141)

Members Present: Joseph Radtka, Chairman
Hayward Hinkhaus, Vice Chairman, Industry Member
Craig Stokes, Industry Member
Robert Parker, Consumer Member

Absent: Leif Hancock, Industry Member
Megan Klepsig, Industry Member

LABOR Officials & Staff Present: Charles Marquette, Executive Director, Mechanical Licensing
Sloane Fried Kinstler, Assistant Attorney General
Andrew Friel, Director of Governmental Affairs, Occupational and
Professional Licensing
LaKissha Thornton, Administrative Officer III

OTHERS PRESENT: Wayne Fishpaw, Pipe Trades Technologies
Amanda Redmiles, Executive Director, Board of Well Drillers, MD Department
of the Environment
Robert Peoples, Water Supply Program, MD Department of the Environment
John Boris, Board of Well Drillers, MD Department of the Environment
Tom Strum, Prime Plumbing

CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Radtka called the May 21, 2026, Business Meeting of the Maryland State Board of Plumbing to order, virtually, at 10:31 a.m.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

A motion to adopt the May 21, 2026 meeting agenda was made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Stokes and unanimously approved by the Board.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion to approve the April 16, 2026 Business Meeting minutes was made by Mr. Hinkhaus, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board without amendment.

PLUMBING COMPLAINT COMMITTEE

Vice-Chairman Hinkhaus reported the following findings of the Complaint Committee:

A motion to accept the findings of the Complaint Committee was made by Mr. Hinkhaus, seconded by Mr. Stokes, and unanimously approved by the Board.

APPLICATION REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT

There were no applications to be reviewed and no report necessary.

NATURAL GAS FITTER PROVIDER COMMITTEE REPORT

Mr. Stokes reported that the Committee wished for staff to send an inquiry letter to all current approved Natural Gas Fitter Training providers asking that they confirm whether they are still actively providing instruction and that they provide details as to their curriculum.

A motion to have staff send a compliance letter to all of the current approved Natural Gas Fitter Training providers was made by Stokes, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board.

REVIEW OF EXAMINATION STATISTICS AND LICENSE TOTALS

Ms. Thornton reported the following statistical summary submitted by PSI for April 2026:

Candidates Passed Failed Pass %
Tested

Ms. Thornton further reported that since January 2026, 378 candidates were tested, with 138 candidates having passed, 240 having failed, for a pass rate of 37%. Since the inception of the test, 13,411 candidates were tested, with 4,880 candidates passed, 8,531 failed, for a pass rate of 36%. There are currently 14,367 active licensees.

CORRESPONDENCE

Director Marquette introduced Amanda Redmiles, Executive Director of the Board of Well Drillers, MD Dept. of the Environment to the Board. He stated that Ms. Redmiles submitted correspondence and wished to address the Board. Chairman Radtka invited Ms. Redmiles to address the Board.

Ms. Redmiles thanked the Board for their time and began by stating she wished to establish a working relationship between the MD Board of Plumbing and the MD Board of Well Drillers, as there is some overlap between the two Boards. Ms. Redmiles stated that the Board of Well Drillers issues three types of licenses: Master Well Driller, Water Conditioning Installer, and Pump Installer. She added that Master Plumber/Gas Fitters as also authorized to perform work on well water pumps and that it was causing confusion among the public.

Ms. Redmiles stated that the Board of Well Drillers, through their complaint reporting process, discovered several instances of unlicensed persons performing work on wells. Those individuals claimed that they were covered under their employer’s Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license. Both Chairman Radtka and Ms. Redmiles confirmed that each person working on the well must be individually licensed to be authorized to perform the work. Ms. Redmiles expressed a desire to work with the MD State Board of Plumbing to address such complaints and spread awareness of the licensing requirements regarding wells. Director Marquette stated that three (3) complaints had been forwarded to him from the Board of Well Drillers and the Board would begin the investigation process into those complaints. Chairman Radtka confirmed that the Board would review those complaints at the next meeting of the Complaint Committee.

Ms. Redmiles thanked the Board for their cooperation and expressed a desire to build the relationship between the Board of Plumbing and the Board of Well Drillers. Chairman Radtka and Director Marquette thanked Ms. Redmiles for her time and expressed a desire to continue building the relationship between the Boards.

OLD BUSINESS

Code Adoption update:
Director Marquette stated that the proposed regulation to update the Code in COMAR 09.20.01.01, had been approved by the Secretary’s Office and had begun the review process. He stated that he would inform the Board of any new developments.

Chairman Radtka asked Director Marquette if the Board would need to review any portions of the PSI exam when the new codes were formally adopted. Director Marquette stated that PSI has indicated that new questions may need to be added to the master and journeyman natural gas fitter exams and some may have to be removed. PSI stated that some questions be removed from the current version of the master and journeyman plumber/gasfitter exams in order to comply with the 2024 codes, and no new questions needed to be added. Chairman Radtka asked if the Board would be able to review the questions PSI suggested removing before the changes were made. Counsel stated that Board could ask to review the questions and suggested that they ask why the questions were being removed to see if the Board agreed. Chairman Radtka suggested that the Board form a committee to review the proposed changes to the exam.
Mr. Parker moved to establish an Exam Review Committee composed of Chairman Radtka, Mr. Stokes, and Mr. Hinkhaus. Mr. Stokes seconded the motion, which was unanimously passed by the Board.
Virginia Reciprocity Agreement:
Director Marquette stated that a proposed reciprocal licensing agreement with Virginia Board for Contractors was being drafted and should be ready for the Board review at the June meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

COMAR 09.20.04.00 - Backflow Compliance Requirements:
Chairman Radtka stated that COMAR 09.02.04.02F requires that a journeyman or master plumber/gasfitter license is required to test backflow prevention equipment. He added that an apprentice plumber/gasfitter may assist with the process and that, by law, an apprentice cannot install, test, or repair a cross-connection device, though they can assist.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Director Marquette did not offer a report but reminded the Board that there were only a few weeks left to propose items for the 2027 Legislative Session.

COUNSEL’S REPORT

Counsel did not offer report but reminded the Board that it would need to convene in a closed session to review a proposed decision from an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) and consider a proposed order.

CHAIR’S REPORT

The Chairman did not offer a report.

CLOSED SESSION

Upon a motion by Mr. Stokes, seconded by Mr. Parker, and by a roll call vote, the Board unanimously voted to enter in a closed session to consider an ALJ’s Proposed Decision at 11:04 a.m., via Google Meets, pursuant to § 3-305(b)(2) and (7) of the Gen. Prov. Art., Md. Ann. Code, to protect the privacy and reputation of an applicant or licensee and to obtain advice provided by Counsel regarding the license applications and litigation.
Case No.: PLUM 24-0061
Counsel presented the Proposed Decisions of an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) at the Office of Administrative Hearings (“OAH”) in a consolidated matter against two individuals. The complaint alleged that Respondent 2, an apprentice plumber/gasfitter, obtained a permit to install a gas generator using Respondent 1’s master plumber/gasfitter license. The work failed multiple inspections and was not finalized for more than two (2) years. Respondent 1 has been a licensed master plumber/gasfitter since 1987. Respondent 2 had been licensed as an apprentice plumber/gasfitter 2006 until 2012. Respondent 2 renewed the license in December 2019 and is scheduled to expire in May 2028. Respondent 2 was employed by Respondent 1 from 2005 to 2008 but not at the time of the subject complaint.

The complaint was not filed by the homeowner, but by a mechanical code compliance inspector from a local jurisdiction. Respondent 2 was subcontracted to perform the work and asked Respondent 1 to pull the local permit needed for the job. Respondent 1 did so as a favor to Respondent 2. Neither Respondent expected that Respondent 1 would oversee the project or supervise Respondent 2’s work and Respondent 1 never visited the jobsite.
Code compliance inspectors attempted multiple times between 2022 and 2024 to inspect the work, but Respondent 1 never made himself available. The ALJ determined that the issues created by the violation were significant but not serious, as it did not create life threating conditions or cause property damage.

Respondent 1 was found to have violated §12-312(a)(1)(x) by allowing another licensee to provide services outside the scope of that individual’s license and (a)(1)(xiii) by obtaining a permit for the provision of services in violation of COMAR 09.20.03.01C.

Respondent 2 was found to have violated Md. Ann. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §12-312(a)(1)(x) by offering or providing plumbing and gas services outside the scope of his apprentice license and (a)(1)(xiii) by obtaining a local permit and providing plumbing services in violation of COMAR 09.20.03.01A and B.

Respondent 1 timely responded to the complaint; Respondent 2 responded to the complaint, but not for several months after the response had been due.

After some discussion, Mr. Hinkhaus moved that the sanctions recommended by the ALJ warranted modification to increase the civil penalties imposed to $1000.00 ($500.00 for each violation) against Respondent 1 and to revoke Respondent 2’s apprentice license and impose a $1500.00 fine ($500.00 for each violation) was made by Mr. Hinkhaus. The motion was seconded by Mr. Stokes and unanimously approved by the Board.

The Board determined that a revocation was appropriate to subject Respondent 2 to the renewal requirements of §12-308.1.

A motion to return to the business meeting was made by Mr. Hinkhaus, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board at 11:53 a.m.

A motion to accept the findings of the Closed Session was made by Mr. Hinkhaus, seconded by Mr. Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion to adjourn the May 21, 2026, Business Meeting was made by Mr. Hinkhaus, seconded by Parker, and unanimously approved by the Board. The business meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m.

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Charles Marquette Date
Executive Director

Signed on behalf of the Board as voted and approved on: ________