The industry in the Northeast has made more strides in its effort to see licensing required for pool and spa builders and service technicians.
New Jersey and Rockland County, N.Y. now are considering such laws.
The Northeast Spa & Pool Association has lobbied for such laws for the past several years, and these developments mean a fair majority of the organization’s territories require licensing of some type. NESPA’s jurisdiction includes New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and part of Pennsylvania. Connecticut has led the licensing effort by instituting service-tech and builder licensing several years ago. Earlier this year, it passed similar requirements for aboveground-pool installers. While the bill to establish a license has passed, Department of Consumer Protection there is now drafting the specific requirements for obtaining a license.
New York is closer to seeing similar regulations throughout the state. It is the second state to move toward licensing for pool and spa professionals, but its licensing regulations are imposed county by county, so NESPA has had to lobby each one individually. Earlier in the decade, Nassau and Suffolk Counties adopted licenses for pool professionals.
Now Rockland County, another neighbor of New York City, is set to do the same thing. Before, the county already required builders and service professionals to obtain a home improvement contractors license, with some specifications for pool and spa professionals. But NESPA found the language didn’t really apply to the industry, so the organization has proposed wording of its own during a recent update of the law. The proposed plan was approved by the county’s licensing board and awaits approval by the county legislature. If it passes that final hurdle, then an APSP Certified Maintenance Specialist designation will be required for building or servicing pools in Rocklin County. The certifications must be up-to-date when renewing licenses as well.
New Jersey also may join in. Earlier this year, New Jersey Assembly Bill 4052 was introduced, and the Senate responded in kind in early November with Bill 3227. This legislation would require licensing for both builders and service professionals, and it outlines certification and continuing education requirements that line up with the APSP program.
