How to check a sewer and drain company's license in Suffolk or Nassau

What New York State and federal rules say

• For sewer and drain plumbing, the state points to local rules: Business Express says local government entities regulate the plumbing trade under General City Law Article 4.

In Suffolk County

• Suffolk's restricted license application lists Outside Water and Sanitary Lines as one of its Restricted Plumbing categories.
• A plumber doing sewer or drain line work in Suffolk is licensed by county Consumer Affairs, which issues Master Plumber and Restricted Plumber licenses.
• Sewer drain treatment is one of the areas Suffolk's Liquid Waste license covers, along with septic tank, residential, commercial and industrial work.
• Applying for a restricted plumbing license in Suffolk, such as the sanitary lines category, costs $200.00, and that application fee is not refunded.

1. 1Step 1Suffolk's License and Complaint Violation Look Up covers the license types a sewer and drain company may hold: Master Plumbing, Restricted Plumbing and Liquid Waste.
2. 2Step 2A sewer and drain company's Suffolk license can be checked by calling Consumer Affairs on (631) 853-4600.

In Nassau County

• Nassau's Department of Consumer Affairs licenses sewer cleaners, a trade it names on its home improvement list.
• Nassau County leaves the licensing of sewer and drain plumbers to its cities, towns and villages, Consumer Affairs says.

1. 1Step 1Nassau's Valid Business License Search checks a sewer cleaner's county license by company name or license number, and the county says its database is updated daily.

Towns with a license of their own

• Town of Hempstead: The Town's Building Department links to the Town's online permit portal for electrician and plumber licensing information.
• Town of Oyster Bay: The Town requires every plumber who works in the Town to hold a Town of Oyster Bay license. Its Plumbers Examining Board is a chairman and four members, all master plumbers appointed by the Town Board.
• City of Glen Cove: The City's permit checklist requires the plumbing application to be filed with the general construction application and completed only by a City of Glen Cove licensed plumber.
• City of Glen Cove: The City licenses plumbers: its fee schedule lists $75.00 for a plumber's license renewal, $50.00 for the plumber's test and $250.00 for a reciprocal plumber's license.
• City of Long Beach: The City requires all plumbing work to be done by a City of Long Beach licensed plumber, and homeowners may not do their own plumbing.
• City of Long Beach: The City requires new plumber's license applicants to appear in person before its plumbing board for a preliminary exam and to submit copies of a master plumber's license and a Certificate of Competency from a Nassau County Tri-Town Agreement member.
• City of Long Beach: A City plumber's license costs $400.00, and a new applicant whose business is outside Nassau County adds $70.00. A company applicant's licensed plumber must own 51% of the company, and the license expires May 31 of its second year.
• Town of Huntington: Huntington requires the person or business connecting to the Huntington or Centerport sewer district to be a master plumber licensed with the Town.
• Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island's notice to contractors says every contractor or subcontractor working on the island, landscapers included, needs a town license.

Beyond the license

• Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder.
• Ask who files the permit and books the inspections, and get it in the contract.
• Get the price, the scope, the start and finish dates and the payment schedule in a written contract.