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General Regulations & Administration — Plumber Practice Questions

40 questions · 7% of the Plumber exam

Worked questions

1. Under Section 106.2 of the 2021 Michigan Plumbing Code, which work in a commercial building falls within the plumbing-permit exemption?

  • Clear a drain stoppage without replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures
  • BRemove a defective concealed drainpipe and replace it with new material
  • CInstall a replacement water heater
  • DExtend water distribution piping to add a hose bibb

Where to look it up

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIPC2021P1/chapter-1-scope-and-administration

Why A is correct

Section 106.2 includes clearing stoppages within its maintenance exemption. Replacing defective concealed piping requires a permit and inspection; the two installation jobs listed are outside this exemption. Do not expand this into a rule that every removal requires a permit: the same section expressly includes removal and reinstallation of water closets when its no-replacement/no-rearrangement condition is met. Exempt work must still comply with the code and other applicable law. Source: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIPC2021P1/chapter-1-scope-and-administration

2. During an unrelated repair in a commercial building, unsafe plumbing is found and the code official determines it is hazardous. There is no immediate danger requiring emergency disconnection. Under 2021 Michigan Plumbing Code Section 115.6.1, how does the official order abatement?

  • Issue a written order requiring removal or restoration to a safe or sanitary condition, with a compliance time limit
  • BTreat a private invoice note as the required abatement order
  • CAutomatically exempt the unsafe condition because it predates the current permit
  • DLeave the condition in service indefinitely if it is documented in a private job file

Where to look it up

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIPC2021P1/chapter-1-scope-and-administration

Why A is correct

Section 115.6.1 assigns the code official a written removal-or-restoration order and requires a compliance time limit. Defective plumbing may not be used or maintained after the notice is received. Existing age or a private record does not replace that process. Immediate danger is a separate case: the section allows immediate disconnection without the ordinary notice. This provision establishes official abatement authority; it does not establish the former explanation’s claimed universal same-day contractor reporting duty or transfer of liability. Source: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIPC2021P1/chapter-1-scope-and-administration

3. Condensate from a rooftop air-handling unit’s cooling coil must be drained. Under unamended 2021 IPC Sections 314.2.1 and 314.2.1.1, which disposal approach is permitted in principle?

  • AUse the nearest roof drain without checking approval
  • BConnect directly to an open plumbing vent terminal
  • Convey it to an approved place of disposal without creating a nuisance or directly connecting it to a plumbing drain, waste or vent pipe
  • DConnect it directly into the nearest sanitary stack

Where to look it up

https://www.ncosfm.gov/b-1-2024-ncpc/open

Why C is correct

Cooling-coil condensate must reach an approved disposal location; discharge to a street, alley or another area so as to cause a nuisance is prohibited. Section 314.2.1.1 prohibits direct drain/waste/vent connections and specifies allowed receiving fixtures. It expressly distinguishes a lavatory wye-branch tailpiece or bathtub-overflow connection from discharge into a plumbing fixture, so do not replace the actual rule with an absolute claim that every connection must use a freestanding receptor. A roof drain is not automatically approved merely because it is nearby. See PDF p.37, original model paragraphs struck out for the proposed NC replacement. Source: https://www.ncosfm.gov/b-1-2024-ncpc/open

4. Entry is planned into a sanitary sewer manhole that has been classified as a permit-required confined space. Beyond testing the atmosphere, what does the OSHA construction standard require during that entry?

  • An attendant outside throughout entry operations, with a suitable non-entry retrieval system unless it would increase overall entry risk or would not contribute to rescue
  • BA second worker inside the space at all times so that the two can assist each other, since an entrant who is overcome can be brought out faster by somebody already down there with him
  • CThe cover left off for 24 hours before the entry so that the space airs out, after which neither continued monitoring nor a person stationed outside is required
  • DA written note left at the shop stating the location entered and the expected time of return, so the crew knows where to start looking if the worker does not come back

Where to look it up

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.1209 ; https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.1211

Why A is correct

An attendant remains outside during entry operations until another attendant relieves them. A relieved attendant may attempt entry rescue only when the employer’s program permits it and the person is trained and equipped for rescue. Non-entry rescue is required unless retrieval equipment increases overall entry risk or would not contribute to rescue; an entry rescue service must be designated when non-entry rescue is not selected. A second entrant does not substitute for the outside attendant. Leaving a cover open or a note at the shop does not satisfy these duties. Sources: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.1209 and https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.1211

5. For an ordinary plumbing inspection of an occupied commercial building, what entry procedure does Section 104.4 of the 2021 Michigan Plumbing Code prescribe?

  • ARequire all occupants to vacate before requesting entry
  • BEnter without consent because a permit waives any refusal
  • CInspect only when the permit holder is personally present
  • Present credentials and request entry from the occupant; if refused, use the remedies provided by law

Where to look it up

https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIPC2021P1/chapter-1-scope-and-administration

Why D is correct

Section 104.4 requires credentials and a request to the occupant. Refusal leads to lawful remedies, not an assumed permit-based authorization to force entry. After a proper inspection warrant or other lawful remedy is obtained and the proper request is made, prompt access must be permitted. The section does not make the permit holder’s presence a prerequisite. This is the adopted Michigan procedure for the stated inspection, not a claim that every jurisdiction uses identical administrative wording. Source: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/MIPC2021P1/chapter-1-scope-and-administration

6. Under unamended 2021 IPC Sections 102.8 and 102.8.1, a referenced product standard conflicts with an explicit provision of the code on the same point. Which provision controls?

  • AThe referenced standard because its author specializes in that product
  • BWhichever document has the latest publication date
  • The IPC provision; the standard applies to the extent of its code reference
  • DThe manufacturer’s instructions automatically override both documents

Where to look it up

https://www.ncosfm.gov/b-1-2024-ncpc/open

Why C is correct

Section 102.8 incorporates the listed standards to the prescribed extent of each reference. Section 102.8.1 makes the IPC provision control a conflict with the referenced standard. A newer publication date alone does not amend the model code’s adopted reference, and manufacturer instructions do not automatically override both documents. This question concerns the specified model provisions, not every jurisdiction’s amended administrative chapter. See PDF p.4. Source: https://www.ncosfm.gov/b-1-2024-ncpc/open

7. A plumber is installing a vent terminal near an unprotected edge of a flat commercial roof, 22 feet above a lower level. This is plumbing work, not roofing work. Under the federal OSHA construction standard, what fall-protection requirement applies?

  • ANothing applies provided the worker stays more than 15 feet back from the edge and a monitor is posted
  • BFall protection becomes required at 25 feet above a lower level in construction work, so nothing applies here
  • Fall protection is required, since the trigger for unprotected sides and edges is 6 feet above a lower level
  • DA personal fall arrest system is required only where the task takes the worker within 3 feet of the edge

Where to look it up

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.501

Why C is correct

For the stated work at an unprotected side or edge, 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) requires a guardrail system, safety net system or personal fall arrest system when the edge is 6 feet or more above a lower level. The 22-foot height exceeds that threshold. Neither a 25-foot threshold nor a 3-foot proximity rule applies here, and merely posting a monitor does not meet this requirement. Low-slope roofing activities have separate options under paragraph (b)(10); those options should not be generalized to the plumbing work described. Source: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.501

33 more in the bank

Answers and explanations for these are in the app.

  • A contractor asks the code official to waive a plumbing code requirement because the project is small. What authority does the code official actually have here?
  • Rough-in piping has been installed but the required inspection has not taken place yet. What does the code require of the permit holder before that work is covered?
  • A contractor wants to install a fitting that carries no third-party listing mark. What does the plumbing code require of plumbing products and materials?
  • The plumbing code requires installations to be made in a workmanlike manner. What does that requirement mean in code terms?
  • A material that is not specifically covered by the plumbing code is proposed for a project. How can it lawfully be used?
  • An addition is being made to an existing plumbing system that was lawful when it was originally installed. What does the code require of the existing portion of that system?
  • A drain line cannot clear a floor truss without altering it. What does the plumbing code require before that truss member is cut or notched?
  • Condensate from a fuel-burning appliance has to be piped to an approved point of disposal. What minimum size does that condensate drain piping have to be?
  • A crew must enter a trench 6 feet deep in Type C soil to set a building sewer. What protection is required before anyone enters that excavation?
  • A worker must enter a sanitary sewer manhole. What is required before that entry to protect against sewer gas and oxygen deficiency?
  • A single job includes water piping, drainage piping and a new fuel gas line to an appliance. Which statement correctly describes the scope of the plumbing code as it applies to that work?
  • Certain minor repairs are exempt from the requirement to obtain a plumbing permit. What is the effect of that exemption on the work itself?
  • A required test of the plumbing system is about to be performed. Under the IPC, how is that test to be conducted and who supplies what is needed for it?
  • A material or method not specifically covered by the code is proposed for a project. The code official is not satisfied with the information provided. What does the code allow, and who bears the cost?
  • An existing building is being converted from storage use to a restaurant. The existing plumbing was lawful when it was installed. What does the code require of the plumbing facilities for the new use?
  • An existing plumbing system in a leased commercial building has fallen into disrepair. Under the administrative provisions of the code, who carries the duty to keep that system in safe and sanitary working condition?
  • During an unrelated repair you discover that the potable water piping is connected directly to a tank containing cleaning chemicals, with no backflow protection of any kind. What is the correct course of action?
  • A condensate drain runs 26 feet of developed length from an air handler to its point of disposal, and it must be sloped not less than 1/8 inch per foot, given. How much total fall does that run require?
  • Workers are working inside an excavated trench 5 feet deep. Under the OSHA construction standard, what is required so that they can leave the trench?
  • During demolition in an older building, the crew encounters deteriorating thermal insulation on existing piping. What does the OSHA construction standard require?
  • A code official issues a written stop work order on a plumbing installation. What does that order require of the contractor?
  • A required rough-in inspection is being scheduled. Under the administrative provisions, what is the permit holder responsible for?
  • During construction a plumbing riser has to be relocated from where it appears on the approved construction documents. What do the administrative provisions require?
  • A finished basement bathroom was installed and concealed without a plumbing permit, and the owner now applies for one so the work can be legalized. What is the code official's usual authority in that situation?
  • A crew must saw cut a concrete slab to open a trench for underslab drainage piping. Under the federal construction standard covering respirable crystalline silica, what does that task require?
  • Before entry into a sanitary sewer manhole classified as a permit-required confined space, the internal atmosphere is tested with a calibrated instrument. In what order are the tests performed?
  • A trench has been opened to install a building sewer and the excavated soil is stacked beside it. Under the federal excavation standard, where must that spoil be kept?
  • A plumbing permit has been issued and one set of the construction documents has been stamped approved and returned to the applicant. What does the plumbing code require regarding that approved set while the work is in progress?
  • A building formally designated as historic is being rehabilitated. Bringing its plumbing entirely up to current requirements would mean removing original fabric that the designation exists to protect. What provision does the plumbing code make for a building of that kind?
  • A designer proposes a drainage layout that does not follow the prescriptive requirements of the plumbing code and instead relies on engineering analysis to show that it performs. Under the code's provision for an alternative engineered design, what does the submission have to include?
  • An extension ladder is set against a flat roof so the crew can reach it to install vent terminations. Under the federal construction standard for ladders, what is required of that ladder where it is used to gain access to the roof?
  • A crew has been brazing copper in an occupied building, working close to concealed combustible framing. Under the federal construction standard covering welding and cutting operations, what applies when the torch work stops?
  • A crew is solvent cementing PVC drainage piping in a windowless basement room, working from open cans of primer and cement. Under the federal construction standard on hazard communication, what does the employer have to provide for that product?

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