To some, it may come as a shock and surprise that Missouri does not have any standards for building a building or licensing a contractor.
Lobbyists have successfully kept lawmakers from passing laws that could ensure that inferior building practices and materials were not a common practice, as they are in Missouri counties without codes.
Apparently, the federal government has decided to step in.
Effective 4/1/10…all contractors who will be working on a home that was built during or before 1978 will require EPA certification. Those who do the work without the certification are subject to fines not to exceed $32,000 for each occurrence.
Missouri contractors should read the guidelines provided by the EPA at the earliest date. This is big and, it appears, is only the beginning.
Where I live…in Barry County…electricians, plumbers and hvac technicians are born qualified. That is true. Every infant who has taken a breath already possesses all of the qualifications that the state will require for him to grow up and wire the building you sleep in. At least for now.