Change your Name, but you're Still the Same?

[Critical Care]

A new legislation that passed here in Oregon was one that will change my business from a landscaping business to a "Landscape Contracting Business". I will no longer be a landscape contractor, but a "Landscape Construction Professional". I don't know if I like that.

They say the reason is to distinguish between the business and the individual. Golly gee, was it that difficult? The world seems to revolve around the phrase of "contractor", contractor discounts, contractor supplies, contractor boards, contractor associations, and so forth. It seems to me that any person can call themselves a professional, but a contractor indicates that the person has passed some requirements and jumped through at least a few hoops to get where he is.

Now I'll have a contracting business without a contractor. Does that make sense? Oye vey mi amigos! What are your thoughts?

Continuing education requirements also passed. More demands, more money changing hands, more covert operations will occur, and more state generated revenues from enforcement actions (fines). All for a step forward, eh?

[FIMCO-MEISTER]

Does seem odd. Like to know the history of that one. How did it start and who pushed it along? I like that we require licensing of irrigators in TX and CEU classes. One can go to our State site and see all my CEU classes to determine my status and what I've studied.

[Kiril]

I think it is stupid

[PurpHaze]

Prolly someone trying to be "politically correct".

[Mike Leary]

Same with us in WA..next year if you have more than one gig
you become a general contractor & eat the insurance overkill.

[Critical Care]

Aren't we like puppets? All it takes are a few people to get together and pull some strings and then we dance to their tunes.

Just curious... are most of you called irrigators, irrigation contractors, irrigation professionals, irrigation techs, or what? If you own an irrigation business, are you required to have a licensed "professional" or "contractor" under your employment?

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by Critical Care

If you own an irrigation business, are you required to have a licensed "professional" or "contractor" under your employment?

Yep..tho in WA we're lumped under "Lawn & garden services".

[irrig8r]

Landscape Contractor, otherwise known as a C-27.

Very vague but official description of what I'm allowed to perform.

"California Code of Regulations
Division 8, Title 16, Article 3. Classification

C27 – Landscaping Contractor

A landscape contractor constructs, maintains, repairs, installs, or subcontracts the development of landscape systems and facilities for public and private gardens and other areas which are designed to aesthetically, architecturally, horticulturally, or functionally improve the grounds within or surrounding a structure or a tract or plot of land. In connection therewith, a landscape contractor prepares and grades plots and areas of land for the installation of any architectural, horticultural and decorative treatment or arrangement."

[LCPullman]

Originally Posted by Critical Care

If you own an irrigation business, are you required to have a licensed "professional" or "contractor" under your employment?

Well, you have to be a licensed contractor, but that doesn't mean you know anything about irrigation.

[irrig8r]

Originally Posted by LCPullman

Well, you have to be a licensed contractor, but that doesn't mean you know anything about irrigation.

I seem to remember some portion of the test I took back in 1988 regarding irrigation. But none of it was practical experience, just calculations and multiple choice questions. I had to point out that for one problem none of the answers were correct. It had to do with moving a volume of soil. The multiple choices didn't include the correct answer because whoever prepared the test rounded down.

It was like how many truck trips would it take to move the soil from a given area if the truck could hold 8 c.y. or whatever at a time. There was a remainder that was less than a full load, but it would still involve making a trip with the truck... Anyway, I passed the first try.