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Maintaining Your Operator's License
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Maintaining Your Operator's License
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The water operator profession protects public health and safety by insuring safe drinking water, providing sufficient water for sanitary purposes and as appropriate fire protection. The profession is also an environmental profession with resource management and a community profession with the infrastructure needed to perform the service of providing water. As a licensed professional there are expectations of performance. The following will help you maintain your license as well as help you understand the varied expectation of the profession.
Keep Your License Up-to-Date
Licenses have a two year cycle established at the time of the first license. You should plan to get your training within the renewal period of your license. This is from the date you renewed your license to the end of the second year. Training requirements are for the highest held license:
- VSWS: 6 hours
- Class I: 12 hours
- Class II: 18 hours
- Class III or IV: 24 hours
Watch for training you are interested in throughout your license renewal cycle. Renewal notices are sent out in November of each year. There is no longer a grace period due to a change in the Water System Operators Licensing Rule earlier this year. Renewal applications and TCH documentation must be postmarked or date stamped no later than midnight December 31, 2022. Please contact David Welch to update your mailing address to assure an accurate mailing.
Operator TCH Records
The Drinking Water Program maintains a record of operator contact hours. You can review your TCH record here sorted by Operator Number.
Please note that submitted contact hours may not show up on the list for several working days. We are working through a significant number of end of year submissions. Please be patient.
License Renewals
Licenses with a 2016 and earlier renewal date are now expired. In order to hold a license again, re-examination must take place.
Licenses with 2017 and 2018 renewal dates are in an inactive mode. Licenses remain inactive for two years. During the inactive period an operator may not be "in responsible charge" of a public water system. To reactivate an inactive license the required TCH, renewal fee and reinstatement fee may be submitted to the Board. Training contact hours may be used from the time of license issuance to the present for renewal of the license. They may not be used for more than one renewal.
Individuals performing duties without active licenses could be found to be operating without a license. This is a civil charge against the person brought before the Board. Systems may be found to be operating without a licensed operator, which would be a violation brought by the Drinking Water Program against the system.
- Water Operator License Reinstatement (PDF)
- License Renewal for licenses with renewal date of 12/31/2020 (fillable PDF)
- Online license renewal is now available. Click here to open a new window and follow the instructions there. You will need either your current active license certificate (full-size, not wallet) or the renewal reminder letter that was mailed to you at the beginning of October 2019. The online renewal service is available 24-7, although technical assistance is only available during regular business hours through the online renewal site. Contact dwplicensing.dhhs@Maine.gov with any licensing questions.
If you are unable to upload your certificates through the online renewal website, please e-mail your certificates to dwplicensing.dhhs@Maine.gov. You may also fax them to (207) 287-4172.
Training
License holders must complete training and earn continuing education credits for license renewal. See the Water Operator Training page for more information.
Professional Responsibilities
As in many professions, there is a Code of Ethics (PDF) in the water operator profession. These are the principles by which the professionals serve their associates.
The Board licenses operators to operate water systems in Maine. With the authority to license individuals there is also the responsibility to assure the licensed operators perform the respective tasks satisfactorily. The Board has the authority to suspend or revoke licenses. The following describes this process.
Please review the section on Public water system operator requirements also for a better understanding of operator responsibilities.
