News : Police chief warns other storm victims to beware of unlicensed contractors

All contractors doing storm damage repair work to structures within the City of Vinton are required by ordinance to be registered with the Vinton City Clerk before doing any work within the City of Vinton.

Vinton City Ordinance Chapter 163 states: "No electrician, plumber, mechanical or general contractor shall do business within the City without first obtaining a license in accordance with the provisions of this chapter." (Copy of ordinance attached).

"We've had a lot of contractors show up in Vinton from all over the state, and even out of state, going door-to-door actively and aggressively offering their services." Vinton Police Chief Jeff Tilson said today. "Within the first 48 hours after the storm, I had no less than 5 contractors show up at my own house, purporting to be licensed, bonded, and reputable. When asked if they were registered with the City Clerk as required by law, they all assured me they were. Not a single one of them actually was, and some even wanted to argue with me, until I identified myself as the Police Chief. They were instructed to go to City Hall and get registered and stop their activities until they were licensed to do work within the City of Vinton. Of the five I dealt with personally, only two have actually registered at this point in time. I've not seen any of the rest since." Tilson added.

Vinton Police have been actively surveying area homes, looking for contractors who are not registered with the City, and informing them of the requirement.

"Starting Monday, July 25th, any contractor doing work within the City of Vinton who hasn't registered, or at least started the registration process with the City Clerk, will be summoned into Court." Tilson added. "We had some horror stories about fly-by-night outfits during the Floods of 2008. We don't intend to let any lack of diligence on our part let anybody in our community become a victim of both this storm, and an unregistered contractor. We want everyone to ask a few simple questions, such as "Are you registered with the City Clerk" before you hire anyone to make repairs to your home. If they say they are registered, call City Hall and verify it. If they're not on the registered list, send them on their way until they are. Chances are, they will leave while you're making the call to City Hall if they're not registered." Tilson added.

Residents are warned that once they enter into a contract with someone, Police have a difficult time helping. "Once you enter into a contract with someone, it becomes a civil matter, not a criminal one. There is very little law enforcement can do to help you once you've entered into a contractual agreement. Your only recourse is usually small claims or a civil suit at that point." Tilson added.

New contractors are added to the list maintained by the City Clerk on a daily basis, once they have shown proof of their licensing and liability coverage. An up-to-date list of registered, licensed contractors who are authorized to do work within the City of Vinton is available to anyone by calling City Hall at 472-4707. If the company is not on that list, they cannot do work legally within Vinton. Fines can be as much as $1,000 per day for each day a contractor remains in violation of the City Code.

Residents are also reminded that any work involving structural repairs requires a building permit. Information on building permits can also be obtained from City Hall.