I'm new to Washington state - never encountered this in California. In King County (Seattle and greater Seattle area) they require that if a homeowner gets the plumbing permit then he can't hire or have a licensed plumber help with the job in any way - in fact they say the homeowner has to do all the work himself. If a licensed plumber is used in any way then the plumber is required to get the permit themselves. What nonsense is this? Who cares who got the permit as long as it passes inspection? Any guesses?