Wisconsin contractor licenses: what the state requires, trade by trade

Wisconsin does not run one board for contractors. The work is split between two state agencies and a long list of credentials, and a trade that has no credential can still be caught by the permit rules. This page sorts the trades into three groups: licensed by the state, licensed only if you do a certain kind of work, and not licensed at all. Everything below was read on state sites in October 2026. Our Wisconsin startup page covers the LLC, workers' comp and sales tax side, and the national picture is in how to get a contractor license.

Which Wisconsin trades need a state credential?

The DSPS A to Z professions list is the best map. It carries credentials for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, septic (POWTS), home inspection, fire sprinklers, elevators and dwelling construction. It carries nothing for roofing, painting, landscaping or pest control. Pest control sits with DATCP.

How does the Dwelling Contractor credential work?

This is the one that reaches trades with no license of their own. Under Wis. Stat. 101.654, no one may obtain a building permit unless they hold an annual certificate of financial responsibility, have finished the required continuing education, and show proof of it to the permit office. An owner who lives in the house and pulls a permit for their own work is excused. So is anyone who holds a DSPS license and is working inside it. A licensed master plumber pulling a plumbing permit does not also need the dwelling credential, for example, but a roofer or deck builder pulling a permit on a house does.

DSPS describes the Dwelling Contractor (DC) credential as an organization credential held by the owner, partner or chief executive of the contracting business. A second credential, the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier (DCQ), attaches to a person. DSPS says a permit is generally out of reach unless you hold the DC or the restricted version, or you employ or engage someone who holds a DCQ. The DCQ renews every two years with 12 hours of approved continuing education, 4 of them on construction laws and codes, contracts, liability and risk management. Course providers upload your hours; DSPS does not accept paper certificates.

The financial responsibility proof is where the numbers differ between sources, so read both. The statute accepts either a surety bond of at least $5,000 or general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence. A bond under $25,000 comes with a limit: you agree not to work on any dwelling job whose estimated cost is above the bond amount. The DSPS page lists a bond of at least $25,000 or the same $250,000 policy. If you carry workers' comp or owe unemployment contributions, the statute also requires proof that you are current on them. Policies cannot be cancelled without 30 days' notice to DSPS, and DSPS suspends the certificate without a hearing if a replacement is not filed.

The first-time requirement under the statute includes a 12-hour course covering accounting, lien law, ethics and best business practices, taught in person or online with photo ID at registration. DSPS can revoke or suspend the certificate for missed continuing education, building without a required permit, a construction-related conviction, or two bankruptcies.

What do electrical, plumbing and HVAC require?

These three work differently, and the differences matter if you are deciding who holds the credential in your company.

Plumbing is licensed to individuals only. Wis. Stat. 145.06 bars anyone from plumbing without a DSPS license, requires a master plumber in charge of every installation, and says no license is issued to a firm or corporation. A master may not lend a license to get permits for others. Exempt: a homeowner's own one-family home or farm building (unless a local ordinance says otherwise), and minor repairs to faucets, valves, pipes or appliances and clearing stoppages. The route to master is at least 1,000 hours a year for three years as a licensed Wisconsin journeyman, or an approved engineering degree, followed by an exam under s. 145.07. DSPS lists 24 hours of continuing education at renewal.

Electrical needs a contractor and licensed workers. Wis. Stat. 101.862 requires a company in the business of wiring to be a licensed electrical contractor, and every person who wires to be a licensed or registered electrician working under a master. DSPS states there is no exam for the electrical contractor credential, which is an organization account. Exemptions in the statute include an owner wiring their own residence, work at 100 volts or less, alarm systems, and replacing an existing switch or outlet rated at 20 amperes or less. A handyman swapping outlets is inside that last exemption. Running new circuits is not.

HVAC is a business registration. Under SPS 305.70, no business may install or service heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment without a DSPS registration as an HVAC contractor, held by the owner, a partner, or the chairman or chief executive. You may service your own properties and a dwelling you live in without it, and electrical or plumbing work tied to the install falls under those trades instead. Once registered, you cannot start an install that needs a uniform building permit until the permit is issued. A separate HVAC Qualifier certification needs 1,000 hours a year for four years of HVAC experience before the exam; a business that uses a qualifier is deemed certified and, per the rule, may not be required to get local approval. Technicians who handle refrigerants also need the federal Clean Air Act section 608 certification. For the larger business questions, see how to start an HVAC business and how to become a licensed plumber.

Do lawn care and pest control companies need a license?

Mowing does not. Spraying does. Wisconsin's pesticide rules (ATCP 29) require a DATCP business license for anyone who uses or directs the use of a pesticide as an independent contractor for hire, and an annual individual license for each person who applies. The business license is per location, and a sole proprietor needs both. A licensed individual may only do the work they are certified for, and one of the certification categories is turf and landscape pest control. Employees applying pesticides solely for their employer are excused, as are people using only germicides, sanitizers or disinfectants.

That makes a fertilizer-and-weed-control add-on the line where a mowing company becomes a licensed pesticide business. Plan the exam and the paperwork before you sell the program. Fees and the exam schedule change, so use DATCP's current list. Our pest control license guide and lawn care startup guide cover the national side.

What about roofing, painting, landscaping and pressure washing?

None appears on the DSPS list, so Wisconsin does not issue a roofing, painting or landscaping license. What still applies:

• Permits. A reroof, new deck or addition on a house that needs a building permit sends you to the Dwelling Contractor rules above. Read roofing license requirements for how other states differ.
• Lead-safe work. DSPS notes that regulated lead-based paint work in housing built before 1978 needs separate training and certification handled by the Department of Health Services. This catches painters and window and siding crews.
• Home improvement rules. ATCP 110 defines home improvement to include remodeling, painting, landscaping, fences, driveways, heating and air conditioning work. Contracts must be in writing if you take any payment before finishing, or if you found the customer by face-to-face, phone or mail solicitation. The written contract must be signed by all parties and set out the seller's name and address, the work and principal materials, and the total price. The rule also says a seller must not misrepresent that they are licensed, bonded or insured, and if you claim any of these you must give the buyer a written statement of the type of license, bond or insurance.
• Sales tax. Wisconsin taxes landscaping and lawn maintenance but not snow plowing, per the Department of Revenue's Publication 210. The details are on our Wisconsin page.

Can a city still license me?

Often, yes. State credentials do not replace city rules. The Wisconsin Attorney General has said, in opinion OAG 6-10, which the Legislature's site annotates under s. 101.654, that a local licensing requirement can be preempted when it imposes greater financial responsibility, education or exam requirements than state law on people seeking building permits for one- and two-family homes. That protects permit holders from stacked local exams. The opinion says nothing that removes a city's permit office, and the statute itself exempts owners from the state requirement only where no local ordinance says otherwise for plumbing and electrical work. Before the first bid in a new village, ask the clerk and the building inspector what they require.

Home inspection and septic work

Home inspectors need a DSPS license. DSPS requires an exam, 40 hours of home-inspection continuing education in each two-year period, and offers reciprocity only to applicants holding an active credential in another state with the same requirements. Septic maintainers hold an individual POWTS maintainer credential under SPS 305 and renew with 12 hours of continuing education. Both credentials are separate from the Dwelling Contractor credential.

What to do before you quote work

1. Decide whether any job you sell needs a building permit on a one- or two-family home. If yes, get the Dwelling Contractor credential and make sure someone on staff holds a DCQ.
2. Match each trade you touch to a DSPS or DATCP credential. Plumbing is personal; electrical and HVAC belong to the business.
3. Do not describe yourself as licensed, bonded or insured unless you can hand over the paper.
4. Call the clerk in every city and village you serve.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm with DSPS at (608) 266-2112 or the agency page before you act.

Frequently asked questions