Wisconsin: HVAC contractor licensing, reciprocity and contract rules.

This page lists what Wisconsin publishes about licensing an HVAC or mechanical contractor and contracting with homeowners: who issues the licence, whether one is required statewide, the classes and qualifications, insurance or bond minimums, reciprocity with other states, renewal and continuing education, and the state's home-improvement contract statute if it has one.

It is built for owners of residential HVAC companies, especially those hiring across a state line or opening a second territory. Every entry is a snapshot of what the cited source published on the verification date; it is a research starting point, not legal advice.

Wisconsin, field by field.

Contractor licensing authority

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) — HVAC Contractor registration ('This is an Organization Credential') and HVAC Qualifier certification ('This is an Individual Credential') under Wis. Stat. § 101.178 and Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305; DSPS also issues the Dwelling Contractor certificate of financial responsibility needed to obtain building permits for one- and two-family dwellings (Wis. Stat. § 101.654).

HVAC licence required

Statewide (registration). 'No person may engage in the business of installing or servicing heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment unless the person registers with the department' (Wis. Stat. § 101.178(2)); SPS 305.70(1)(a) restates that no person, entity, or business may engage or offer to engage in installing or servicing such equipment unless it 'holds a registration issued by the department as a registered HVAC contractor'; SPS 305.70(1)(b) exempts servicing existing equipment 'within facilities or properties owned by the person, entity, or business', work within a dwelling that the person, entity, or business owns and resides or will reside in, and 'electrical or plumbing work associated with the installation or servicing' of the HVAC equipment; DSPS states 'There is no required examination for this profession'; a violator 'shall be required to forfeit not less than $50 nor more than $1,000', each installation or servicing being a separate violation (§ 101.178(5)). The HVAC Qualifier certification is a voluntary examination program (§ 101.178(3)(a)); a political subdivision 'may not require a person who is certified under par. (a) to obtain certification, licensure or other approval' from it (§ 101.178(3)(c); SPS 305.71(1)(b)), and may not require local approval for this business 'unless the political subdivision requires that approval before November 1, 1993' (§ 101.178(3)(d)).

Licence classes & qualifications

HVAC Contractor registration: 'The person applying for a HVAC Contractor registration shall be one of the following' — the owner of the contracting business, a partner applying on behalf of a partnership, or the chairman of the board or chief executive officer applying on behalf of the corporation (SPS 305.70(3); DSPS); no examination; registration fee $160 plus $15 application fee (DSPS fee schedule; SPS 305.02, Table 305.02). HVAC Qualifier: eligibility for the examination requires 'At least 1000 hours per year for at least 4 years of experience' in supervising or performing the design, installation, servicing or maintenance of HVAC systems or equipment, or 'At least 4 years of attendance in a school of mechanical engineering' or in an accredited college, university, or technical, vocational, or apprenticeship school in an HVAC-related program, or any combination of experience and education totaling 4 years (SPS 305.71(3); DSPS); 'The exam is open book, and the passing score is 70%', covering SPS 320-325, 341, and 345 and listed references (DSPS); certification fee $60 plus a $15 application fee and a $25 examination fee (DSPS fee schedule; Table 305.02).

Insurance / bond minimum

SPS 305.70 and SPS 305.71 contain no insurance or bond requirement for the HVAC Contractor registration or HVAC Qualifier certification. A contractor obtaining a building permit for a one- or two-family dwelling must hold the Dwelling Contractor certificate of financial responsibility, which requires a surety bond 'of not less than $5,000' or general liability insurance 'in the amount of at least $250,000 per occurrence', plus workers' compensation insurance and unemployment contributions where required (Wis. Stat. § 101.654(2)); an applicant using a bond of less than $25,000 agrees not to perform work on a dwelling whose estimated cost of completion exceeds the bond amount (§ 101.654(2m)).

Reciprocity

No HVAC-specific reciprocity or endorsement path appears on the DSPS HVAC Contractor or HVAC Qualifier pages, which mention 'application via reciprocity/endorsement' only as an application type that may require legal review; SPS 305.71(3)-(4) set HVAC Qualifier eligibility by experience or education plus the examination.

Renewal & continuing education

HVAC Contractor registration and HVAC Qualifier certification are each valid 4 years, with the renewal date set by the date of issuance (SPS 305.06, Table 305.06 lines 43-44; DSPS Credential Fees and Renewal Dates), with renewal fees of $160 and $60 (DSPS); DSPS: 'License shall be renewed in accordance with SPS 305.07'. SPS 305.07 requires a renewal notice 'at least 30 calendar days prior to the expiration', allows renewal 'no later than one term after expiration' with the application fee, and requires 'an administrative fee of $200.00' plus an application and fees to reinstate more than one term after expiration. DSPS states 'There is no required continuing education for this profession' (HVAC Contractor) and 'There is no continuing education for this profession' (HVAC Qualifier). The Dwelling Contractor certificate of financial responsibility 'is valid for one year after the date of issuance' and requires 'Completion every 2 years of at least 12 hours of continuing education relevant to the professional area of expertise' (Wis. Stat. § 101.654(3)(b), (1m)(b)1.).

Home-improvement contract rule

Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 110 (Home Improvement Practices, adopted under Wis. Stat. § 100.20(2)): 'home improvement' includes work on 'heating and air conditioning equipment' (ATCP 110.01(2)). ATCP 110.05(1): the contract 'and all changes in the terms and conditions thereof, shall be in writing' for '(a) Contracts requiring any payment of money or other consideration by the buyer prior to completion of the seller's obligation under the contract' and for (b) contracts the seller initiates through face-to-face solicitation away from its regular place of business, mail or telephone solicitation, or handbills or circulars left at residences; ATCP 110.05(2) lists the required contents (seller and sales representative names and addresses; description of work and principal products and materials; total price including finance charges; start and completion dates; mortgage or security interests; warranties; incorporated documents); ATCP 110.05(3) requires a copy before the seller begins work or receives any payment; ATCP 110.05(7) caps liquidated damages for buyer breach at 10% of the contract price; ATCP 110.02(6)(e) prohibits requesting final payment before the home improvement is completed; ATCP 110.07 lets a buyer who paid in advance cancel and demand return of unexpended payments, which 'the seller shall return' within 15 calendar days after the demand is served, when the seller misses a contract deadline, fails to give the delay notice required by ATCP 110.027(1) or to obtain agreement to a new deadline, or, where the contract sets no deadline, fails in the buyer's view to perform in a timely manner; a person who suffers a monetary loss may recover twice the loss plus costs and reasonable attorneys' fees (Wis. Stat. § 100.20(5), as stated in the ch. ATCP 110 note). Right to cancel: for consumer approval transactions (initiated by face-to-face solicitation away from the merchant's regular place of business or by mail or telephone solicitation directed to the customer, consummated away from that place of business, and involving credit or a cash payment over $25) the customer may cancel 'until midnight of the 3rd business day after the merchant has given the notice to the customer' (Wis. Stat. §§ 423.201(1), 423.202(1), 423.203), the same three-business-day window as the federal rule (16 C.F.R. § 429.1); ATCP 110.08 requires a home improvement contract that is a consumer approval transaction to comply with ch. 423. Contractor credentials: HVAC Contractor registration (§ 101.178) and, to obtain permits for one- and two-family dwellings, the Dwelling Contractor certificate (§ 101.654(1)(a)). No deposit cap was located.