Wisconsin Contractor License: Requirements, Cost and Exams

Who must hold the license

Wisconsin's licensing structure

Wisconsin does not have a general contractor license in the way Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, or most states with a statewide contractor license do. The state only regulates construction on one and two family dwellings, through a business credential called Dwelling Contractor paired with an individual credential called Dwelling Contractor Qualifier (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.31; Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier pages; official application information forms #3096 and #3097). Commercial construction, meaning any building or job that is not a one or two family dwelling, has no state level contractor license at all in Wisconsin. Commercial work is instead governed by the Commercial Building Code (Wis. Admin. Code chapters SPS 361 through 366) through permits, plan review, and local inspection, not through a business licensing regime (Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services Commercial Buildings program page). If a commercial project in Wisconsin seems to call for a "general contractor license," the state does not issue one at the state level at all. The relevant question becomes which specific trade credential the work actually needs, or what the local city's own permitting rules require.

License classes

Classifications and tiers

There are no dollar based tiers or classification levels the way Tennessee or Georgia use them. Wisconsin issues one flat business credential, Dwelling Contractor, plus a lower credential called Dwelling Contractor Restricted for businesses that choose to carry a bond of less than 25,000 dollars instead of the standard bond or insurance (official application form #3096). There is no separate residential versus commercial building classification inside the Dwelling Contractor system, because the entire system only covers one and two family dwellings in the first place.

Financial responsibility, the two accepted paths

A business applying for Dwelling Contractor certification must provide one of two proofs of financial responsibility under Wis. Stat. 101.654(2): a bond of at least 25,000 dollars from a surety company authorized to do business in Wisconsin, or a general liability insurance policy of at least 250,000 dollars per occurrence from an insurer authorized to do business in the state or an eligible surplus lines insurer (official Dwelling Contractor application form #3096, quoting the form exactly). Both the bond and the insurance policy must allow at least 30 days written notice to the department before cancellation, and the business must file proof of replacement coverage within that 30 day window or risk suspension. A business that wants to carry a bond smaller than 25,000 dollars applies for the Dwelling Contractor Restricted certification instead. Some third party sources also cite a 500,000 dollar aggregate liability figure alongside the 250,000 dollar per occurrence number; the official Dwelling Contractor application form itself states only the 250,000 dollar per occurrence minimum, so confirm any aggregate figure with the board before relying on it.

The qualifier rule

Qualifying the company, and how many companies one person can qualify

The Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certification belongs to the individual, and the business must "hold or engage, as an employee" a person who holds it (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.31; official forms). Unlike Tennessee, which states a hard cap of two licenses per qualifying agent in its own paperwork, neither the Dwelling Contractor rule (SPS 305.31) nor the Qualifier rule (SPS 305.315) states any numeric limit on how many Dwelling Contractor businesses one Qualifier can be certified to serve; this is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. What the rule does require is that the Qualifier actually be engaged as an employee (or be an owner or officer) of the specific business at the time that business needs to pull a permit. That is the same W-2 employment model The Licensing Company already places its qualifying agents under, so a standard one qualifier per company practice fits Wisconsin's own "as an employee" language cleanly.

Replacement rules and what happens if a qualifier leaves

Neither SPS 305.31 nor SPS 305.315, nor the Dwelling Contractor or Dwelling Contractor Qualifier pages, state a fixed number of days for a business to replace a qualifier who leaves. This is a genuine gap in the published rule text, and it should not be assumed to be a specific number of days without confirming with the board. What is clear is the practical effect: a Dwelling Contractor business cannot pull new building permits for any stretch of time during which it has no actively employed, currently certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier on staff (Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services pages, consistent with the rule's plain "holds or engages" language). A Wisconsin business whose qualifier just left faces real urgency even without a Tennessee style 90 day countdown: every day without a qualifier is a day the business cannot start new permitted work, starting immediately, not after a grace period.

Exams

Exam requirements: there is none for this credential

Wisconsin's Dwelling Contractor Qualifier does not require a state exam. The 12 hour approved course itself is the qualifying event; there is no proctored test behind it (official application form #3097, confirmed consistently across multiple third party course providers). This is a real point of difference from almost every other state that licenses residential construction, where the qualifying individual has to pass a business and law exam plus one or more trade exams.

NASCLA acceptance

Wisconsin does not accept the NASCLA exam for the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier, because there is no state exam for a NASCLA pass to substitute for. Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services pages make no reference to NASCLA in connection with the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. Wisconsin sits outside the core group of states that accept the NASCLA exam (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee); a NASCLA card has no use toward this state's residential credential.

Testing and exams

The Dwelling Contractor Qualifier credential has no exam at all, so the real testing requirements in Wisconsin sit entirely in the trades overlay. Of those trades, four carry a proctored exam: HVAC Qualifier, Master Electrician, Master Plumber (a two part exam), and Utility Contractor. All four run through the same pipeline. The candidate applies or renews through the LicensE portal, and once the application shows "Pending Exam," DSPS sends an exam authorization to Pearson VUE, the state's contracted testing vendor for trades. Pearson VUE then emails the candidate an Authorization to Test with scheduling instructions. Scheduling happens either online through the Pearson VUE Wisconsin DSPS exam page or by phone at (877) 244 0231, and a reservation must be made at least 48 hours before the desired exam date; walk in exams are not available (Wisconsin DSPS Trades Program Candidate Handbook, Pearson VUE publication number 405000; Pearson VUE Trades Exam FAQ). For three of the four, Master Electrician, Master Plumber, and Utility Contractor, DSPS also runs its own in person exam sessions on a rotating schedule around the state, in addition to the Pearson option; HVAC Qualifier is the exception and is Pearson only, covered below.

HVAC Qualifier exam. The DSPS HVAC Qualifier Exam Information page states, "The exam is open book, and the passing score is 70%." Seat time is 4 hours and the candidate fee payable to Pearson VUE is $95.00 (Pearson VUE Computer Based Trade Exam Fee Schedule). The number of exam questions is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page; third party prep sites commonly cite 100 questions, so confirm the current count with the board before relying on it. The exam information page does not provide a separate, topic weighted content outline. Instead it says "the exam will cover information listed below" and names the nine reference items that Pearson VUE and DSPS exam locations allow into the room, which effectively define the scope of what is tested: one binder containing Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320 through 325, SPS 341, and SPS 345, plus printed notes; the 2020 SMACNA HVAC Duct Construction Standards Manual, Metal and Flexible; the 2013 ASHRAE Fundamentals (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers); the 2021 NFPA 54, limited to the parts dealing with gas piping and gas piping installations per Wis. Admin. Code SPS 365.0400; and the 2021 International Building Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code, and International Existing Buildings Code, each as amended by Wis. Admin. Code SPS 361 through 366. The page notes that changes to the HVAC code take effect October 1, 2025, so anyone testing after that date should confirm the current edition list directly with the board. Tabbing rule: printed notes are allowed only if three hole punched and placed in a binder, printed code is allowed only if bound in a three ring binder, and tabs are acceptable if they come attached to a bound code book itself, as are three ring paper dividers with tabs; loose papers, removable tabs, sticky notes, and paperclips are not allowed. Highlighting is not allowed for this exam; the FAQ's highlighter allowance applies "for plumbing exams only." Where to test: HVAC Qualifier can only be scheduled at Pearson VUE, and only at six specific Wisconsin centers named on the DSPS Trades Examination Information page: Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon, and Milwaukee; it is not offered at any of DSPS's own rotating sites. The same page states trade exams cannot be taken at Pearson centers outside Wisconsin, so there is no neighboring state option. The DSPS and Pearson VUE materials describe no remote or at home proctoring option; testing is in person only. Retake: a candidate who fails must request a new exam authorization through LicensE; DSPS sends one authorization to Pearson VUE at a time and only one exam session per credential type may be scheduled at once. A numeric waiting period in days before retaking is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. A paid exam review is available afterward: $15, one hour, offered monthly at DSPS's Madison office.

Master Electrician exam. Same open book policy and 70% passing score, stated on the DSPS Master Electrician Exam Information page. Seat time is 4 hours and the Pearson VUE fee is $95.00. The question count is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. As with HVAC Qualifier, the scope is defined through the permitted reference list rather than a separate topic outline: one binder containing Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305 and SPS 316 plus printed notes; the 2017 National Electrical Codebook or Handbook through September 30, 2026; and up to two additional printed, bound reference books of the candidate's own choosing, with the page naming Ugly's, Ferm's Fast Finder Index to the National Electrical Code, the Tom Henry series, and the Mike Holt series as acceptable examples rather than a required single title. The same wording appears on the Journeyman Electrician Exam Information page: "changes to the electrical codes have been made and will be implemented as of October 1st, 2026," at which point the permitted codebook becomes the 2023 National Electrical Codebook or Handbook in place of the 2017 edition, with the rest of the reference list unchanged. This is the single most time sensitive fact on this page. The same tabbing rule applies as above, and highlighting is likewise reserved to plumbing exams only, not electrical. Where to test: Master Electrician is not on the Pearson only list, so it is available both at DSPS's own rotating sites and at Pearson VUE centers generally across the state. DSPS's 2026 rotating sites and dates, published on the Trades Examination Information page, are Pewaukee at the Ingleside Hotel (six two day sessions through the year, January through November 2026), Appleton at the Doubletree by Hilton (six two day sessions), Weston near Wausau at the Fairfield by Marriott (single days in February and June 2026), Deforest at the Comfort Suites and North Star Conference Center (six two day sessions), and Eau Claire at the Sleep Inn and Suites Conference Center (single days in April, August, and October 2026). There is no neighboring state option and no remote proctoring, same as above. The retake process is identical to HVAC Qualifier's. The Pearson VUE fee schedule covers only the Pearson VUE administered exam fee; a separate fee for sitting the exam at one of DSPS's own in person sites is not stated in the materials reviewed for this page, so confirm that fee with the board before relying on it.

Master Plumber exam. This is a two part exam; the DSPS page states, "This is a two part exam. The exams are open book, and the passing score is 70%," meaning each part is graded to that same 70% standard. Seat time is 4 hours per part and the Pearson VUE fee is $95.00 per part, so $190.00 total if both parts are needed. Question counts per part are not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. The permitted reference list, which again stands in for a separate content outline, is nine items: one binder, which the page notes can be in PHCC format, containing Wis. Stat. 145, Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305, SPS 381 through 387, Wis. Stat. 106, SPS 302, and SPS 325, plus printed notes; the NFPA 13D 2019 Standard; the 2019 NFPA 24; and six POWTS (private onsite wastewater treatment system) component manuals covering At Grade Pressure Distribution, Holding Tank, In Ground Soil Absorption, Mound, Pressure Distribution, and the Multi Purpose Piping Systems Design Manual. Architect and engineer scale rulers are also permitted, unique to the plumbing exams among the four covered here. Plumbing is also the one program where the FAQ confirms highlighters are allowed during the exam itself, with the caveat "Do not highlight your reference material as it will not be permitted at future exams," so it is a single use allowance tied to that sitting. The same three hole punch and binder rule applies to notes and code. Where to test: Master Plumber, like every plumbing credential, sits in the Pearson only group, limited to the same six centers named above: Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon, and Milwaukee; it is not available at DSPS's own rotating sites. There is no neighboring state option and no remote proctoring. The retake process is the same LicensE controlled flow. One operational detail specific to this exam: the DSPS page states that when Wisconsin's plumbing code changes, the exam covers the new code three months after the change's effective date, a useful planning number when timing a code transition. The same page carries a dated banner: "changes to plumbing codes have been made and will be implemented as of October 1st, 2026," meaning the reference list above updates on that date. A candidate testing before October 1, 2026 should study the current list, and a candidate testing on or after that date should confirm the refreshed list with the board rather than assume the list above still applies unchanged.

Utility Contractor exam. Same open book policy and 70% passing score, stated on the DSPS Utility Contractor Exam Information page. Seat time is the shortest of the four, at 2 hours, and the Pearson VUE fee is $65.00. The question count is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. The permitted reference list, standing in for a content outline the same way as the other three: one binder containing Wis. Admin. Code SPS 302, SPS 305, and SPS 381 through 387, Wis. Stat. 145, and the 2019 NFPA 24, plus printed notes; and, as a separate second item, the Wisconsin POWTS Inspector Handbook. The same three hole punch and binder rule applies. Whether the plumbing exam's highlighting exception extends to Utility Contractor is not stated on this credential's own page or in the FAQ, which names the exception "for plumbing exams only" as a program label rather than by code overlap; confirm this with the board rather than assuming it applies. Where to test: Utility Contractor is not on the Pearson only list, so, like Master Electrician, it is available at both DSPS's own rotating sites and Pearson VUE centers generally. There is no neighboring state option and no remote proctoring. The retake process is the same LicensE controlled flow. This page's own code currency note differs from Master Plumber's: for Utility Contractor, a code change is reflected in the exam one month after the change's effective date, not three months, so the two plumbing adjacent exams do not share the same runway. The page currently carries its own dated banner alongside a slightly revised reference list: the permitted materials shown above run through September 30, 2026, and from October 1, 2026 the binder drops the plumbing appliance and service statute references and instead groups Wis. Stat. 145 with Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305, 381 through 387, and 302, still alongside the 2019 NFPA 24 and the POWTS Inspector Handbook. A candidate testing on or after that date should confirm the current version of this reference list with the board.

Facts common to all four exams, from the Trades Examination Information page and the Pearson VUE handbook and FAQ. What to bring to a DSPS run site: a photo ID, the exam confirmation letter, more than one number 2 pencil, the exam's own permitted reference materials, and a calculator that is not programmable and is not a phone. At a Pearson center, bring primary and secondary photo ID per the Pearson confirmation email, plus the same permitted reference materials. Candidates should arrive 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled time. Results at Pearson centers are given to the candidate on the spot as pass or fail, and a written result letter follows by mail or email within 21 calendar days of the exam date. A passing result is valid for one year, and the candidate must wait two days after passing before submitting the license application in LicensE. None of these four exams, at any location, offer remote or at home proctoring; every seat is in person, either at one of DSPS's rotating hotel or conference center sites or at a fixed Pearson Professional Center, and none of it can be sat outside Wisconsin. A numeric day count that a failed candidate must wait before retaking is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page; the controlling procedure is that one exam authorization goes out to Pearson VUE at a time, requested fresh through LicensE after a fail.

Sources referenced for this section include the Wisconsin DSPS Trades Program Candidate Handbook (Pearson VUE publication number 405000, dated July 2024, footer revision 02/2025); the DSPS HVAC Qualifier, Master Electrician, Master Plumber, and Utility Contractor Exam Information pages; the DSPS Trades Examination Information page (showing 2026 exam dates); the Pearson VUE Computer Based Trade Exam Fee Schedule (last modified 10/15/2024); the Pearson VUE Trades Exam Frequently Asked Questions document; the DSPS Journeyman Electrician License Application Information form #3106 and experience form #3106T (both Rev. 12/04/2025); the Dwelling Contractor Application Information form #3096 (Rev. 01/08/2024); the TradesRenewalDatesFees.pdf table (Rev. 1/4/2024); the DSPS Reciprocity/Endorsement Not Available list (dated 09/07/2026); the NASCLA Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies page; the Wisconsin Administrative Code SPS 305.315 text; the DSPS statement of scope for SPS 316; Daily Reporter's June 2026 coverage of the 2023 NEC adoption; and the August 8, 2025 DSPS fee adjustment press release confirming trades fees saw no adjustment.

Experience

Experience requirements, notably light

The official Dwelling Contractor Qualifier application information sheet lists no minimum years of field experience at all. The only qualification requirement stated is completion of at least 12 hours in an approved initial qualifier course in dwelling construction, taken within one year before the application date (official application form #3097). This is a materially lower bar than most other states that license residential construction, which typically require two to four years of documented experience before someone can qualify a company.

Fees and timeline

Renewal cycles and fees

The official DSPS Trades Renewal Dates and Fees table (TradesRenewalDatesFees.pdf, Rev. 1/4/2024) gives the actual cycle: Dwelling Contractor certification (the business credential) renews every 1 year, on the date of issuance, for a 25 dollar fee, with no continuing education tied to it. Dwelling Contractor Qualifier (the individual credential) renews every 2 years, on the date of issuance, for a 30 dollar fee, with a 25 dollar late continuing education fee if applicable; third party continuing education providers consistently describe this as 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years, with at least 4 of those hours covering construction law and codes, contracts, and liability and risk management since a rule change effective November 1, 2022; confirm the exact continuing education rule text with the board. Dwelling Contractor Restricted follows the same 1 year, 25 dollar pattern as standard Dwelling Contractor. Under Wisconsin SPS 305.07(2)(c), the renewal schedule is as follows: Dwelling Contractor (business) renews every 1 year on the issuance date for 25 dollars; Dwelling Contractor Qualifier renews every 2 years for 30 dollars with a 25 dollar late CE fee if applicable; a credential renewed more than one term after expiration carries a 200 dollar reinstatement fee. The state's fee table gives the business credential an annual renewal at 25 dollars and the individual Qualifier credential a 2 year renewal at 30 dollars; always rely on the board's own table rather than a prep site for these figures. Per the Wisconsin DSPS credential fee schedule, the application fee schedule is as follows: Dwelling Contractor 25 dollars plus a 15 dollar application fee; Dwelling Contractor Qualifier 30 dollars plus a 15 dollar application fee.

Application timelines

A published turnaround time for a Dwelling Contractor or Qualifier application is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. Third party sites commonly estimate 4 to 8 weeks including the course and paperwork, but that estimate is not sourced to the board directly, so treat it as a rough planning number rather than a guarantee. Applications and fees are calculated and submitted through the LicensE portal, and if the board requests additional documents, the applicant has 3 months to upload them or the application may need to be resubmitted with fees paid again (official application forms #3096 and #3097).

Reciprocity

Reciprocity

Wisconsin's published reciprocity denial list ("Reciprocity/Endorsement Not Available," dated 09/07/2026, up from the 07/01/2026 version seen at the last check) covers professions like counseling, social work, and cosmetology, and does not list any construction trade at all, so no formal determination on construction trade reciprocity appears on that document either way. Separately, Wisconsin's electrician reciprocity is unusually narrow: the official DSPS Journeyman Electrician License Application Information form (#3106, Rev. 12/04/2025) states that "a person who holds a valid, unexpired Journeyman Electrician license acquired through a state examination in Iowa or New Hampshire may apply for a Wisconsin Journeyman Electrician license without taking the WI exam," provided that license was held continuously for at least one year immediately before the Wisconsin application, with Iowa applicants needing an Iowa Journeyman A Electrician license and completed apprenticeship or experience hours, and New Hampshire applicants needing at least 600 hours of apprenticeship or schooling with 24 of those hours in safety. A license from any other state, including neighboring Illinois or Minnesota, does not qualify for this reciprocity path, so that electrician has to test in Wisconsin regardless of experience. No reciprocity provision is stated for the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier itself, and the Iowa or New Hampshire path is not extended to Master Electrician in the board materials reviewed for this page.

Trades

Trades overlay: all under one agency but each with its own ladder

Every trade below is licensed by the same agency, DSPS, unlike some other states that split trades across separate boards, but each trade runs its own separate credential structure, entirely apart from the Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier pathway used for general residential construction.

Electrical: Journeyman Electrician and Master Electrician are individual, exam based licenses, both on a 4 year renewal cycle ending June 30 (official DSPS fee table). A business needs a Registered Electrical Contractor registration and must designate a Master Electrician as its qualifying individual. Wisconsin also has a lower, non exam "Registered Electrician" tier (1 year renewal, 20 dollar fee) and a "Registered Master Electrician" credential that does not expire at all, both distinct from the tested Journeyman and Master tracks; "registered" should not be confused with "licensed" for these two tiers. Wisconsin is switching the electrical exams from the 2017 National Electrical Code to the 2023 National Electrical Code effective October 1, 2026, skipping the 2020 edition entirely; this is stated on both the DSPS Journeyman Electrician Exam Information page and the DSPS Master Electrician Exam Information page, both stating "changes to the electrical codes have been made and will be implemented as of October 1st, 2026." A candidate scheduled to test before that date should still study the 2017 NEC, and anyone testing on or after October 1, 2026 needs the 2023 NEC codebook instead, since prep material built around the old edition will be out of date. This same change is tied to Wisconsin's broader adoption of the 2023 NEC under Wis. Admin. Code SPS 316, published June 29, 2026, which also requires any electrical plan submitted to the board on or after September 1, 2026 to meet the new code (Wisconsin DSPS statement of scope and legislative rule record; Daily Reporter construction news coverage).

Plumbing: Master Plumber is the qualifying individual credential, requiring documented Journeyman Plumber experience (commonly cited as roughly 3 years) or an approved engineering degree route, plus Wisconsin's own Master Plumber exam; Master Plumber renews every 4 years, ending March 31, for a 500 dollar fee (official DSPS fee table), notably a much higher renewal fee than the electrical or dwelling credentials. Plumbing businesses need their own registration in addition to employing a Master Plumber of record, and local jurisdictions such as Milwaukee layer additional bonding and registration paperwork on top of the state credential for pulling plumbing permits; this detail is sourced to third parties rather than Milwaukee's own site, so confirm it with the local jurisdiction. A separate Utility Contractor license, requiring the applicant be at least 18 and pass its own exam, covers site utility work such as water service and sewer piping outside the building envelope, also renewing every 4 years at 500 dollars (official DSPS application form #3137 and fee table).

HVAC: HVAC Contractor is the business level registration (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.70; official application form #3121); notably, the business application form itself does not mention a qualifier requirement on its own cover sheet, which is worth checking against the full rule before assuming the business registration alone is sufficient. The individual HVAC Qualifier credential is a real, exam backed credential, unlike the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier: official application form #3122 and Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.71(3) require either at least 1,000 hours per year for at least 4 years of experience supervising or performing HVAC design, installation, servicing, or maintenance, or at least 4 years of attendance in an accredited mechanical engineering or HVAC related program, or a combination of the two, followed by a state exam; there is no separate course requirement. The exam itself is open book with a 70 percent passing score (official DSPS HVAC Qualifier exam information page), reportedly offered directly through the board for 25 dollars or through Pearson VUE for 95 dollars. The commonly cited 100 question, 4 hour time limit and the exact board versus Pearson fee amounts come from third party sources and are not confirmed in the board materials reviewed for this page; confirm with the board before relying on them. HVAC Qualifier renews every 4 years for a 60 dollar fee per the official DSPS fee table.

The trades exam vendor: Pearson is DSPS's current computer based testing partner for trades exams generally, including HVAC Qualifier, Commercial Building Inspector, Elevator Mechanic, plumbing credentials, and others (DSPS Trades Credentialing Examination Information page). Candidates who choose Pearson cannot revert to a DSPS run exam location afterward. The Dwelling Contractor Qualifier itself is the one credential on this page with no exam of any kind behind it.

The board

Who licenses this, and how it's structured

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Division of Professional Credential Processing, based in Madison, issues the Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certifications, along with every trade credential named on this page (Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services; official application forms). All initial, reinstatement, and renewal applications for every credential covered here go through the state's online LicensE portal (Wisconsin Safety and Professional Services; official application forms).

The threshold that triggers the requirement

No person may obtain a building permit for a one or two family dwelling in Wisconsin unless the business holds a Dwelling Contractor certification (or a Dwelling Contractor Restricted certification) and holds or employs a person who holds the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certification (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.31; official forms #3096 and #3097). There is no dollar threshold like Tennessee's 25,000 dollars. The trigger is simply whether the job needs a building permit on a one or two family home. Commercial jobs, and any residential job that does not require a permit, fall outside this requirement entirely.