Wisconsin · Plumbing licensing · official-source guide
Wisconsin licenses plumbing through the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and it licenses people, not companies. Wis. Stat. 145.06(2) issues licenses only to individuals and never in a firm's name, and requires a licensed master plumber in charge of every installation. Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 subchapter IX runs twelve plumbing credentials, including restricted service and restricted appliance grades.
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Wisconsin licenses plumbing at state level through the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and it licenses people rather than companies. Wis. Stat. 145.06(1)(a) says no person may engage in or work at plumbing in the state unless licensed to do so by the department, and that no person may act as a plumbing apprentice or pipe layer unless registered with the department. Section 145.06(2) is the sentence that shapes how a Wisconsin plumbing business is structured: no person shall install plumbing unless at all times a licensed master plumber is in charge, who is responsible for proper installation, and licenses shall be issued only to individuals, with no license issued to or in the name of any firm or corporation. No such license is transferable. The same subsection makes it unlawful for a licensed master plumber to allow the use of his or her license, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining local permits for others, or to allow the use of the license by others to install plumbing work. Section 145.06(3) extends the point to ownership: each member or employee of a partnership or limited liability company, and each officer or employee of a corporation, engaging in the business of superintending plumbing installations must apply for and obtain a master plumber license before doing that work. There is no state plumbing contractor registration to buy on top of that. The company qualifies because a master plumber inside it holds the license and takes charge of the installations.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2dsps.wi.gov 3
Subchapter IX of Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 is the plumbing credential list, and it is longer than most states. Section SPS 305.90(1)(a) says no person may install plumbing unless the person holds a license or registration issued by the department as a master plumber, master plumber-restricted, journeyman plumber, journeyman plumber-restricted, plumbing apprentice, plumbing learner-restricted, utility contractor, or pipelayer. Broken out by the names the department actually issues under, the department's own professions index lists Master Plumber, Master Plumber Restricted Appliance, Master Plumber Restricted Service, Journeyman Plumber, Journeyman Plumber Restricted Appliance, Journeyman Plumber Restricted Service, Plumbing Apprentice, Plumbing Learner Restricted Appliance, Plumbing Learner Restricted Service, Utility Contractor and Pipelayer, alongside the Cross Connection Control Assembly Tester registration under SPS 305.99. The chain of supervision is fixed by rule. Under SPS 305.93(1)(a) a journeyman plumber works under the general supervision of a master plumber, master plumber-restricted or utility contractor. Under SPS 305.95(1) a registered plumbing apprentice installs or modifies plumbing under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber. Under SPS 305.96(1)(a) a learner-restricted service works under direct supervision, not general supervision, of a master, master-restricted service, journeyman or journeyman-restricted service. A shop that wants to bid and hold permits needs at least one master plumber. Everyone else on the truck holds a grade below that.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1dsps.wi.gov 2docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 5
Wisconsin's restricted plumbing licenses are not junior versions of the full license. They are separate trades with a fixed scope written into SPS 305.90(1)(b). A restricted service license covers privately owned wastewater treatment systems and components, sanitary and storm building sewers and private interceptor main sewers from the street main to the immediate inside or proposed inside foundation wall, water services and private water mains, manufactured home community and campground water supply systems, the drain or water piping connecting a building sewer or water service to a manufactured home manufacturer's connection, manufactured home community and campground drain systems, wastewater treatment devices outside the foundation perimeter, and stormwater use and reclaimed water systems outside the foundation perimeter. A restricted appliance license is narrower still: SPS 305.90(1)(b)3 limits it to connections with an existing water distribution system that do not require a direct connection to the drain system, for items requiring connection to a water distribution system, stormwater use or reclaimed water supply systems, and the minimum piping needed to connect them. Wis. Stat. 145.14(2)(b) spells out the hard edge: no drilling, tapping or direct connection to any waste or drain pipe, and the maximum length of water piping is the minimum required to connect the item. Restricted service types 2, 3 and 4 still exist for people who hold them but are no longer available to new applicants.
Wisconsin gates each grade on a different qualification. For a journeyman plumber, SPS 305.93(3) requires the applicant to have completed a plumbing apprenticeship program recognized under ch. 106, Stats., and Wis. Stat. 145.07(4) says the same. There is no hours-only route to journeyman. For a master plumber, SPS 305.91(3) allows two doors: at least 1,000 hours of plumbing-related work experience per year for at least 3 years as a licensed journeyman plumber, or graduation from an accredited engineering university or college with a degree in civil engineering, mechanical engineering or another approved engineering curriculum related to plumbing. Wis. Stat. 145.07(3)(a) states the same requirement as a specific record of not less than 1,000 hours per year for 3 or more years as a licensed journeyman plumber in this state. For master plumber-restricted, SPS 305.92(3) drops the requirement to at least 1,000 hours per year for at least 2 years as a licensed journeyman or licensed journeyman-restricted in the matching category. For journeyman plumber-restricted service, SPS 305.94(3) requires one continuous year of plumbing-related work experience of not less than 1,000 hours plus shop training of 40 hours of plumbing code under chs. SPS 381 to 387, 20 hours of blueprint or blueline reading, 10 hours of transit or builder's level, 20 hours of plumbing-related mathematics and 10 hours of first aid and safety. For journeyman plumber-restricted appliance, SPS 305.945(2) requires at least 1,000 hours as a registered learner-restricted appliance. A learner needs to be at least 16 and to have completed the 12th grade or its equivalent under SPS 305.96(3). Utility contractor and pipelayer applicants need to be at least 18.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 5docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 6docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 7docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 8docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 9
Every master, master-restricted, journeyman, journeyman-restricted service and utility contractor credential runs through an examination under SPS 305.09. Section 305.09(6)(a) sets the bar: a grade of 70 percent or greater in each part of an examination is a passing grade. The department's own master plumber examination page states that the examination is in two parts, that the exams are open book, and that the passing score is 70 percent. It lists what a candidate may bring, including one three-ring binder holding Wisconsin statutes and administrative codes plus printed notes, NFPA 13D and NFPA 24 standards, five POWTS component manuals, a multi-purpose piping systems design manual and architect and engineer scale rulers, and it bans loose papers, removable tabs, sticky notes and paperclips. Plumbing examinations are delivered through Pearson test centers. The department's trades examination page lists the plumbing credential examinations as available only at Pearson centers in Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee. Section 305.09(1) requires at least four examinations a year for each category. Section 305.09(2) requires the application and fee at least 30 calendar days before the examination date. Section 305.09(7)(a) gives the department 21 calendar days to report results. Section 305.09(6)(b) lets a candidate retake only the parts failed, but a candidate who has not passed all parts within one year of the initial examination must apply, retake and pass every part. Section 305.09(7)(c) gives a successful candidate three months from the date results were mailed to apply for the license, or the examination has to be taken again.
Table 305.02 in Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 sets three separate fees for each credential: an application fee, an examination fee, and the license, certification or registration fee itself. For a master plumber the line reads $20 application, $30 examination and $500 license. Master plumber-restricted service and master plumber-restricted appliance carry the same $20, $30 and $500. A journeyman plumber pays $10 application, $20 examination and $180 license, and both journeyman-restricted categories match it. A plumbing apprentice registration is $15 application and $15 registration with no examination fee, and both plumbing learner-restricted registrations are the same $15 and $15. A utility contractor license is $10 application, $30 examination and $500. A pipelayer registration is $15 application and $180 registration. A cross connection control assembly tester registration is $15 and $180. Section 305.02(5) charges $15 to replace a lost or destroyed credential, and SPS 305.09(8)(b) charges $15 to review a failed examination. Section 305.02(4) prices a petition for variance at $200.00, or $400.00 if the submitter asks for priority review. Section 305.02(2) makes all of these non-refundable, and 305.02(3) prorates the credential fee monthly when the first term is shorter than a full term. One exemption sits in SPS 305.02(1)(b): a master, master-restricted, journeyman or journeyman-restricted licensee employed by a city of the first, second or third class as a plumbing inspector does not submit a license fee to renew, though every other renewal obligation still applies.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 3
Wisconsin plumbing credentials run on long terms with one shared expiry date. Table 305.06 in SPS 305.06 gives the master plumber, master plumber-restricted service, master plumber-restricted appliance, journeyman plumber, journeyman plumber-restricted service, journeyman plumber-restricted appliance, utility contractor and pipelayer credentials a 4 year term expiring March 31. A plumbing apprentice registration runs 1 year from the date of issuance. Both plumbing learner-restricted registrations run 2 years from the date of issuance. Section 305.06(2) says the credential expires at midnight on the date in the table. The department's trades renewal schedule lists the renewal fee against each of those lines: $500.00 for master plumber and for both master plumber restricted categories, $180.00 for journeyman plumber and both journeyman plumber restricted categories, $180.00 for pipe layer, $500.00 for utility contractor and $15.00 for plumbing apprentice, all with a March 31 renewal date for the four year credentials. The same schedule lists a $25.00 late continuing education fee and a $200.00 reinstatement fee. Section 305.07(1)(a) requires the department to mail a renewal notice at least 30 calendar days before expiration, and 305.07(1)(b) says failure to receive it is not an excuse. Section 305.07(2)(b) allows a late renewal no later than one full term after expiration, with an application fee added and, where continuing education was obtained after the expiration date, a $25.00 processing fee for filing the late credit form.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2dsps.wi.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4
Renewal is not automatic on payment. Section SPS 305.91(8)(b)1 makes renewal of a master plumber license contingent on the master plumber obtaining at least 24 hours of acceptable continuing education before the expiration date of the license, measured against SPS 305.08 and Table 305.06. Section SPS 305.93(6)(b)1 imposes the identical 24 hour requirement on a journeyman plumber. Because Table 305.06 gives both credentials a 4 year term, those 24 hours cover the full four years rather than each year. Both sections allow a waiver: a licensee may apply to the department for waiver of the continuing education requirement on the grounds of prolonged illness or disability or similar circumstances, and each application is considered individually on its merits. Section SPS 305.08(1)(a) accepts only courses, programs and seminars approved in writing by the department. Section 305.08(1)(c)1 counts 30 minutes of attendance as 0.5 hours and rounds other increments down to the next half hour. Section 305.08(1)(e)2.a expires a course approval 5 years after the date of approval unless renewed. Section 305.08(1)(f)1 makes the course provider keep an attendance record for at least 5 years. A master plumber who held the license before January 1, 2002 has a separate obligation under SPS 305.91(6)(b): before installing a multipurpose piping system, that licensee must complete an approved course in the engineering principles and skills associated with the design, installation and maintenance of those systems.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4
Wisconsin attaches no bond and no liability insurance minimum to a master plumber, journeyman plumber, utility contractor or pipelayer credential. Chapter 145 of the statutes sets none, and Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 subchapter IX sets none. The money requirement appears one step later, when somebody pulls a building permit on a house. Wis. Stat. 101.654(1)(a) says no person may obtain a building permit unless the person annually obtains from the department a certificate of financial responsibility. Section 101.654(2)(a) gives two ways to qualify: a bond endorsed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state of not less than $5,000, conditioned on complying with the one- and 2-family dwelling code, or a policy of general liability insurance insuring the applicant in the amount of at least $250,000 per occurrence for bodily injury to or death of others or damage to the property of others. Section 101.654(2m) adds a catch: an applicant using a bond of less than $25,000 agrees not to perform any work on a dwelling whose estimated cost of completion is greater than the bond, and the restriction is printed on the certificate. Section 101.654(2)(b) and (c) require proof of workers compensation and unemployment insurance compliance. Section 101.654(3)(a)3 requires 12 hours of an approved educational course covering accounting, lien law, ethics and best business practices, and 101.654(1m)(b)1 requires 12 hours of continuing education every 2 years, at least 4 of which cover construction laws and codes and contracts, liability and risk management. Section 101.654(3)(b) makes the certificate valid one year. Rule SPS 305.31 implements all of it as the dwelling contractor and dwelling contractor qualifier certifications.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4
Wisconsin publishes no list of reciprocal states for plumbing and issues no plumbing license without a Wisconsin examination. What it has is Wis. Stat. 145.09, headed State comity, which waives the evidence normally required under 145.07 rather than the test. Section 145.09(1m) lets a person be accepted for examination for the appropriate classification without submitting that evidence if the person holds a current license under the laws of any other state, or under the ordinances of any city, town or village, having license provisions the department determines are equivalent to chapter 145, or if the person has practical experience in plumbing in another state the department determines is equivalent. Section 145.09(2m) adds a specific journeyman door: the department shall accept for a journeyman plumber examination a person who completed a plumbing apprenticeship under 106.025 or under the laws of another state, passed a journeyman plumber examination in another state, and has practiced for at least 5 years under a journeyman plumber license or equivalent issued by a state whose provisions the department determines are substantially similar, with no disciplinary action on that license. The department's own application instructions carry the same structure. Form 3126 lists a Comity route for journeyman plumbers requiring an out-of-state 5 year apprenticeship program including a minimum of 576 hours of plumbing-related instruction. Form 3129 lists a Comity route for master plumbers requiring either that apprenticeship plus 1,000 hours per year for at least three years as a licensed journeyman, or a current plumbing license plus not less than 8 years of plumbing experience of which 1,000 hours per year for at least three years came under the laws of another state, city, town or village. Both routes end in the Wisconsin examination.
Wisconsin runs two penalty tracks and the administrative one is priced item by item. Wis. Stat. 145.12(1) makes any person who engages in or follows the business or occupation of, or advertises or holds himself or herself out as, or acts as a master plumber without first having secured the required license subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 or imprisonment for 30 days or both, with each day a separate offense. Section 145.12(2) adds imprisonment of not more than 3 months or a fine of not more than $500 for violating the chapter or failing to obey a lawful department order. Section 145.12(5)(a) lets the department assess a forfeiture directly against a violator of 145.06, capped at $2,000 for each violation. Rule SPS 305.125(1) turns that cap into a schedule. An individual who does not hold the appropriate plumbing license and installs plumbing when a master plumber is not in charge pays $1,000 for a first offense, $1,500 for a second and $2,000 for a third and subsequent. The same unlicensed installation with a master plumber in charge is $100, then $500, then $1,000. A master plumber who allows the use of his or her license to obtain a plumbing permit without assuming responsibility pays $1,000, $1,500 and $2,000. A master plumber who allows another licensed plumber to install in the master's name while not in charge pays $500, $1,000 and $2,000. A master plumber who allows an unlicensed individual to install while the master is in charge pays $1,500, $1,750 and $2,000. An individual who superintends plumbing installations without a master plumber license pays $1,000, $1,500 and $2,000. Section 305.125(1)(i) doubles any of these where the violator creates an imminent health risk, within the $2,000 statutory ceiling.
Wis. Stat. 145.11 is headed Advertising restrictions and it is short enough to read in full before the next ad goes live. Subsection (1) says no person offering plumbing services may advertise as a plumbing contractor, master plumber or plumber, append his or her name to or in connection with those titles, or append his or her name to any other title or words that may tend to represent the person as a plumbing contractor, master plumber or plumber, unless the person is a licensed master plumber or employs a licensed master plumber. Subsection (2) reserves the title Master Plumber to a licensed master plumber and requires every holder of a master plumber license to promptly notify the department of any change of business address. Subsection (3) carries the number requirement: any person who advertises as a master plumber through the use of printed material designed for public distribution shall include in the advertisement the number of his or her master plumber license, and any person who advertises as a plumbing contractor through printed material designed for public distribution shall include the license number of the master plumber employed by the plumbing contractor. Note the limit written into the text. The number requirement is tied to printed material designed for public distribution, not to every medium, and Wisconsin does not separately require the number on vehicles or on a website in this section. Subsection (4) exempts a person advertising services for which no license is required under 145.06, unless that person holds himself or herself out as providing services that do require one. Wis. Stat. 145.14(1)(b) closes a separate gap: no journeyman plumber (restricted) or registered learner may contract for work, advertise or do anything that would lead others to believe he is qualified as a master plumber (restricted) in his classification.
Wisconsin puts the identification duty on the person, not the van. Rule SPS 305.11(1) requires anyone holding a license, certification or registration under ch. SPS 305 to carry the credential on his or her person while performing the activity it permits, and 305.11(2) requires it to be presented for identification on request of the department or its representative. Section 305.11(3) states plainly that those requirements apply to credentials issued to an individual and not to a business. The permit rule matters just as much commercially. Wis. Stat. 145.06(2) makes it unlawful for a licensed master plumber to allow the use of his or her license, directly or indirectly, to obtain local permits for others, which is the practice Wisconsin prices at $1,000 for a first offense under SPS 305.125(1)(d). Rule SPS 305.91(6)(c) bars a master plumber from commencing an installation that requires a uniform building permit under SPS 320.08 until the permit is issued, and 305.91(6)(d) bars commencing work that involves a private onsite wastewater treatment system until a sanitary permit is issued under SPS 383.21. Rule SPS 305.91(6)(a) puts the staffing obligation on the master too: a licensed master plumber responsible for an installation shall utilize the appropriately licensed or registered persons to install or modify plumbing. That single sentence is what makes a master plumber liable for sending an unregistered helper to a job.
Sourcesdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov 1docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 2docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4dsps.wi.gov 5
Wisconsin settled the state-versus-city question by statute decades ago, and the split is unusually clean. Wis. Stat. 145.04(2), headed No local licenses, says no city, village, town, town sanitary district, county, metropolitan sewerage district commission or other agency may require the licensing of any person licensed or registered under chapter 145, or prohibit the person from engaging in or working at business within the scope of the person's license or permit. There is no Milwaukee master plumber card and no Madison journeyman card to buy. What cities do run is permitting. Section 145.04(1) says a 1st, 2nd or 3rd class city with a water system or sewerage system shall, and a village, 4th class city, town, county or metropolitan sewerage commission may, prescribe by ordinance rules relating to local permits for the installation, alteration and inspection of plumbing to safeguard the public health. Section 145.05(1) requires the common council of a 1st, 2nd or 3rd class city with a water or sewerage system to appoint one or more plumbing supervisors who shall be licensed plumbers, and they supervise all plumbing, new or alterations or repairs. Section 145.04(3) makes those city authorities report to the department each failure of a state licensed plumber to qualify and each willful violation of a plumbing regulation, so a city inspection problem reaches the state file. One statutory exemption is local: Wis. Stat. 145.06(4)(a) exempts plumbing work done by a property owner in a one-family building owned and occupied as a home or farm building, except where a license is required by local ordinance.
Milwaukee is the state's largest city and it prices plumbing permits by fixture rather than by job value. The Development Center fee schedule published by the Department of Neighborhood Services, updated 2/19/2026, charges $20 per fixture for installation and connection, with an $85 minimum for installing one plumbing fixture in a one or 2-family building, and a $100 minimum for inspections and reinspections generally. Plan examination is priced separately and scales fast: commercial new construction runs from $450 for 3,000 square feet or less up to $2,750 plus $0.0090 per square foot over 75,000 square feet, and alterations run from $350 for 11 to 15 fixtures up to $1,450 plus $225 for each additional 25 fixtures. The schedule carries no plumbing contractor registration fee, which is what Wis. Stat. 145.04(2) requires of a city that may not license someone the state already licensed. Madison charges $8.00 per fixture for new or altered plumbing fixtures in existing building alterations, with a minimum fee of $25.00, and refers plan examination to the state schedule in SPS 302.64, Table 302.64-1 rather than setting its own. Water service work runs through a second door in Madison. The Water Utility requires a plumber signature on all applications, the signature of a master plumber to connect to an existing water service, and the signature of both a master plumber and the property owner to install or replace a water service, with applications and fees in before work starts, at least 10 business days for processing and 3 business days notice for an installation appointment. None of that is a city license. It is a signature only a state licensed master plumber can give.
Sourcescity.milwaukee.gov 1city.milwaukee.gov 2cityofmadison.com 3cityofmadison.com 4cityofmadison.com 5docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 6
The department runs a public credential search and it is the right place to send a customer who asks. The LicensE License Lookup at license.wi.gov/s/license-lookup covers health, business, trades, manufactured homes and unarmed combat sports credentials and permits, and the trades set is where master plumber, journeyman plumber, the restricted grades, apprentice, learner, utility contractor and pipelayer credentials sit. The department's self service page also lists the Electronic Safety and Licensing Application public lookup at esla.wi.gov/verifylicense for plan status across regulated areas including plumbing and plumbing products. What a customer should check is narrower than most people assume. Because Wis. Stat. 145.06(2) issues licenses only to individuals and never in the name of a firm or corporation, searching the company name proves nothing. The name to search is the master plumber the company says is in charge. Two other checks are free and fast. Under Wis. Stat. 145.11(3), a plumbing contractor advertising through printed material designed for public distribution has to print the license number of the master plumber it employs, so the number should already be on the flyer or the mailer. And under SPS 305.11(1) the plumber on site is carrying the credential and, under 305.11(2), has to present it for identification on request of the department. A customer who cannot get a master plumber name and number out of a Wisconsin plumbing company has learned something before any work starts.
Sourcesdsps.wi.gov 1license.wi.gov 2esla.wi.gov 3docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 4docs.legis.wisconsin.gov 5
These are common details other guides publish about Wisconsin, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes. Wis. Stat. 145.06(1)(a) says no person may engage in or work at plumbing in the state unless licensed by the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and no person may act as a plumbing apprentice or pipe layer unless registered with the department. Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 subchapter IX carries the credential rules. Local governments are barred from adding their own plumbing license by Wis. Stat. 145.04(2).
No. Wis. Stat. 145.06(2) says licenses shall be issued only to individuals and no license shall be issued to or in the name of any firm or corporation, and no license is transferable. The same subsection requires that a licensed master plumber be in charge at all times when plumbing is installed. Section 145.06(3) requires each partner, member, officer or employee superintending plumbing installations to hold a master plumber license.
Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.90(1)(a) lists master plumber, master plumber-restricted, journeyman plumber, journeyman plumber-restricted, plumbing apprentice, plumbing learner-restricted, utility contractor and pipelayer. The department issues the restricted grades in two versions each, service and appliance, so the published list runs to Master Plumber, Master Plumber Restricted Service, Master Plumber Restricted Appliance and the matching journeyman and learner grades, plus Plumbing Apprentice, Utility Contractor and Pipelayer.
Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.91(3) requires at least 1,000 hours of plumbing-related work experience per year for at least 3 years as a licensed journeyman plumber, or a degree in civil engineering, mechanical engineering or another approved engineering curriculum related to plumbing from an accredited university or college. Wis. Stat. 145.07(3)(a) words the experience route as a specific record of not less than 1,000 hours per year for 3 or more years as a licensed journeyman plumber in this state.
By completing a plumbing apprenticeship. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93(3) requires completion of a plumbing apprenticeship program recognized under ch. 106, Stats., and Wis. Stat. 145.07(4) requires an apprenticeship under 106.025. There is no hours-only substitute. The department's Form 3126 asks for a letter from the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards confirming the apprenticeship requirements were satisfied before the candidate is made eligible to test.
Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.09(6)(a) sets a passing grade at 70 percent or greater in each part of the examination, and the department's master plumber examination page confirms a two part, open book exam with a passing score of 70 percent. A candidate retakes only the parts failed, but under 305.09(6)(b)2 anyone who has not passed all parts within one year of the first attempt must reapply and retake every part.
Table 305.02 in Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 lists $20 application, $30 examination and $500 license for a master plumber and for each master plumber-restricted category, and $10 application, $20 examination and $180 license for a journeyman plumber and each journeyman plumber-restricted category. A plumbing apprentice registration is $15 and $15. A utility contractor license is $10, $30 and $500. A pipelayer registration is $15 and $180.
Table 305.06 in Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.06 gives master plumber, journeyman plumber, both restricted grades of each, utility contractor and pipelayer a 4 year term expiring March 31. A plumbing apprentice registration runs 1 year from issuance and a plumbing learner-restricted registration runs 2 years from issuance. The credential expires at midnight on the date in the table.
At least 24 hours before the license expires. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.91(8)(b)1 makes master plumber renewal contingent on 24 hours of acceptable continuing education and SPS 305.93(6)(b)1 imposes the same on a journeyman plumber. Because the term is four years, those 24 hours cover the whole term. Both rules allow the department to waive the requirement for prolonged illness, disability or similar circumstances.
Not in the sense of a license issued without testing. Wis. Stat. 145.09 is headed State comity and waives the evidence otherwise required under 145.07, not the examination. Section 145.09(2m) lets a journeyman in through an out-of-state apprenticeship, a passed out-of-state journeyman exam, and at least 5 years of practice with no discipline. The department's application forms route comity applicants straight to the Wisconsin exam.
Yes, in printed material designed for public distribution. Wis. Stat. 145.11(3) requires a person advertising as a master plumber that way to include his or her master plumber license number, and a person advertising as a plumbing contractor to include the license number of the master plumber the contractor employs. Section 145.11(1) also bars advertising as a plumbing contractor, master plumber or plumber unless the person is or employs a licensed master plumber.
Wis. Stat. 145.12(1) sets a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 or 30 days imprisonment or both, with each day a separate offense. Section 145.12(5)(a) lets the department assess a forfeiture of up to $2,000 per violation directly. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.125(1) prices them: $1,000, $1,500 then $2,000 for unlicensed installation with no master plumber in charge, and $1,000, $1,500 then $2,000 for superintending installations without a master plumber license.
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