1.1 Wisconsin Plumbing Credentials, Scope & Supervision (Ch. 145, SPS 305)

The legal framework

• Wis. Stat. ch. 145 defines plumbing and requires licenses. It also sets exemptions and penalties and directs DSPS to adopt the state plumbing code, which must "uniformly apply to all types of buildings" (s. 145.02 (2)).
• Ch. SPS 305, Subchapter IX (SPS 305.90 to 305.99) sets each plumbing credential's qualifications, scope, supervision and renewal.
• Wis. Stat. ch. 106 governs apprenticeship contracts. Section 106.025 requires every plumbing apprentice to enter an apprentice contract under s. 106.01.

Under s. 145.06, no person may engage in or work at plumbing without a DSPS license, and apprentices and pipelayers must be registered. Plumbing must always be installed with a licensed master plumber in charge who is responsible for it. Licenses are issued only to individuals, never to firms, and a master plumber may not let anyone use the license to obtain local permits or do the work.

The credentials (SPS 305.90 to 305.99)

Restricted scopes (SPS 305.90 (1) (b))

Restricted service (master, journeyman or learner) is limited to:

• POWTS and their components
• Sanitary and storm building sewers and private interceptor main sewers, to the immediate inside of the foundation wall
• Water services, private water mains, and manufactured home community, campground and RV park water systems
• The connection from a sewer or water service to a manufactured home's connection
• Manufactured home community, campground and RV park drain systems
• Wastewater treatment devices, stormwater use systems and reclaimed water systems outside the building perimeter

Service types 2 to 4 (underground drain and vent, modification of existing water distribution, and sewer conversion piping) are no longer issued to new applicants.

Restricted appliance is limited to connections with an existing water distribution system that do not require a direct connection to the drain system: items connecting to the water system, stormwater use or reclaimed water supply systems, and the minimum piping to connect them. A water softener whose regeneration waste discharges through an air gap to an existing standpipe fits this scope. Cutting a new trap into a waste line does not.

Learners, apprentices and ratios

• Learners need no exam or training to register, but must be at least 16 and have finished 12th grade or equivalent. Any business using learners must keep at least one journeyman (or journeyman-restricted) for each learner. A master may count as a journeyman for this ratio.
• Apprentices are governed by ch. 106 and DWD's Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, which may set more supervision rules for training. Wis. Stat. s. 106.015 bars DWD from requiring a ratio of more than one journeyworker per apprentice, except under a collective bargaining agreement. SPS 305 sets no fixed "one apprentice plus one per three journeymen" formula.
• After an apprenticeship term ends, the apprentice may not work in plumbing as an apprentice or journeyman without a journeyman license. Someone who fails the exam may keep working as an apprentice only until the time for re-examination (s. 106.025 (3)).
• A master plumber who bills an apprentice at a journeyman's wage, or represents an apprentice as a journeyman, faces a fine up to $25 or up to 30 days in jail per day of violation (s. 145.12 (3)).

Who must be licensed and who is exempt (s. 145.06 (4))

Ch. 145 doesn't apply to:

1. A property owner doing plumbing in a one-family building that the owner owns and occupies as a home or farm building, unless a local ordinance requires a license.
2. Pump installers licensed under ch. 280 working from the well pump to the initial pressure tank and the connection to the distribution system.
3. Municipal utility employees or their contractors installing sewer and water service piping from the main to the lot line, and sewer and water main installers.
4. Minor repairs to faucets, valves, pipes or appliances, replacing electrical or gas valves and controls, and clearing stoppages.

Renewal and continuing education

DSPS mails a renewal notice at least 30 days before expiration, but not receiving it is no excuse. Late renewal within one term needs an application fee, plus a $25 processing fee for late CE. After more than one term, reinstatement costs a $200 administrative fee and may require re-examination. Course providers enter CE in LicensE.

Penalties (s. 145.12)

• Acting as a master plumber without a license, or otherwise violating ch. 145: $100 to $500 or 30 days, with each day a separate offense.
• Violating plumbing rules or orders: $10 to $1,000 per violation per day.
• DSPS may directly assess forfeitures of up to $2,000 per violation of s. 145.06.