Getting your Wisconsin contractor license? Contractor Pathway offers an original, exam-focused study guide and four full-length practice exams for every Wisconsin classification that requires a state board exam — currently 4 courses across Electrical and Plumbing. Choose your classification below and study with 30-, 60-, or 90-day access at $99, $129, and $169.

Who licenses contractors in Wisconsin

These are the Wisconsin classifications we build exam prep for, each licensed by its responsible board:

Always confirm the current code edition, experience requirements, fees, and passing score with the board and testing vendor before you schedule. Contractor Pathway is an independent exam-prep provider and is not affiliated with any Wisconsin board or testing vendor.

How to get licensed in Wisconsin

Wisconsin licenses plumbers through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS). Under Wis. Stat. § 145.06 no one may engage in or work at plumbing in the state unless licensed by the Department. Every figure below is taken from DSPS’s own application information forms and its published exam pages.

1. Journeyman Plumber — complete an apprenticeship. DSPS requires that you have completed a plumbing apprenticeship program recognised under Wis. Stat. § 106.001 or by the Federal Department of Labor, evidenced by a letter from the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards. Under SPS 305.93 a journeyman works under the general supervision of a Master Plumber, Master Plumber Restricted, or Utility Contractor.
2. Coming from another state? The comity route accepts an out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship five-year programme including a minimum of 576 hours of plumbing-related instruction, recognised under Wis. Stat. § 106.025 or the Federal Department of Labor.
3. Master Plumber — three years at 1,000 hours. To sit the Master Plumber exam you need at least 1,000 hours of experience per year as a licensed Wisconsin Journeyman Plumber for at least three years, documented witness-by-witness on DSPS Form 3129T. A degree in civil or mechanical engineering, or another approved plumbing-related engineering curriculum, is accepted instead. Out-of-state applicants may qualify with not less than eight years of plumbing experience, of which 1,000 hours per year for at least three years was obtained under another jurisdiction’s laws.
4. Apply through LicensE. Applications and fees are handled at license.wi.gov, and fees are calculated there rather than published as a flat figure. If DSPS asks for additional documents you have three months to upload them or you start again with a new application and new fees.
5. Pass the exam. Both plumbing exams are open book with a passing score of 70% and are delivered in two parts at Pearson VUE and DSPS locations. Printed notes and code are allowed provided they are three-hole-punched in a binder — loose paper, removable tabs, sticky notes and paperclips are not. Fail and you log back into LicensE and pay another exam fee.
6. Renew with continuing education. Renewal is contingent on completing acceptable continuing education before your licence expires, set by Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305. Confirm the current hour requirement and fee in LicensE, as they are set administratively rather than fixed in the application forms.

Sources: DSPS Journeyman Plumber Application Information (#3126) and Master Plumber Application Information (#3129), both rev. 8 January 2024, and the DSPS plumber examination pages. Contractor Pathway is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with DSPS.

Choose your Wisconsin classification

Each course includes a comprehensive study guide — often 10,000 words or more — worked calculations, code-section breakdowns, common exam traps, a glossary, and a 30/60/90-day study plan — plus four full-length practice exams matched to the topic weightings of the Wisconsin test.