Garage door rules & licensing in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) — official site

Wis. Admin. Code s.SPS 305.31(1), implementing Wis. Stat. s.101.654(1)(a): "no person may obtain a building permit for a one- or 2-family dwelling unless the person complies with all of the following" - (a) holds a dwelling contractor certification or a dwelling contractor - restricted certification issued by the department, and (b) "Holds or engages, as an employee, a person who holds a certification issued by the department as a dwelling contractor qualifier." Wis. Stat. s.101.654(1)(b) exempts an owner of a dwelling who resides or will reside in the dwelling and who applies for a building permit to perform work on the dwelling. There is no separate Wisconsin trade licence for garage door work itself.

No dollar threshold. The trigger under SPS 305.31(1) is obtaining a building permit for a one- or two-family dwelling, not the contract value.

Wis. Stat. s.101.654(2)(a) requires the applicant to have in force EITHER (1) "A bond endorsed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state of not less than $5,000, conditioned upon the applicant complying with all applicable provisions of the one- and 2-family dwelling code", OR (2) "A policy of general liability insurance insuring the applicant in the amount of at least $250,000 per occurrence because of bodily injury to or death of others or because of damage to the property of others." A bond of less than $25,000 results in a "Dwelling Contractor - Restricted" certification. Applicants must also certify compliance with worker's compensation and unemployment compensation requirements (SPS 305.31(3)(a)1.). Certification is valid for no longer than one year.

Wis. Admin. Code s.SPS 320.08(1): "a Wisconsin uniform building permit shall be obtained from the municipality administering and enforcing this code or from a registered UDC inspection agency ... before any on-site construction, including excavation for a structure, may begin." SPS 305.31(4)(b) adds that a certified dwelling contractor "may not commence construction until a permit is issued for the construction."

Wis. Admin. Code s.SPS 321.02(1)(c): "Dwellings shall be designed and constructed to withstand either a horizontal and uplift pressure of 20 pounds per square foot acting over the surface area or the wind loads determined in accordance with ASCE 7-05, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures." SPS 321.02(1) also requires "a complete load path capable of transferring all loads from point of origin through the load-resisting elements to the foundation."