Authority Network America: Skilled Trades Vertical Summary

The skilled trades vertical within the Authority Network America framework encompasses eight specialized reference properties covering licensed contractor categories, trade-specific regulatory standards, and professional qualification benchmarks across the United States. This page describes how those member sites are structured, how service seekers and industry professionals should navigate them, and where jurisdictional or scope boundaries between trade categories create meaningful decision points. The trades sector employs roughly 6.5 million licensed contractors across plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, and pool construction disciplines, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.

Definition and scope

The skilled trades vertical is defined here as the set of licensed, inspected, and code-governed service disciplines requiring state-issued contractor licenses, trade-specific continuing education, and third-party inspection authority. This excludes general handyman services, unlicensed maintenance work, and industries governed primarily by professional engineering boards rather than contractor licensing boards.

Across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, contractor licensing is administered at the state level, though 12 states delegate primary licensing authority to county or municipal governments (National Contractors Association Licensing Overview). The result is a fragmented regulatory landscape: a master electrician licensed in Georgia does not hold reciprocal status in California without satisfying California's Contractors State License Board requirements (CSLB). Each of the eight member sites within this vertical maps directly to a trade discipline or cross-trade reference function.

The Authority Network America provider framework defines the minimum documentation standards — license number verification, insurance certificate currency, and bonding status — that apply uniformly across all member sites regardless of trade category.

How it works

The vertical operates as a hub-and-spoke reference architecture. The hub — this site — maintains the classification logic, cross-trade comparison data, and referral protocols. Each spoke is a trade-specific authority site publishing regulatory reference, licensing maps, and professional qualification standards for its discipline.

Member sites and their functional scope:

National Plumbing Authority — Covers state-by-state plumbing license classifications, journeyman-to-master progression requirements, and code adoption status for the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) versus the International Plumbing Code (IPC). Plumbing is regulated in all 50 states, making jurisdictional comparison a primary research function.
National HVAC Authority — Documents EPA Section 608 refrigerant handling certification requirements, state mechanical contractor license structures, and NATE (North American Technician Excellence) credential standards. HVAC technicians handling refrigerants are federally required to hold EPA 608 certification regardless of state licensing status (EPA Section 608).
National Electrical Authority — Indexes state electrical contractor license tiers (electrical contractor, journeyman, apprentice), National Electrical Code (NEC) adoption cycles, and reciprocity agreements between states. NEC editions are adopted on staggered schedules; as of the 2023 edition, 27 states had adopted the 2020 NEC while others remained on earlier versions (NFPA NEC Adoption Tracker).
National Contractor Authority — Serves as the broadest-scope member site, covering general contractor licensing, subcontractor tier requirements, surety bond minimums by state, and contractor insurance benchmarks. General contractors operating across state lines face the highest regulatory complexity within the vertical.
National Roof Authority — Addresses roofing contractor licensing, which is among the most inconsistently regulated trade categories: as of 2024, only 22 states require a specific roofing contractor license, while others regulate roofing under a general contractor umbrella (NRCA Licensing Resource). The site documents these distinctions by state.
National Pool Authority — Covers pool and spa contractor licensing, which in states like California and Florida requires a separate C-53 or pool/spa specialty license distinct from general construction credentials. Pool construction intersects with plumbing, electrical, and structural disciplines, creating a multi-license compliance environment.
Authority Network Org — Functions as a cross-network standards reference, documenting the network quality benchmarks and membership criteria that govern how sites within the vertical are classified and maintained.
National Authority Org — Operates as a meta-reference for professional authority designations across trades, providing the definitional baseline for what constitutes a licensed authority versus a certification body versus a trade association.

The cross-network referral protocol governs how traffic and referrals move between member sites when a service inquiry spans multiple trade disciplines — for example, a bathroom renovation requiring simultaneous plumbing, electrical, and general contractor coordination.

Common scenarios

Three recurring research scenarios define most traffic patterns within the skilled trades vertical:

Scenario 1 — Jurisdictional license verification. A property owner or procurement officer needs to confirm that a contractor holds a valid, active license in the state where work will be performed. The member directory routes this inquiry to the appropriate trade-specific authority site, which maps to the relevant state licensing board database.

Scenario 2 — Cross-trade project coordination. A construction project requiring permits in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical simultaneously creates a multi-license verification requirement. The plumbing, HVAC, and electrical overview consolidates the regulatory intersection points for these three disciplines, which together account for the majority of residential construction permit activity.

Scenario 3 — Contractor credential comparison. Professionals evaluating whether a certification (e.g., NATE for HVAC, NFPA 70E for electrical safety) carries equivalent standing to a state license. The authority designation explained page clarifies the legal distinction: a state license is a legal prerequisite for contracting; a certification is a voluntary credential that may or may not satisfy licensing requirements.

Decision boundaries

The skilled trades vertical has defined scope edges that determine which member site — or which external regulatory body — governs a given inquiry.

Licensed trade vs. unlicensed maintenance: Work requiring a permit and inspection falls within the vertical. Routine maintenance (e.g., filter replacement, drain clearing without pipe modification) falls outside it and is not governed by contractor licensing boards.

State license vs. federal certification: EPA 608 (HVAC refrigerants), OSHA 10/30 (construction safety), and lead-safe work practices under EPA RRP (EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule) are federal requirements that exist independently of state contractor licensing. Both may apply simultaneously to the same contractor.

General contractor vs. specialty contractor: In states with tiered licensing, a general contractor license does not automatically authorize work in specialty categories — electrical, plumbing, and HVAC each typically require a separate license. This boundary is documented trade-by-trade in the member site scope comparison.

Residential vs. commercial scope: License classifications often differ by project type. A residential plumbing license in Texas, for example, does not authorize commercial plumbing work above a defined threshold. The vertical coverage map visualizes these distinctions across trade and jurisdiction.

The network compliance requirements page defines how member sites within this vertical must document and update regulatory information to maintain accurate jurisdictional reference data.

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