Authority Network America: Vertical Coverage Map

The Authority Network America vertical coverage map documents the full scope of trade and home-service verticals represented across the network's eight member sites, the professional categories each vertical encompasses, and the regulatory and licensing structures that govern them. Each member site functions as a sector-specific reference authority covering contractor qualification standards, licensing requirements, and service provider frameworks within a defined trade discipline. Understanding how these verticals relate to one another — and where their jurisdictional and functional boundaries fall — is essential for service seekers, researchers, and industry professionals navigating the network. The vertical coverage map serves as the structural index for this architecture.

Definition and scope

A vertical coverage map, in the context of Authority Network America, is a structured index of the trade and service-sector disciplines represented by the network's member properties. Each vertical corresponds to a licensed trade category regulated at the state and local level in the United States, with associated contractor licensing boards, code enforcement bodies, and industry standards organizations.

The network spans eight member sites covering six primary verticals — plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general contracting, roofing, and pool/aquatic systems — plus two cross-vertical reference properties that aggregate standards, frameworks, and provider classification data across all disciplines. Coverage is national in geographic scope, meaning each vertical site addresses licensing frameworks, contractor qualification benchmarks, and regulatory compliance requirements drawn from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, though specific licensing thresholds and code adoption timelines vary by jurisdiction (National Conference of State Legislatures, Occupational Licensing).

The Authority Network America Provider Framework establishes the classification logic used to assign trade professionals to specific verticals and determine when a contractor's scope spans multiple member sites.

How it works

The network operates as a hub-and-spoke architecture. Authority Network America (authoritynetworkamerica.com) is the hub, holding the vertical coverage map, provider framework documentation, and cross-network standards references. Each of the six trade-specific member sites functions as a spoke, covering one defined discipline in depth.

The two non-trade member sites — Authority Network Reference Hub and National Authority Reference — serve as cross-vertical aggregators. Authority Network Reference Hub consolidates licensing standard comparisons, network-wide quality benchmarks, and inter-vertical referral protocols. National Authority Reference indexes provider qualification data and regulatory body contact information across all verticals in a single searchable reference structure.

Trade vertical member sites and their scope:

1. Plumbing — National Plumbing Authority covers licensed plumbing contractor classifications, state-by-state master and journeyman licensing requirements, code adoption status under the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and International Plumbing Code (IPC), and service tier distinctions between residential, commercial, and industrial plumbing scopes.

2. HVAC — National HVAC Authority addresses heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration contractor licensing, EPA Section 608 certification requirements for refrigerant handling, and the distinction between HVAC-R and HVAC-only license classifications across state licensing boards.

3. Electrical — National Electrical Authority documents electrical contractor and electrician licensing tiers — master, journeyman, and apprentice classifications — as governed by state electrical boards, with references to National Electrical Code (NEC) adoption cycles and inspection authority structures.

4. General Contracting — National Contractor Authority covers the broader general contractor licensing landscape, including bonding and insurance thresholds, subcontractor relationship frameworks, and the distinction between residential builder licenses and unlimited commercial contractor designations.

5. Roofing — National Roof Authority covers roofing contractor licensing requirements, which vary significantly by state — 22 states require a dedicated roofing license while others regulate roofing under a general contractor classification — plus manufacturer warranty certification programs and storm-damage assessment contractor categories.

6. Pool and Aquatic Systems — National Pool Authority addresses swimming pool and spa contractor licensing, including distinctions between pool construction contractors, service technicians, and commercial aquatic facility operators, with reference to the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, VGB Act) as a federal baseline.

The network membership criteria page defines the minimum content depth, regulatory accuracy standards, and geographic coverage requirements a vertical property must satisfy to carry network designation.

Common scenarios

Scenario 1: Single-trade lookup
A homeowner or procurement officer seeking a licensed HVAC contractor in a specific state accesses National HVAC Authority directly, uses the state licensing board reference index, and confirms contractor qualification against EPA 608 and state-specific certification benchmarks. No cross-vertical lookup is required.

Scenario 2: Multi-trade project
A commercial construction project requires licensed plumbing, electrical, and HVAC subcontractors under a general contractor umbrella. The plumbing, HVAC, and electrical overview consolidates licensing cross-reference data, and the cross-network referral protocol documents how contractor records are matched across three member sites without duplication.

Scenario 3: Vertical boundary ambiguity
A solar-plus-electrical installation involves both an electrical license and, in 14 states, a separate solar contractor endorsement. The member site scope comparison page maps these boundary cases and identifies which network vertical holds primary coverage for hybrid-license trade categories.

Scenario 4: Provider verification
An insurance underwriter or general contractor verifying a subcontractor's license status uses the contractor verification framework to confirm which licensing board has jurisdiction and which network member site holds the applicable qualification reference data.

Decision boundaries

Vertical assignment within the network follows three decision criteria:

1. Primary license type — The license issued by the governing state board determines vertical assignment. A contractor holding a plumbing license who also performs minor HVAC work is classified under the plumbing vertical.

2. Scope-of-work threshold — When a contractor's documented scope of work in a secondary trade exceeds 40% of total documented project value (a threshold defined in the network quality benchmarks), dual-vertical classification applies and the contractor record appears in both relevant member sites.

3. Regulatory body jurisdiction — Where two trades fall under a single state licensing board (a structure found in 9 states for electrical and low-voltage work), the vertical with the higher license tier takes precedence for classification purposes.

Trade vertical comparison: licensed vs. registration-based states

State counts are approximate and subject to legislative session changes; verify current status through individual state licensing board portals.

The home services vertical summary and trades vertical summary pages provide deeper regulatory breakdowns within these groupings. For provider-side documentation on listing qualification, the provider listing standards page governs data submission and accuracy requirements across all six trade verticals.

References

• National Conference of State Legislatures — Occupational Licensing
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Section 608 Technician Certification
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act
• International Code Council — Code Adoption by State
• National Fire Protection Association — NEC State Adoptions
• Uniform Law Commission — Contractor Licensing Framework Reference