Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor Qualifier
The DSPS-approved 12-hour course you need before you apply for your DCQ certification. 100% online, with no separate state exam.
Wisconsin DCQ 12-Hour Initial Course
DSPS-approved course 963061
$99.99
one-time, all online
963061
DSPS-approved course
12 hrs
What Wisconsin requires
No exam
The tests are in the course
Both are DSPS course 963061. Pick the listing for where you are, so your hours count for the right thing.
Get your first DCQ
DSPS-approved course 963061
$99.99
Take it within the year before you apply. Your certificate is ready the moment you finish.
Renew your DCQ
DSPS-approved course 963061
$84.99
Your DCQ renews every 2 years. When you finish, we upload your hours to your LicensE account within 14 days.
To pull a building permit for a one- or two-family home in Wisconsin, a contractor needs a Dwelling Contractor certification and must hold or employ a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier (SPS 305.31).
The qualifier certification starts with this course. Finish it, and you can apply the same day.
“…completed at least 12 hours in an approved course in dwelling construction within one year prior to the date of application. The course shall include … one or more tests on at least the following subject matter: 1. Construction laws. 2. Construction codes. 3. Construction business practices.”
Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.315(2)(c)
Take the 12-hour course online
Download your certificate
Apply in LicensE
Try it risk-free.
Not right for you? Ask within 30 days and we’ll refund it, as long as you haven’t finished it. Bought the wrong course for your license? We’ll swap it. Refund policy
Nine sections, each ending with a checkpoint. They carry the tests Wisconsin requires on construction laws, codes and business practices.
Foundations and sitework
Excavation, footings, foundation walls, slabs and drainage under the UDC.
Framing and the building envelope
Floor, wall and roof framing, sheathing, weather barriers, windows and SPS 322.
Mechanical, plumbing and electrical
HVAC clearances, fixture counts, branch circuits, GFCI and AFCI protection.
Dwelling contractor law
SPS 305, who must be certified, qualifier eligibility and discipline.
Contracts, liens and liability
Lien law, ATCP 110 contracts, insurance, trust funds and payment bonds.
Worker safety
OSHA 1926 employer duties and fall protection.
Running the business
Estimating, job costing, cash flow, scheduling, payroll, taxes and ethics.
Permits and inspections
The permit packet, inspections from footing to final, and finding answers in the code.
Calculations and practice exam
Concrete and vent calculations, an estimating workshop and a practice exam.
Contractor Educator
Former Oregon general contractor; contractor course instructor since 2011
Michael Melvin is a construction educator and former contractor who has taught contractor licensing and continuing education courses since 2011. He previously worked as a general contractor in Oregon, then used that practical knowledge to design courses that contractors could actually use—licensing requirements, business practices, and job-site realities rather than theory alone.
Over his career he has trained thousands of contractors nationwide. Today he is known as an instructor who speaks the language of the trade: someone who has run jobs, built a training company, and spent years helping contractors get licensed, stay compliant, and run stronger businesses.
Sources: Wisconsin DSPS, Dwelling Contractor Qualifier · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.315. Renewing? Wisconsin contractor continuing education.
DSPS-approved, online, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.