The Vermont House will act on bill H.157 the week of April 5 to require every contractor to register with the state Office of Professional Regulation if the value of the work and  materials provided to a home owner amounts to $2500 or more.

Mandatory Contractor Registration Coming

“Contracting” means “to build demolish or alter a residential dwelling unit and includes interior and exterior construction, re novation and repair, paving, roofing, weatherization, installation or repair of heating, plumbing, electrical, water or wastewater systems, plus anything else that occurs to the Office of Professional Regulation later on.

                Failure to register will be considered an “unauthorized practice”, which can bring a $5,000 fine.  Two new state employees will be required to administer the mandatory registrations.

                The bill is the brainchild of Rep. Scott Campbell, Democrat of St. Johnsbury. It’s a watered down version of Campbell’s two bills that didn’t pass last year, one to impose minimum competency standards on contractors and another to block the sale of single family homes that don’t meet Rep. Campbell’s idea of stringent energy conservation standards needed to fight climate change.

                Make no mistake: Rep. Campbell’s bill is the next determined step toward mandatory licensing of every contractor, until practically no one can remain in those occupations without Montpelier peering over his or her shoulder. Now would be a good time for homeowners and builders to tell their legislators to chuck this power grab into the recycling box.