Wisconsin fines contractor for unlicensed plumbing work

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By SETH CARLSON and TOM STANKARD

The Daily Press of Ashland

A Michigan company hired by the city of Ashland to replace water meters was fined $10,000 by state regulators last fall for using unlicensed workers to perform plumbing installations, according to enforcement records.

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services found that HydroCorp of Troy, Mich., violated state plumbing licensing laws by using workers who were not properly licensed in Wisconsin to replace water meters in Ashland and 16 other Wisconsin municipalities.

The enforcement action, issued in October 2025, concluded that water meter replacement constitutes plumbing work requiring proper licensing. Wisconsin law requires a licensed master plumber to oversee such installations.

Ashland contracted with HydroCorp in 2023 to replace water meters at approximately 3,000 residential and commercial properties across the city for $296,370, according to city records.

Mayor Matt MacKenzie said the city stopped using HydroCorp after learning of the licensing issue and completed remaining installations using city utility workers. He said city officials believed HydroCorp’s workers were covered under a state law exemption that allows municipal utility employees to perform plumbing work with-out individual licenses.

However, the DSPS enforcement order states that the municipal employee exemption applies only to workers directly employed by municipalities, not private contractors. The order found that HydroCorp “lacked properly Wisconsin-licensed plumbing staff” for the water meter installation work.

MacKenzie said the city has consulted with attorneys about the matter and has asked DSPS for guidance on whether any corrective action is needed. He said state regulators have not responded with specific direction on whether the completed installations should be inspected.

“If we thought there was a danger of anything, we’d definitely be on top of it,” MacKenzie said. The city does not know how many of the 3,000 water meter installations were completed by HydroCorp versus city workers, according to MacKenzie. Public Works Director John Butler, who recommended the HydroCorp contract to the City Council in 2022, declined to comment.

The enforcement action followed a complaint filed by Ashland master plumber Zygmund Jablonski Jr., who said he warned city officials about licensing violations as early as 2022.

City records show officials were aware of concerns about HydroCorp’s licensing, but the city has withheld most internal communications about the matter from an open records request filed by the Ashland Daily Press in February, citing attorney-client privilege.

In addition to Ashland, DSPS cited HydroCorp for unlicensed work in Baldwin, Bellevue, Curtiss, Eagle, Elkhorn, Glendale, Hudson, Hurley, Luck, McFarland, Monona, Oakdale, Seymour, Spring Valley, Wilson and Winter.

In September 2025, DSPS sent a letter to all Wisconsin municipalities warning them about water meter replacement licensing requirements.

HydroCorp did not respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared in The Daily Press of Ashland. It was shared through the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s Access Alerts.