Network Identity

Authority Network America (authoritynetworkamerica.com) functions as the central hub for a structured group of trade and contractor reference properties operating at national scale across the United States. This page describes how the network is organized, what each member domain covers, and how the overall architecture supports service seekers, licensed professionals, and industry researchers navigating specific trade sectors. The 8 member sites operate under a shared standards framework, each scoped to a distinct vertical within the home services and construction trades landscape. Understanding the network's structure is essential for locating the correct reference point within it.

How the network is organized

Authority Network America is structured as a hub-and-spoke model. The hub — this domain — houses the network standards reference, cross-network protocols, and the provider framework that governs how member sites qualify, list, and assess professionals. Each spoke is a distinct member domain focused on a single trade or contractor category.

The network applies a consistent set of qualification criteria across all member sites, detailed in the network membership criteria and enforced through the network quality benchmarks. This consistency allows professionals appearing on multiple member sites to carry a uniform credentialing baseline regardless of which vertical they operate in.

Three structural distinctions define how the network functions internally:

1. Vertical specificity — Each member site covers exactly one trade sector (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general contracting, roofing, or pools). No member site duplicates another's primary scope.
2. Cross-network referral — The cross-network referral protocol allows users arriving at one member site to be directed to relevant resources on a different member site when a project spans multiple trades.
3. Compliance alignment — All member sites adhere to the network compliance requirements that govern how licensing data, contractor credentials, and geographic coverage are represented.

Network scope

The network's geographic coverage spans all 50 U.S. states, with member sites drawing on licensing board data, contractor registration databases, and publicly available regulatory records from state agencies. The network geographic coverage page maps which licensing regimes are represented within each vertical.

Across the 8 member domains, the network addresses 6 distinct skilled trade sectors: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general contracting, roofing, and swimming pool construction and service. Two additional properties — authoritynetwork.org and nationalauthority.org — serve as supplementary reference layers that support cross-vertical research and institutional context for the broader authority framework.

The network does not operate as a lead generation marketplace or contractor directory in the transactional sense. Member sites function as reference and qualification resources — the distinction is described in detail on the authority designation explained page. Providers listed or referenced across the network meet the provider listing standards applicable to their vertical.

How to navigate the network

Navigating the network efficiently depends on identifying the correct vertical first. A homeowner or facilities manager researching licensed roofing contractors in a specific state begins at the roofing member site, not at the hub. A researcher examining how HVAC licensing requirements vary by state begins at the HVAC authority domain. The hub is the appropriate entry point for understanding the network's structure itself — its standards, framework, and membership architecture.

The member directory lists all active member sites with brief scope descriptions. The vertical coverage map identifies which trade verticals are represented and at what depth. For professionals seeking to understand how listing or recognition on a member site works, the network provider onboarding page outlines eligibility and process. The consumer resource index organizes member site content by service-seeker use case rather than by trade vertical.

Member domains and their roles

The 8 member sites are the operational core of the network. Each addresses a defined sector of the U.S. trade and contractor landscape.

National Plumbing Authority covers licensing requirements, code jurisdiction structures, and professional qualification standards for plumbers across state and municipal regulatory frameworks. Plumbing licensure varies significantly by state — master, journeyman, and apprentice classifications carry different legal weights in different jurisdictions, and this site organizes that complexity into accessible reference structure. See also the national plumbing authority overview page.

National HVAC Authority addresses the regulatory and credentialing landscape for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning professionals, including EPA Section 608 certification requirements and state-level contractor licensing. The plumbing, HVAC, and electrical overview page contextualizes how these three mechanical trades intersect in residential and commercial projects.

National Electrical Authority covers electrical contractor and electrician licensing requirements, National Electrical Code (NEC) adoption status by state, and the examination and continuing education standards that govern electrical work authorization at the state level.

National Contractor Authority functions as the reference point for general contractor licensing, bonding, and insurance requirements across states that impose them — a category that includes 46 states with some form of contractor registration or licensing regime. The contractor verification framework applies directly to professionals referenced through this domain.

National Roof Authority covers roofing contractor licensing, which is governed by a patchwork of state and local requirements more fragmented than most other trades. The roofing and pool exterior overview page addresses how exterior trade licensing requirements relate across jurisdictions.

National Pool Authority addresses swimming pool construction, renovation, and service contractor licensing, including the specialized requirements imposed by states with high pool density such as Florida, California, and Arizona.

authoritynetwork.org serves as a cross-vertical reference layer providing institutional context for the network's standards framework and how authority designation functions across trade sectors.

nationalauthority.org provides supplementary reference infrastructure supporting the network's public-facing research and qualification functions at a national level.

The member site scope comparison page presents a structured side-by-side view of all 8 member domains, their primary coverage areas, and the regulatory frameworks each engages.