Authority Network America

Authority Network America: Member Site Scope Comparison

The Authority Network America hub coordinates eight member sites, each operating as a vertical-specific reference authority within the residential and commercial services sector. Understanding how those member sites differ in scope, credential standards, and geographic reach determines which resource applies to a given professional, service seeker, or licensing inquiry. This page maps each member site's coverage domain, explains the structural logic behind the network's architecture, and establishes the decision framework for navigating between properties.

Definition and scope

The Authority Network America network organizes trade and contractor reference authority by service vertical rather than by geography. Each member site holds national scope within its assigned discipline, covering licensing frameworks, contractor qualification standards, regulatory body references, and service category taxonomies relevant to that trade. This vertical partitioning prevents scope overlap while enabling the hub — documented at the Authority Network America overview — to serve as the single entry point for cross-vertical queries.

The eight member sites span two broad clusters:

Mechanical and systems trades:
- National Plumbing Authority — covers plumbing licensing tiers, state board jurisdictions, code references under the Uniform Plumbing Code and International Plumbing Code, and contractor qualification standards for residential and commercial water systems.
- National HVAC Authority — addresses heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contractor standards, EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification requirements, and NATE (North American Technician Excellence) credential benchmarks.
- National Electrical Authority — references National Electrical Code (NEC) adoption status by state, electrical contractor license classifications, and journeyman-to-master progression standards across jurisdictions.

Exterior and structural trades:
- National Roof Authority — documents roofing contractor licensing requirements, material specification standards, and state-level registration mandates for both residential and commercial roofing.
- National Pool Authority — covers pool and spa contractor licensing, APSP/PHTA (Pool & Hot Tub Alliance) standards, and state-specific barrier code and health code intersections.

Two network-level reference properties — Authority Network and National Authority — serve as cross-vertical standards references rather than single-trade resources. National Contractor Authority occupies a distinct position as the general contractor reference, addressing multi-trade licensure, bonding requirements, and project classification frameworks that span mechanical and structural disciplines.

The member directory lists all eight properties with their primary regulatory reference categories.

How it works

Each member site operates under shared network quality benchmarks that define minimum content standards: named regulatory bodies, verifiable license classification systems, and jurisdiction-specific code references rather than generalized trade descriptions. The Authority Network America provider framework establishes how contractor listings, when present, must meet documented qualification thresholds before appearing on a member property.

The structural logic follows a 3-layer model:

  1. Hub layer — authoritynetworkamerica.com anchors cross-network navigation, scope comparison, and referral routing between verticals.
  2. Vertical authority layer — the six trade-specific sites (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, pool, and general contractor) each maintain discipline-specific licensing and standards databases.
  3. Standards reference layer — authoritynetwork.org and nationalauthority.org hold framework-level reference material applicable across trades, including multi-jurisdiction licensing comparisons and cross-vertical credential recognition standards.

The cross-network referral protocol governs how a query originating on one member site routes to another when a project spans multiple trades — for example, a bathroom remodel implicating both plumbing and electrical jurisdictions.

Common scenarios

Scenario 1: Single-trade licensing inquiry. A service seeker identifying a licensed plumber in a specific state navigates directly to National Plumbing Authority, which indexes state plumbing boards and license tier definitions without requiring a hub-level entry point.

Scenario 2: Multi-trade project. A commercial renovation project involving HVAC, electrical, and structural modifications requires cross-referencing at least 3 member sites. The plumbing, HVAC, and electrical overview and the roofing and pool exterior overview provide consolidated entry points before deeper vertical navigation.

Scenario 3: Contractor verification. A property manager auditing subcontractor qualifications uses National Contractor Authority's general contractor framework in parallel with trade-specific sites for specialty license verification. The contractor verification framework documents the cross-site credential-checking methodology.

Scenario 4: Researcher or regulator reference. A state agency reviewing licensing reciprocity policy consults the standards reference layer — authoritynetwork.org and nationalauthority.org — for multi-jurisdiction frameworks rather than trade-specific directories.

Decision boundaries

The scope partition between member sites follows 4 primary decision axes:

  1. Trade discipline — The primary filter. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, pool, and general contracting each map to a dedicated site.
  2. Project complexity — Single-trade projects resolve within one vertical site. Multi-trade projects require hub-level navigation or cross-referencing via the vertical coverage map.
  3. Credential type — Individual technician credentials (e.g., EPA 608, NATE, journeyman electrical) are addressed within vertical sites. General contractor bonding, multi-trade licensing bundles, and project classification thresholds resolve at National Contractor Authority.
  4. Regulatory layer — State board and local jurisdiction references sit within trade-specific sites. Federal regulatory references (EPA refrigerant rules, OSHA construction standards) appear within the standards reference layer.

The distinction between National Contractor Authority and the trade-specific sites is the most operationally significant boundary in the network. General contractors hold licenses that authorize project management across trades but do not substitute for individual trade licenses; the authority designation explained page clarifies where general contractor scope ends and specialty trade licensure begins. The network membership criteria documentation further defines how each site's editorial and qualification standards are maintained independently while adhering to shared network compliance requirements documented at network compliance requirements.

References

On this site

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In the network

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