On January 1, 2009, the state of Michigan changed its continuing education rules for construction contractors. The new rules require much more continuing education for newer contractors, and they expand on the types of topics contractors can study while fulfilling their requirements. There are a wide variety of topics that contractors can choose from for their ongoing education, and there is a core of three topics that every contractor must take if they want to keep their license in effect.
The state of Michigan has comprehensive ongoing education requirements for contractors.
How Often Do Contractors Have To Take Continuing Education Courses?
Construction contractors in the state of Michigan must take continuing education courses every three years to keep their license valid. Every contractor must keep their renewal paperwork on file for five years after they have completed and sent in their renewal application. When sending in their renewal application, the contractor does not need to send in any extra paperwork. But the state could request an audit at any time in those five years, so it is a good idea to keep the paperwork on hand.
What Are The Renewal Requirements For Michigan Contractors?
Contractors who received their license prior to January 1, 2009 must complete three hours of training every three years using the mandatory classes only. Contractors who earned their license after January 1, 2009 have a different set of ongoing education requirements. For the first six years of their license, they must take a total of 21 hours of courses every three years with three of those hours being the mandatory courses. After the first six years, then the contractor can go to three hours of courses every three years.
What Are The Mandatory Courses?
Every three years, every contractor in Michigan must take three one-hour courses consisting of content dealing with:
- Safety
- Building codes
- Changes in Michigan business management and construction regulations
Each year, the material for these subjects is updated to reflect any changes that have occurred and all questions about building codes are altered to reflect upcoming building code changes.
What Are The Other Classes?
For the first six years of a contractor’s business history in Michigan, they must take 18 hours of non-mandatory courses every three years. Some of the subjects those other courses touch on include:
- Estimating and job costing
- Marketing
- Project management
- Carpentry
- Green building techniques
- Accounting
- Customer service
Michigan contractors should take advantage of the state’s ongoing education requirement to stay updated on new laws and building codes.
Continuing Competency Requirement
Along with continuing education every three years, every Michigan contractor must also complete what is called a continuing competence requirement. This is an activity that shows that the contractor is contributing to the Michigan construction industry by doing more than just building structures. Some of the activities that qualify as satisfying this requirement are:
- Teaching an approved pre-licensing course
- Being part of an approved mentoring program for a trade school
- Getting an article published in a recognized trade journal
- Presenting or attending an approved workshop or seminar
- Working with a Michigan college on an approved construction research project
If you are coming up on your Michigan license renewal deadline, then start a course with PDH Contractors to make sure you get the right courses completed on time. PDH Contractors is also a great resource for up-to-date information on the Michigan construction industry that will help your company to stay ahead of the competition.