Contractor Gone ยท Wisconsin
Contractor gone in Wisconsin: where the money can come from
Wisconsin has no fund, but ATCP 110 makes an abandoned home improvement job a trade practice violation with double damages, and DATCP takes the complaint. Small claims runs to $10,000.
Run the free check for Wisconsin
The four paths in Wisconsin
| Card chargeback | Same in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock. |
| State fund | None. Wisconsin has no recovery fund and no state bond program for homeowners. The money paths are the chargeback, small claims or civil court, and the bankruptcy claim if there is a case. |
| Bankruptcy claim | If the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured. |
| Lien exposure: Depends on notice | Subs must give notice within 60 days of first work on owner-occupied residential projects; without it, no lien. Ask for the notice. |
Is the contractor licensed?
Licensed by the DSPS Dwelling Contractor certification. Look up the license. Dwelling contractors must hold the certification and a qualifier license.
Deposits and the contract
Wisconsin's home improvement trade practice rule (ATCP 110) requires a written contract and bars taking payment for work not performed as agreed; violations carry double damages. confirm
Small claims
Circuit Court, small claims, generally up to $10,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm
In order
- Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
- Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the licensing complaint; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
- If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
- Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
- File the complaint with the DSPS Dwelling Contractor certification. It pays nothing but it is the pressure that gets refunds.
- Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
- Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. Subs must give notice within 60 days of first work on owner-occupied residential projects; without it, no lien. Ask for the notice.
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Wisconsin's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the small-claims worksheet, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.
Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.