Minnesota licenses residential building contractors, remodelers, and roofers at the state level through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).
Requirements checked against the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) published requirements on September 29, 2026.
| Licensing board | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing Division |
|---|---|
| License required when | no state license for commercial general contracting (free Construction Contractor Registration instead); state licenses cover residential building contractor, remodeler, roofer and manufactured home installer; single specialty skill exempt by affidavit if gross annual receipts from that work do not exceed 15000 dollars |
| What the state calls the qualifier | qualifying person |
| NASCLA exam accepted | no |
| Reciprocity and endorsement | Not stated |
| Exam waivers | no waiver; an out of state licensee must pass Minnesota's own DLI exam and complete the full application |
| Experience required | none; no experience or education prerequisite to sit the exam or hold the license |
| Application and exam fees | exam application 50 dollars; base license fee 180 dollars plus the Contractor Recovery Fund fee |
| Renewal | every two years; renewal fee not stated; qualifying person needs 14 hours of continuing education per cycle; recovery fund fee is annual at 320, 420 or 520 dollars by receipts |
| Time to license | not published by DLI; third party sites cluster around 7 to 10 business days after the exam is passed |
| Bond and financial requirements | no financial statement or net worth test; general liability insurance of 100000 per occurrence, 300000 aggregate and 25000 property damage; Contractor Recovery Fund fee of 320, 420 or 520 dollars a year in place of a bond; Residential Roofer posts a 15000 dollar surety bond |
| Penalty for unlicensed work | Not stated |
| Time to replace a qualifier | 120 days to designate and get DLI approval on a replacement; written notice to DLI within 15 days of the change (electrical, elevator and high pressure piping get 30 days) |
| Companies one qualifier may qualify | more than one corporation or LLC only if the licensed companies share common ownership of at least 25 percent among themselves; unrelated client companies not allowed |
Facts checked on August 16, 2026.
Each line was checked against the state board’s published requirements on the date shown. Not stated means the board material we reviewed did not state it, so we do not guess. Boards change rules; confirm the current figure with the board before you file.
A license is required for anyone who contracts directly with a homeowner on a one to four unit dwelling and offers more than one of the eight defined special skill areas, and roofing requires a license even as a single skill. Commercial general contractors are not licensed by the state, they register through DLI's Construction Contractor Registration Program instead. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical contractors carry their own statewide DLI licenses.
Every licensed residential contracting company operates through a designated qualifying person who passes the state exam.
Minnesota requires a Qualifying Agent for all licensed contractor entities.
Minnesota licenses residential contracting: Building Contractor, Remodeler, Roofer, or Manufactured Home Installer, issued by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). A commercial-only or single-specialty contractor instead files a free Construction Contractor Registration with DLI. Each license is held by a company through a named qualifying person, such as an owner, partner, manager, or managing employee, meeting DLI's requirements.
The Residential Building Contractor license is the broadest classification; it covers new construction and remodeling of one to four unit dwellings. The Residential Remodeler license is limited to existing structures and cannot be used to build new homes or detached garages. The Residential Roofer license is limited to roofing work and explicitly excludes gutters, downspouts, soffit, and fascia (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractor licensing overview page, checked September 29, 2026). The Manufactured Home Installer license is its own separate classification. A Residential Roofer can also hold a Remodeler or Building Contractor license, and a Residential Remodeler can also hold a Building Contractor license (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, Minnesota Statutes section 326B.805).
Minnesota does not set dollar denominated monetary tiers the way Tennessee or Nevada do. The one dollar figure in this part of the system is a small job exemption under section 326B.805: a Certificate of Exemption for a contractor doing a single specialty skill whose total gross annual receipts from that skilled work do not exceed 15000 dollars a year, filed by affidavit and renewed annually with a fresh affidavit that the threshold was not exceeded the prior year (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, section 326B.805). That exemption is narrow: it applies to single skill specialty work, not to a multi trade residential building contractor.
Minnesota licenses the business entity through a named qualifying person, not the individual alone. The qualifying person must be the proprietor or a managing employee for a sole proprietorship, a general partner or managing employee for a partnership, a chief manager or managing employee for an LLC, or an owner, officer, or managing employee for a corporation. A managing employee qualifier must be regularly employed by the licensee and actively engaged in the residential contracting or remodeling business on the licensee's behalf (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, Minnesota Statutes section 326B.805, subdivision 4). The qualifying person must also complete 14 hours of CCLD approved continuing education, including one hour on energy, to renew the company's license every two years (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractor FAQ page, checked September 29, 2026).
The statute allows one qualifying person to act as qualifying person for more than one corporation or LLC only if there is common ownership of at least 25 percent among the licensed corporations or LLCs themselves, meaning the companies must be related to each other by shared ownership, not simply that the qualifying person holds a personal stake in each one (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, section 326B.805). That is tighter than Nevada's rule, where the qualifying person's own ownership stake in each company can satisfy the test. Nothing in the statute allows a qualifying person to qualify a set of unrelated companies with no ownership tie between those companies, unlike Georgia. Whether a given qualifying arrangement satisfies this Minnesota ownership language should be confirmed with DLI and with legal counsel before it is relied on.
For Residential Building Contractor, Residential Remodeler, Residential Roofer, and Manufactured Home Installer licenses, the licensee has 120 days from the date the previous qualifying person stopped serving to designate and get DLI's approval on a replacement (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, change of responsible person page; Minnesota Statutes section 326B.825). A business must also notify DLI in writing within 15 days of a change, and must notify DLI immediately when a required responsible licensed individual leaves, so the 15 day notice and the 120 day replacement window run on separate tracks. That is more time than Nevada's 10 day notice and 30 day replacement clock. Electrical, elevator, and high pressure piping licenses run on a tighter 30 day replacement deadline after the prior responsible person's departure (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, change of responsible person page); a business in those trades should treat that deadline as more urgent than the residential building contractor timeline.
Minnesota does not contract its residential contractor exams out to PSI, Prometric, or Pearson VUE. DLI's own Construction Codes and Licensing Division administers and proctors the exam itself, at its St Paul headquarters and at outstate sites in Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, St Cloud, Virginia, Willmar, and Winona (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, DLI exam application and the DLI license exam schedule page). The Building Contractor, Remodeler, and Roofer exams are each 110 multiple choice questions, roughly 60 percent on the Minnesota Residential Code and the rest on the statutes and rules governing residential contracting; a candidate has 5.5 hours and needs 70 percent to pass, the exam is offered in English and Spanish, and DLI hands out the reference code book and a DLI reference manual at the seat (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, contractor, roofer and remodeler exams page, checked September 29, 2026). The application fee is 50 dollars, paid to DLI directly, nonrefundable, and no cash is accepted. A failed attempt requires a 30 day wait and a brand new application before retesting. There is no prerequisite experience or education requirement to sit any of the three exams, unlike Nevada's 4 year experience rule or the license by experience path used in some southeastern states (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, contractor, roofer and remodeler exams page). Passing gives the qualifying person a Q number: QB for building contractor, QC for remodeler, or QR for roofer.
Some third party licensing websites state that Minnesota's exam is administered through PSI. That is not accurate: DLI administers and proctors the exam itself. Any Minnesota specific fact that appears only on a site other than the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry or the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes should be confirmed directly with DLI before being relied on.
Minnesota is not a participating agency on NASCLA's Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies list. The current published list covers Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, the Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia, and Minnesota is not among them (NASCLA, NASCLA Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies page). A NASCLA exam pass does not substitute for Minnesota's own exam with DLI.
Minnesota does not send test takers to PSI, Prov, Pearson VUE, or any outside vendor for its residential contracting licenses. DLI's own Construction Codes and Licensing Division writes, administers, and proctors these exams directly, using its own online iMS system for scheduling (Minnesota DLI iMS online system) rather than a third party test taker portal, per the DLI exam application, the DLI license exam schedule page, and the department's own License Examination Information Guide for these four classifications, which functions as Minnesota's candidate information bulletin since there is no separately branded guide from an outside vendor. One single guide and one single application form cover all four classifications, so the vendor, scheduling process, testing locations, fee, and retake rule are identical across all four. What differs by classification is the number of scored questions and the knowledge areas tested.
Apply first, either online through DLI's iMS system or on the paper Exam Application form, and pay the 50 dollar application fee, nonrefundable, no cash accepted by mail or walk in. DLI does not schedule an exam date until the application itself is approved. Once approved, DLI emails instructions for scheduling the exam through iMS; walk ins are not permitted, and an applicant may reschedule an already booked exam date one time, while a no show on a rescheduled date results in the application being denied. Testing happens only in person, at DLI's headquarters in St Paul on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays most weeks, or at outstate Minnesota sites in Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, St Cloud, Virginia, Willmar, and Winona. There is no remote or online proctoring option in DLI's own materials, and this is Minnesota's own exam rather than a shared regional program. A candidate who fails must wait 30 days after receiving results before reapplying, and must submit a new application and a new 50 dollar fee to retest. DLI mails results and does not give results by phone or email. An applicant who scores within five percentage points of passing gets an automatic recheck; DLI does not otherwise offer a written or oral review of a failed exam, though a candidate may submit written comments about specific questions afterward. Applicants must arrive at least 30 minutes early and show photo ID; no outside materials or electronic devices of any kind, including a personal cell phone or calculator, may enter the building.
110 multiple choice questions, 5.5 hours, 70 percent required to pass (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, contractor, roofer and remodeler exams page). The exam is effectively closed book: a candidate cannot bring in any outside material, and DLI hands out the Minnesota Residential Code and DLI's own reference manual at the seat, available for the whole exam, plus a standard desktop calculator with add, subtract, multiply, divide, square root, and percentage functions. Because DLI supplies fresh copies of the code book and reference manual at the test station rather than letting a candidate bring in a personally owned and tabbed copy, there is no tabbing or highlighting policy of the kind other states' exam vendors publish. DLI's exam guide lists 60 scored questions inside the 110 question total across twelve knowledge areas: plans and specifications, energy code, building planning and life safety, sitework, concrete and masonry, carpentry, roofing, exterior finishes, foam plastic insulation, interior finishes, associated issues touching electrical, plumbing, and energy, and job site safety including lead work. DLI states that the Building Contractor exam is harder than the Roofer exam because a building contractor must know more of the Residential Code.
Same 110 questions, 5.5 hours, and 70 percent passing score, with the same DLI supplied Residential Code and reference manual, and the same absence of a tabbing or highlighting rule, since no outside book enters the room. Its knowledge areas mirror the Building Contractor exam minus new construction topics, reflecting that a Remodeler works on existing structures rather than new construction.
Same 110 questions, 5.5 hours, and 70 percent passing score, with the same DLI supplied references. Its content is roofing specific, covering roofing principles and estimating, roof deck requirements, underlayment, pitched and low sloped roofs by material type, fasteners, flashing, ventilation, and reroofing. DLI's own guide states this is the least difficult of the three Residential Code exams.
This classification's exam is not 110 questions; DLI's materials put it at 90 multiple choice questions, still 5.5 hours with the same 70 percent passing score and the same DLI supplied references. Its content outline runs on federal manufactured housing standards layered on Minnesota Rules chapter 1350 rather than the Residential Code, covering federal and state standards including HUD seals and labels, placement and site preparation, stabilizing systems, multi section connections and alternate construction, site utilities installation and testing, and skirting, perimeter enclosure, and ventilation. Confirm the current question count with DLI directly before relying on it.
Every one of these four exams is scored the same way, carries the same 30 day wait on a fail, costs the same 50 dollars, and is scheduled the same way through iMS, so the process for one classification is the process for all four; only the content differs. There is no outside book to bring and no PSI or Prov test center involved; study happens against DLI's own Residential Code, reference manual, and statutes and rules chapters, and the test day materials are handed out by DLI at the seat rather than brought in by the candidate.
No years of experience are required to sit the exam or to hold a Residential Building Contractor, Remodeler, or Roofer license, and DLI does not require a financial statement, net worth showing, or CPA review the way Nevada does (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractor licensing overview page, checked September 29, 2026). What is required is insurance: general liability coverage of at least 100000 dollars per occurrence, 300000 dollars aggregate, and 25000 dollars in property damage, covering premises, operations and products, and completed operations, with the insurer licensed in Minnesota and DLI listed as a certificate holder, plus workers compensation coverage where employees are involved (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractor licensing overview page).
In place of a surety bond, a Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler pays into the state's Contractor Recovery Fund, a tiered annual fee of 320 dollars for gross annual receipts under 1000000 dollars, 420 dollars for 1000000 to 5000000 dollars, and 520 dollars above 5000000 dollars (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractor licensing overview page). No separate bond is required for the Building Contractor or Remodeler classification because the recovery fund stands in for it. The Residential Roofer classification is different: a roofer must post an actual 15000 dollar surety bond under Minnesota Statutes section 326B.86 (Minnesota Revisor of Statutes).
Under Minnesota DLI and Minnesota Statutes section 326B.092, the application fee schedule is as follows: exam application, 50 dollars; base license fee, 180 dollars, plus the Contractor Recovery Fund fee.
A single official end to end processing timeline is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. Third party licensing guides cite figures ranging from 7 to 10 business days for DLI to process a complete application once the exam is passed and the paperwork is submitted, to 4 to 8 weeks overall, with some citing 2 to 4 months when exam study time is included. Confirm current processing time directly with DLI rather than relying on a specific number of weeks for Minnesota.
The Construction Contractor Registration has a DLI published figure: complete applications may take up to two to three business days to issue, stretching to 30 days during the October through December peak renewal season in odd numbered years (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, construction contractor registration page).
No reciprocity or exam waiver exists for the Residential Building Contractor, Remodeler, Roofer, or Manufactured Home Installer license. An applicant licensed in another state still has to pass Minnesota's own exam and go through the full DLI application, including the exam, regardless of how long that applicant has held a license elsewhere. Minnesota's residential contractor FAQ page did not surface a reciprocity section covering these four licenses; confirm reciprocity questions directly with DLI before relying on an answer from elsewhere. A claim that Minnesota has reciprocity arrangements for electricians and plumbers, but not for the residential contractor licenses, is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page and should be confirmed with DLI before being treated as fact.
Electrical is not folded into the residential contracting license; it runs through DLI's own Board of Electricity. An electrical contractor must designate a licensed master electrician as the responsible licensee, and the contractor license fee is 188 dollars, with licenses expiring the last day of February in even numbered years (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, electrical contractor licensing basics page, checked September 29, 2026).
Minnesota has adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code, effective August 17, 2026. Electrical permits filed before August 17, 2026 must still comply with the 2023 NEC, and permits filed on or after that date must comply with the 2026 NEC. DLI's own licensing exams transition to the 2026 NEC beginning September 8, 2026 (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, electrical codes and standards page).
Plumbing and mechanical work, meaning HVAC and related gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, and refrigeration work, are also both separately licensed through DLI, and unlike the Building Contractor classification these carry a bond requirement: 25000 dollars for a mechanical contractor, filed with DLI for a 100 dollar fee, valid two years and renewable at 100 dollars, and a separate 25000 dollar code compliance bond for anyone contracting to do plumbing work, renewed annually (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, mechanical contractor bond requirements page). A contractor doing electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work cannot use the Construction Contractor Registration in place of the specific trade license; that registration explicitly excludes anyone who needs electrical, plumbing, boiler, elevator, or high pressure piping licensure.
DLI raised several CCLD inspection and permit fees effective July 1, 2025, covering electrical, elevator, boiler, plumbing plan review, plumbing inspection, and manufactured structures units, including a new 25 dollar electrical permit application fee and a minimum electrical inspection fee that rose from 35 to 55 dollars (Minnesota Senate Labor committee testimony summary on the DLI CCLD fee alignment bill, SF2373). These are inspection and permit fees paid on jobs, not licensing fees, so they do not change the 188 dollar electrical contractor license fee or the recovery fund and bond figures above, though the inspection cost environment did shift in 2025.
Minnesota has no state license for commercial general contracting. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), through its Construction Codes and Licensing Division in St Paul, licenses residential contracting only: the Residential Building Contractor license, the Residential Remodeler license, the Residential Roofer license, and the Manufactured Home Installer license (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, residential contractors, remodelers, and roofers overview page, and the official exam application form, checked September 29, 2026). A contractor who only builds or remodels commercial buildings, or who performs a single specialty skill, does not need any of those four licenses. Instead, that contractor files a free Construction Contractor Registration with DLI, a no fee, no exam form that covers one specialty skill on residential jobs and all commercial work for anyone who does not hold a residential license (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, construction contractor registration page).
Every city still runs its own rules on top of the state requirements. St Paul requires its own contractor license, a notarized 2500 dollar bond, and its own insurance minimums, and Minneapolis and Duluth run comparable city level programs (City of Saint Paul contractor license page, City of Duluth contractor licensing page).
Minnesota's license product is residential, not a general commercial contractor license the way Georgia or Tennessee license general contractors. A company doing commercial work in Minnesota needs the Construction Contractor Registration and should check city licensing rules, not a state general contractor license.
Official Licensing Authority
All contractor license applications, renewals, and qualifying agent changes must go through this board.
We place a licensed qualifying agent with your company as a full time W-2 employee and prepare the qualifier filing with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). Tell us your trade and what you have going on, and pick a time for a discovery call. Or call 615-219-2110.
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