Minnesota electrical license: what your Class A contractor license lets you do and your first 30 days

Published November 3, 2026 · Rules checked November 3, 2026

• Free. The printable checklist comes by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling, quotes, invoicing, card payments). One section, the one before the FAQ, says where it fits.
• Not legal advice. I read every rule here in the statute, the rule or the Department of Labor and Industry's own page or form on November 3, 2026, and each one is linked in the sources. DLI and your city have the last word.

Your Class A electrical contractor license lets the company take any electrical job in Minnesota, of any size, residential or commercial, low voltage included, as long as a Class A master electrician is named as responsible for the work.^{1, 2} There is no dollar limit per job. The license stops at gas piping, plumbing and setting HVAC equipment, and selling rooftop solar straight to a homeowner needs a residential contractor license on top. In the first 30 days you need the $25,000 bond and liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate and $50,000 property damage (both already on file if DLI issued the license), workers' comp before the first hire, your name and license number on every truck, a permit account, a check of who inspects in each city you work, and a contact at the utility.^{3, 4}

The whole 30-day list is further down this page. It also comes as a printable sheet with blanks for your license, bond, policy and utility numbers and your renewal dates. Get it three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs (lands in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

A Minnesota master electrician, four months after opening a shop in 2025, put it like this: "So far, the work is hard and the homework is harder."⁵ This page is the homework. The pages that rank for "Minnesota electrical license" are DLI's own and exam-prep sites, and they're about getting the license. This one is about what to do with it.

Minnesota electrical license classes and what each one lets you do

Minnesota licenses the business and the people separately. Your contractor license is the business license. It "does not of itself qualify its holder to perform or supervise the electrical work authorized by holding any class of personal license."¹ The people on the job need their own.

Maintenance electrician, lineman, elevator constructor and the installer classes exist too, but they don't run a contracting shop. Two things the license doesn't have: a dollar limit per job, and a split between residential and commercial work. I read sections 326B.31 to 326B.399 for either and found none.^{1, 2}

Your Minnesota electrical contractor license and the master behind it

Every contractor names a responsible licensed individual, the master who answers for "all electrical work" the company does.¹ DLI's rules for that person:^{3, 6}

• An owner, officer or member of the company, or a W-2 employee actively doing the company's electrical work.
• An employee master can't be employed as an electrician by any other contractor, and nobody can be the responsible master for two companies. DLI won't grant the license if the master works elsewhere.
• If the master isn't an owner, partner, member or officer, the master signs every permit request.
• A master who resigns owes the company and DLI 15 days' notice, and the company must tell DLI in writing within 15 days of losing its master. You then have 30 days to file a replacement. Miss that and the license is invalid and the company stops electrical work.
• If the master is an owner and lets their own license lapse, the contractor license is invalid right away, with no 30 days.

So a master who still works for another shop can't also be the responsible master for a side company of their own. The same rules bear on anyone asking to "use your license": allowing another person to use your license is listed grounds for DLI to suspend or revoke it, and a revoked license can't be applied for again for two years.⁷

Apprentices, journeyworkers and who can work alone

Everyone doing electrical work for you must be a W-2 employee and either licensed or registered with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician (a $14 application, renewed every year with 2 hours of code training and $19).⁸ Hours worked in Minnesota since January 1, 2009 don't count toward a license unless the worker was registered or licensed, so register a helper on day one.¹ A licensed electrician may supervise at most two unlicensed people (three on technology systems work), and "direct supervision" means the licensed person is physically on site the whole working day and checks the work before it's energized. A phone call doesn't count.^{1, 2} A licensed journeyworker can work alone and run a crew, but can't plan or lay out the job; that's the master's. You also have to keep records of every unlicensed worker's electrical work and show them to DLI on request.^{1, 3}

Where your Minnesota electrical license stops

• Gas piping for a generator, range or dryer. Contracting gas work takes a $25,000 mechanical contractor bond with DLI, and Minneapolis and St. Paul license gas fitters on top.⁹ Without those, wire the generator and sub the gas line.
• Plumbing. Plumbing work needs a plumbing contractor license.¹⁰ On a water heater swap you run the circuit; a plumber sets the heater.
• HVAC. The circuit and disconnect to a condenser, furnace or air handler are electrical work and yours. Setting the unit, the line set and the charge are HVAC work, and contracting it needs the mechanical bond. An HVAC company's employees with an approved HVAC apprenticeship certificate may do the wiring in or on the equipment, but "the installation of electrical wiring to the unit" stays electrical.¹¹
• Fire alarm, data and other low voltage. Inside your license. Fire alarm systems outside one- and two-family homes need an electrical inspection, and St. Paul has its own fire alarm electrical permit.^{12, 13}
• Solar. The PV wiring is yours, with a permit. But since July 1, 2023, a company that contracts directly with a homeowner to put solar on a house must also hold a residential building contractor or remodeler license, because the roof penetration and the racking count as two of the special skills in the residential licensing law. Working as a sub to a licensed residential contractor needs nothing extra.¹⁴ The Minnesota residential license guide covers that license.
• Other trades on the same contract. Your electrical work is exempt from residential licensing. If you start selling drywall, framing or painting as part of a remodel, two or more of those special skills on one contract with a homeowner need a residential license, with a small exemption under $15,000 a year.¹⁴
• Signs. Wiring an electric sign is electrical work. Cities that license sign contractors want a bond, and one sign bond filed with DLI replaces each city's.¹⁵
• Cutting into walls in a pre-1978 home. EPA runs the lead-safe renovation rule (RRP) in Minnesota. Disturbing more than 6 square feet of painted surface in a room, or 20 outside, needs an EPA-certified firm and a certified renovator, sole proprietors included. Penalties run up to $49,772 per violation.¹⁶

Minnesota electrical permits: who files the Request for Electrical Inspection

In Minnesota the electrical permit is called a Request for Electrical Inspection; the statute defines a request for inspection as "the application for and issuance of a permit."² The contractor files it "at or before commencement" of the work, with the fees.¹² Almost every job needs one. Minor repair work is exempt from the permit, and DLI's bulletin says swapping a light fixture is not minor repair. Minor repair still needs a licensed contractor.¹⁷

Where the state inspects, you file online in DLI's iMS system after linking your account to the contractor license, or by mail.¹⁸ The state fees come from the statute:¹⁹

A worked example, by my reading of the schedule (the online permit does the sum for you): a 200-amp panel and service change with 24 existing circuits moved over is $35 for the service plus 24 × $2, or $83, plus the $25 permit fee, $108 in all. $83 covers one $55 inspection; a job that needs a second trip tops the inspection fees up to $110.

Permits filed on or after August 17, 2026 are inspected to the 2026 National Electrical Code; earlier permits stay on the 2023 edition.²⁰

The homeowner exemption. An owner who physically does the work on a home they own and live in (or will live in once built), with its own utility service, needs no license and files their own permit.^{1, 2} It covers the owner's hands, not yours: if you do the work, you file the permit. St. Paul also asks homeowners for a signed affidavit.¹³

Minnesota electrical inspection: the state inspector or your city

The state inspects every new installation unless the city has its own electrical inspection ordinance on file with DLI.¹² So before the first job in any town, look it up in DLI's Local Code Lookup: "State" means you file with DLI, "Local" means the city's own permit, fees and inspectors.^{18, 21} I ran it for 81 Minnesota cities on November 3, 2026:

Minneapolis surprises people: it's state-inspected, split into six DLI districts with named inspectors.²¹ St. Paul runs its own permits and inspections through its Department of Safety and Inspections.¹³ The directory can change, so check it before each new town. A city that inspects may ask for a copy of your state license on file, but it can't charge you a license or registration fee.¹²

For state permits, the email that issues the permit tells you how to book: a contract inspector's phone number, DLI's "Ready for Inspection" button, or a self-scheduled virtual inspection. You can't request a same-day inspection after 8 a.m. DLI's electrical inspection line is 651-284-5026.^{18, 21} If an inspector finds a problem, you get a written order with time to fix it, or immediate disconnection if it's dangerous, and 10 days to appeal.¹²

Utilities: Xcel Energy, Minnesota Power, Otter Tail and the co-ops

Minnesota law ties the utility to the inspection. No inspected installation can be "newly connected or reconnected" until the property owner or the licensed electrician directing the work files a certificate with the utility that inspection was requested and the installation is safe to energize.¹² Each utility has its own way of taking that certificate, and waiting on them is real money. An electrician on Reddit, state not given: "I have 3 underground service I need a disconnect/reconnect scheduled and I'm going on 2 months now with nothing."²² Set these up before the first service change:

• Xcel Energy, the utility in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Build a profile in the Building & Remodeling portal; the Builders Call Line is 800-628-2121. Xcel's service guide says some Minnesota communities accept the blue copy of the "Certificate for Connection by Utility" only from licensed electrical contractors, and homeowner work needs a call from the inspector. Its electric standards are the "Blue Book."²³
• Minnesota Power, based in Duluth. A lever bypass meter socket on any service upgrade, "No Exceptions." Temporary disconnects and reconnects on overhead service only by a licensed electrical contractor, on its Contractor Disconnect/Reconnect form with your contractor license number. A copy of the Request for Electrical Inspection before it energizes, and a letter on your letterhead with your license number when power has been off over a year.²⁴ Its page: Existing Services.
• Otter Tail Power, based in Fergus Falls. Fill in its planned outage notification before you pull any meter, then reseal it with a pink meter seal so its crew knows to check and seal it. It also wants a wiring certificate from the electrician before a new meter is set.²⁵ Its page: Meter Removal Notification.
• Co-ops and municipal utilities. Outside those three, the house may be on an electric co-op or a city-owned utility. DLI's own resource page points to the Minnesota Rural Electric Association and the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association to find them.²⁶ Call yours before the first service change in its territory and ask about meter pulls, seals and the inspection certificate.

Can I take this job? A table for Minnesota electrical contractors

Your first 30 days: the checklist

The same list as the printable sheet. Week 1 is the license and paperwork; the rest can run in parallel with your first jobs.

A. License, company and the master

• Look up the company license and the master's license in DLI's license lookup and write down both expiry dates.^{3, 8}
• Check your Secretary of State filing is active and the name matches exactly on the license, bond, insurance certificate, trucks and ads. An LLC is $155 to file online; an assumed name, if you trade under another name, is $50 online.^{27, 28} Changing from sole proprietor to LLC later means a new contractor license.²⁸
• Confirm the master's role: owner or officer, or a W-2 employee who works for nobody else as an electrician.³
• Write down a plan B for the master: 15 days to tell DLI, 30 days to replace.⁶

B. Bond, insurance, workers' comp, people

• $25,000 surety bond on DLI's form. It's continuous, and the bond can pay out up to $25,000 in each two-year period.⁴
• General liability: premises and operations plus products and completed operations, at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate bodily injury and $50,000 property damage, or $300,000 single limit; agent-signed certificate naming DLI as certificate holder.^{1, 3}
• Workers' comp in place before the first employee starts, and DLI's Certificate of Compliance form updated. Without it, DLI can order up to $1,000 per employee per week, and false information on the form is a $2,000 penalty.²⁹
• Every worker licensed or registered (RE number), W-2, and supervised 2 to 1 at most.^{1, 8}
• A Minnesota Tax ID from the Department of Revenue before you withhold Minnesota income tax from the first paycheck.³⁰

C. Permits and inspections

• Create the iMS account and link it to the contractor license.¹⁸
• Look up every city you work in: State or Local.²¹
• Shop rule: the permit goes in at or before the start of work, every job.¹²
• Print the fee table above for quoting, and put the permit on the quote as its own line.

D. Utilities

• Xcel: Building & Remodeling profile, Builders Call Line number in your phone.²³
• Minnesota Power: the disconnect/reconnect form and the Safe to Energize form; lever bypass sockets in stock.²⁴
• Otter Tail: the meter removal notification and a supply of pink seals.²⁵
• Your co-op or city utility: who to call, and its meter and certificate rules.²⁶

E. Name, number and contracts

• Every vehicle used on electrical work: company name and license number exactly as on the license, contrasting color, characters at least 3 inches high and 1/2 inch wide, on both sides.⁶
• Every ad and printed piece: the company name as it appears on the license.⁶ Put the license number on quotes, contracts and invoices too; the rule doesn't demand it there, but customers look it up.
• A residential contract with the scope and price in writing, the mechanic's lien notice (required if you buy materials or hire subs for the job, or you lose the lien), and the statutory warranty, which is 2 years for electrical work on a home improvement.³¹ The Minnesota residential construction contract template has the exact wording.
• Your subs lined up: a bonded mechanical contractor for gas, a licensed plumber, an HVAC company.^{9, 10}
• Pre-1978 homes: EPA RRP firm certification and a certified renovator if you'll cut into painted walls.¹⁶

F. Renewals and continuing education

• Contractor license: last day of February in even-numbered years, $188, $90 late, no permits while expired.²⁸
• Master license: last day of February in odd-numbered years, $93, $40 late; 16 hours of approved continuing education, at least 12 on the NEC, once the license has been held 24 months.^{6, 8}
• Journeyworkers every two years from issue (16 hours, $53); registered unlicensed workers every year (2 hours, $19).⁸
• Insurance, workers' comp and bond renewal dates in the calendar, with the new certificate sent to DLI each time.²⁸

What happens if you cross the line

• Electrical work without the right license. DLI can fine up to $10,000 per violation, issue a stop work order with $5,000 a day for working through it, and it's a misdemeanor (up to 90 days and $1,000).^{7, 32} This isn't theory. DLI's 2026 list so far has about 15 orders telling a company or person to stop doing electrical work without the license, with penalties of $5,000 to $10,000, usually with part stayed if they comply. One went to a registered unlicensed electrician in Staples: $7,500, $5,000 of it stayed.³³
• No permit. The investigation fee (twice the fee, up to $1,000) on top of the normal fee, an inspector's order to file, pay and fix, and possible disconnection.^{12, 19} The utility won't reconnect without the certificate either.
• Lending the license, or a master who isn't really there. Grounds to suspend or revoke the license, with a two-year wait before you can apply again.⁷
• No workers' comp. Up to $1,000 per employee per week, and a willful failure is a gross misdemeanor.²⁹
• Getting paid. I found nothing in the Electrical Act that voids an unlicensed electrician's contract or takes away the mechanic's lien. The lien rule for unlicensed contractors in 326B.845 is written for the residential building licenses.³⁴ I didn't research Minnesota case law, so don't count on collecting for unlicensed work; ask a lawyer.
• Insurance. I found no Minnesota rule on whether a liability policy pays for work outside your license. Your insurer must tell DLI if it cancels the policy, and the license needs a policy in force.¹ Ask your agent in writing what the policy excludes.

More for new electrical contractors

• How much to charge per hour: service call, first hour and hourly rate, with a free rate sheet.
• Flat rate, per opening or hourly: how electricians price each kind of job, with a free price sheet.
• 200 amp service upgrade checklist: scope, permit, utility, inspection and price.
• Someone asked to use your master license: what being a company's qualifier pays, and what it can cost you.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel won't file your Request for Electrical Inspection, book the inspector or remind you when the license, bond or insurance renews. Here's what it does do. You write one shop-wide terms text that's copied onto every quote the customer sees and signs on screen, and one invoice footer that goes on every invoice: put the company name as licensed, the license number and your warranty line there once. Each job has internal notes and internal file attachments that customers never see, which is a place for the permit number and the inspection report, and each visit holds photos. Checklist templates you build (a service upgrade list with the utility form, the permit and the inspection, say) can be added to a quote and ticked off by the office and the techs. The Free plan covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team; Pro is $29 a month for unlimited estimates and invoices. Details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to do electrical work in Minnesota?

Yes. A business that performs or offers to perform electrical work, paid or not, needs an electrical contractor license from the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), and every person doing the work must be a licensed electrician or a registered unlicensed electrician working under direct supervision. There is no dollar threshold, and even minor repair work needs a licensed contractor (minor repair is exempt from the permit, not from the license). Two exceptions matter to contractors: a homeowner may wire the home they own and live in if it has its own utility service, and a general contractor who subs all electrical work to a licensed electrical contractor doesn't need an electrical license itself.

What does a Class A electrical contractor license allow in Minnesota?

Any electrical work anywhere in Minnesota, residential or commercial, any size, including low voltage, fire alarm, data and solar wiring. A Class A contractor is one whose responsible licensed individual is a Class A master electrician, and a Class A master may perform and supervise any electrical work. The contractor license itself doesn't let anyone do the work: the people doing it still need their own licenses or registrations. It doesn't cover gas piping, plumbing or setting HVAC equipment, and selling rooftop solar directly to a homeowner also needs a residential building contractor or remodeler license.

How much is an electrical permit in Minnesota?

Where the state inspects, the permit fee is $25 plus an inspection fee from the schedule in Minnesota Statutes 326B.37, with a $55 minimum for each on-site inspection. A service, generator or feeder to a separate building up to 400 amps is $35, each circuit up to 200 amps is $12, each existing circuit reconnected in a panel replacement is $2, and a new house is $165 for up to 30 circuits plus the service. A 200-amp panel and service change with 24 circuits moved over works out to $35 plus $48, or $83, plus the $25 permit fee. Cities that do their own inspections, such as St. Paul, Rochester and Bloomington, set their own fees.

Can a homeowner pull their own electrical permit in Minnesota?

Yes, for their own work. The exemption covers an individual who physically does electrical work on a home they own and occupy as a residence (or will occupy when it's built), where the home has its own electrical service not shared with another dwelling. A rental the owner doesn't live in doesn't qualify. A homeowner's permit covers the homeowner's own hands, so a contractor can't work under it: if you do the job, you file the permit.

Who do I call for an electrical inspection in Minnesota?

First find out who inspects in that city: DLI's Local Code Lookup shows State or Local for every city and township. Where it says State, you file the permit with DLI and the email that issues it tells you how to schedule (a contract inspector's phone number, the Ready for Inspection button, or a virtual inspection); DLI's electrical inspection line is 651-284-5026. Where it says Local, call that city. On November 3, 2026, Minneapolis and Duluth were state-inspected and St. Paul, Rochester and Bloomington did their own.

When does a Minnesota electrical contractor license expire?

On the last day of February in even-numbered years, so a license issued in late 2026 is due by February 29, 2028. Renewal is $188, or $278 with the $90 late fee, and DLI won't issue permits after the license expires until the renewal is approved. Master electrician licenses expire on the last day of February in odd-numbered years, the next one in 2027, with 16 hours of continuing education (12 on the National Electrical Code) once the license has been held 24 months.

Do I need a separate low voltage license in Minnesota?

Not with a Class A license. Minnesota's low voltage license is the power limited technician license for people and the technology system contractor license for companies that only do Class 2, 3 and 4 work (alarm, data, control, audio, low-voltage lighting, antennas). A Class A master may do any electrical work, technology circuits included, so a Class A contractor covers low voltage. Employees of a licensed contractor supervised by a master can install most residential low-voltage systems without a personal license, and the licensed-to-unlicensed ratio on technology work is 1 to 3 instead of 1 to 2.

What insurance and bond does a Minnesota electrical contractor need?

A $25,000 surety bond on DLI's form, and general liability covering premises and operations and products and completed operations with at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury plus $50,000 property damage, or a $300,000 single limit per occurrence and aggregate. The insurer must be licensed in Minnesota, DLI must be the certificate holder, and the insurer tells DLI if the policy is canceled. Workers' compensation is required as soon as you have an employee, and DLI won't issue or renew the license without proof of compliance.

Can a journeyman pull an electrical permit in Minnesota?

Not as an independent business. The permit (a Request for Electrical Inspection) is filed by the contractor or by a homeowner doing their own work. A journeyworker may perform and supervise electrical work, but only for a licensed contractor that employs them, and may not plan or lay out work. To contract on your own you need a contractor license, and that needs a master electrician as the responsible licensed individual.

Sources

1. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, Licenses (2026 edition): subd. 1 and 2 (master and journeyworker), subd. 7 (power limited technician), subd. 12 ("licensed individuals shall supervise no more than two unlicensed individuals. For technology circuits or systems work, licensed individuals shall supervise no more than three"; only a master or power limited technician may plan or lay out work; records of unlicensed workers), subd. 13 (registration; no experience credit for unregistered work after January 1, 2009), subd. 14 ("no individual other than an employee, partner, or officer of a licensed contractor ... shall perform or offer to perform electrical work with or without compensation unless the individual obtains a contractor's license. A contractor's license does not of itself qualify its holder to perform or supervise the electrical work authorized by holding any class of personal license"), subd. 15 (bond of $25,000), subd. 16 (general liability "with limits of at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate limit for bodily injury, and property damage insurance with limits of at least $50,000 or a policy with a single limit for bodily injury and property damage of $300,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate limits"; insurer notifies the commissioner of cancellation), subd. 17 (responsible licensed individual; the master signs requests for inspection when not an owner or officer; a managing employee "cannot be employed in any capacity as an electrician ... by any other contractor"; "for only one contractor or employer"), subd. 19 (expiry dates), subd. 21(b) and (f) (technology work by supervised employees; owner-occupant exemption). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
2. Minnesota Statutes 326B.31, Definitions: subd. 2 (Class A electrical contractor), 8 and 9 (a Class A master may "perform and supervise any electrical work"), 10 and 13 (Class B), 16 (direct supervision: physically present "during the entire working day", "electronic supervision does not meet the requirement", reviews the work "before the electrical work is operated"), 17 (electrical work includes technology circuits), 23 (owner), 26a ("'Request for inspection' means the application for and issuance of a permit"), 29 and 30 (technology circuits; technology system contractor). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
3. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Electrical contractor licensing basics": responsible licensed individual must "Hold an active master electrician license" and be "an owner, officer, or member ... or a W-2 employee who is actively engaged in the company's electrical work and cannot be employed as an electrician by any other contractor"; "Minimum coverage of $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate, and $50,000 in property damage coverage"; "Provide a $25,000 surety bond"; proof of workers' compensation; "The initial license application and license renewal fee is $188"; "Notify DLI in writing within 15 days of the loss of your responsible licensed individual"; "Make sure your company's license number appears on company vehicles"; "Electrical contractor licenses expire on the last day of February in even-numbered years"; "General contractors and construction management firms that contract with licensed subcontractors to perform electrical work are not required to have their own electrical contractor license." dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
4. DLI, Electrical Contractor Surety Bond form (version 6.20.2024): penal sum "TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00)"; "The bond penalty shown above is cumulative over each two-year period the bond remains in force"; "it is the intention of the parties that this bond be continuous"; "Principal shall not conduct work or contract to conduct work requiring licensure until the State of Minnesota has issued the license". dli.mn.gov (PDF), read November 3, 2026.
5. r/electricians, "Business owners - are you happy?" (May 19, 2025), reply from a Minnesota contractor, May 20, 2025: "I'm also in MN and am an Electrical Contractor and Master Electrician. I'm brand new, only month 4 since I opened the company. So far, the work is hard and the homework is harder." reddit.com, read November 3, 2026.
6. Minnesota Rules 3800.3500 (the department "shall not grant a contractor's license if it appears that the responsible electrician ... designated is also employed by any other contractor or employer"; 15-day notice; replacement within 30 days or "the contractor's license is invalid"; subp. 3a, an owner master's lapsed license makes the contractor license invalid), 3800.3560 ("The contractor's name as it appears on the contractor's license shall be provided in any advertisement or printed matter"), 3800.3570 (vehicles: "the contractor's name and license number as it appears on the contractor's license in contrasting color with characters at least three inches high and one-half inch in width affixed to each side of the vehicle"), 3800.3602 (16 hours, at least 12 on the NEC; required for a license held at least 24 months). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
7. Minnesota Statutes 326B.082: subd. 7 ("a monetary penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation of applicable law"), subd. 10 ("a civil penalty of $5,000 per day" for working in violation of a stop work order), subd. 11(b)(4) (sanctions where a person "allowed the alteration or use of the person's own permit, license, registration, or certificate by another person") and (d) (no reapplication "for at least two years" after revocation), subd. 16 ("a person who violates an applicable law is guilty of a misdemeanor"). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
8. DLI, "Electrical licensing basics" (workers): registered unlicensed electrician "$14 initial application fee", valid one year, renewal with "two hours of DLI-approved continuing education" and "$19"; "A licensed electrician may not supervise more than two unlicensed individuals"; journeyworker renewal 16 hours ("at least 12 hours must relate to the National Electrical Code") and $53; "Master electrician licenses expire on the last day of February of each odd-numbered year", $93 renewal, $40 late fee. dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
9. Minnesota Statutes 326B.197 ("A person contracting to do gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning, or refrigeration work must give and maintain bond to the state in the amount of $25,000"), revisor.mn.gov; DLI, "Mechanical contractor bond requirements" ("mechanical contractors must comply with local licensing requirements"), dli.mn.gov; City of Minneapolis, "Gas fitter" ("Gas burning equipment work in Minneapolis requires a license"), minneapolismn.gov; City of Saint Paul, "Business Trade License, Competency Cards, and Trade Worker Registration" (plumbing/gasfitter trade license), stpaul.gov; all read November 3, 2026.
10. Minnesota Statutes 326B.46 subd. 1(c): "no person shall perform or offer to perform plumbing work with or without compensation unless the person obtains a contractor's license." revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
11. Minnesota Statutes 326B.38 subd. 2 to 4: installation of appliance and HVAC units is not covered by the Electrical Act, but "The installation of electrical wiring to the unit is covered"; employees of an HVAC contractor with a certificate from an approved HVAC apprenticeship program (or "any class of personal license issued by the commissioner") may do "wiring in or on the equipment." revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
12. Minnesota Statutes 326B.36, Inspection: subd. 1 (inspection of every new installation "except minor repair work", unless a political subdivision provides its own), subd. 2 (technology systems inspected, including "fire alarm systems, other than in one- or two-family dwellings"; an inspector may order a permit, fee and repairs), subd. 4 (request for inspection submitted "At or before commencement of any installation" by "the contractor, installer, special electrician, or owner making the installation"; condemnation or disconnection orders; appeal "within ten days"), subd. 5 (no installation "newly connected or reconnected" until a certificate "of the property owner or licensed electrician, directing the work" is filed with the utility), subd. 6 (cities may inspect, may require a copy of the state license on file, may not require "any license or registration fee"). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
13. City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, "Electrical Permits & Inspections" (last edited October 7, 2026): city electrical permits for contractors and homeowners, a "Fire Alarm System Electrical Permit", "Homeowners Affidavit (required)", "The 2026 National Electrical Code will be enforced on all permits obtained on or after August 17th, 2026." stpaul.gov, read November 3, 2026.
14. Minnesota Statutes 326B.802 subd. 15 (special skills: roofing includes "(5) penetration of roof coverings for purposes of attaching a solar photovoltaic system"; general installation includes "(2) pools, spas, and hot tubs" and "(6) assembly of the support system for a solar photovoltaic system"), revisor.mn.gov; 326B.805 subd. 6 (exempt: "(5) ... gross annual receipts ... do not exceed $15,000", "(7) a plumber, electrician, or other person whose profession is otherwise subject to statewide licensing, when engaged in the activity which is the subject of that licensure", "(8) specialty contractors who provide only one special skill"), revisor.mn.gov; DLI, "Solar installer licensing requirement" ("A new law effective July 1, 2023, requires companies that contract with residential homeowners to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on homes in Minnesota be licensed as a residential building contractor or remodeler"; "This change will not impact Minnesota-licensed electrical contractors that are subcontracted by licensed residential building contractors and remodelers"), dli.mn.gov; all read November 3, 2026.
15. DLI, "Sign contractor bonds": "Cities that license sign contractors require a bond to issue a license"; "If you file a bond with us, the cities cannot require you to file a separate bond with them." dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
16. U.S. EPA, "Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program" (Minnesota is not on the list of authorized states; firm certification applies to "all firms, even sole proprietorships"), epa.gov; 40 CFR 745.83 (minor repair and maintenance: under 6 square feet per room inside, 20 square feet outside), law.cornell.edu; 40 CFR 19.4, Table 1 (TSCA penalty $49,772 per violation, assessed on or after January 8, 2025), law.cornell.edu; all read November 3, 2026.
17. DLI bulletin, "Minor Repair Work for Electrical or Technology Systems" (revised June 13, 2023): "Minor repair work is exempt from permits and inspections"; "All electrical work and technology work, including 'minor repair work', is required to be performed by licensed contractors"; not minor repair: "Replacement of existing lighting fixtures with new or repaired units". dli.mn.gov (PDF), read November 3, 2026.
18. DLI, "Electrical permits - contractors" ("Users must create an account to obtain permits"; "If the AHJ column lists 'State,' file the permit with us"; "If the column shows 'Local,' contact the local city or township") and "Requesting an inspection" ("You cannot request a same day inspection after 8 a.m."). dli.mn.gov and dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
19. Minnesota Statutes 326B.37, Inspection fee schedule: "The permit fee is $25"; "The minimum fee for each separate on-site inspection ... is $55" and the number of inspections is the total fee divided by 55; remote virtual inspection $10 then $35; service, generator or feeder to a separate structure $35 / $60 / $100; circuit $12 / $15; reconnected circuits in a panel replacement $2; dwelling $165 for up to 30 circuits; technology devices 75 cents; pool and spa bonding $35; investigation fee "two times the minimum fee ... or the inspection fee ..., whichever is greater, not to exceed $1,000"; reinspection $55 / $35; solar PV $60 / $100 / $150. revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
20. DLI, "Electrical codes and standards": "The Board of Electricity has adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code (NEC) with an effective date of Aug. 17, 2026"; permits filed before then follow the 2023 NEC. dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
21. DLI, Local Code Lookup (Minnesota State Building Code Jurisdiction Directory), electrical authority queried city by city for 81 cities on November 3, 2026 (Minneapolis "STATE", "ELE PERMITS MPLS"; St. Paul "LOCAL", "ST PAUL INSPECTIONS"), workplace.doli.state.mn.us; DLI, "Minneapolis Electrical Inspection Districts" (six districts, revised December 29, 2025), dli.mn.gov (PDF); DLI electrical area representatives sheet ("Electrical Inspections ... 651-284-5026"), dli.mn.gov (PDF); all read November 3, 2026.
22. r/electricians comment, August 13, 2024: "I have 3 underground service I need a disconnect/reconnect scheduled and I'm going on 2 months now with nothing." reddit.com, quoted as checked in Deepsel's electrical research, November 2, 2026.
23. Xcel Energy, "Building & Remodeling" (Builder's Call Line 800-628-2121; Standard for Electric Installation and Use, "Blue Book"), mn.my.xcelenergy.com; Xcel Energy, "Service Guide, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota" (revised April 2022): "Some communities require a proof of compliance in which we can accept the blue copy of the 'Certificate for Connection by Utility' only from licensed electrical contractors. Electrical work completed by a homeowner or a non-licensed person must have an inspection completed by the city/state inspector", xcelenergy.com (PDF); both read November 3, 2026.
24. Minnesota Power, "Existing Services": "MP requires that a Lever Bypass Meter Socket be installed when doing any type of service upgrade work and for all new installations. No Exceptions."; temporary disconnects and reconnects "must be performed by a licensed electrical contractor", form asks for "Electrician name, contact number and contractor license number"; after more than a year without power, "A letter or email from a licensed electrical contractor is required to energize" with "the electrical contractors name and contractor's license number", mnpower.com; Minnesota Power construction guide, Home Edition: "Minnesota Power requires a copy of the Request for Electrical Inspection or verification from the local electrical inspector prior to energizing any service", mnpower.com (PDF); both read November 3, 2026.
25. Otter Tail Power, "Meter Removal Notification": "We ask that all electricians notify us prior to pulling any electric meter by completing our planned outage notification form"; "please reseal the meter using a pink meter seal", otpco.com; "New Construction": "Contact your electrician to obtain a wiring certificate after the initial work is complete and the electrical panel is installed. After this the meter set will take place", otpco.com; both read November 3, 2026.
26. DLI, "Solar photovoltaic (PV) resources", electrical utilities list: Great River Energy, Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, Minnesota Power, Minnesota Rural Electric Association, Otter Tail Power Company, Xcel Energy. dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
27. Minnesota Secretary of State, "Business Filing and Certification Fee Schedule": LLC articles of organization $155 online, $135 by mail; certificate of assumed name $50 online, $30 by mail; annual renewal $0. sos.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
28. DLI, "Electrical contractor license renewal instructions": "your business name must appear EXACTLY as it is filed with the Secretary of State"; a change of business structure "requires filing for a new license application"; "the renewal fee is $188. A $90 late fee is added"; "After a license expires, electrical permits cannot be issued to contractors whose license renewals have not been processed and approved." dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
29. DLI, "Certificate of Compliance, Minnesota Workers' Compensation Law" (6.20.2024): Minn. Stat. 176.182 withholds licenses without evidence of coverage; false or missing information "shall result in a $2,000 penalty", dli.mn.gov (PDF); Minnesota Statutes 176.181 subd. 2 to 4 (every employer must insure; "a penalty of up to $1,000 per employee per week"; willful failure "is guilty of a gross misdemeanor"), revisor.mn.gov; both read November 3, 2026.
30. Minnesota Department of Revenue, "Minnesota Tax ID Requirements": you need a Minnesota Tax ID if you "Withhold Minnesota Income taxes from employees' wages" or "Make taxable sales or leases in Minnesota". revenue.state.mn.us, read November 3, 2026.
31. Minnesota Statutes 514.011 subd. 1 (anyone contracting with the owner who "has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors or material suppliers" includes the prescribed notice in the written contract; "A person who fails to provide the notice shall not have the lien"), revisor.mn.gov; 327A.02 subd. 3(b) ("home improvement work involving the installation of plumbing, electrical, heating or cooling systems": two years), revisor.mn.gov; both read November 3, 2026.
32. Minnesota Statutes 609.02 subd. 3 and 609.03: a misdemeanor carries "not more than 90 days or ... a fine of not more than $1,000". revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
33. DLI, "Electrical Enforcement Actions, 2026 Year to Date": consent and cease-and-desist orders to stop "performing or offering to perform electrical work in the state of Minnesota without the requisite licensure", penalties of $5,000 to $10,000, most partly stayed; for example the order of July 29, 2026 to Jonathan T. Barrett of Staples, registration RE708099: "$7,500 monetary penalty, $5,000 stayed with conditions". My count of such orders: 15. dli.mn.gov (PDF), read November 3, 2026.
34. Minnesota Statutes 326B.845 subd. 2: "An unlicensed person who knowingly violates sections 326B.802 to 326B.885 has no right to claim a lien under section 514.01 and the lien is void." Those sections are the residential building contractor licensing law, not the Electrical Act (326B.31 to 326B.399). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.