STATE LICENSE
ConditionalMinnesota Department of Labor and Industr…
Under Minn. Stat. § 326B.805, a residential building contractor (new homes and improvements) or residential remodeler (existing homes only) must be licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry. The trigger is contracting with an owner of 1–4 family residential real estate to provide two or more of the eight special skills defined in § 326B.802, subd. 15. Each license needs a qualifying person who passes DLI's exam and then completes 14 hours of continuing education every two years.
The license costs $180 plus a Contractor Recovery Fund fee scaled to gross annual receipts — $320, $420, or $520 — and runs two years, expiring March 31. Licensees must carry liability insurance and prove workers' compensation compliance. Commercial general contracting has no state license; commercial builders register with DLI under § 326B.701 instead, and electrical and plumbing work still requires DLI-licensed contractors.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
The residential license is statewide, but DLI notes that cities and counties may require their own license from state licensees doing commercial work and from Certificate of Exemption holders. Building permits and inspections are local under the State Building Code; permit offices check the state license number.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Minnesota county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Of the $500 tier-1 license cost, $320 is the Contractor Recovery Fund fee. The fund can pay homeowners up to $100,000 per claimant and $550,000 total per licensee — and a payout automatically suspends the license.
The remodeler license covers existing homes only. Building a new home or detached garage requires the residential building contractor license.
No state license exists for commercial general contracting. Commercial builders register with DLI, and municipalities may layer on their own licenses.
A practical sequence for a new general contracting contractor in Minnesota. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
DLI may issue administrative and licensing orders against unlicensed or unregistered contracting; each day a violation continues past a correction deadline counts separately.
Violating an applicable law under DLI's jurisdiction is a misdemeanor unless another statute provides otherwise.
DLI may order business operations stopped at one or more worksites; operating in violation of a final stop order carries a daily civil penalty.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: DLI's published liability-insurance wording differs by page: the residential contractor licensing page matches § 326B.86, but the roofer license page states $300,000 per occurrence with $10,000 property damage — the statute is followed here · Whether an unlicensed residential contractor may enforce a mechanic's lien or contract claim in Minnesota (not confirmed in the sections reviewed) · The specific lead-safe work practices required by § 326B.106, subd. 14 for pre-1978 renovation (§ 326B.805, subd. 1a cross-references it; the subdivision text was not retrieved) · The substance of the 2024 amendments to § 326B.082 and § 326B.701 (2024 c 127 art 10) — the revisor history lists them, but the changed provisions were not compared line by line · Whether DLI charges a fee for construction contractor registration (§ 326B.701 and the DLI registration page state none; the July 2025 fee schedule does not list registration)
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.