Minnesota General Contractor License Requirements (2026)

Minnesota licenses businesses—not ordinary employees—that contract directly with an owner of one-to-four-unit residential real estate to provide work in more than one defined special skill. The two principal credentials are Residential Building Contractor and Residential Remodeler. The $15,000 figure is not a general per-project threshold: it is a limited exemption for a person whose total annual gross receipts from specialty skills do not exceed $15,000 and who obtains DLI’s certificate of exemption. Each business needs a DLI-registered qualifying person who passes the applicable prelicensing exam.

Regulatory Body

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under Minnesota Statutes §§ 326B.802–326B.825 and 326B.89.. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. DLI licenses residential building contractors and remodelers, administers qualifying-person examinations and continuing education, and administers the Contractor Recovery Fund.

• Official portal: https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/residential-contractors/residential-contractor-licensing
• Address: 443 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155
• Phone: (651) 284-5034

Eligibility Requirements

This guide does not establish a minimum applicant age; confirm any age requirement with the issuing authority. Check the current application for identification and tax-number requirements. The reviewed DLI materials do not impose a Minnesota-residency rule. The business must meet Minnesota Secretary of State filing requirements when applicable.

Good moral character

DLI requires criminal-background and ownership disclosures and evaluates the application under the residential-trades law.

Background investigation

DLI supplies criminal-background and background-disclosure forms; follow the current license packet for the information and documents required.

Experience and Education

Eligibility here is not measured in years of experience but by There are no prerequisite experience or education requirements to take the qualifying builder or qualifying remodeler exam. The licensee designates an eligible qualifying person for its business structure., per the cited materials.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• Qualifying-person examination application and passing result
• Business and ownership disclosures required in the current DLI packet
• Active Minnesota Secretary of State filing when required
• Liability-insurance and workers’ compensation compliance documents

Education substitution

No education substitution is needed because DLI does not require prior experience or education to sit for the exam.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: Minnesota DLI. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

• Qualifying Builder (QB) or Qualifying Remodeler (QC) prelicensing examination — question count: confirm with the authority, 330 minutes, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin

Examination fee: Confirm the current DLI examination application fee in iMS or the current exam packet before applying.

Retake policy: An unsuccessful candidate must wait 30 days, apply again, and submit a new application and fee. A qualifying-person registration is valid for two years from the date the individual passed the exam.

Insurance and Bonds

This credential carries no state-level surety bond requirement under the cited sources. Individual jobs may still trigger a permit or public-works bond, which should be verified before bidding.

General liability

DLI requires premises, operations, products, and completed-operations coverage of at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate, and $25,000 property damage. The insurer must be licensed in Minnesota and DLI must receive the proper certificate.

Workers' compensation

DLI requires a workers’ compensation compliance form and current information needed to establish compliance with Minnesota law.

Additional financial requirements

The Contractor Recovery Fund replaces ordinary bonding for these licenses. The current fund fee is $320 for gross annual receipts under $1 million, $420 for $1–5 million, and $520 over $5 million.

Fee Schedule

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Minnesota general contractor.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Expect to renew the Minnesota Residential Building Contractor / Residential Remodeler every 2 years. Renewal currently costs $505. Business licenses run on two-year cycles ending March 31; qualifying-person registration dates may differ.

Continuing education: The qualifying person completes 14 DLI-approved hours before renewing the two-year Q registration, including at least one Energy Code hour and one business-management-strategies hour.

Reciprocity

Minnesota does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for this classification.

No current DLI source reviewed establishes a general out-of-state reciprocity or NASCLA-exam waiver for Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler licensing. Use the applicable DLI qualifying-person examination route unless DLI confirms a statutory exception.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published General Contractor license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

General Contractor Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Minnesota's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

• Iowa General Contractor License Requirements — Iowa Contractor Registration
• North Dakota General Contractor License Requirements — North Dakota Contractor License (Class A, B, C, or D)
• South Dakota General Contractor License Requirements — South Dakota Contractor's Excise Tax License (no state contractor license)
• Wisconsin General Contractor License Requirements — Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor Certification and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Confirm whether residential-trades licensure applies. A direct contract with a residential owner for more than one special skill generally requires a Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler license. Do not treat $15,000 as a broad per-job exemption.
2. Choose Builder or Remodeler scope. A Residential Remodeler may perform remodeling; a Residential Building Contractor may perform new residential construction and remodeling.
3. Designate and qualify the qualifying person. Have the appropriate individual apply for and pass the QB or QC examination; no previous experience or education is required to sit.
4. Set up the business records and insurance. Keep the Minnesota Secretary of State record active when required, obtain DLI-compliant liability insurance, and submit the workers’ compensation compliance form.
5. Apply in iMS and pay the license and Fund fees. The base license fee is $180 plus the Recovery Fund fee determined by the business’s gross annual receipts.
6. Renew on the assigned two-year cycle. Business licenses end March 31 in either an odd or even year. The qualifying person separately renews the Q registration with 14 approved education hours.

Application Checklist

These are the pieces to lock down before filing with DLI:

• Select the proper residential scope and determine whether an exemption is actually available
• Qualifying Builder or Qualifying Remodeler passing result
• Current Secretary of State business filing where required
• DLI-compliant liability-insurance certificate
• Workers’ compensation compliance form
• License fee and Recovery Fund fee based on gross annual receipts
• Local building permit and inspection requirements

Progress is saved in this browser, so you can return to this checklist while your application is in flight.

Common Filing Mistakes

Based on the board's own instructions and the sources cited here, the problems below are what most often stall a Minnesota General Contractor application.

Applying a fictional $15,000 per-project rule

The statutory exemption is narrow, is based on annual gross receipts, and needs a DLI certificate.

Requiring prelicense classes that DLI does not require

DLI has no prerequisite education or work-experience requirement for the QB/QC exam.

Using a single $300,000 insurance description

The DLI minimum includes per-occurrence, aggregate, and property-damage components.

Confusing business renewal with Q registration

Both operate on two-year cycles, but may expire on different dates and the Q renewal carries the CE requirement.

Study and Reference Materials

What follows are the regulator-cited and commonly used preparation references for this trade. They appear here for convenience only; CLR takes no compensation for them.

• Minnesota State Residential Code, 2020 edition — Minnesota DLI. One of the two references provided to candidates during the exam.
• DLI Reference Manual for Residential Building Contractor and Remodeler License Exam — Minnesota DLI. The other DLI-provided examination reference.
• Minnesota residential contractor licensing materials — Minnesota DLI. Use for current fees, insurance, Recovery Fund, Q registration, and application process.

Other Minnesota Trade Licenses

CLR covers other Minnesota trades as well — the published guides below may be more relevant:

• Minnesota Electrician License Requirements
• Minnesota Plumber License Requirements
• Minnesota HVAC Technician License Requirements
• Minnesota Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Painting Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Carpentry Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Solar Installer License Requirements
• Minnesota Low-Voltage Technician License Requirements
• Minnesota Fire Sprinkler Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Home Inspector License Requirements
• Minnesota Pool Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Handyman License Requirements
• Minnesota Pest Control License Requirements
• Minnesota Septic Contractor License Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Minnesota require a residential contractor license?

A person or company contracting directly with an owner of one-to-four-unit residential real estate to provide more than one special skill generally needs a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler license.

Is $15,000 the Minnesota contractor-license threshold?

No. It is a limited annual-gross-receipts exemption for specialty work, and the person must obtain DLI’s certificate of exemption. It is not a general threshold for all residential projects.

Do I need experience or classes before the Minnesota exam?

No. DLI says there are no prerequisite experience or education requirements to take the Builder or Remodeler qualifying-person exam.

What insurance does Minnesota require?

At least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate, and $25,000 property damage, with the required coverages and DLI certificate.

How much are renewal fees?

A two-year renewal is $505 for receipts under $1 million, $605 for $1–5 million, and $705 above $5 million, including the current Recovery Fund fees. A completed late renewal adds $90.

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