Minnesota Roofing License Requirements (2026)

A business that contracts directly with a homeowner to perform only residential roofing on one- to four-unit property needs a Minnesota Residential Roofer license, unless it already holds a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler license. The roofer license is deliberately narrow: it authorizes roofing work only, not separate gutter, downspout, soffit, or fascia contracting. DLI does not require prior experience or education to sit for the qualifying-person roofer exam. The business must meet DLI’s bond, insurance, and qualifying-person requirements, and it must still secure the local permits and inspections required for each job.

Regulatory Body

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — Construction Codes and Licensing Division (DLI) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under Minn. Stat. §§ 326B.802-.885, including §§ 326B.81, 326B.86, 326B.092, and 326B.815. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. DLI licenses residential roofers statewide. Local building officials administer project permits and inspections, while state law limits additional local licensing for work covered by a state residential-contractor license.

• Official portal: https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/residential-contractors/roofer-license

Eligibility Requirements

This guide does not establish a minimum applicant age; confirm any age requirement with the issuing authority. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. DLI’s published roofer requirements do not state a Minnesota-residency prerequisite. Apply as the business entity using DLI’s current forms and required business information.

Good moral character

The qualifying person and licensee must comply with DLI’s current licensing, consumer-protection, and disciplinary requirements.

Background investigation

DLI requires the business/contractor/qualifying-person background disclosure form for applicants with management or policy control. Use the current form for the required criminal, civil, and financial disclosures.

Experience and Education

No fixed number of years of experience is set out in the cited sources for this credential; instead, the controlling requirement is No prerequisite experience or education is required to take DLI’s Residential Roofer qualifying-person examination..

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• DLI qualifying-person examination application
• Residential Roofer business-license application
• Surety-bond certificate
• Liability and workers’ compensation documentation required by DLI

Education substitution

Not applicable because DLI states that prior experience and education are not prerequisites to take the exam.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. 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:

• DLI Residential Roofer Qualifying Person examination (QR) — 110 questions, 330 minutes, passing score 70%

Examination fee: $50 combined DLI examination and application fee for the qualifying person. The business-license fee is separate.

Retake policy: After a failed exam, wait 30 days and submit a new application and fee before retesting.

Insurance and Bonds

A contractor license surety bond of $15,000, on the DLI's prescribed form, is a precondition to issuance.

General liability

DLI’s roofer requirements call for at least $300,000 per occurrence in liability coverage, including at least $10,000 for property damage. File the current certificate in the form DLI requires.

Workers' compensation

Provide workers’ compensation coverage or the applicable DLI exemption/documentation. Businesses with employees must comply with Minnesota workers’ compensation law.

Additional financial requirements

No Contractor Recovery Fund assessment applies to the Residential Roofer license. Minnesota law expressly excludes residential roofers from that fund while retaining the other residential-roofer requirements.

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 roofing.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Renewal of the Minnesota Residential Roofer Business License comes due every 2 years. As cited, the renewal fee stands at $185. The business license runs on DLI’s two-year cycle. The $185 renewal amount is the $180 business-license fee plus the $5 continuing-education fee; confirm the current portal amount before filing.

Continuing education: The qualifying person must complete 14 hours of DLI-approved continuing education for the two-year qualifying-person registration, including one hour of Energy Code and one hour of business management.

Reciprocity

The NASCLA Accredited Examination is not accepted by Minnesota for this classification.

DLI’s published residential-roofer requirements do not identify a state-to-state roofer reciprocity path. Out-of-state businesses should apply through the Minnesota process and verify any current endorsement option directly with DLI.

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

Roofing 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 Roofing License Requirements — Iowa Construction Contractor Registration (Roofing Work)
• North Dakota Roofing License Requirements — North Dakota Contractor License — Roofing
• South Dakota Roofing License Requirements — South Dakota Roofing Contractor Requirements (Excise Tax and Local Licensing)
• Wisconsin Roofing License Requirements — Wisconsin Residential Roofing — Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier Credentials

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Confirm that the roofer classification fits the work. Use the Residential Roofer license only for roofing-only contracts. An RBC or Residential Remodeler license can cover roofing, while a roofer license does not authorize separate gutter, downspout, soffit, or fascia contracting.
2. Designate the qualifying person. The qualifying person must have the required relationship to the applicant business. DLI does not require prior experience or education to sit for the QR exam.
3. Pass DLI’s QR examination. The qualifying-person exam has 110 multiple-choice questions, a 5.5-hour time limit, and a 70% passing score.
4. Obtain the $15,000 surety bond. Minnesota law requires a residential-roofer bond of at least $15,000.
5. File liability and workers’ compensation documentation. Meet DLI’s current liability-coverage requirement and submit workers’ compensation coverage or the applicable documentation.
6. Apply for the business license. Submit the DLI application, qualifying-person information, bond, insurance documents, and applicable state fee.
7. Obtain local permits and follow contract rules. Confirm building permits and inspections with the authority having jurisdiction. For insurance-funded residential roofing, use the statutory contract and cancellation requirements.

Application Checklist

The items below are the ones worth confirming before the application is filed with DLI:

• Confirm the work is roofing-only or use the broader RBC/Residential Remodeler path
• Qualifying person for the applicant business
• QR qualifying-person exam application and $50 fee
• DLI exam pass (110 questions, 70% score)
• $15,000 residential-roofer surety bond
• Required DLI liability certificate and workers’ compensation documentation
• Residential Roofer business-license application and fee
• Local building permits and inspections
• Insurance-funded roofing contract materials when applicable

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

Common Filing Mistakes

Drawn from the board instructions and sources cited on this page, the pitfalls below are the ones most likely to slow down or sink a Minnesota Roofing application.

Using the roofer license for non-roofing scope

The roofer classification is roofing-only. It does not cover separate gutter, downspout, soffit, or fascia contracting.

Assuming prior experience is a state exam condition

DLI does not require prior experience or education to take the QR exam. Do not delay an application waiting to document a nonexistent state prerequisite.

Omitting the surety bond

The residential-roofer bond must be at least $15,000, separate from insurance coverage.

Budgeting for the wrong Recovery Fund charge

Residential roofers are excluded from the Contractor Recovery Fund. Do not treat the Residential Building Contractor/Residential Remodeler Recovery Fund assessment as a roofer-license fee.

Skipping local permits or insurance-funded contract terms

A state license does not replace local permits. Insurance-funded residential-roofing contracts also have statutory requirements, including a cancellation right after an insurer denies coverage.

Study and Reference Materials

The references below are either cited by the board, used during the application, or standard preparation for the trade. They are listed purely for convenience — CLR earns no commission on any of them.

• DLI Contractor, Roofer, and Remodeler Exam Information — Minnesota DLI. Use the current QR examination instructions, DLI reference manual, and listed code materials.
• Minnesota Residential Code — Minnesota DLI. DLI identifies the current residential-code materials for the qualifying-person exam.
• Minn. Stat. § 326B.86 — Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. Residential-roofer bond requirement.
• Minn. Stat. § 326B.811 — Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. Insurance-funded residential roofing contract provisions.

Other Minnesota Trade Licenses

Should the Roofing path not apply, these other Minnesota trade guides from CLR may help:

• Minnesota General Contractor License Requirements
• Minnesota Electrician License Requirements
• Minnesota Plumber License Requirements
• Minnesota HVAC Technician 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

Do Minnesota roofers need experience before the state exam?

No. DLI states that no prerequisite experience or education is required to take the Residential Roofer qualifying-person exam.

Does a Minnesota roofer need a bond?

Yes. A Residential Roofer license requires a surety bond of at least $15,000.

Does a Residential Roofer contribute to the Contractor Recovery Fund?

No. Minnesota law expressly excludes residential roofers from the Contractor Recovery Fund, although roofers remain subject to the other residential licensing requirements.

Can a Residential Roofer contract for gutters or fascia?

No. DLI describes the roofer license as roofing-only and says it does not authorize separate contracting for gutters, downspouts, soffit, or fascia. Use an RBC or Residential Remodeler license if the scope requires it.

Are permits still required after getting the state license?

Yes. The state business license does not replace building permits or inspections. Check with the local authority having jurisdiction before starting the project.

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