Electrical contractor licensing basics

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Businesses and individuals that contract to perform electrical work in Minnesota must have an electrical contractor license.

Electrical work is defined as the installing, altering, repairing, planning, or laying out of electrical wiring, apparatus, or equipment for electrical light, heat, power, technology circuits or systems, or other purposes.
Employees of a licensed electrical contractor are not required to have their own electrical contractor license.
Employees who perform electrical work must be licensed as a journeyworker electrician, master electrician or registered with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician.
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.

1. You must identify a responsible license individual for your company’s license. Your responsible licensed individual must:

Hold an active master electrician license,
Be an owner, officer, or member of the business applying for the license, 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,
Not act as the responsible licensed individual for any other electrical contractor or employer, and
Be responsible for electrical work performed by the company’s employees.

2. You must provide proof of a public liability insurance policy.

Policy must be written by an insurance company licensed to sell insurance in Minnesota.
Proof of insurance can be an ACORD certificate or a DLI-approved certificate. The insurance certificate must be produced and signed by a licensed insurance agent.
Policy must provide coverage for “premises, operations and products, and completed operations.”
Minimum coverage of $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate, and $50,000 in property damage coverage.

3. You must provide a $25,000 surety bond.

Bond must be on a DLI-approved form.
Bond must be written by a corporate surety licensed to do business in Minnesota.

4. You must submit the required license application forms and pay the license application fee.

All forms must be completed.
Forms can be uploaded during the online license application process or mailed to DLI with a check for the application fee.
The initial license application and license renewal fee is $128.

Ensure that employees who perform electrical work are actively licensed as an electrician or registered with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician.
Ensure that unlicensed employees are always supervised by a licensed journeyworker or master electrician, and that a licensed employee supervises no more than two unlicensed employees. Unlicensed workers can only be supervised by a licensed electrician employed by the same employer.
Obtain electrical permits at or prior to the start of electrical work.
Call for required inspections when work is ready to be inspected.
Respond in a timely manner to requests for information from DLI staff and electrical inspectors.
Maintain accurate records of the work experience of unlicensed employees performing electrical work and provide those records upon request.
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.
Ensure your contractor license is renewed in a timely manner. Electrical contractor licenses expire on the last day of February in even-numbered years.

Minnesota’s electrical rules (Minn. R. 3800.3500, subp. 3) define who is an employee (as opposed to an independent contractor.) An employee is:

An individual whose compensation for electrical work is reported by the employer on an Internal Revenue Service W-2 form, and is also otherwise considered an employee under applicable laws; or
An instructor of an electrical wiring course and the instructor's students, while performing electrical work on projects on the school premises under the direct supervision of a properly licensed employee of a contractor.