How to become a licensed electrician in Minnesota

Licensing office Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing · 651-284-5034 [13]

The license pathway in Minnesota

1. 1

   Registered Unlicensed Electrician

   • $14 registration
   • Yearly, $19; 2 hours of NEC continuing education and a work experience report

   Your starting point. You register with DLI before doing electrical work, then work only under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyworker or master electrician who works for the same employer. No experience or exam is needed; you must be at least 17. [1][2][3]

2. 2

   Class A Journeyworker Electrician

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: 80 questions, 5½ hours, 70% to pass; NEC book, laws and rules booklet and calculator provided; $50 application and exam fee
   • $50 application and exam fee; license fee due after you pass
   • Every 2 years, $53; 16 hours CE (at least 12 on the NEC)

   Lets you do electrical work and supervise unlicensed workers. You need at least four years (48 months) of acceptable experience in wiring, installing and repairing, including at least 24 months of wiring and installing. An approved two-year post-high school electrical program can count for up to one year. [1][3][4][5]

3. 3

   Class A Master Electrician

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: 80 questions, 5½ hours, 70% to pass; $50 application and exam fee
   • $50 application and exam fee; license fee due after you pass
   • Every 2 years (expires the end of February of odd-numbered years), $93; 16 hours CE (at least 12 on the NEC)

   Can plan, lay out and supervise electrical work and serve as the responsible licensed individual for a contractor. You qualify with one year as a licensed journeyworker, five years of experience planning, laying out, supervising and installing wiring, or a four-year electrical degree. [1][3][5]

4. 4

   Electrical Contractor

   • $188 application
   • Every 2 years (expires the end of February of even-numbered years), $188

   A business license. The company needs a master electrician as its responsible licensed individual, liability and workers' compensation insurance, and a $25,000 surety bond. [6]

Who needs a license in Minnesota

Minnesota licenses electricians statewide through DLI. Electrical work means installing, altering, repairing, planning or laying out electrical wiring and equipment for light, heat, power, technology circuits or other purposes.

To do electrical work you must be at least 17, licensed or registered with DLI, and a W-2 employee of a licensed electrical contractor or registered employer (or the owner of a licensed contractor). Anyone who contracts to do electrical work needs an electrical contractor license.

Unlicensed workers must register first. The law says an unlicensed person "shall not perform electrical work required to be performed by a licensed individual unless the individual has first registered with the department." [1][3][6]

The license ladder: registered unlicensed to master

• Registered unlicensed electrician: no exam or experience; $14 to register; you must be supervised at all times.
• Class A journeyworker electrician: at least 48 months of experience plus an exam.
• Class A master electrician: one year as a licensed journeyworker (or five years of qualifying experience, or a four-year electrical degree) plus an exam.
• Electrical contractor: a business license that needs a master electrician as its responsible licensed individual.

Minnesota's rule splits the 48 months into categories. For a journeyworker, at least 24 months must be "wiring for and installing" and up to 24 can be maintenance and repair. Smaller amounts can come from line work, elevators, technology circuits and process control.

Experience counts only if you were registered or licensed with DLI (for work in Minnesota after Jan. 1, 2009) and worked for a licensed contractor or registered employer, or for a licensed contractor in another state. Experience before age 17 doesn't count. Minnesota also has other licenses, such as maintenance electrician (48 months), lineman (48 months), power limited technician (36 months) and installer licenses.

Compare states on the electrician hub and in journeyman vs. master. [1][2][3][4][7]

The journeyworker exam

DLI writes and gives the exam itself. You apply online and pay $50; once approved, you get an email telling you how to schedule. Exams are given at DLI's St. Paul office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at sites in Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, St. Cloud, Virginia, Willmar and Winona.

The journeyworker and master exams each have 80 questions. You have 5½ hours and need 70% to pass. DLI provides a soft-cover National Electrical Code (NEC, the national wiring rulebook) with no tabs, a laws and rules booklet and a basic calculator; you can't bring your own materials. DLI's exam guide says questions use the 2026 NEC, which took effect in Minnesota on Aug. 17, 2026.

If you fail, you can apply to retake the exam 30 days after you are notified, with a new application and fee. [1][5][8]

Fees, renewal and continuing education

Registration as an unlicensed electrician costs $14 and renews every year for $19 ($24 if expired). The exam application fee is $50 for the journeyworker or master exam.

Journeyworker licenses last two years and renew for $53 ($20 late fee). Master licenses expire at the end of February in odd-numbered years and renew for $93 ($40 late fee). Both need 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education (CE) per renewal, at least 12 of them on the NEC. Registered unlicensed electricians need 2 hours of NEC education every year.

The electrical contractor license costs $188 to apply and to renew, and expires at the end of February in even-numbered years. [1][2][6]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships in Minnesota

You can earn your experience with any licensed contractor that registers you and supervises you. Many people go through a registered apprenticeship instead, which adds classes to paid work.

Union (IBEW/NECA) programs are run by joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs, boards of union and employer reps). The Electrical Training Alliance says typical requirements are age 18, a high school education, one year of high school algebra, a qualifying aptitude test score and being drug free. DLI's construction electrician apprenticeship directory lists the Minneapolis, St. Paul, South Central Minnesota, Twin Ports and Iron Range JATCs, with fees, test dates and contacts.

Open-shop (non-union) programs: DLI's directory lists Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota and North Dakota, where you join after a participating employer hires you. It also lists employer-run programs such as the Electrical Association (Minneapolis) and Design Electric.

More help: electrician apprenticeships, union vs. non-union and the aptitude test. [1][9][10]

If you're licensed in another state

DLI lists reciprocal agreements at two levels. For a journeyworker license: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming (a master license from those states also qualifies). For a master license: Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

You must have earned the license by a statewide exam (not a city license), held it at least one year, and keep it current and in good standing. You can't use reciprocity if you have failed the same or a higher Minnesota exam. You pay the $50 application and exam fee, then the license fee.

If your state isn't listed, you qualify for the Minnesota exam with documented experience; DLI credits verifiable work for a licensed electrical contractor in another state. See Electrical license reciprocity and our reciprocity guide. [1][3][11]

Career changers: age, timing and pay

You need to be 17 to register with DLI, and union programs typically hire at 18.

The fastest legal route to a journeyworker license is 48 months of acceptable experience. A two-year electrical program at a DLI-approved school (DLI lists schools such as Dunwoody College of Technology, St. Paul College and St. Cloud Technical and Community College) can count for up to one year. Full-time school-term time itself doesn't count as work experience.

Apprenticeships pay you while you learn; ask each program for its current wage schedule. For more, see how to get an apprenticeship. [2][3][4][9][12]

Steps to get licensed in Minnesota

1. Register with DLI before you start work

   Apply online as a registered unlicensed electrician and pay $14. You must be at least 17. [1][2]

2. Work under a licensed electrician and log your experience

   Work as a W-2 employee of a licensed electrical contractor or registered employer, under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyworker or master. Report your experience each year when you renew your registration. [1][2]

3. Renew your registration every year

   Complete 2 hours of DLI-approved code education, pay the $19 renewal fee and submit a work experience verification form. [1][2]

4. Apply for the journeyworker exam after 48 months

   Apply online with proof of at least 48 months of acceptable experience (including 24 months of wiring and installing) and pay the $50 application and exam fee. [1][3][4]

5. Take the exam, then pay the license fee

   DLI emails scheduling instructions once you are approved; exams are given at DLI's St. Paul office and other sites around the state. After you pass, DLI tells you how to pay for your license. If you fail, you can reapply 30 days after you are notified. [1][5][8]

6. Keep going toward master

   After one year as a licensed journeyworker, you can apply for the master electrician exam. [1][3]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train electricians in or for Minnesota, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  IBEW/NECA joint apprenticeship (JATC) programs in Minnesota

  Union programs run jointly by the electricians' union (IBEW) and contractors (NECA). DLI's directory lists the Minneapolis, St. Paul, South Central Minnesota (Rochester), Twin Ports (Duluth) and Iron Range Electrical JATCs. [9][10]

• Union

  Minneapolis Electrical JATC

  Apply online ($40); your score combines the GAN aptitude test and a personal experience form, and you are ranked on an eligibility list. Hiring usually happens in late spring to early summer. [14]

• Open shop

  Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota and North Dakota

  A registered open-shop program. You join after a participating employer hires you; DLI says there is no application fee or aptitude test. [10]

• State program

  Apprenticeship Minnesota (DLI)

  The state apprenticeship office keeps a directory of construction electrician programs and how each one hires, and can refer you to programs; call 651-284-5090. [10][12]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask