How to get an electrician license in Minnesota: the official requirements
The Class A Journeyworker Electrician license, the experience and training it takes, the exam and how to apply, from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
In Minnesota, the state electrical license for individual electricians is issued by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. The journeyworker electrician license, issued by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). To do electrical work in Minnesota you must be licensed by DLI or registered with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician. Apprentice or trainee registration: Before you are licensed, register with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician (you apply online). You can then do electrical work without a license if it is directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master electrician employed by the same contractor or employer. The registration lasts one year. Experience and training: At least 48 months of experience for the Class A journeyworker license, including at least 24 months of wiring for and installing electrical wiring, apparatus and equipment. Experience counts when you were registered with DLI as an unlicensed electrician while working in Minnesota after January 1, 2009, or employed by a DLI-licensed electrical contractor or registered employer, or doing verifiable work for a licensed electrical contractor in another state. Completing a two-year, post-high-school electrical course approved by the board can count for up to one year of experience. Licensing exam: A written exam, which you must pass before you can apply for the journeyworker license. To take it, you show evidence of enough electrical work experience. How to apply: Apply online to take the exam through iMS, the Department's online application and renewal system, uploading any work experience forms you have not yet submitted. Once approved, you receive instructions for scheduling the exam.
Minnesota electrician license requirements
| Requirement | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| License you apply for | The journeyworker electrician license, issued by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). To do electrical work in Minnesota you must be licensed by DLI or registered with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician. |
| Apprentice or trainee registration | Before you are licensed, register with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician (you apply online). You can then do electrical work without a license if it is directly supervised at all times by a licensed journeyworker or master electrician employed by the same contractor or employer. The registration lasts one year. |
| Experience and training | At least 48 months of experience for the Class A journeyworker license, including at least 24 months of wiring for and installing electrical wiring, apparatus and equipment. Experience counts when you were registered with DLI as an unlicensed electrician while working in Minnesota after January 1, 2009, or employed by a DLI-licensed electrical contractor or registered employer, or doing verifiable work for a licensed electrical contractor in another state. Completing a two-year, post-high-school electrical course approved by the board can count for up to one year of experience. |
| Classroom hours | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. |
| Licensing exam | A written exam, which you must pass before you can apply for the journeyworker license. To take it, you show evidence of enough electrical work experience. |
| How to apply | Apply online to take the exam through iMS, the Department's online application and renewal system, uploading any work experience forms you have not yet submitted. Once approved, you receive instructions for scheduling the exam. |
| Background check | Not stated in the official source we read. Check with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. |
| State fees | Journeyworker exam: $50. Journeyworker renewal: $53 ($20 late fee). Registered unlicensed electrician: $14 to apply, $19 to renew ($5 late fee). |
| License term | Two years; journeyworker licenses expire every two years at the end of the month in which the license was first issued. |
| Continuing education | 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education to renew, at least 12 of them on the National Electrical Code. Registered unlicensed electricians complete two hours to renew. |
Where the official source we read does not state something, the table says so rather than guessing. Fees shown are the licensing authority's own. Fees charged by exam vendors, schools, apprenticeship programs, fingerprint vendors and application portals are not included.
This page covers the electrical license issued by the state. Cities and counties can have their own registration, permit or license rules; ask the local building department where you will work.
How to get licensed in Minnesota
- Register online with DLI as a registered unlicensed electrician so you can work under the direct supervision of a licensed journeyworker or master electrician.
- Build at least 48 months of experience, including at least 24 months of wiring and installing electrical equipment.
- Apply online in iMS to take the journeyworker exam, with evidence of your electrical work experience.
- Once approved, schedule and pass the written exam, then apply for the journeyworker license.
- Renew every two years with 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education.
Go further
Requirements state by state.
Open →CareerHow to become an electricianThe career path, nationally.
Open →PayElectrician salary in MinnesotaWhat electricians earn.
Open →CareerElectrician career guideThe job, skills and outlook.
Open →ResumeElectrician resumeHow to present your hours and licenses.
Open →InterviewElectrician interview questionsWhat hiring managers ask.
Open →Disclosure: TryHired makes HIRED, a paid job-search program, so we have a conflict of interest when we mention it. Everything on this page is free to use without buying anything.
Questions people ask
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How this page is built
Each fact on this page comes from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (sources named below), read on the dates shown, with the exact wording we relied on kept on file. Requirements and fees change; the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's current instructions govern. We re-read each state's sources every six months (next review by May 10, 2027).
- Not legal advice.
- Licensing rules can change. Verify current requirements with the issuing agency.
- Fees shown are the licensing authority's own. Fees charged by exam vendors, schools, apprenticeship programs, fingerprint vendors and application portals are not included.
- This page covers the electrical license issued by the state. Cities and counties can have their own registration, permit or license rules; ask the local building department where you will work.
- This page covers the individual license named above. Master, contractor, specialty, sign, residential, limited and out-of-state (reciprocity) licenses have their own rules.
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Electrical licensing basics, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Experience requirements - electrical license, official source, read Nov 9, 2026.