A firm with a lapsed license still has its name on old permits, so check the license, not the permit history alone.
Which license does the contractor need in Minnesota?
| Work | What to look for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Remodel, addition, new home, any job in two or more "special skills" | Residential building contractor (BC…) or residential remodeler (CR…) license. Remodelers work only on existing homes | DLI residential licensing |
| Roofing | Residential roofer, building contractor or remodeler license. Gutters, soffit and fascia need a building contractor or remodeler license | DLI roofer page |
| Basement waterproofing, drain tile | No state license if that is the only special skill offered: DLI puts "drain systems" and "water resistance and waterproofing" under masonry/concrete. A firm that also excavates or finishes the basement offers two skills and needs a building contractor or remodeler license | DLI special skills |
| One special skill only (say, drywall or flooring) | None. "Specialty contractors who provide only one special skill are not required to have a state license", roofers excepted | DLI residential licensing |
| Electrical | Electrical contractor license, a $25,000 bond and a master electrician as the responsible person | DLI electrical basics |
| Plumbing | Plumbing contractor license (restricted licenses only in places of 5,000 people or fewer), a $25,000 bond and a master plumber | DLI plumbing basics |
| Furnace, AC, gas piping | No state license; the firm "must file a $25,000 mechanical contractor bond with DLI" | DLI mechanical bond |
In Minneapolis, drain tile is one of the jobs a pre-approved licensed contractor files through the City's express permit tool, alongside reroofs and siding (City of Minneapolis, read 21 October 2026). Of the 100 drain tile and waterproofing firms that filed 1,029 permits there from October 2023 to September 2026, 69.0% match an active DLI license and 27.0% match none, which for a one-skill firm is expected. See every Minneapolis waterproofing contractor's license status.
Minneapolis adds its own trade licenses on top, such as the city's HVAC-A license under Code of Ordinances chapter 278 (application).
A residential contractor whose "gross annual receipts from their residential activities are less than $15,000" can hold a Certificate of Exemption instead, renewed every year. A certificate of exemption is not a license, and it does not bring Recovery Fund protection.
How to look a contractor up, step by step
- Ask for the license number. Residential building contractor numbers start "BC", remodeler numbers "CR" (Recovery Fund page).
- Open ims.dli.mn.gov, choose "Continue as guest" and type the full number in the search box at the top.
- No number? Use "Search License/Registration holders" and search the business name. Try the legal name and the trade name.
- Read the status and the license type. A roofer license on a firm bidding your kitchen is the wrong license.
- Look for enforcement actions on the record. Then search the firm's name, and the owner's, in DLI's Residential Building Contractor Enforcement Actions, 2026 Year to Date. When we read it on 20 October 2026 it listed about 130 orders: consent orders, cease-and-desist orders for unlicensed contracting, suspensions and revocations, with penalties from $1,000 to $22,500. An order against the owner under a previous company name counts.
- For a plumber or HVAC firm, check the bond is on file; for an electrician, the responsible master electrician.
- Prefer a spreadsheet? DLI's nightly export lists every license; current ones carry the status "Issued".
Penalties for unlicensed work in Minnesota
DLI can order a penalty "up to $10,000 for each violation or act, conduct, or practice committed by the person" (Minn. Stat. 326B.082, subd. 12), and "a person who violates an applicable law is guilty of a misdemeanor" (subd. 16). For you, the bigger cost is what you lose: the Recovery Fund only pays on a licensed contractor. On DLI's 2026 list, several revocations carry a $10,000 penalty, and cease-and-desist orders for unlicensed work mostly carry $5,000 to $7,500, much of it stayed.
The Contractor Recovery Fund
The fund pays homeowners who win a judgment against a licensed residential contractor and cannot collect. The rules are in Minn. Stat. 326B.89 (2025 text):
| Rule | Figure |
|---|---|
| Most one owner can get, per licensee | $100,000 |
| Most all owners together can get, per licensee | $550,000 |
| Who qualifies | Owner or lessee of a 1–4 family home in Minnesota |
| What you need first | A final judgment for fraud, conversion of funds or "failure of performance", on a contract made directly with the licensee |
| Deadline | Two years after the judgment became final |
| What it covers | "Actual and direct out-of-pocket loss"; not attorney fees, not interest, not landscaping, fences, driveways, pools or accessory buildings (DLI) |
The contractor must have been licensed both when you signed and when the work was done.
What the license does not tell you
DLI says whether the firm is licensed today. It does not say whether its permits passed inspection. That is the city's record, which we read.
- Minneapolis (Oct 2023–Sep 2026): roofing 75.9% matched Active, 93.0% of permits finished. Remodel: 75.0% of 1,424 firms matched, 143 matched a lapsed license, and 15.0% had no match at all; some of those may be single-skill trades that need no state license. HVAC: 67.4% matched a DLI mechanical bond.
- Saint Paul (Jul 2022–Jun 2025; the city's feed stopped in June 2025): roofing 70.1% matched, 197 with a lapsed license; electrical 71.5% matched and 84.4% of electrical permits finished; remodel 68.5%; plumbing 66.1%, with 45 firms matching a plumbing license that had lapsed.
Across both cities, between about a third and a half of the roofing and remodel firms on permits do not show a current DLI license under the name it filed. Before you sign, the five-minute check is the license number on iMS, then the firm's page with us for what it has actually finished.
Red flags on a Minnesota license record
- Status other than active, or a Certificate of Exemption on a firm quoting a big job.
- A roofer license on a firm bidding interior remodel work.
- Enforcement actions on the iMS record.
- A plumbing or HVAC firm with no bond on file.
- A license issued last month on a firm that says it has been in business for years.
- A specialty contractor bidding two or more special skills (framing and roofing, say) without a license.
How we know this
License status comes from DLI's public nightly exports (residential contractors, plumbing contractors, mechanical contractor bonds, and in Saint Paul electrical contractors), matched to contractor names on City of Minneapolis and City of Saint Paul permits by company and trade name. Certificates of exemption and personal licenses are not counted. A firm we could not match is shown as unmatched, not as unlicensed. "Finished" is the share of permits finaled. Saint Paul's permit feed ends 30 June 2025, so its window is Jul 2022–Jun 2025. Statute and DLI text read 20 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Saint Paul approved building permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Minneapolis roofer by their permit record →
Questions
- Is the Minnesota contractor license lookup free?
Yes. DLI's iMS system (ims.dli.mn.gov) lets you "Continue as guest" and search by license number; DLI also publishes nightly CSV exports of every license, bond and registration.
- Does a Minnesota handyman need a license?
Not if they offer only one of DLI's eight "special skills" (roofing excepted), or if their residential gross receipts are under $15,000 a year and they hold a Certificate of Exemption, renewed each year.
- How much can the Contractor Recovery Fund pay?
Up to $100,000 to one owner for one licensee, and $550,000 in total per licensee (Minn. Stat. 326B.89, subd. 5). You need a final court judgment against a licensed residential building contractor or remodeler, and must apply within two years of it.
- Does a basement waterproofing contractor need a license in Minnesota?
Only if it offers two or more of DLI's eight special skills. DLI lists 'drain systems' and 'water resistance and waterproofing' under one skill, masonry/concrete, and a contractor offering only one special skill does not need a state license; one that also digs (excavation) or finishes the basement does. In Minneapolis, 69.0% of the 100 drain tile and waterproofing firms on the permit file match an active DLI license.
- Does the Recovery Fund cover a fence or a pool?
No. DLI's page excludes "items outside the residential structure", naming landscaping, fences, driveways, pools and accessory buildings.
- What happens to a contractor working without a Minnesota license?
DLI can impose a penalty "up to $10,000 for each violation" (326B.082, subd. 12), and violating the licensing law is a misdemeanor (subd. 16).
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Saint Paul contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- How to check a contractor's license in Massachusetts
- Miami contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Orlando contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Minneapolis contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
For one city
- License and registration lookup — Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (2026-10-20)
- Residential contractor licensing — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Who needs a roofer license? — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Plumbing contractor licensing basics — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Electrical contractor licensing basics — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Mechanical contractor bond — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Contractor Recovery Fund — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Minn. Stat. 326B.89 Contractor recovery fund (2025) (2026-10-20)
- Minn. Stat. 326B.082 Enforcement (2025) (2026-10-20)
- Residential Building Contractor Enforcement Actions, 2026 Year to Date — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-20)
- Who needs a residential contractor license? (special skill categories) — Minnesota DLI (2026-10-21)
- Express Limited Permits for Contractors — City of Minneapolis (2026-10-21)
- License Application: HVAC-A — City of Minneapolis (2026-10-20)