Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Hennepin County

Minneapolis MN Electrician License, Classes and Permits

Minneapolis is the one Minnesota city with its own electrical inspection program and its own forms, and DLI keeps a page just for it. What the city does not do is license anybody, so the credential still comes from St. Paul.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The license a Minneapolis electrician needs

The license is the state's. The Department of Labor and Industry issues every electrical credential in Minnesota, from the $14 registered unlicensed individual registration up to the Class A master electrician license and the contractor licenses, and no Minnesota city issues one of its own.

So the route here is the route everywhere: register, build the months, file the $50 examination application, wait for DLI to approve it, and sit the paper in St. Paul. What changes by city is permits, inspections and where you train.

What Minneapolis runs itself

Minneapolis runs its own electrical inspection program, and DLI maintains a page for it. That page references Minneapolis Regulatory Services, including Minneapolis Construction Code Services, and lists three items.

• An electrical safety check form, described as for use by licensed electrical contractors only.
• A Minneapolis electrical certification form, described as for use by electrical contractors.
• Minneapolis Maintenance Code Chapter 244, with electrical requirements at section 244.420 on page 14 and smoke detectors at section 244.915 on page 24.

DLI also publishes a Minneapolis inspection district PDF, which is the document that tells you which inspector covers an address.

The city's own Code Compliance Electrical Certification page says a licensed electrician must complete a form to certify that a dwelling's electrical system complies with the code. It does not say which license, and it describes no Minneapolis issued electrical credential.

What we could not read, and what the statute settles

The City of Minneapolis electrical permit page was blocked by robots.txt when we tried to read it on September 7, 2026, so we have not seen the city's own permit instructions. Call Minneapolis Construction Code Services before you rely on anything about permits here.

The licensing question is a different matter, and it is settled by statute rather than by a city page. Minnesota Statutes 326B.36, subdivision 6 bars any political subdivision from requiring an individual, partnership, corporation or other business association holding a license from the commissioner under sections 326B.31 to 326B.399 to pay any license or registration fee. What the same subdivision does allow a city is an inspection program and an ordinance requiring a copy of the current state license on file.

So there is nothing to hedge. Minneapolis issues no electrician license of its own, no other Minnesota city does either, and the credential you need is the state one.

Where to train in Minneapolis

• Minneapolis Electrical JATC. The training center for IBEW Local 292 and Twin Cities NECA. Its address is 13100 Frankfort Parkway NE, St. Michael, MN 55376, which is well outside the city, so plan the drive before you apply. A five year program, paid on the job work five days a week in summer and four during the school year, with related training one day a week in the classrooms and labs during the school year. Entry: at least 17 to apply and 18 to be hired, a high school diploma or GED, one full credit of algebra or higher qualifying math at grade C or better, a valid driver's license, a $40 application fee, and the GAN Aptitude Test Battery, which is half the total application score and covers reading, numerical computation, reasoning, paper folding, problem solving and mechanical comprehension.
• Electrical Association. 3100 Humboldt Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55408. DLI lists a $250 application fee paid by the company and says applications are always open. Its published standards name the sponsor as Electrical Training Network of Minnesota and the occupation as Class A Journeyworker Electrician over 8,000 hours across four years, with a minimum of 144 hours of related instruction each year. Entry is at least 18, a high school diploma or GED, and the right to work in the United States. Wages run from 40 percent of the journeyworker rate in the first 2000 hours to 83 percent from 6501 to 8000 hours.
• Dunwoody College of Technology. 818 Dunwoody Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55403. The program named on its page is Electrical Construction Design and Management, an Associate of Applied Science over two years, and the page also names Electrical Drafting and Estimating, Electrical Construction and Maintenance, and Power and Construction Engineering Technology at bachelor's level. An OSHA 10 Construction Card is offered to students who complete the required 10 hours of training. The page we read carries no statement about Minnesota licensure or experience credit, so do not assume it supplies the one year allowance without asking.

Getting to the exam

There is one examination site in Minnesota and it is not in Minneapolis. Examinations run weekly, generally every Wednesday, at the Department of Labor and Industry, 443 Lafayette Road N., St Paul, MN 55155, from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

That is a cross town trip on a weekday morning for a five and a half hour paper that starts at 8:15. Budget the traffic.

DLI provides the code book in soft cover without tabs or other aids, and no other materials or electronic devices, including cell phones, are allowed in the building.

What the work pays around Minneapolis

O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives electricians in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro a median of $39.37 an hour or $81,890 a year.

The statewide median on the same table is $37.58 an hour or $78,160. Two Minnesota metro rows sit above the Twin Cities on that table: Mankato at $39.96 an hour and Duluth at $39.76.

Your next move in Minneapolis

If you are starting, get hired and register. The board counted 16,074 registered unlicensed electricians statewide in April 2026, which is more than the 12,435 licensed journeyworkers, so the entry route is well travelled.

If you already have months, check them against the matrix before you pay the $50, because planning, laying out and supervising credit nothing toward a journeyworker license. Check any employer on the state license lookup before you sign anything.

Questions people ask

Do I need a Minneapolis electrician license?

No. Minnesota Statutes 326B.36, subdivision 6 bars a city from charging a license or registration fee to anyone the commissioner has licensed, so the credential comes from the Department of Labor and Industry. Minneapolis runs its own inspection program and forms, which is a different thing.

Where do Minneapolis electricians take the state exam?

At the Department of Labor and Industry, 443 Lafayette Road N., St Paul. Examinations run weekly, generally every Wednesday, from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Which apprenticeships serve Minneapolis?

Minneapolis Electrical JATC, whose training center is at 13100 Frankfort Parkway NE in St. Michael, and the Electrical Association at 3100 Humboldt Ave. S. in Minneapolis. DLI lists both as registered construction electrician sponsors.

Does Dunwoody count toward a Minnesota electrician license?

The Dunwoody page we read carries no statement about Minnesota licensure or experience credit. Other Minnesota colleges publish one, so ask Dunwoody directly rather than assuming the one year allowance applies.

How much do electricians make in Minneapolis?

O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives a median of $39.37 an hour or $81,890 a year for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro. The statewide median is $37.58.

Who inspects electrical work in Minneapolis?

Minneapolis runs its own electrical inspection program through Minneapolis Regulatory Services, and DLI publishes a Minneapolis inspection district PDF showing which inspector covers an address.

What this page cites

• DLI Minneapolis electrical inspection information The city inspection program, the two contractor forms and the Maintenance Code Chapter 244 sections. source
• Minneapolis code compliance electrical certification The city page stating that a licensed electrician must certify a dwelling's electrical system, without naming a city credential. source
• Minneapolis Electrical JATC applicants page The entry requirements, the $40 fee and the GAN Aptitude Test Battery. source
• Electrical Training Network of Minnesota standards The 8,000 hour term, the 144 hours of related instruction and the wage progression. source
• Dunwoody College of Technology The Electrical Construction Design and Management program and the other electrical programs at the college. source
• O*NET OnLine local wages for 47-2111 The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro median, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. source
• Minnesota Statutes 326B.36 Subdivision 6, which bars a political subdivision from charging a license or registration fee to a state licensed electrician and leaves it inspection instead. source