Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Stearns County

St. Cloud MN Electrician License, Classes and Local Rules

St. Cloud has two things no other city on this site has: the only registered sponsor DLI lists with no aptitude test, and a college that spells out exactly which licenses its program credits. It also has a published sentence about hours that does not match how the state counts.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The license a St. Cloud 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.

The sponsor with no aptitude test

Design Electric is the registered construction electrician sponsor DLI names for St. Cloud, at 4897 Heatherwood Rd., PO Box 1252, St. Cloud, MN 56301, with additional addresses at 50 4th Ave. NE, Plainview, MN 55964 and 1162 State Hwy. 7 E., Hutchinson, MN 55350. The contact is Jim Schoon, 320-252-1658.

Against every other sponsor on the list, DLI prints one thing beside this one: no aptitude test required.

That is worth knowing if a February aptitude date or a GAN battery is what has been stopping you. Two Duluth programs test on fixed February days, Minneapolis and St. Paul both use the GAN battery, and Rochester requires a test as well.

The college, and what it says about the license

St. Cloud Technical and Community College is at 1540 Northway Drive, St. Cloud, MN 56303. It publishes an Electrical Construction Technology Associate of Applied Science at 81 credits and an Electrical Construction Technology Diploma at 72 credits.

Its licensure statement is quoted: the SCTCC Electrical Construction Technology program is approved by the Minnesota Department of Labor to fulfill one year's experience credit allowance toward a Class A Journeyworker electrician, power limited technician, or maintenance electrician license applicant, according to Minnesota Statutes, section 326B.33. The page adds that graduates are eligible to take the state exam for the journeyperson license and that the MN State Board of Electricity recognizes this program for credit toward the license.

Since DLI publishes no list of approved two year programs, a statement like that is the evidence you have. It is worth more than a general claim about credit.

The hours sentence, and why we do not repeat it

The same SCTCC page says graduates can apply 2,000 hours of education as a substitute for 2,000 hours of work experience toward the 8,000 hours needed for application to become a Journeyworker electrician in Minnesota.

That framing is the college's, not the state's. DLI and Minnesota Rules 3800.3520 count journeyworker experience in months: 48 months in total with a 24 month minimum in wiring for and installing, and a maximum of one year of credit for an approved two year post high school course.

The 8,000 hour figure comes from apprenticeship standards, which are written in hours. Nothing in the state's own rule converts hours for you. File your experience the way DLI asks for it, in months by category, and read the experience page for the matrix.

Permits and inspections

Minnesota splits electrical permits between the state and local authorities having jurisdiction. DLI tells contractors that if the authority having jurisdiction column lists State, file the permit with DLI, and if it shows Local, contact the local city or township.

Use the DLI electrical inspector lookup for a specific address rather than assuming. Homeowners have their own DLI permit page.

The code is the 2026 National Electrical Code for permits filed on or after August 17, 2026, adopted without Minnesota amendments.

What the work pays around St. Cloud

O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives the St. Cloud, MN metro a median of $39.37 an hour or $81,890 a year for electricians.

That is the same figure the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro carries on the same table, and it is above the statewide median of $37.58 an hour. Duluth sits higher at $39.76 and Mankato higher still at $39.96.

Your next move in St. Cloud

If an aptitude test is what has been in your way, Design Electric is the sponsor DLI lists without one, and applications go through the employer.

If you want the year of experience credit, SCTCC names the licenses its program credits, which is a stronger statement than most Minnesota colleges publish.

Either way, register with DLI as soon as you are working, and remember the examination itself is in St. Paul, weekly on a Wednesday, from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Questions people ask

Is there an electrician apprenticeship in St. Cloud?

Yes. DLI names Design Electric as the registered construction electrician sponsor for St. Cloud, at 4897 Heatherwood Rd., with additional locations in Plainview and Hutchinson. DLI prints no aptitude test required beside it.

Does SCTCC count toward a Minnesota electrician license?

Its page states that the program is approved by the Minnesota Department of Labor to fulfill one year's experience credit allowance toward a Class A journeyworker electrician, power limited technician or maintenance electrician license applicant under Minnesota Statutes, section 326B.33.

Is a Minnesota journeyworker license 8,000 hours?

Not in the state's own rule. DLI and Minnesota Rules 3800.3520 count 48 months by category with a 24 month minimum in wiring for and installing. The 8,000 hour figure comes from apprenticeship standards and from the college page, not from DLI.

What electrical programs does SCTCC run?

An Electrical Construction Technology Associate of Applied Science at 81 credits and an Electrical Construction Technology Diploma at 72 credits, at 1540 Northway Drive.

How much do electricians make in St. Cloud?

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 St. Cloud, MN metro.

Do I need a St. Cloud electrician license?

No Minnesota city issues an electrician license. The Department of Labor and Industry licenses individuals and businesses, and the local layer is permits and inspections.

What this page cites

• DLI construction electrician apprenticeships Names Design Electric for St. Cloud, with its three addresses, its contact and the no aptitude test note. source
• St. Cloud Technical and Community College The two Electrical Construction Technology programs, their credit totals and the quoted licensure statement. source
• Minnesota Rules 3800.3520 The rule that counts experience in months rather than hours. source
• DLI experience requirements The 48 month journeyworker matrix and the one year school credit allowance. source
• O*NET OnLine local wages for 47-2111 The St. Cloud metro median for electricians, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data. source
• DLI Licensing Examination Guide The single St. Paul examination site, the weekly schedule and the times. source