Minnesota · Plumbing licensing · official-source guide
Minnesota licenses plumbing at state level through the Department of Labor and Industry. It licenses the individual by grade, from registered unlicensed plumber through journeyworker and master, and licenses the business as a plumbing contractor. Minn. Stat. 326B.46 requires a $25,000 bond, $50,000 and $100,000 public liability, $10,000 property damage, and the license number on both sides of every vehicle.
State-level license
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-11. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Minnesota licenses plumbing at state level through the Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division, reachable at dli.license@state.mn.us and 651-284-5034. The department licenses two separate things and a contractor needs both answers. It licenses the individual by grade under Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1: no individual shall engage in or work at the business of a master plumber, restricted master plumber, journeyworker plumber, or restricted journeyworker plumber unless licensed to do so by the commissioner. It licenses the business in the same subdivision: no person shall perform or offer to perform plumbing work with or without compensation unless the person obtains a contractor's license. DLI states the same on its contractor page, that businesses and individuals that contract to perform plumbing work in Minnesota must have a plumbing contractor license. The link between them is Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1b. Each contractor must designate a responsible licensed plumber who is responsible for the performance of all plumbing work. For a plumbing contractor license that responsible individual must hold an active master plumber license, and DLI states the individual must be an owner, officer, member or a specific W-2 employee of the business. The statute adds that the responsible individual cannot be employed in any capacity as a plumber for any other contractor, and gives a licensee 60 days to secure a replacement before the license terminates. So the person and the company are licensed on two separate tracks that have to meet.
DLI publishes the full list. Master plumber authorizes plumbing statewide, for both interior plumbing and exterior water service systems. Journeyworker plumber is an employee working under the direction of a master plumber, also statewide for interior and exterior work. Plumbing contractor is the entity that may contract to perform plumbing work in all areas of the state while maintaining a licensed master plumber as its responsible individual. Restricted master plumber and restricted journeyworker plumber are the same credentials limited by population. Restricted plumbing contractor is the limited business license. Registered unlicensed plumber covers the employee learning under direct supervision. Medical gas certification is required for medical gas installations. Certified pipelayer works on exterior pipes only and not interior plumbing, and Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1 says a license is not required for individuals performing building sewer or water service installation who have completed pipe laying training as prescribed by the commissioner. Backflow prevention rebuilder and backflow prevention tester are separate certifications. Water conditioning contractor and water conditioning installer are separate specialty licenses. Plumbing employer registration is a further credential, and it matters for staffing: DLI states a registered unlicensed plumber must be a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor, a licensed restricted plumbing contractor, or a registered plumbing employer. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1 also exempts individuals servicing or installing a commercial chemical dispensing system and servicing or replacing a commercial dishwashing machine.
Minnesota is one of the few states that draws the limit on a plumbing license with a census number rather than a job type, and it is the detail that decides which markets a contractor can bid. A restricted master plumber is qualified to work in cities and towns with a population of fewer than 5,000 according to the most recent federal census. A restricted journeyworker plumber is limited the same way and DLI states the credential carries at least two years of practical plumbing experience. On the business side, Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1b describes the restricted plumbing contractor license as authorizing the contractor to offer to perform and to perform plumbing work in all areas of the state except in cities and towns with a population of more than 5,000 according to the last federal census. A restricted contractor may use a master plumber or a restricted master plumber as its responsible individual. A full plumbing contractor license needs a full master plumber. The same 5,000 line shows up again in plan review. DLI states that all plumbing plans, including site utilities, submitted for projects located in cities with a population of more than 5,000 must be signed by a master plumber or a professional engineer registered in Minnesota. A contractor working restricted therefore has both a geographic ceiling on the work and a signature it cannot supply on plans in the larger cities.
Minnesota does not call its entry credential an apprenticeship registration. It calls the person a registered unlicensed plumber, and DLI states that an individual who is not licensed as a plumber may only perform plumbing work in Minnesota if they are registered. No prior work experience is required to register. The fee is $14 for initial registration and for renewal, and the DLI fee schedule shows how that number is built: a $10 license fee, a $4 board fee and a $5 continuing education fee for a new registration totaling $14, with renewal at $19 and renewal with late fee at $24. A registered unlicensed plumber may only perform plumbing work under the direct supervision of a licensed master plumber or journeyworker plumber, and must be a W-2 employee of a licensed plumbing contractor, a licensed restricted plumbing contractor or a registered plumbing employer. Registrations expire June 30 each year rather than on the odd-year December cycle that governs licenses. Continuing education runs on the same annual clock: two hours of approved continuing education related to code by June 30 of each year, and DLI states that credits exceeding the minimum cannot carry over to a later period. For a contractor building a bench, those hours are the count that matters most, because the experience clock toward a journeyworker license only runs while the registration is live.
DLI publishes four routes to the journeyworker plumber license. The first is at least four years of recorded practical plumbing experience as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber. The second is completing a DLI-registered apprenticeship program. The third is holding a current Minnesota restricted journeyworker or restricted master plumber license plus at least two years of practical plumbing experience gained while holding the restricted license. The fourth is a current plumber's license from another state where the licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience. The recorded hours are split by system, not counted as one lump. For a registered unlicensed plumber the split is 2,000 hours of water distribution system installation, 2,000 hours of drain, waste and vent system installation, and 1,000 hours of fixture installation. For a restricted journeyworker or restricted master plumber moving up, the split is 1,000 hours of water distribution, 1,000 hours of drain, waste and vent, and 500 hours of fixture installation. That structure is worth planning around, because a technician kept on service calls can log years without ever filling the drain, waste and vent column. DLI charges a $50 exam fee, and states that a candidate who fails must wait 30 days before reapplying. Journeyworker and plumber licenses expire on Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years.
Sourcesdli.mn.gov 1dli.mn.gov 2
The master plumber license is the one that lets a Minnesota business hold a plumbing contractor license, so the requirements are short but load-bearing. DLI lists three routes. The first is at least one year of practical plumbing experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber. The second is a master plumber license from another state with equivalent requirements. The third is a current Minnesota restricted master plumber license plus five years of verifiable experience in business as a plumbing contractor in Minnesota. The scope is statewide for both interior plumbing and exterior water service systems. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1b puts two limits on how that license can be used. The responsible individual must be an officer, partner, managing employee or proprietor of the contractor, and cannot be employed in any capacity as a plumber for any other contractor. If the responsible individual leaves, the contractor has 60 days to secure a replacement or the license terminates. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1a adds a separate path for in-house maintenance staff: employees maintaining employer-owned equipment on employer property do not need contractor licenses if the employer files a certificate of responsible individual with the commissioner, signed by a master plumber, or by a restricted master plumber in areas under 5,000 population, renewed every two years with a filing fee. Master plumber licenses run on the same Dec. 31 odd-numbered-year expiration as journeyworker licenses.
This is the part of Minnesota licensing that trips up contractors coming from states with no financial requirement, and the numbers are set by statute rather than by policy. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 2 requires each person who performs or offers to perform plumbing work within the state to give and maintain a bond to the state in the penal sum of at least $25,000. The DLI bond form states it as a corporate surety bond to the State of Minnesota in the amount of at least Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars, written by a corporate surety, and the same form covers plumbing work and building sewer and water service installation as well as subsurface sewage treatment system licensing. The same subdivision requires public liability insurance, including products liability insurance, with limits of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence, and property damage insurance with limits of at least $10,000. DLI restates those figures on its contractor licensing page and adds that the coverage must include premises, operations and products, and completed operations. Three numbers, then, and all three have to be in place before the license issues and stay in place while it is held: a $25,000 surety bond, $50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence public liability, and $10,000 property damage. The DLI public lookup lets anyone check plumbing bond holders, which means a customer or a general contractor can confirm the bond independently.
DLI publishes one Construction Codes and Licensing Division fee schedule, effective July 1, 2025, and it breaks each license into components. Master plumber and restricted master plumber: $50 exam, $80 license, $8 board fee, $5 continuing education fee, giving $88 new, $93 renewal and $133 renewal with late fee. Journeyworker plumber and restricted journeyworker: $50 exam, $40 license, $8 board, $5 continuing education, giving $48 new, $53 renewal and $73 renewal with late fee. Plumbing contractor and restricted plumbing contractor: $180 license plus $8 board, giving $188 new and $188 renewal, and $278 renewal with late fee. DLI states on its contractor page that the initial license application and license renewal fee is $188. Medical gas installer: $40 license, $8 board, $5 continuing education, giving $48 new, $53 renewal and $73 with late fee. Unlicensed plumber: $10 license, $4 board, $5 continuing education, giving $14 new, $19 renewal and $24 with late fee. Backflow prevention tester and rebuilder: $30 license plus $8 board, giving $38 new, $38 renewal and $53 with late fee. Plumbing employer registration: $100 license, $100 renewal, $100 renewal with late fee. Pipelayer bond: $100 license plus $8 board, giving $108 new, $108 renewal and $158 with late fee. Reciprocity applicants submit an application and examination fee of $50.
Minnesota runs two different clocks and missing either one costs a late fee. Plumbing contractor licenses expire on December 31 of odd-numbered years. Journeyworker and master plumber licenses expire on Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years as well. Unlicensed plumber registrations expire June 30 each year. The continuing education requirement follows the license period rather than the calendar year. Master and journeyworker plumbers need 16 hours of approved continuing education in each two-year license period, of which at least 8 hours must be on the State Plumbing Code. The remaining 8 hours may cover the Plumbing Code, technical plumbing topics, the Minnesota State Building Code, or Minnesota Statutes governing plumbing work, and DLI states that all 16 hours may be on the State Plumbing Code alone. Registered unlicensed plumbers need two hours of approved continuing education credit by June 30 annually, and credits above the minimum do not carry forward. Medical gas certificate holders need four hours each license period covering medical gas installation, repair, maintenance, NFPA 99, or Minnesota medical gas regulations. Water conditioning master and journeyworker licenses need four hours each license period with at least 2 hours on technical water conditioning topics or related statutes and rules, and the unlicensed water conditioning credential needs 1 code hour plus 1 other hour. Backflow prevention testers and rebuilders have no separate continuing education requirement but must keep current ASSE tester 5110 or repairer 5130 certification.
Minnesota publishes a plumbing reciprocity page and it is narrow. DLI has reciprocity agreements with North Dakota and South Dakota. Applicants from those two states may obtain a Minnesota journeyworker plumber or master plumber license without examination. The conditions are specific. The applicant must hold the same or greater license class, obtained by examination, in the qualifying state. The applicant must have held that license for at least one year in the qualifying state. The license must be current and in good standing in the qualifying state. The applicant must not have previously failed the same exam level in Minnesota. The applicant must not be under any order to deny, suspend or revoke any class of plumber license in Minnesota. The applicant submits an application and examination fee of $50 with the application, and the required license fee must be submitted within 180 days of approval. Two limits are worth reading carefully. Reciprocity covers the personal license only, so a North Dakota master plumber still applies separately for the Minnesota plumbing contractor license, posts the $25,000 bond and carries the statutory insurance. And there is a separate route for out-of-state plumbers outside the Dakotas: DLI lists a current plumber's license from another state whose jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience as one of the four qualifying paths to sit for the Minnesota journeyworker examination.
Enforcement runs through Minn. Stat. 326B.082, which gives the commissioner a graduated set of tools rather than a single fine. Under subdivision 7 the commissioner may issue an administrative order requiring correction and a cease and desist, and may issue a monetary penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation of applicable law committed by the person. Under subdivision 12, in a licensing order, the monetary penalty may be up to $10,000 for each violation or act, conduct or practice committed by the person. Under subdivision 10 the commissioner may issue a stop work order and may assess a civil penalty of $5,000 per day against a person for each day the person conducts business operations in violation of that order. Under subdivision 16a, a person who delays, obstructs or otherwise fails to cooperate with the commissioner's investigation may be issued a penalty of $1,000, and each day of delay, obstruction or failure to cooperate is a separate violation. The statute also provides for a notice of violation under subdivision 6, license denial, suspension, revocation or conditioning under subdivision 11, summary suspension under subdivision 13, and misdemeanor charges under subdivision 16. The practical exposure for a contractor working without the license, or working past a lapsed one, is therefore per violation and per day rather than a single flat penalty, and the department can stop the job while it runs.
Sourcesrevisor.mn.gov
Minnesota puts a display requirement on plumbing contractors in the statute itself, and it is specific enough to fail an inspection over. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 7, headed License number to be displayed, reads: any vehicle used by a plumbing contractor or restricted plumbing contractor while performing plumbing work for which a contractor's license is required shall have the contractor's name and license number as it appears on the contractor's license in contrasting color with characters at least three inches high and one-half inch in width affixed to each side of the vehicle. Read the parts. It is the contractor's name and the license number, not one or the other. The name and number must match how they appear on the license, so a trade name on the truck that does not match the licensed name is a problem. The characters must be at least three inches high and one-half inch in width. The color must contrast. The marking goes on each side of the vehicle, not the back doors only. The subdivision was added in 2019. It applies while performing plumbing work for which a contractor's license is required, so it reaches the service van on a job as squarely as the branded box truck. Violations fall under the Minn. Stat. 326B.082 penalty structure along with any other violation of applicable law.
Minnesota does not preempt city trade licensing the way some states do, and both large cities run their own process on top of the DLI license. Minneapolis states plainly that plumbers working in Minneapolis need a license, that applicants must provide a surety bond with the application, and that the bond to use is the State of Minnesota $25,000 bond form. The city directs applications to Business Licenses at businesslicenses@minneapolismn.gov and 612-673-2080, and points applicants to a separate license fee page and to a competency card check. Saint Paul separates the business from the person. A plumbing contractor needs a Plumbing and Gasfitter Business Trade License. The individual needs a competency card, and the city runs scheduled exam dates with application deadlines about a month ahead, listing Friday, April 11, 2026 with a Tuesday, March 10, 2026 application deadline and further exams on July 10 and October 9, 2026. Competency card applicants submit a notarized Competency Card Voucher and an MN State Plumbing and Gasfitter Card. A holder of a current Minneapolis Competency Card can apply for reciprocation at $24.00 per trade for new and renewal. All Competency Cards expire on December 1 and may be renewed annually. Saint Paul also requires trade worker registration on a tiered annual fee: $37.00 for 0 to 4 years, $70.00 for 5 to 6 years and $59.00 for 7 or more years. The city cites Chapter 370 and section 370.02 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code.
DLI runs one public lookup and publishes the address: ims.dli.mn.gov. The department states that the system can be used to check the status of a license, continuing education completion, work experience, plumbing bond holders and whether there are enforcement actions against a license. No account is needed. A member of the public selects Continue as guest and enters a complete license or registration number, or uses the Search License and Registration holders button to search on other criteria. Four of those five search fields are worth pointing customers at deliberately, because they answer questions a sales conversation usually cannot. Bond holders confirms the $25,000 bond is real and current rather than a line in an ad. Enforcement actions surfaces orders against the license. Continuing education completion shows the 16 hours were filed. Work experience is the record behind an individual license. The lookup also covers registrations, so a homeowner can confirm that the person on site is a registered unlicensed plumber working under a licensed master or journeyworker rather than someone with no credential at all. Combined with the truck lettering rule in Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 7, a Minnesota customer has two independent checks available in under a minute: the name and license number on the side of the van, and that same number in the state system.
The titles are statutory. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1 forbids an individual from engaging in or working at the business of a master plumber, restricted master plumber, journeyworker plumber or restricted journeyworker plumber unless licensed to do so by the commissioner, and forbids any person from performing or offering to perform plumbing work with or without compensation without a contractor's license. The words offer to perform matter for marketing. Advertising plumbing work is offering to perform it, so the contractor license has to exist before the ad runs, not before the first job starts. Geography is the second constraint on wording. A restricted plumbing contractor is authorized to offer to perform and to perform plumbing work in all areas of the state except in cities and towns with a population of more than 5,000 according to the last federal census, so a restricted contractor advertising service in a larger city is offering work it is not licensed to offer. The third constraint is identity. The vehicle rule in subdivision 7 requires the contractor's name and license number as it appears on the contractor's license, which pushes advertising toward the licensed name rather than an unregistered trade name. And under subdivision 1b, the responsible licensed master plumber cannot be employed in any capacity as a plumber for any other contractor, so one master cannot stand behind two competing plumbing brands at the same time.
Sourcesrevisor.mn.gov
These are common details other guides publish about Minnesota, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes, through the Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division, under Minn. Stat. 326B.46. The department licenses individuals as master, restricted master, journeyworker and restricted journeyworker plumbers, and licenses businesses as plumbing contractors or restricted plumbing contractors.
Both, on separate tracks. Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 1 requires the individual license for anyone working at the business of a master or journeyworker plumber, and requires a contractor's license for any person performing or offering to perform plumbing work. Subd. 1b then ties them together by requiring the contractor to designate a responsible licensed master plumber.
Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 2 requires a bond to the state in the penal sum of at least $25,000, and the DLI bond form specifies a corporate surety bond in that amount written by a corporate surety licensed in Minnesota.
Public liability insurance including products liability with limits of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence, and property damage insurance with limits of at least $10,000, under Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 2. DLI adds that the coverage must include premises, operations and products, and completed operations.
The initial license application and license renewal fee is $188, built from a $180 license fee plus an $8 board fee on the DLI fee schedule. Renewal with a late fee is $278. The license expires on December 31 of odd-numbered years.
It is a population limit. Restricted master and restricted journeyworker plumbers work in cities and towns with a population of fewer than 5,000 according to the most recent federal census, and a restricted plumbing contractor may work in all areas of the state except cities and towns with a population of more than 5,000 according to the last federal census.
Four years of recorded practical plumbing experience as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber, split into 2,000 hours of water distribution, 2,000 hours of drain, waste and vent, and 1,000 hours of fixture installation. A completed DLI-registered apprenticeship, a restricted license plus two years, or an out-of-state license from a four-year jurisdiction also qualify.
Master and journeyworker plumbers need 16 hours in each two-year license period, with at least 8 hours on the State Plumbing Code. Registered unlicensed plumbers need two hours related to code by June 30 annually. Medical gas certificate holders need four hours each license period.
North Dakota and South Dakota. Applicants may obtain a Minnesota journeyworker or master plumber license without examination if they hold the same or greater class by examination, have held it at least one year, and it is current and in good standing. The application and examination fee is $50.
Minn. Stat. 326B.082 allows a monetary penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation, up to $10,000 for each violation in a licensing order, a civil penalty of $5,000 per day for operating in violation of a stop work order, and $1,000 for each day of obstructing an investigation, plus license action and misdemeanor charges.
Minn. Stat. 326B.46, subd. 7 requires the contractor's name and license number as they appear on the license, in contrasting color, with characters at least three inches high and one-half inch in width, affixed to each side of any vehicle used while performing plumbing work for which a contractor's license is required.
At ims.dli.mn.gov. DLI states the system shows license status, continuing education completion, work experience, plumbing bond holders and whether there are enforcement actions against a license. Searching as a guest requires no account.
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