Minnesota · Roofing licensing · official-source guide
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licenses roofing contractors statewide through a residential building contractor, remodeler, or standalone residential roofer license, required whenever a company contracts directly with a one-to-four-unit residential owner. Roofers post a $15,000 bond; other licensees pay into the Contractor Recovery Fund. Insurance-claim conduct is separately restricted, and commercial or subcontracted roofing instead needs contractor registration.
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Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Construction Codes and Licensing DivisionState-level license
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-18. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, through its Construction Codes and Licensing Division, is the state agency that licenses residential roofing contractors. Minnesota regulates roofing at the state level rather than leaving it to cities or counties. Any company that contracts directly with the owner of residential real estate containing one to four units to perform roofing work must hold a Minnesota license, even if roofing is the only service the company offers. This is different from most of the other specialty trades DLI licenses, where a contractor who performs only one special skill area does not need a state license. Roofing is singled out: the department's licensing pages state that residential roofers must be licensed regardless of whether they also perform other work, unlike other single-skill specialty contractors. A company can meet this requirement in one of two ways: by holding a residential building contractor or residential remodeler license, both of which authorize roofing plus other specialty work, or by holding a standalone residential roofer license, which authorizes roofing work only. The department issues these as business licenses. An individual sole proprietor is licensed as an individual, but every company, regardless of structure, must designate one individual as its qualifying person, who takes the required exam and completes continuing education on the company's behalf. Commercial roofing and roofing performed as a subcontractor rather than directly for a homeowner fall outside this licensing system and are instead handled through a separate statewide registration program, the Construction Contractor Registration Program, described later on this page.
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Minnesota's Construction Codes and Licensing Division issues three residential license types that can cover roofing work: the residential building contractor (BC) license, the residential remodeler (CR) license, and the residential roofer (RR) license. A building contractor license is the broadest: it authorizes new construction and remodeling across all eight special skill categories DLI recognizes, including roofing, and lets the holder build new homes and detached garages. A remodeler license authorizes the same range of skill categories but only on existing structures; a remodeler cannot build new homes or new detached garages. Roofing is special skill category seven under DLI's classification, covering roof coverings, roof sheathing, roof weatherproofing and insulation, repair of the roof support system, and penetration of roof coverings to attach a solar photovoltaic system. A residential roofer license authorizes roofing work only. It does not permit the installation of gutters, downspouts, soffit or fascia; a contractor who wants to offer those items along with roofing needs a building contractor or remodeler license instead, because gutters and downspouts fall under special skill category five, exterior finishing. All three license types share the same underlying application requirements for insurance, business filings and a qualifying person, but each requires passing a different exam: the qualifying builder (QB) exam for a BC license, the qualifying remodeler (QC) exam for a CR license, and the qualifying roofer (QR) exam for an RR license. Choosing among them depends on the scope of work a contractor intends to sell; a company that plans to sell full exterior remodeling packages, not just roof replacement, needs the broader BC or CR license rather than the roofer-only license.
Minnesota's licensing trigger is based on who a contractor contracts with, not just what work is performed. Any individual or company that contracts directly with the owner of residential real estate of one to four units to perform roofing work must hold a residential building contractor, residential remodeler, or residential roofer license. This applies even to property owners themselves if they are building or improving homes for resale or speculation rather than living in them. The rule differs for companies that do not contract directly with the homeowner. A roofing subcontractor hired by a general contractor, rather than by the homeowner, does not need one of these three licenses; instead it must register through DLI's Construction Contractor Registration Program. The same is true of roofing companies that work exclusively on commercial buildings or on residential buildings with more than four units, since those projects fall outside the definition of licensed residential real estate that DLI uses. Employees of a licensed contractor, material suppliers who do not install what they sell, architects and engineers acting within their professional scope, and landlords performing work other than plumbing or electrical work on their own rental units also fall outside the licensing requirement. A company with gross annual receipts from residential contracting under $15,000 may instead hold a Certificate of Exemption rather than a full license, a category described in more detail later on this page.
Sourcesdli.mn.gov
Every licensed roofing, building contractor or remodeler business in Minnesota, regardless of whether it is a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company or corporation, must designate one individual as its qualifying person. The qualifying person must be an owner, officer, member, partner, chief manager or chief executive officer of the company, or a managing employee actively engaged in the company's residential contracting business; the qualifying person cannot be an independent contractor to the company. That individual is the one who sits for DLI's licensing exam and completes continuing education to keep the company's license active. Once the qualifying person passes the exam, DLI assigns a Q registration number rather than a license: QB for a qualifying builder, QC for a qualifying remodeler, or QR for a qualifying roofer, followed by six digits. The Q number must be provided before the company can submit a license application. One qualifying person may serve more than one company only if the companies share at least 25 percent common ownership and the individual meets the qualifying person requirements at each company; the qualifying person is not required to be the individual who holds that common ownership. A Q registration is valid for two years from the date the exam was passed, and its expiration date does not necessarily match the company license's own expiration date, so a business can end up tracking two separate renewal cycles for the same license.
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The qualifying person for a Minnesota residential building contractor, remodeler or roofer license must pass a prelicensing exam administered by the Department of Labor and Industry; there are no prerequisite work experience or education requirements to sit for it. Each license type has its own version of the exam: the QB exam for a building contractor license, the QC exam for a remodeler license, and the QR exam for a roofer license. The exam consists of 110 multiple choice questions, and a score of 70 percent or higher is required to pass. Candidates are given five and a half hours to complete it. About 60 percent of the questions cover provisions of the Minnesota Residential Building Code, with the remainder drawn from the statutes and rules that govern residential construction generally. During the exam, candidates are given two reference materials to use: the Minnesota State Residential Code, 2020 edition, and DLI's own reference manual for the residential building contractor and remodeler license exam, which is also available in Spanish; the qualifying builder exam itself is offered in English and Spanish. Exams are administered at DLI's St. Paul office and at other locations around the state. A candidate who does not pass must wait 30 days before retaking the exam and must submit a new application and a new fee for the retake. After passing, DLI contacts the candidate with results and instructions for applying for the license itself.
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Fees differ depending on which license a company applies for. A residential roofer license has a base fee of $180, the same amount regardless of when during the license period the application is submitted. Roofer applicants must also obtain a $15,000 surety bond, signed and sealed by the surety company and notarized on the back, with the company name on the bond matching the company name on the license application exactly. A residential building contractor or remodeler license also carries a base fee of $180, but instead of a surety bond, these two license types require an additional payment into the Contractor Recovery Fund, scaled to the applicant's gross annual receipts from its most recent fiscal year: $320 if gross annual receipts are under $1 million, $420 if they are between $1 million and $5 million, and $520 if they exceed $5 million. Both fee schedules are set by the Department of Labor and Industry and are paid at application and again at each renewal. Applicants also need an active business filing with the Minnesota Secretary of State before DLI will approve a license, and, if the company operates under a name other than its legal name, a filed Certificate of Assumed Name matching that operating name. None of these fees include the cost of the liability insurance or surety bond itself, which is purchased separately from an insurance agent or surety company.
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Minnesota sets different minimum insurance requirements depending on which license a roofing company holds. A residential roofer license applicant must carry general liability insurance with limits of at least $300,000 per occurrence, including at least $10,000 in property damage coverage, plus a Minnesota workers' compensation insurance certificate or a written explanation of why the applicant is exempt, and proof of unemployment insurance or a written explanation of exemption. A residential building contractor or remodeler license applicant must instead carry liability insurance with minimum limits of $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate, and $25,000 in property damage coverage, along with the same workers' compensation documentation. For both license types, the insurance policy must cover premises, operations, products and completed operations, the certificate must list the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry as certificate holder, and the business name on the certificate must match the name on file with the Minnesota Secretary of State exactly, including any Inc. or LLC designation. Certificates must be produced and signed by a licensed insurance agent. Roofers additionally post the $15,000 surety bond described above in place of paying into the Contractor Recovery Fund, while building contractors and remodelers pay the tiered Contractor Recovery Fund fee instead of posting a bond. All insurance and bond documentation must be current at the time of application and renewal, or the license will not be approved.
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Residential building contractor and remodeler license applicants and renewing licensees pay into the Contractor Recovery Fund instead of posting a surety bond. The fund exists to reimburse homeowners who suffer a financial loss because a licensed residential building contractor or remodeler engaged in fraudulent, deceptive or dishonest practices, converted funds, or failed to perform contracted work. Payouts are capped at $550,000 per licensee. If the fund pays a claim against a company, that company's license is automatically suspended, and the license cannot be reinstated until the licensee repays the fund in full, plus interest, an amount equal to twice what the fund paid out, and separately obtains a surety bond of at least $40,000 before the license is reinstated. This structure means the practical cost of a Contractor Recovery Fund claim against a company is significantly higher than the original loss paid to the consumer. The fund does not apply to residential roofer licenses, which instead rely on the $15,000 surety bond posted at application; a roofer license holder's bond, rather than the fund, is the consumer's recourse if that roofer defaults or acts dishonestly on a covered contract. Because the fund and the bond serve the same underlying purpose for different license types, a company deciding between a roofer-only license and a building contractor or remodeler license should weigh the recurring Contractor Recovery Fund fee against the cost of maintaining a surety bond, and against the broader scope of work the building contractor or remodeler license would allow it to sell.
Sourcesdli.mn.gov
Minnesota residential building contractor, remodeler and roofer licenses run on a two-year renewal cycle, the same length as the Q registration held by each license's qualifying person. To renew the Q registration, and therefore keep the company's license eligible for renewal, the qualifying person must complete 14 hours of DLI-approved continuing education before the Q registration's expiration date. Of those 14 hours, at least one hour must relate to the Minnesota Energy Code and at least one hour must relate to business management strategies. A Q registration and the company's underlying license do not necessarily expire on the same date, so a company can end up tracking two separate renewal deadlines rather than one combined date. If a Q registration lapses and stays inactive for more than two years, the qualifying person must retake the full licensing exam before serving as a qualifying person again; a lapse of less than two years instead requires a continuing education makeup rather than a full retest. A license also cannot be renewed unless the company's underlying Minnesota Secretary of State business filing remains active, so a lapsed corporate or LLC filing can block renewal even if the continuing education and insurance requirements are otherwise satisfied. Contractors can look up their own or another company's continuing education and Q registration status online through DLI's licensing system.
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Not every company that touches residential roofing needs a full Minnesota license. Employees of a licensed contractor, material suppliers who do not install what they sell, architects and engineers working within their professional scope, and landlords doing work other than plumbing or electrical work on their own rental units are all excluded from the licensing requirement outright. A residential contractor whose gross annual receipts from residential contracting or remodeling activity are less than $15,000 in a year may apply for a Certificate of Exemption instead of a full license; DLI publishes a specific certificate of exemption application and renewal packet, and that same packet is listed among the application forms for the residential roofer license as well. Gross annual receipts for this test are the full amount earned from residential contracting or remodeling work, wherever performed, without subtracting the cost of goods sold, business expenses, losses or any other deduction. A property owner doing work on property they personally own and occupy also does not need a license, unless the work is being done to prepare the property for resale or speculation, in which case the owner is treated the same as any other contractor. Certificate of Exemption holders can still be required to hold a local city or county license, because the statewide preemption on local licensing described later on this page applies only to state-licensed contractors, not to exemption holders.
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Roofing work that falls outside the residential building contractor, remodeler and roofer licensing system is handled through a separate program: Construction Contractor Registration, administered by DLI under Minnesota law. This registration, not a license, applies to two groups relevant to roofing: companies that perform only one specialty skill on residential projects, such as a roofing subcontractor hired by a general contractor rather than directly by the homeowner, and companies performing any commercial roofing project, regardless of how many specialty skills they perform, as long as they do not already hold a residential contractor's license covering that work. A company that is required to hold one of the three residential licenses may not substitute a contractor registration for it; DLI's own guidance is direct on this point, stating that a company should not register if a license is actually required and should instead apply for the license. Registration and license renewal applications are processed in the order received, with complete applications typically issued within two to three business days, though DLI notes that processing can take up to 30 days during the October through December peak renewal period in odd-numbered years. Registration status, like license status, can be checked at no cost through DLI's online licensing system, iMS, without creating an account, by entering a complete registration number or searching by business name.
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Minnesota law places specific restrictions on how roofing and other residential contractors handle work paid for through a property insurance claim, which matters heavily for hail and storm damage repair. Under Minnesota Statutes section 325E.66, a residential contractor, defined to include a licensed residential roofer, building contractor or remodeler, may not advertise or promise to pay all or part of a homeowner's insurance deductible, or offer anything else of value, as an inducement to sign a repair contract; this covers offers made in exchange for allowing an inspection, filing a claim, or referring the contractor's services when insurance proceeds will pay for the work. The same statute bars a contractor from interpreting insurance policy provisions, advising a homeowner about coverage or duties under their policy, or adjusting a property insurance claim on the homeowner's behalf, unless that contractor separately holds a public adjuster license under Minnesota Statutes chapter 72B. A contractor performing insurance-paid repair work must give the homeowner written notice of these requirements with its initial estimate, and the insurer or adjuster must provide a similar notice in its own initial correspondence about the claim. A homeowner or insurer harmed by a violation can sue the contractor directly for damages, and the Commissioner of Labor and Industry can also bring public enforcement action, which DLI's own guidance describes as carrying fines of up to $10,000 per violation. DLI's residential contractor page also states that a homeowner may cancel a roofing repair contract if their insurer denies the underlying claim, and that contractors doing storm repair work must include notice of these requirements in their contracts.
Performing roofing work in Minnesota without the required license, when a license is legally required, is a misdemeanor under state law. Beyond the criminal exposure, an unlicensed contractor who knowingly violates the licensing law has no right to file a mechanics lien against the property for that work, and any lien filed is void, which removes the unlicensed contractor's main legal tool for collecting unpaid amounts from the homeowner. The Department of Labor and Industry can also pursue administrative and civil penalties against anyone engaged in unlicensed contracting activity, misrepresentation or fraud in connection with residential contracting. This enforcement authority extends to political subdivisions as well: cities and counties are barred from issuing a building permit or zoning permit to an unlicensed residential building contractor or residential remodeler for work that requires a state license. DLI publishes enforcement actions taken against contractors, including license suspensions and revocations, on its residential building contractor enforcement actions page, which gives homeowners and competing contractors a way to check whether a company has a disciplinary history in addition to checking whether it is currently licensed. Because unlicensed work exposes both the contractor's lien rights and its standing with DLI, the practical financial risk of skipping the license can end up larger than the license fee itself, particularly on a large storm restoration job where a disputed payment is common.
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Minnesota requires a licensed residential building contractor, remodeler or roofer to place its license number on business cards, contracts, notices, and any statement related to filing a mechanics lien. The same requirement extends to all other advertising, which DLI's guidance specifically states includes websites. State law does not set a required print size or a required location on the page or document for the license number, so the requirement is satisfied as long as the number appears somewhere the consumer can see it. The license number requirement also reaches the permitting process directly: a contractor's or remodeler's license number must be placed on every building permit and building permit application submitted to, or issued by, the state or any political subdivision such as a city or county. In a jurisdiction that has not adopted the Minnesota State Building Code, the license number instead goes on the site plan review or zoning permit application. A political subdivision is barred from issuing a building permit or zoning permit to a residential building contractor or remodeler that is not licensed for the work covered by that permit, which gives permitting staff, not just DLI investigators, a role in catching unlicensed activity. A roofing contractor bidding storm or hail restoration work that involves flyers, door hangers, vehicle signage or a company website should treat the license number as a required element of every one of those materials, not just the written contract.
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Minnesota's residential contractor licensing law is built around statewide uniformity: cities, counties and townships, including Minneapolis, St. Paul and the state's other large metro areas, cannot require a contractor who already holds a Minnesota residential building contractor, remodeler or roofer license to obtain a separate local license for work that falls within the scope of that state license. This preemption is why a roofing company can generally do state-licensed residential roofing work anywhere in Minnesota, in any city, on the strength of a single state license rather than a patchwork of municipal licenses. The preemption has real limits, though. A local government can still require its own license or registration for a company holding only a Certificate of Exemption, for a specialty contractor that never obtained a state license, or for a state-licensed contractor performing work that falls outside the scope of that state license, which DLI's own guidance gives as examples such as commercial work, curb cut-ins or sidewalk work on city property, or HVAC installation and maintenance. In practice, this means a roofing company operating in Minneapolis or St. Paul on strictly residential, one-to-four-unit roofing work should not need a separate city roofing license, but the same company doing commercial roofing in either city would fall under the Construction Contractor Registration Program rather than city licensing. Any city-specific permit fees or inspection rules for that commercial work, or for building permits generally, are set by the city itself rather than by DLI, and this page does not price those local permit fees.
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Homeowners, general contractors and insurers can verify a Minnesota residential roofer, building contractor or remodeler license, along with continuing education status, disciplinary actions and Construction Contractor Registration status, through DLI's license and registration lookup page, which routes into the department's online licensing system, iMS. No account or login is required to search; a user can select Continue as Guest and either enter a complete license or registration number or search by other criteria such as business name. License numbers follow a consistent format that makes them easy to check: a residential building contractor license begins with BC, a remodeler license with CR, a roofer license with RR, and a manufactured home installer license with MI, each followed by six digits, distinct from the QB, QC, QR or QI prefix used for a qualifying person's individual Q registration number. DLI also publishes a downloadable, nightly-updated spreadsheet of all licenses, bonds, certifications and registrations issued by its Construction Codes and Licensing Division, including a version filtered specifically to residential contractors, for anyone who wants to check status in bulk rather than one record at a time. Checking this lookup before signing a storm or hail restoration contract is the fastest way for a homeowner to confirm a roofer is actually licensed and to see whether DLI has taken any enforcement action against that company.
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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. Any company that contracts directly with a homeowner of one to four residential units to perform roofing work must hold a Minnesota residential building contractor, residential remodeler, or residential roofer license issued by the Department of Labor and Industry.
A residential roofer license authorizes roofing work only, not gutters, downspouts, soffit or fascia. A residential building contractor license covers roofing plus new construction and every other special skill category; a remodeler license covers the same categories but only on existing structures.
The base application fee is $180. Roofer applicants also need a $15,000 surety bond. Building contractor and remodeler applicants pay $180 plus a Contractor Recovery Fund fee of $320 to $520 based on gross annual receipts, instead of posting a bond.
The company's qualifying person must pass DLI's qualifying roofer exam: 110 multiple choice questions, a 70 percent passing score, and five and a half hours to complete it. There is no prerequisite work experience or education requirement.
General liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence, including at least $10,000 in property damage coverage, plus proof of Minnesota workers compensation coverage or an exemption explanation, and proof of unemployment insurance or an exemption explanation.
No. A roofing subcontractor that does not contract directly with the homeowner, and a company doing only commercial roofing, instead register through DLI's Construction Contractor Registration Program rather than holding a residential license.
Every two years. The qualifying person must also complete 14 hours of DLI-approved continuing education, including at least one hour on the Minnesota Energy Code and one hour on business management, to keep their Q registration active.
No. Minnesota Statutes section 325E.66 bars a residential contractor from promising to pay or waive a homeowner's insurance deductible, or offering anything of value, as an inducement to sign a repair contract paid through an insurance claim.
No, unless separately licensed. State law bars a residential contractor from interpreting policy provisions, advising on coverage, or adjusting a property insurance claim on the homeowner's behalf unless the contractor also holds a public adjuster license under Minnesota Statutes chapter 72B.
Unlicensed residential roofing work is a misdemeanor. An unlicensed contractor who knowingly violates the law also loses the right to file a mechanics lien, and DLI can pursue administrative and civil penalties in addition to any criminal charge.
Yes. The license number must appear on business cards, written contracts, mechanics lien notices, and all other advertising, including websites. State law does not set a required print size or location for the number.
Generally no, for work within the scope of a state license. Cities and counties cannot require a separate local license for work a Minnesota residential license already covers, though they can still license Certificate of Exemption holders and commercial work.
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