Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07
Free, public, and one search
Minnesota Electrical License Lookup: How to Verify Anyone
Minnesota keeps every electrical credential in one department, which means one search covers the electrician, the contractor and the registered helper. This page explains what the search is for and what it cannot tell you.
Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed
On this page
Where the search lives
The Department of Labor and Industry runs the license lookup at secure.doli.state.mn.us/lookup/licensing.aspx, and links it from its electricians and electrical installers hub.
It is free and it needs no account. The separate iMS portal at ims.dli.mn.gov is for applying, renewing and filing permits, not for checking somebody else.
What one search covers
Because DLI licenses every level, one search reaches the whole ladder. The person you are checking might hold a Class A master license, a Class A journeyworker license, a maintenance electrician, power limited technician, lineman, Class B installer or satellite system installer license, or a registration on the RE or RT codes.
The business licenses sit in the same system: Class A electrical contractor, technology systems contractor, satellite system contractor, employer registration and sign contractor bond.
Match the credential to the work. A maintenance electrician license is limited by Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 10(a) to a contractor's employ or a single employer's own property, so it is not the credential to find behind a contracting business.
If you are hiring a contractor
Check that the business holds a contractor license and not just that somebody there holds a personal one. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 14 says no individual other than an employee, partner or officer of a licensed contractor may perform or offer to perform electrical work, with or without compensation, unless they obtain a contractor's license.
Every electrical contractor license carries a $25,000 bond and, under Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 16, general liability insurance with limits of at least $100,000 per occurrence, a $300,000 aggregate for bodily injury and at least $50,000 in property damage, or a single limit for bodily injury and property damage of $300,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. Those protections only exist if the license does.
If you are taking a job
Check your employer too. Your right to work as an unlicensed registered individual depends on being supervised by a licensed person, and Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 12(a) limits that person to two unlicensed individuals, or three on technology circuits.
Your months only count if the arrangement is the one the statute describes. A verification form signed by somebody whose license lapsed is a problem you would rather find in year one than year four.
The other state search
DLI runs a second search for continuing education. The approved course directory at secure.doli.state.mn.us/ccldcecourses is where you confirm a course is DLI approved before you pay for it.
Anyone can claim a class is approved. The directory is the check.
Where the search stops
A lookup tells you a credential exists and what class it is. It does not tell you whether the person is good at the work, whether the crew on your job is the crew on the license, or whether a permit was pulled.
Permits are a separate system. Minnesota splits electrical permits between the state and local authorities, and DLI tells contractors that if the authority having jurisdiction column says State, file the permit with DLI, and if it says Local, contact the city or township.
The board also publishes enforcement figures each quarter. Its April 14, 2026 minutes record 156 active electrical investigations and 32 orders issued year to date. Those cases are not visible in a license search.
Questions people ask
How do I check a Minnesota electrician license?
Use the DLI license lookup at secure.doli.state.mn.us/lookup/licensing.aspx. It is free, needs no account, and covers personal licenses, registrations and the contractor licenses in one search.
Is there a separate search for electrical contractors?
No. DLI licenses individuals and businesses in the same system, so the same lookup covers Class A electrical contractors, technology systems contractors and satellite system contractors.
What license should an electrical contractor hold?
A Class A electrical contractor license, code EA, whose responsible licensed individual holds an active master electrician license. Every contractor license carries a $25,000 bond and the liability insurance limits set by Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 16.
Can I check whether a continuing education course is approved?
Yes, in the DLI approved course directory at secure.doli.state.mn.us/ccldcecourses. That directory is the only confirmation that a course counts.
Does the lookup show permits or complaints?
No. Permits run through DLI or the local authority having jurisdiction depending on the address, and the Board of Electricity publishes investigation counts in its quarterly minutes rather than in the license search.
Does a city license electricians in Minnesota?
No Minnesota city licenses an electrician. Duluth says so on its own page and refers licensing to DLI. Cities handle permits and inspections instead.
Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown
Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
What this page cites
- DLI license lookup The free public search for Minnesota electrical licenses, registrations and contractor licenses. source
- DLI electricians and electrical installers The department hub that links the lookup and the licensing pages. source
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 Subdivision 14 on who needs a contractor license, subdivision 12(a) on supervision and subdivisions 15 and 16 on the bond and insurance. source
- DLI approved course directory The state search for approved continuing education courses. source
- DLI electrical permits for contractors The rule on filing with the state or with the local authority having jurisdiction. source
- Board of Electricity minutes, April 14, 2026 The quarterly enforcement figures, including 156 active investigations. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.