Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

You cannot get one

Class B Electrician Minnesota: Closed Since August 1985

People search for a Minnesota Class B electrician license every week and there is no way to obtain one. Two of the three Class B credentials closed in 1985 and a third class closed in 2007. This page says what each one was, when it shut, and where to go instead.

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The date, and the statute that set it

Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 1 says that as of August 1, 1985, no new Class B master electrician licenses shall be issued. Subdivision 2 says the same thing about Class B journeyworker licenses on the same date.

Both subdivisions then protect the people who already held one. An individual who has the license as of August 1, 1985 may retain and renew it and exercise the privileges it grants.

So the licenses still exist in the world. They are simply closed to anyone who did not have one four decades ago.

What a Class B license allowed

The statute spells the privileges out in the same sentence. Electrical work limited to single phase systems, not over 200 amperes in capacity, on farmsteads or single family dwellings located in towns or municipalities with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants.

That is the same limit for both the Class B master and the Class B journeyworker. It was a small town and farm credential rather than a residential license in the sense other states use the word.

If you were searching for a Minnesota residential electrician license, this is the closest thing the state ever had, and it has been closed since 1985.

And Class A installer, closed in 2007

326B.33, subdivision 3 closed a third class: as of December 1, 2007, no new Class A installer licenses shall be issued.

DLI's experience requirements page still prints a Class A Installer row at 12 months. The fee schedule has no Class A installer row at all, and the statute closed the class eighteen years ago. Treat the class as closed and the experience page as stale. We are not going to guess at DLI's reason for leaving the row up.

How the fee schedule shows the closures

The fee table is the quickest confirmation. BM, Class B master, carries NA in the exam column. BJ, Class B journeyworker, carries NA in both the exam and the new columns. EB, Class B electrical contractor, carries NA in the new column with a $188 renewal still printed.

A renewal figure with no new figure beside it is exactly what a closed class looks like on a live fee schedule. The people holding one still pay to keep it.

The Class B that is open

One credential with a B in its name still takes applications: Installer Class B, code IB. It carries a $50 exam fee and a $48 new total, so it is plainly open.

It asks for a post high school course in electricity approved by the commissioner or at least one year of experience, a 25 question examination and a $1,000 bond. The Class B installer page covers it in full.

The Licensing Examination Guide's sentence about the Class B examination does not say which Class B it means. Since the closed classes carry no exam fee, the installer is the reading that fits, and we flag that as our inference rather than the state's wording.

What to aim for instead

If you wanted the Class B for small residential and farm work, the open credential closest to that job is the Class A journeyworker license. It takes 48 months rather than the year the installer asks for, and it carries no ampere or occupancy limit.

If you want the shortest legal route into paid electrical work, the answer is the registration. Fourteen dollars, no examination, and it is what makes your months count toward AJ later.

Questions people ask

Can I still get a Class B electrician license in Minnesota?

No. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 closed the Class B master electrician and Class B journeyworker electrician licenses to new applicants as of August 1, 1985. Holders from before that date may keep and renew them.

What did a Minnesota Class B license allow?

Electrical work limited to single phase systems, not over 200 amperes in capacity, on farmsteads or single family dwellings in towns or municipalities with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants.

Is Class B installer the same as Class B journeyworker?

No. Class B installer, code IB, is a separate license and it is still issued, with a 25 question examination and a $1,000 bond. The Class B journeyworker license has been closed since 1985.

What happened to the Class A installer license?

Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 3 closed it as of December 1, 2007. DLI's experience requirements page still prints a row for it, but the fee schedule has none and the statute is clear.

Does Minnesota have a residential electrician license?

Not under that name. The Class B licenses were the small dwelling and farmstead credential and they closed in 1985. The open licenses are Class A journeyworker and Class A master, neither of which is limited by occupancy.

Why does the fee schedule still list Class B?

Because holders still renew. BM and BJ carry NA in the exam column and BJ carries NA in the new column, which is how a closed class appears on a live fee table.

What this page cites

• Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 Subdivisions 1, 2 and 3 close the Class B master, Class B journeyworker and Class A installer classes and print the Class B privileges. source
• CCLD licensing fee schedule Shows NA in the exam column for BM and BJ and NA in the new column for BJ and EB, with renewals still printed. source
• DLI experience requirements Still prints a Class A Installer row at 12 months, against a statute that closed the class in 2007. source
• DLI Licensing Examination Guide Says the Class B and satellite system installer examinations consist of 25 questions, without saying which Class B is meant. source
• Minnesota Statutes 326B.31 Defines the open Class A credentials the closed classes sat beneath. source