Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

The step before the license

Minnesota Registered Unlicensed Electrician: RE and RT

Minnesota does not call this an apprentice license and it is not one. It is a registration, it takes no examination, and skipping it is how people lose years of experience they thought they were banking.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

What the registration is

Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 13 is one sentence long: unlicensed individuals performing electrical work for a contractor or employer shall register with the department in the manner prescribed by the commissioner. The rule behind it is Minnesota Rules 3800.3525.

There are two codes. RE is the registered unlicensed electrician and RT is the registered unlicensed power limited technician, and which one you hold follows the work you do rather than the job title on your paycheck.

The fee schedule prints NA in the exam column for both. There is nothing to study for and nothing to pass.

What it costs and how long it lasts

DLI states the registration is valid for one year from the end of the registration month. The registration form prints the money: new registration $14.00, renew a registration that has not expired $19.00, renew an expired one including the late fee $24.00, and reinstate a registration expired over 12 months, again including the late fee, $24.00.

The fee schedule breaks the $14 down as a $10 license fee and a $4 board fee. Renewal adds a $5 continuing education fee.

What renewal asks for

Two things. DLI requires two hours of DLI approved continuing education and a completed work experience verification form each year. The continuing education rule says the two hours have to be instruction on the National Electrical Code.

The work experience forms are separate by code. Registered electricians use the RE work experience form and registered technicians use the RT form, both listed on the DLI forms page.

Find an approved class in the DLI course directory. We do not run classes and we are not a continuing education provider.

Why letting it lapse hurts

The registration form says holders with a current registration, or one expired less than 12 months, may renew to prevent the loss of accrued work experience. Read that sentence twice, because it is the whole reason the registration exists.

Your months toward a Class A journeyworker license are verified through the registration and its work experience form. A gap in the registration is a gap in the record you will hand DLI when you apply to sit the exam.

Who has to be watching you

326B.33, subdivision 12(a) limits a licensed individual to supervising no more than two unlicensed individuals, and to three for technology circuits or systems work. So the ratio on your crew is a licensing question, not a company policy question.

DLI restates the same limit and adds that applicants must be at least 17 years old. That age is on the DLI page and not in the text of 326B.33.

The step after this one

The registration is not a qualification in itself. It is the container your months sit in until you have 48 of them, with at least 24 in wiring for and installing, which is what Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 2 and the DLI matrix ask for on the Class A journeyworker license.

If your work is technology circuits, the RT registration feeds the power limited technician license instead, and that one asks for 36 months.

Questions people ask

Is there an apprentice electrician license in Minnesota?

No. Minnesota registers unlicensed individuals instead, on the RE and RT codes, and a registered apprenticeship is a separate thing run through employers and sponsors. The registration costs $14, has no examination and lasts one year from the end of the registration month.

How much does the Minnesota electrical registration cost?

Fourteen dollars for a new registration and nineteen to renew one that has not expired. An expired renewal or a reinstatement after more than 12 months is twenty four dollars, which includes the late fee.

Do I have to take an exam to register?

No. The fee schedule prints NA in the exam column for both RE and RT, and DLI publishes no examination for either code.

What happens if my registration expires?

You may still renew if it expired less than 12 months ago, and the registration form says renewing prevents the loss of accrued work experience. After 12 months the same $24 buys a reinstatement rather than a renewal.

How much continuing education does a registered individual need?

Two hours of DLI approved continuing education each year, and Minnesota Rules 3800.3602 says those two hours must be instruction on the National Electrical Code. A completed work experience verification form goes in with the renewal.

What is the difference between RE and RT?

RE is the registered unlicensed electrician and RT is the registered unlicensed power limited technician. Each has its own work experience verification form on the DLI forms page.

What this page cites

• Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 Subdivision 13 requires unlicensed individuals to register, and subdivision 12(a) sets the supervision ratio. source
• DLI unlicensed individual registration form Prints the $14, $19 and $24 figures and the sentence about preventing the loss of accrued work experience. source
• DLI electrical licensing basics States the one year term from the end of the registration month, the two hours of continuing education and the work experience verification form. source
• Minnesota Rules 3800.3602 Sets the continuing education requirement, including two hours of National Electrical Code instruction for registered unlicensed individuals. source
• DLI electrical licensing forms Lists the RE and RT work experience forms and the registration and renewal form. source