Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Ramsey County

Saint Paul MN Electrician License, Classes and Exam Site

Every Minnesota electrical license examination is sat in Saint Paul, at 443 Lafayette Road N. If you live here, the one part of the process that costs other candidates a day of travel is a local errand.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The license a Saint Paul electrician needs

The license is the state's. The Department of Labor and Industry issues every electrical credential in Minnesota, from the $14 registered unlicensed individual registration up to the Class A master electrician license and the contractor licenses, and no Minnesota city issues one of its own.

So the route here is the route everywhere: register, build the months, file the $50 examination application, wait for DLI to approve it, and sit the paper in St. Paul. What changes by city is permits, inspections and where you train.

The exam is here

The Licensing Examination Guide names one location. Examinations are held weekly, generally every Wednesday, at the Department of Labor and Industry, 443 Lafayette Road N., St Paul, MN 55155, and all examination types begin at 8:15 a.m. and end at 1:45 p.m.

That is also the licensing office address, so applications, licensing questions and the examination all point at the same building. Licensing is on 651-284-5034.

Being local does not shorten the queue. Applicants must schedule ahead, walk-ins are not permitted, and no date exists until DLI approves the application. The elicense estimate for the whole cycle is about 60 days.

DLI provides the code book, soft cover and without tabs or other aids, and no other materials or electronic devices, including cell phones, are allowed in the building. Read the book rules before you plan around a marked up copy.

What the city handles

Saint Paul's Department of Safety and Inspections issues electrical permits and schedules inspections. Its page separates contractor permits, which include an Electrical Commercial Permit for new work and repair or alteration permits, from homeowner permits, which include an Electrical Homeowner Residential Permit for new work and for repair or alteration, with a Homeowners Affidavit.

Licensing questions on the same page are routed to DLI, under a heading for electrical codes and standards and electrical licensing. The city describes no electrical license or registration of its own.

Saint Paul is the middle case of the three big cities. Minneapolis runs its own inspection program, Duluth sends electrical permits to the state, and Saint Paul issues its own permits and inspects.

Where to train in Saint Paul

• St. Paul Electrical JATC. 1330 Conway Street, Suite 150, St. Paul, MN 55106, sponsored by IBEW Local 110 and Twin Cities NECA. Its own page calls it a five year 8000 hour apprenticeship program with 240 hours per year of day apprenticeship school, which is the highest published classroom figure of any Minnesota electrical program we read. Entry: a minimum of 17 years of age at application, a high school diploma or GED, proof of an algebra course or higher level mathematics at grade C or higher, and a valid driver's license. Applicants take the GAN Aptitude Battery covering basic math, reading and spatial skills, pay a non refundable $45 application fee, and remain eligible for selection for one calendar year from their aptitude test date.
• Saint Paul College. 235 Marshall Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55102. The program is named Electrical Technology, code ELTN, and it is a diploma. The program page states that the program is currently on a waitlist. The college also lists an Electromechanical Systems: Electrical Certificate. The page we read publishes no credit total, no entry requirements and no Minnesota licensure credit statement, so ask the college whether it supplies the one year experience credit allowance before you enrol on that basis.

The Electrical Association program in Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Electrical JATC in St. Michael also cover this side of the metro. Both are on the apprenticeship page.

What the work pays

O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro a median of $39.37 an hour or $81,890 a year for electricians. The statewide median is $37.58 an hour or $78,160.

There is no separate Saint Paul row. The metro figure covers both cities and their suburbs.

Your next move in Saint Paul

File early. The building where you will sit the paper is the building that has to approve your application first, and approval is what sets the date.

Then practice navigating a clean code book, because the copy DLI hands you across the desk has nothing in it. Work the article drill and the topic sets with your own unmarked 2026 copy.

Questions people ask

Where is the Minnesota electrician exam in Saint Paul?

At the Department of Labor and Industry, 443 Lafayette Road N., St Paul, MN 55155. Examinations run weekly, generally every Wednesday, from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Does Saint Paul license electricians?

No. Saint Paul's Department of Safety and Inspections issues electrical permits and schedules inspections, and routes licensing questions to the Department of Labor and Industry.

Can a Saint Paul homeowner pull an electrical permit?

The city page lists an Electrical Homeowner Residential Permit for new work and for repair or alteration, with a Homeowners Affidavit, separate from the contractor permits.

What is the Saint Paul electrical apprenticeship?

St. Paul Electrical JATC at 1330 Conway Street, Suite 150, sponsored by IBEW Local 110 and Twin Cities NECA. It publishes a five year 8000 hour program with 240 hours of day school per year and a $45 application fee.

Is there an electrician program at Saint Paul College?

Yes, Electrical Technology, code ELTN, as a diploma. The program page states it is currently on a waitlist and publishes no credit total or licensure credit statement.

How much do electricians make in Saint Paul?

O*NET OnLine, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data, gives $39.37 an hour or $81,890 a year for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro. There is no separate Saint Paul row.

What this page cites

• DLI Licensing Examination Guide Names 443 Lafayette Road N., St Paul as the examination location, with the weekly schedule and the times. source
• Saint Paul electrical permits and inspections The city permit types, the homeowner permits and the routing of licensing questions to DLI. source
• St. Paul Electrical JATC program information The five year 8000 hour structure, the 240 classroom hours, the entry requirements and the $45 fee. source
• Saint Paul College Electrical Technology The diploma program name and the waitlist statement. source
• O*NET OnLine local wages for 47-2111 The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro median for electricians. source
• DLI electrical licensing basics The licensing office and the credentials issued from the same address as the examination. source