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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Minnesota

How to become a general contractor in Minnesota

Most general contractors in Minnesota start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

37registered apprenticeship programs$46.93median an hour in Minnesota

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In MN
37 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In MN
17 schools with programs
Compare 17 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Minnesota is $46.93 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Minnesota
  3. Run your own shop

    None. There is no experience or education prerequisite to sit the residential contractor, remodeler or roofer exam.

    Issued by
    Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing
    Minnesota contractor license
Pay once you're working

$97,610

a year is the median for general contractors in Minnesota ($46.93 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Minneapolis–St. Paul$49.66
  2. Rochester$47.85
  3. St. Cloud$46.09
  4. Duluth$44.05
  5. Mankato$40.11
Minnesota median $46.93 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Minnesota?

Yes. Minnesota licenses general contractors through the Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI).1

Are general contractors in demand in Minnesota?

Projections Central expects about 1,120 general contractor openings a year in Minnesota through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

37 registered programs in Minnesota. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Minnesota

Sources

  1. Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing contractor licensing (dli.mn.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Minnesota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)