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MinnesotaTrades: Pay, Licensing, Apprenticeships and Lien Law

Minnesota licenses general contractors and the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and roofing trades at the state level.

What do the trades pay in Minnesota?

Median hourly pay, May 2025¹. Pick a trade for training, pay and the license.

Electrician

Wiring, panels and fixtures

$37.58/hrMinnesota median

Plumber

Water, drain and gas lines

$45.39/hrMinnesota median

HVAC tech

Heating, cooling and ductwork

$36.71/hrMinnesota median

Roofer

New roofs and repairs

$35.81/hrMinnesota median

General contractor

Runs the job and the crews

$46.93/hrMinnesota median, construction supervisors

Is there work in Minnesota?

Construction jobs in Minnesota, September 2026: 150,100, up 5.6% from a year earlier.

BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026

New homes permitted in Minnesota, September 2026: 2,584, up 43.6% from a year earlier.

Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026

Active contractor licenses in the Minnesota state file: 36,854.DLI license and registration export, Oct 29, 2026

Licensing

Who licenses contractors in Minnesota?

Minnesota licenses general contractors and the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and roofing trades at the state level.²

State board Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI)

ElectricalState license
PlumbingState license
HVACState license
RoofingState license
General contractorState license

Minnesota contractor license requirements

License exam Renewal Bond and insurance

License lookup

Check a Minnesota contractor

Enter the license number or business name. We read it from the state board's own file.

Minnesota license lookup: what a record shows

Getting paid · Minnesota

Miss a date, lose the lien

45 daysafter you first furnish labor, skill or materials: send the pre-lien notice to the owner.³

Record and serve the statement of claim: 120 days after your last work or materials⁴
Sue to enforce: 1 year after the last item of the claim⁵

Work out your dates Every Minnesota lien rule

Training

Training near you

Apprentices are hired first and paid while they learn on the job and in class. Trade school comes first and charges tuition.

Apprenticeships in Minnesota

Trade schools in Minnesota

Near you

Where to train and find work near you

Union locals take apprenticeship applications and send members out to union contractors. Open-shop chapters run apprenticeship classes for the people their member contractors hire.

ElectricalPlumbingHVACCarpentryRoofing

IBEW union locals

2 more IBEW locals

IBEW Local 426Office in Sioux Falls, SD(605) 336-0370
IBEW Local 1426Office in Grand Forks, ND(701) 775-7601

Electrical training centers (JATCs)

Duluth JATC2230 London Road Suite 200, Duluth(218) 722-8115
Iron Range Electrical JATC2230 London Road 2230 London Road Suite 200, Duluth(218) 722-8115
Minnesota State Wide Limited Energy JATC452 Northco Drive Ste 140, Fridley(763) 571-5922
South Central Minnesota JATC9 -80th St SE, Rochester(507) 529-7721
Minneapolis Electrical JATC13100 Frankfort Parkway, St. Michael(763) 497-0072
St. Paul Electrical JATC1330 Conway Street, Suite 150, St. Paul(651) 390-5282

IEC chapters (open shop)

No IEC chapter lists an office in Minnesota. Chapters cover several states; the finder shows each one's area. IEC chapter finder

Electrician apprenticeships in Minnesota

UA union locals

UA Local 6Rochester(507) 288-4172
UA Local 11Duluth(218) 727-2199
UA Local 15Maple Grove(612) 333-8601
UA Local 34St. Paul(651) 224-3828
UA Local 340Minneapolis(612) 379-3241
UA Local 417Shoreview(612) 781-5804

3 more UA locals

UA Local 455St. Paul(651) 455-0455
UA Local 539Minneapolis(612) 379-4711
UA Local 589Virginia(218) 741-2482

Training

UA apprenticeships run through a joint committee of the local and union contractors. Call the local for the next application date.

PHCC chapters

PHCC of Minnesota2704 Mounds View Blvd, Mounds View(612) 590-8038
The Northern Mechanical/Plumbing Contrators Association, Inc.2230 London Road Suite 202, Duluth(218) 727-6227
Metro PHCC2704 Mounds View Blvd, Mounds View(612) 590-8038

Plumber apprenticeships in Minnesota

SMART union locals

SMART Local 10Maplewood(651) 770-2388
SMART Local 480Faribault(507) 334-2496

Sheet metal training centers

Southern Minnesota Sheet Metal JATC7240 Dresser Drive, NE, Rochester(507) 288-7766
Northern Minnesota Sheet Metal Training Trust Fund6279 Industrial Road, Saginaw(218) 393-1027
Central Minnesota Sheet Metal JATC56 - 33rd Ave. S, #232, Saint Cloud(218) 330-4167
Metro Area Sheet Metal JATC3554 White Bear Ave. North, White Bear Lake(651) 779-6264

PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)

PHCC of Minnesota2704 Mounds View Blvd, Mounds View(612) 590-8038
The Northern Mechanical/Plumbing Contrators Association, Inc.2230 London Road Suite 202, Duluth(218) 727-6227
Metro PHCC2704 Mounds View Blvd, Mounds View(612) 590-8038

ACCA member contractors near you

Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Minnesota.

HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Minnesota

Carpenters union locals

Carpenters Local 68St Paul
Carpenters Local 322St. Paul
Carpenters Local 361Hermantown
Carpenters Local 464Mankato
Carpenters Local 548St. Paul
Carpenters Local 606Virginia

6 more Carpenters locals

Carpenters Local 930Saint Cloud
Carpenters Local 1348Virginia
Carpenters Local 1382Rochester
Carpenters Local 1847St. Paul
Carpenters Local 1934Bemidji
Carpenters Local 2055St. Paul

Training

Union carpentry apprenticeships run through the regional council's training centers. Carpenters regional council finder

Home builder associations

BA of Minnesota161 Rondo Ave Ste 823, Saint Paul
Vikingland Builders Assn.509 22ND AVE E, Alexandria(320) 763-3301
Headwaters BAPO Box 402, Bemidji(218) 444-7594
Lake Region Builders AssociationPO Box 1319, Detroit Lakes(218) 847-0699
Arrowhead Builders Association5161 Martin Rd # 201, Duluth(218) 206-3430
South Central BA2292 NE 50TH ST, Medford(507) 455-0118

3 more chapters

West Central Builders Assn.PO Box 447, New London(320) 444-4006
Mid-Minnesota Builders AssociationPO Box 27, Nisswa
Minnesota Metropolitan Contractors Association161 Rondo Ave Ste 817, Saint Paul(612) 490-3953

General Contractor apprenticeships in Minnesota

Roofers union locals

Roofers Local 96Ham Lake

Training

Roofers locals run their apprenticeship through a joint committee with union contractors.

Contractor associations

The national trade group for roofing contractors is the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Roofer apprenticeships in Minnesota

Trade schools: where to apply

Hennepin Technical College9000 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park
Apply
Minnesota State Community and Technical College1414 College Way, Fergus FallsElectrical program Plumbing program HVAC program
Apply
Dunwoody College of Technology818 Dunwoody Blvd, MinneapolisElectrical program HVAC program Construction program
Apply
Dakota County Technical College1300 145th Street East, RosemountElectrical program HVAC program Construction program
Apply
Century College3300 Century Ave N, White Bear Lake
Apply
Saint Paul College235 Marshall Ave, Saint PaulElectrical program
Apply

All 26 trade schools in Minnesota

Sources

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Minnesota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)
Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing (dli.mn.gov)
Minnesota lien law: Minn. Stat. 514.011 subds. 1, 2, 4b, 4c (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota lien law: Minn. Stat. 514.08 subds. 1, 2 (revisor.mn.gov)
Minnesota lien law: Minn. Stat. 514.12 subd. 3; 514.10; 514.12 subd. 1 (revisor.mn.gov)
U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study and institution data) (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026 (bls.gov)
Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026 (census.gov)
DLI license and registration export (Department of Labor and Industry (DLI)) (dli.mn.gov, Oct 29, 2026)