Contractor licensing · MN

Contractor licensing in Minnesota

The agencies that license the work, set the workers compensation trigger and register the business, with a link to each one.

Checked 2026-07-28

An Arkansas contractor taking work in Minnesota deals with the same four questions everywhere: who licenses the trade, when a licence is actually required, when workers compensation kicks in, and where the business registers. Below is Minnesota's answer to each, with the agency's own link.

Licensing

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI)

Residential building contractors and remodelers providing services in more than one special skill area must hold a DLI license; exemption certificate available if residential gross receipts are under $15,000 per year. Commercial contractors need no state license but must register with DLI's Contractor Registration Program.

https://www.dli.mn.gov/business/residential-contractors/who-needs-license

Workers compensation

Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Workers' Compensation Division

All employers must buy workers' compensation insurance or obtain self-insurance approval; no minimum employee count; one part-time employee triggers coverage; limited statutory exceptions (Minn. Stat. 176.181).

https://dli.mn.gov/business/workers-compensation/work-comp-who-needs-workers-compensation-coverage

Business registration

Minnesota Secretary of State

https://mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search

Tax registration

Minnesota Department of Revenue

Contractors pay sales and use tax on all construction materials and supplies; construction contract labor generally not taxable (DOR contractor guide).

https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/guide/registering-your-business

New hire reporting

Most states require newly hired employees to be reported within a short window of their start date.

https://mn-newhire.com/

Still to confirm. New-hire site is state-contracted (operated under contract with the State of Minnesota, per site); tax registration completed inside e-Services.
These are pointers to each state's own agencies, checked on the date shown, not legal advice and not a substitute for asking the board directly. Rules change and thresholds move. The agency link is always the authority.

Michigan · All fifty states · Mississippi

Starting or running the business itself is covered in the contractor business guide. Arkansas licence records for Benton and Washington counties are in the contractor directory.

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