Plumbing License in Minnesota: Fees, Requirements & Startup Costs

By Muhammet Çay

Two credentials, two roles

Minnesota separates the business license from the individual license. The Plumbing Contractor license belongs to the business and allows it to offer and perform ordinary plumbing statewide. The Master Plumber license belongs to a person and supplies the responsible licensed individual the contractor license depends on. A company cannot hold contracting authority on its own; it needs a master plumber attached to it.

That split shapes how a startup is organized. If the founder already holds a master plumber license, the contractor application can proceed with that person named as responsible. If not, the business cannot be licensed as a full plumbing contractor until someone with the master credential is part of the operation. The DLI plumbing contractor licensing basics page describes this structure.

License classes and the restricted path

The standard route is the full Plumbing Contractor license, which covers ordinary plumbing work across the state. Minnesota also issues a Restricted Plumbing Contractor credential, but its scope is narrow: it applies only to work in communities with a population under 5,000. A business planning to serve a metro area or any larger city should treat the restricted license as unavailable and build toward the full contractor license instead.

On the individual side, the Master Plumber license is the qualifier for a full contractor. A restricted master plumber route exists for the small-community scope. Medical gas work and backflow work carry additional credentials beyond the standard licenses, so a startup that intends to offer those services should confirm the extra requirements with DLI before advertising them.

Master plumber exam and experience

The master plumber exam is administered by Minnesota DLI, and the exam fee is $50. Before sitting for it, an applicant must meet the experience requirement: at least one year licensed as a journeyworker plumber, or an equivalent out-of-state master license, or a Minnesota restricted master license plus five years of verifiable plumbing-contractor business experience.

The official sources reviewed for this page do not list a separate classroom requirement or a background check for master licensure. The new master plumber license costs $88, which includes the board fee, and it is valid for two years. Budget the exam fee and the license fee as separate line items, since both are paid on the path to qualifying the business.

Bond and insurance before the license issues

A plumbing contractor must carry a $25,000 surety bond. The contractor also needs products liability coverage of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence, property damage coverage of $10,000, and proof of workers’ compensation compliance. These are licensing conditions, not optional coverages, and the licensing basics page lists them together.

Obtain the bond and the insurance certificate before expecting the contractor license to be issued. A startup that waits until after the application is filed will lose time. The startup costs page shows how the bond, insurance, and official fees fit into a first-year budget.

Renewal and continuing education

Both the plumbing contractor license and the master plumber license renew every two years. The on-time contractor renewal fee is $188, and the on-time master plumber renewal fee is $93. Renewal fees are not part of the initial licensing cost; they come due in the second year of operation and should be reserved for separately.

Master plumbers must complete 16 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle. The DLI continuing education page covers the requirement. Put the renewal date and the CE deadline on the operating calendar so the business does not lose its qualifier mid-project.

The local layer

State licenses do not replace local permits and inspections. Cities and other local authorities issue plumbing permits for individual jobs and inspect the work. A state contractor license establishes the authority to contract; it does not set a uniform permit policy across jurisdictions. Ask each local authority which work needs a permit, who may apply, and how inspections are scheduled, and add that time to estimates.

For a broader comparison of credentials, read the plumbing license requirements by state and the plumbing business guide. Sibling pages for Michigan and California show how other states split business and individual licensing.

Last updated: September 25, 2026