MINNESOTA · electrician
Class A Journeyworker Electrician
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — Construction Codes and Licensing Division (Electrical) →Scope of Work
A Minnesota Class A Journeyworker Electrician has the qualifications, training, experience, and technical knowledge to perform and supervise any electrical work except the planning or laying out of electrical installations. The individual license does not by itself authorize contracting in the licensee's own name; contracting for electrical work requires a separate Electrical Contractor license held by the firm, with a licensed Master Electrician of record. Source: Minnesota DLI Electrical Licensing Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/electrician-or-electrical-installer/electrical-licensing-basics).
Experience and Training
A Class A journeyworker applicant must document at least 48 months (approximately 8,000 hours) of acceptable electrical experience earned while registered with DLI as an unlicensed electrician, or through a DLI-registered apprenticeship program, or through a current Minnesota restricted journeyworker license. Experience is verified on DLI's experience-affidavit forms signed by the employing licensed electrical contractor. Authority: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 326B (Construction Codes and Licensing). Source: DLI Experience Requirements (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/electrician-or-electrical-installer/experience-requirements-electrical-license).
Exam
DLI administers the journeyworker examination, which covers the edition of the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) adopted by Minnesota, the Minnesota Electrical Act, Minnesota Rules Chapter 3800 (Board of Electricity rules), and applicable general electrical theory. The written exam must be passed before a journeyworker license is issued. The examination fee is $50 (verify current fee with DLI before filing). Source: Minnesota DLI Electrical Licensing Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/electrician-or-electrical-installer/electrical-licensing-basics).
Military Crosswalk
Minnesota accepts documented military electrical training and experience toward the 48-month requirement when the service record substantiates duties comparable to civilian electrical work. Applicants submit DD-214 plus military transcripts and DLI's experience affidavit; DLI reviews equivalence on a case-by-case basis consistent with Minnesota Statutes 326.003 on veterans' credentialing.
Renewal and Continuing Education
The Class A Journeyworker license is issued on a 2-year cycle. DLI requires 16 hours of approved continuing education per renewal term, with at least 12 of those hours on the current National Electrical Code. Failure to complete CE on time can delay renewal; late renewals incur additional fees. Source: Minnesota DLI Electrical Licensing Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/electrician-or-electrical-installer/electrical-licensing-basics).
Reciprocity
Minnesota maintains journeyworker electrician reciprocity with a limited set of states, including Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, subject to equivalent experience and examination standards. Out-of-state applicants should verify current reciprocity status directly with DLI before filing, because the list is periodically updated. Source: Minnesota DLI Electrical Licensing Basics (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/electrician-or-electrical-installer/electrical-licensing-basics).
Pathway to Master
A Minnesota Class A Master Electrician license requires a total of 60 months of acceptable electrical experience, at least 12 months of which must be served as a licensed Class A Journeyworker. The Master Electrician exam is separate from and more comprehensive than the journeyworker exam. Source: Minnesota DLI Experience Requirements (https://www.dli.mn.gov/workers/electrician-or-electrical-installer/experience-requirements-electrical-license).
Reciprocity
Accepts from: nebraska, north-dakota, south-dakota