# Minnesota Journeyworker Electrician License Requirements

> Minnesota’s Class A journeyworker experience schedule requires at least 48 months of acceptable experience. An approved two-year post-high-school electrical course can provide up to one year of experience credit. You must pass the written exam before applying for the license.

Updated: 2026-11-15

## Start with acceptable experience

Minnesota Statutes requires at least four years of acceptable experience in wiring, installing, and repairing electrical wiring, apparatus, or equipment for a Class A journeyworker license. The rule expresses the minimum total as 48 months. Acceptable experience concerns premises electrical systems, excludes manufacturing processes, and requires properly licensed supervision where the law requires supervision.

Do not reduce the requirement to a total without checking the categories. Organize your experience record by the kind of work performed. Compare that record with the limits below before planning an application. The [pathway overview](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/how-to-become-an-electrician-in-minnesota/) connects registration, examination, and later license steps.

## Read the category minimums and maximums

Rule 3800.3520 provides the Class A journeyworker schedule with a 48-month minimum total. The following entries summarize its work categories. A maximum allowance is a ceiling on credit, not a substitute for meeting the required total.

| Work category | Minimum experience | Maximum credit |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | 0 months | 0 months |
| Laying out | 0 months | 0 months |
| Supervising | 0 months | 0 months |
| Wiring and installation | 24 months | 48 months |
| Maintenance and repair | 0 months | 24 months |
| Line work | 0 months | 3 months |
| Elevator installation | 0 months | 6 months |
| Technology circuits or systems | 0 months | 6 months |
| Process-control circuits or systems | 0 months | 12 months |

Keep each category's minimum and maximum together in your notes. Do not add every ceiling and treat the result as a required work history. If a job involved several kinds of work, prepare a clear description of the actual duties for review rather than assuming all time belongs in the most useful category.

## Approved school credit

The rule allows up to one year of experience credit for completing a department-approved two-year post-high-school electrical course. The DLI guide describes 12 months of credit for successful completion of an approved two-year technical college program. Approval must precede the applicant's completion; training credit is not approved separately for an individual applicant.

Keep the program information with your work records. Treat school credit and practical experience as separate entries when checking your pathway. A program's length alone is not enough to establish that the department approved it. Review the approval condition before relying on the credit in your application plan.

## Register while gaining experience

DLI requires registration for the unlicensed electrical-work pathway it describes, with direct supervision and the same employer as the supervising licensed electrician. The statute denies credit for Minnesota electrical work performed after January 1, 2009, if the applicant was neither registered nor licensed. The initial registration fee listed by DLI is $14.

Use the [registered unlicensed electrician guide](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/registered-unlicensed-electrician/) to review renewal, supervision, and recordkeeping. Treat active registration as part of the work pathway from the start. Keep your own records current so you can compare them with the work experience forms when you are ready to apply.

## Apply for the examination

DLI allows online examination applications and uploading completed work experience forms not already submitted. Its page says credit may be granted for verifiable work with a licensed electrical contractor in another state. The rule requires the department to determine that out-of-state work is substantially equivalent, based on the employer's certification of the work performed.

The application and examination fee is $50, separate from the license fee. The application must be approved before scheduling. DLI sends scheduling instructions after approval. Review the [journeyworker examination guide](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/minnesota-journeyworker-electrician-exam/) while preparing, but keep studying and eligibility verification as separate tasks.

## License term, fees, and renewal

DLI says journeyworker licenses expire every two years at the end of the original issue month. The statute describes other personal licenses, including journeyworker licenses, as expiring two years after original issuance and every two years thereafter. Use the expiration shown on your issued license when organizing renewal.

The statutory two-year journeyworker base license fee is $40, with an $8 board fee. Renewal also includes a $5 continuing education fee. DLI lists the renewal total as $53. Renewal requires 16 hours of approved continuing education, including at least 12 hours related to the NEC. Read the [continuing education guide](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/minnesota-electrician-continuing-education/) before choosing courses.

## Plan the next stage deliberately

One master qualification route is at least one year of acceptable experience as a licensed journeyworker. Review the [master requirements](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/minnesota-master-electrician-license-requirements/) when considering that step. Keep the master qualification route and its experience schedule visible rather than assuming the next license follows automatically.

This is independent study guidance. Use it to organize the requirements and the records you need to review, not as a determination that your particular work history qualifies.

## Questions people ask

### What is the minimum journeyworker experience total?

The rule requires a minimum total of 48 months. At least 24 months must be in wiring and installation.

### How much school credit is allowed?

The rule allows up to one year of credit for successful completion of an approved two-year post-high-school electrical course.

### What is the examination fee?

The application and examination fee is $50, separate from the license fee.

### What does renewal require?

DLI lists a $53 renewal fee and 16 hours of approved continuing education, including at least 12 hours on the NEC.

## Sources

- [DLI Electrical license examination guide](https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/LicensingExaminationGuide.pdf) (checked 2026-11-15)
- [DLI Electrical licensing basics](https://dli.mn.gov/node/5526) (checked 2026-11-15)
- [Minnesota Statutes chapter 326B](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/326B) (checked 2026-11-15)
- [Minnesota Rules chapter 3800](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/3800/) (checked 2026-11-15)

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