- No license for painting alone. A license is needed when you contract with owners of one to four unit homes for work in more than one special skill.
Do you need a state license in Minnesota?
Minnesota licenses some painting work at the state level and leaves the rest alone. Which side of that line a job falls on decides whether you need the state license.
No license for painting alone. A license is needed when you contract with owners of one to four unit homes for work in more than one special skill.
Steps to get licensed in Minnesota
- Decide whether you sell only painting or more than one special skill.
- If more than one, apply to the Department of Labor and Industry for a residential remodeler or building contractor license.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
The license to apply for. Residential remodeler or residential building contractor license (only for more than one special skill).
Minnesota painting contractor exams
Trade exam. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Business and law exam. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
What it costs in Minnesota
We could not confirm the current fee schedule on an official page. Check with the board before you budget: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
Insurance and bond
Insurance. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Reciprocity. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Good to know in Minnesota
- Interior or exterior painting is listed under the interior finishing and exterior finishing special skills.
After you are licensed
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a painter near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and the official pages below, checked October 9, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how painting companies run on Koira.