Acquiring your Minnesota contractor license is a great achievement but it’s, unfortunately, not a one-off thing. You will have to renew your license periodically (which requires continuing education), and though that may sound a tad hectic, there are good reasons. To begin with, the state has to ensure that all contractors deliver up-to-the-mark services and that everyone who holds a license keeps improving their knowledge and skills.
Renewing your contractor license, therefore, will benefit you just as much as it guarantees your clients excellent services. So, what should you know to get your renewals perfect every time?
License Renewal Requirements
A contractor license in Minnesota has a validity period of two years, with the expiry date falling on March 31 of the last year during which your license is valid. Bear in mind the years of expiry vary with some expiring in even-numbered years and others in odd-numbered, depending on when you initially received your licence.
During this period, a qualifying person (QP) has to complete 14 hours of MN Contractor Continuing Education from an accredited provider like RocketCert. The QP is simply the designated professional who qualifies a business or themselves for the contractor license, so they have to register for that designation. Keep in mind that QP registrations also have expiry dates, so you’ll want to check that yours is active before starting the renewal process.
Continuing Education (CE) Details
As mentioned before, renewing your contractor license requires the QP of your company to take 14 hours of continuing education biyearly. The 1-hour total should include:
- 1 hr of energy code
- 1 hr in business management
- 12 hours of related knowledge in residential construction, workforce safety, and federal/state laws, rules, & regulations.
Luckily, you don’t have to earn the 14 hours in a classroom setting. So if you prefer taking online courses, you can always explore the options that different providers offer and choose the one that suits you best. Just be sure to confirm that the course content includes state-approved topics.
Valid Tips for Meeting the CE Requirements
Even though you already know what your continuing education course should cover, it’s still easy to miss that crucial deadline if you use the wrong approach, so here are some tips, just in case:
1. Plan Well in Advance
Two years is a lot of time, right? Wrong. That’s time that could elapse before you even know it, so avoid waiting until the last minute to earn your CE hours. Early completion not only guarantees you’ll have adequate time to submit your application but also make any necessary corrections.
2. Be Keen When Choosing Your Course
Don’t just jump into a course because the provider promises it’ll meet the state requirements. Confirm that the course topics are indeed what’s specified by the Department of Labour and Industry (DLI). Additionally, confirm that the related topics are relevant to your speciality. If, for instance, your focus is on residential construction, the topics should cover as much as you need to know in this field.
3. Utilise Online Options to the Maximum
Always choose online courses every time you have that chance. Not only are they more convenient, but they also make it easier to meet your minimum CE requirements since you can study wherever and whenever you feel like it! Just check to confirm that the course provider is state-approved, and you’re good to go.
Enjoy a Hassle-Free Renewal
No matter all the research you’ve done about renewing your Minnesota contractor license, there’s always something new you should know. Your best bet, in such a case, is to work with experts from a reputable CE institution like RockertCert. That’s because they’d more than likely have the latest information and are reliable sources of such information.
What’s more, they put a lot of effort into prepping the CE courses so they are easy to understand and fun to take. Check out rocketcert.com to learn more about how the experts there can streamline your renewal process and offer additional support to help you excel in your career.
