Electrical licensing - Employer registration requirements

Certificate of employment and supervisor forms:

These forms, which are not available online, are a set of four forms for registration of an employer's responsible master electrician, maintenance electrician, electrical engineer or power-limited technician for electrical work performed on the employer's premises. To attain these forms, send an e-mail message request to DLI.License@state.mn.us.

Employer registration bulletins:

Employer premises/facilities registration explanation

The following information is applicable to employees performing electrical installation, addition, alteration, or repair work on their employer's premises, as covered under the referenced sections of the Minnesota Electrical Act.

With the exceptions stated below, an employee doing electrical work must be supervised by a licensed master electrician who is an employee of the same employer (Minnesota Statutes 326.242, subd. 1). The electrical work must be performed by, or under the personal supervision of, licensed master or journeyman electricians who are employees of the same employer. "Personal supervision" requires the licensed person to be on the job and actively supervising the electrical work. A licensed person may supervise not more than two unlicensed persons (Minn. Stat. 326.01, subd. 6g and 326.242, subd. 1, 2, and 5).

Electrical maintenance work may be done by an employee who is a licensed maintenance electrician, or by an unlicensed person under the supervision of a licensed master electrician or electrical engineer employed by the same employer, or by the master electrician of record for an electrical contractor who has contracted with the employer to do electrical work for which an electrical contractor's license is required. Personal supervision is not required for maintenance work. (Minn. Stat. 326.242, subd. 12, Minnesota Rules, part 3800.3510, subp. 3).

Electrical maintenance includes only repair or replacement of worn or defective parts of electrical equipment and replacement of defective receptacle outlets and lighting control switches. A maintenance electrician is not permitted to install, extend, or replace any electrical wiring or equipment other than as stated in this paragraph (Minnesota Rules 3800.3500, subp. 8). The installation of replacement ballasts, sockets, or reflectors as part of a lighting retrofit project is not minor repair or maintenance work and is required to be performed in accordance with the second paragraph of this bulletin.

Persons doing electrical work on power-limited fire alarm systems, communications systems, or class 2 or 3 alarm or signaling systems must be licensed as stated above, unless the employer has obtained a Technology System Contractor License.

The master electrician or electrical engineer, as applicable, who is responsible for electrical work performed on the employer's premises must file a completed certificate of employment form with the board which acknowledges responsibility for compliance with the Minnesota Electrical Act (Minnesota Rules 3800.3550).

Except as stated below, a Request for Electrical Inspection must be filed for all electrical work performed by the employer's employees. Maintaining and repairing of electrical wiring and equipment, as defined above, performed by a maintenance electrician supervised by a master electrician or electrical engineer, and, generally, alarm or communications systems other than fire alarms, are exempt from filing of Requests for Electrical Inspection (Minn. Stat. 326.244).

Employees are not permitted to do electrical work on premises not owned or occupied and operated and maintained by their employer, including electrical work on the premises of other employees of that employer, unless the employer is a licensed electrical contractor.

Questions concerning these requirements may be directed to the Board of Electricity.