Michigan to Minnesota: general contractor license reciprocity

Minnesota's ban on local contractor licensing is narrower than it first looks. Minn. Stat. 326B.835 stops a city, county or township from licensing a contractor who holds a state residential license, but only for the work that license covers. DLI's own FAQ spells out the rest: cities and counties "can require a local license for Certificate of Exemption holders and specialty contractors, and state licensed contractors performing work outside the scope of the state license (for example: Work on city-owned property, such as curb cut-ins or sidewalks, HVAC installation or maintenance, or commercial work)." A commercial builder should therefore ask the building department in each city it will work in whether a local contractor license or registration applies on top of the state construction contractor registration, and should expect the permit desk to ask for the registration number. Local governments may also add a permit surcharge of up to $5 for license verification.

There is no local general contractor license in Michigan either. No Michigan city issues a general building or commercial contractor license won by examination. What cities operate is permit-time registration: they confirm who is responsible for the work, that the state licenses a trade contractor holds are current, and that tax and insurance details are on file. A registration in one Michigan city does not carry to the next, and none of them gives any weight to a contractor license held in another state. Find the building department with jurisdiction over the address first — in much of Michigan that is a township or county rather than a city — and ask what it registers before you bid.

Detroit. The Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department "requires contractors performing certain construction and maintenance work on buildings and lands within its borders to be licensed and registered," renewed annually, and contractors must connect their license account to their permit account in the city's Accela portal. The trades for which the Buildings Division runs its own qualifying examinations are awning erector; boiler and refrigeration; electrical journeyperson, master electrician and contractor; elevator operator, journeyman and contractor; sign erector; steeplejack; welder; window washer; and wrecking and demolition. There is no general or commercial building contractor examination on that list, and the department's own FAQ says that "commercial construction does not require a licensed contractor to perform the work (plans and drawings are required and must be sealed by a license engineer or architect)," while a contractor is needed to pull permits for commercial property or dwellings of two families and up. Residential work by a contractor needs "a State of Michigan Builder's License that is registered with the City of Detroit." Commercial plan review is quoted at up to 20 business days. Construction Division, (313) 224-3202.

Grand Rapids. The Development Center's rule is short: "if you have a State of Michigan license and want to apply for permits in Grand Rapids, you'll need to register it with the City," and the registration card follows by mail within about two weeks. The only credential the city issues itself is a boiler license. Commercial building projects "always require either an architect or engineer," and the city publishes a public directory of registered contractors. Development Center, 1120 Monroe Ave NW, 3rd Floor.

What actually travels. Nothing on the general side, because nothing is tested. The credentials worth carrying into Michigan are the trade licenses: an electrical, mechanical, plumbing, boiler or elevator license from LARA for self-performed work of that kind, and the residential builder or M&A license if any part of the business touches one- and two-family housing. Those pages on this site cover how each is obtained, and the answer for all of them is the same as here — Michigan has no reciprocity with any state.