Porch addition by Northwoods Home Improvement
The homeowner signed a $60,000 contract with Northwoods to frame, roof, side and trim this porch addition. Northwoods has no residential building contractor or remodeler license and no certificate of exemption, so the owner pulled the building permit in her own name. What's the problem?
- Contracting with a homeowner to provide two or more special skills, such as carpentry, roofing and exterior finishing, requires a DLI residential building contractor or remodeler license, which Northwoods lacks
- Because the owner pulled the permit herself, the contractor does not need a license
- Only the roofing needs a licensed contractor; framing and siding are unregulated trades
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
Northwoods is contracting with the homeowner for framing, roofing and exterior finishing without the residential building contractor or remodeler license Minnesota requires.
Correct choice: 1. Contracting with a homeowner to provide two or more special skills, such as carpentry, roofing and exterior finishing, requires a DLI residential building contractor or remodeler license, which Northwoods lacks
Minnesota licenses residential building contractors and remodelers (Minn. Stat. 326B.802 and 326B.805, part of the residential contractor sections of chapter 326B). A residential building contractor or remodeler is a business that contracts with an owner to build or improve residential real estate by providing two or more 'special skills.' The special skills are excavation, masonry and concrete, carpentry, interior finishing, exterior finishing, drywall and plaster, residential roofing, and general installation specialties. This contract covers carpentry, roofing and exterior finishing, so Northwoods must be licensed under 326B.805. The main exemptions are a contractor who provides only one special skill and a contractor with a certificate of exemption whose gross annual receipts from this work do not exceed $15,000. Neither applies here. Having the owner pull the permit doesn't change who is contracting, and homeowners who hire an unlicensed contractor give up protections such as the Contractor Recovery Fund.
How to fix it
Northwoods must get the license before continuing, or the owner hires a licensed residential contractor to finish. Ask the building official how to handle the permit: whether the licensed contractor should take it over and whether finished work needs re-inspection.
Code references
Minn. Stat. 326B.805 — Licensing (residential building contractors and remodelers)
A person who meets the definition of a residential building contractor or residential remodeler must be licensed by the commissioner. Exemptions include specialty contractors who provide only one special skill and persons with a certificate of exemption, issued on an affidavit, whose gross annual receipts from work requiring licensure do not exceed $15,000. Residential roofers have separate licensing provisions.
Drills citing 326B.805Minn. Stat. 326B.802 — Definitions
A residential building contractor builds residential real estate, or contracts with an owner to build it, by providing two or more special skills. A residential remodeler does the same for improvements to residential real estate. 'Special skill' means excavation, masonry and concrete, carpentry, interior finishing, exterior finishing, drywall and plaster, residential roofing, or general installation specialties. Carpentry includes rough framing, finish carpentry, doors, windows and skylights, and porches and decks (excluding footings). Exterior finishing includes siding, soffit, fascia and trim.
Drills citing 326B.802Minn. Rules 1300.0120, subp. 1 — Permits: required
An owner or authorized agent who intends to construct or enlarge a building must first get the required permit from the building official. The permit rule does not decide who must be licensed to contract for the work.
Drills citing 1300.0120, subp. 1
Minnesota
This drill tests Minnesota contractor licensing law (Minn. Stat. 326B.802 and 326B.805; see Minn. Stat. ch. 326B for the related residential contractor sections), which has no counterpart in the IRC. The addition itself must meet the Minnesota Residential Code (Minn. Rules ch. 1309, the 2018 IRC with Minnesota amendments), with permits under Minn. Rules ch. 1300.
About the Minnesota Residential CodeCitation under review. Audited 2026-10-04. The 326B.802 special-skill list (including carpentry's rough framing, doors, windows and skylights, and porches and decks; exterior finishing's siding, soffit, fascia and trim), the two-or-more-skills trigger, the one-skill exemption, and the $15,000 certificate of exemption were re-confirmed through search results quoting revisor.mn.gov and DLI (direct fetch blocked). The '326B.802 to 326B.885' range was dropped because its end point was not confirmed. Subdivision numbers in 326B.805 are not cited. Residential roofers have separate licensing provisions, which this drill does not test. A Minnesota law firm's article confirms the Contractor Recovery Fund does not cover unlicensed contractors.
Why the other choices are wrong
- Because the owner pulled the permit herself, the contractor does not need a license. The permit and the contractor license are separate requirements. Minn. Stat. 326B.805 licenses the business that contracts with the owner, whoever's name is on the permit. An owner-pulled permit can also leave the homeowner holding the responsibility.
- Only the roofing needs a licensed contractor; framing and siding are unregulated trades. Carpentry (including rough framing) and exterior finishing are special skills under Minn. Stat. 326B.802. Contracting with an owner for two or more of them requires a license.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. Northwoods is contracting with the owner for several special skills on a $60,000 job with no license or exemption certificate. That is unlicensed residential contracting.