Minnesota Electrical Code

Minn. Stat. 326B.35 (Safety standards) requires electrical wiring, apparatus, and equipment for electrical light, heat, and power, and for technology circuits or systems, to comply with the rules of the department and the Board of Electricity and to be installed to accepted standards of construction for safety to life and property. The statute makes the most current edition of the National Electrical Code, along with the National Electrical Safety Code, prima facie evidence of those accepted standards. It also lets political subdivisions make and enforce more stringent requirements. In practice, the adopted NEC is the yardstick the inspector applies.

The Board of Electricity adopts the NEC by rule. Minn. Rules part 1315.0200 (Scope) is cited as the Minnesota Electrical Code and incorporates the NEC by reference. New electrical wiring, apparatus, and equipment must comply with that NEC edition, Minn. Stat. 326B.35, and the State Building Code. DLI administers electrical licensing, runs the state electrical inspection program, and handles enforcement. Some cities run their own electrical inspection programs instead (St. Paul is one example), and permits there are filed with the city.

Edition history: the 2023 NEC took effect July 1, 2023. Permits filed before that date stayed under the 2020 NEC. The Board then adopted the 2026 NEC effective Aug. 17, 2026. Permits filed before Aug. 17, 2026 must comply with the 2023 NEC, and permits filed on or after that date must comply with the 2026 NEC. The filing date of the permit sets the edition. The bid date, the date the work is done, and the inspection date do not.

This site still cites 2023 NEC section numbers. They are correct for permits filed before Aug. 17, 2026. Many sections keep their numbers in the 2026 NEC, but the 2026 edition also moved and renumbered material (for example, the load calculation rules in Article 220 became Article 120). Check the 2026 text before applying a drill's citation to a new job.

NEC citations on this site use 2023 NEC numbering: article, section, then lettered and numbered subdivisions. For example, 210.8(A)(7) is Article 210, section 210.8, subdivision (A), list item (7). Chapter 9 tables are cited as tables, for example Chapter 9, Table 4. Where a drill depends on a change in the 2023 edition (such as 2023 renumbering), the explanation says so.

Minnesota statutes are cited as Minn. Stat. followed by the section, for example Minn. Stat. 326B.35. Chapter 326B covers construction codes and licensing, and sections 326B.31 to 326B.399 are the electrical provisions. A subdivision is written subd., for example Minn. Stat. 326B.31, subd. 23 (the definition of owner).

Minnesota administrative rules are cited by part number, for example Minn. Rules 3801.3770. The four digits before the point are the chapter (1315 = adoption of the electrical code, 3800 = electrical licensing, 3801 = electrical procedures, including permits and inspections). The digits after the point are the part, and a part can be split into subparts (subp.). Rule chapters are amended from time to time (chapter 3801 was amended in 2026), so confirm a part number on revisor.mn.gov before relying on it.

To check whether Minnesota changed a particular NEC section, start with the DLI electrical codes and standards page and the current text of Minn. Rules 1315.0200. Minnesota adopts the NEC without section-by-section amendments, so a 2023 NEC section reads the same in Minnesota as in the published code.

Short version: none. The Board of Electricity's NEC review committee recommended adopting the 2026 NEC without amendments, and the Board voted to adopt it that way. Minn. Rules 1315.0200 likewise incorporated the 2023 NEC as published. The Minnesota-specific requirements an electrician runs into are administrative. They live in statute and rule, not in the NEC text: who may do the work, when an inspection request must be on file, rough-in before cover, and similar rules.

Because this list is intentionally empty, treat any drill on this site that says a Minnesota amendment applies to an NEC section as needing verification. Check the DLI electrical codes and standards page and Minn. Rules 1315.0200 for the current adoption language.

Electrical work in Minnesota is licensed work. A business that does electrical work for others needs an electrical contractor license. Each contractor must designate a responsible licensed individual, usually a master electrician (or, for a technology systems contractor, a power limited technician), who is responsible for the performance of all of the contractor's electrical work. The type of contractor license follows that person's license. A contractor whose responsible individual is a power limited technician, for example, is limited to technology circuits and systems.

Individuals who physically do the work must either hold a personal license for that class of work or be registered with DLI as an unlicensed individual working under direct supervision. Direct supervision means a licensed individual, employed by the same employer, is physically present where the work is done and immediately available for the whole working day. Phone or video supervision does not count, and neither does looking the work over afterward. A residential building contractor or remodeler that does not hold an electrical contractor license cannot have its own carpenters or laborers wire a job.

Homeowners have a narrow exemption. Minn. Stat. 326B.33, subd. 21 lets an individual do electrical work without a license on a residential dwelling located on property the individual owns and actually occupies as a residence, or will occupy once construction is complete. The individual must physically do the work. The current statute also requires that the dwelling have its own electrical utility service, not shared with another dwelling. DLI's homeowner guidance applies the exemption to a single-family home. It does not cover two-family dwellings, apartment or condominium buildings, certain townhouses, manufactured homes in parks, or any property rented, leased, or occupied by others. A Request for Electrical Inspection and inspections are still required.

In Minnesota, an electrical permit is called a Request for Electrical Inspection. It is filed with DLI, or with the city if that city runs its own electrical inspection program. Minn. Stat. 326B.36 requires every new electrical installation to be inspected, except minor repair work as defined by rule. The contractor, installer, or owner doing the installation must submit the request, with the fees, at or before the start of the work. DLI also requires an active request to be on file whenever that work is being performed, and filing late can add an investigation fee. Some situations have their own filing rules, so check with DLI rather than assuming an exception applies.

Wiring that will be concealed gets a rough-in inspection first. Minn. Rules 3801.3770 requires the installer to notify the inspector far enough in advance (not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) for a rough-in inspection of the wiring method and conductor splicing before they are covered. If wiring is covered before the rough-in without adequate notice, the person responsible for enclosing it pays all costs of uncovering it and replacing the cover. Cover includes drywall and other wall or ceiling finishes, insulation, and backfill over underground cable and conduit.

When the work is complete, the installer must schedule a final inspection before the intended user starts using the wiring and before the space is occupied (Minn. Rules 3801.3780). Permits also expire. Under that part, a permit with an inspection fee of $1,000 or less is void 12 months after it was filed, whether or not the work is finished, and any unfinished work then needs a new permit.

DLI's electrical license exams are open-book, reference-based tests on the NEC edition currently adopted, plus Minnesota electrical law and rules. The exams switched from the 2023 NEC to the 2026 NEC beginning Sept. 8, 2026, so anyone testing now should study from the 2026 code book. This site's drills use 2023 numbering and remain useful for learning the rules, but check renumbered sections in the 2026 edition.

According to DLI's examination guide, the references are handed out at the exam: a soft-cover NEC with no tabs or other aids, a laws and rules booklet, and a calculator. Practice finding sections in an untabbed book using the index and the table of contents. Before you schedule, check the guide for the current format, question counts, time limits, and eligibility (experience) requirements.

Use official sources only. Laws, rules, and adopted editions change, and third-party summaries (including this one) can fall behind.