8 permits · verified 2026-10-13
What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Ramsey County Mn?
In short
No permit applies to every contractor or trade in Ramsey County Mn, MN. All 8 depend on your premises, the work you do or how you are set up. Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division charges $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person for the articles of incorporation. 2 of the 8 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-13 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Ramsey County Mn
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous Waste Generator Licenseonly if it applies to you | Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health — Environmental Health | Annual license: Base Generator Fee – non silver $102, plus cumulative per-gallon volume fees (first 10 gallons $0). Non-sewered hazardous waste, per gallon: 11–50 gallons $6.05; 51–100 $2.82; 101–250 $1.87; 251–1,000 $1.21; 1,001–10,000 $0.66; 10,001–50,000 $0.28; 50,001–100,000 $0.14; over 100,000 $0. Sewered hazardous waste, per gallon: 11–264 gallons $2.02; 265–2,640 $1.09; 2,641–10,000 $0.48; 10,001–50,000 $0.12; 50,001–100,000 $0.08; over 100,000 $0. Total Fee for Self-Audit generators that provide for silver reclamation from spent fixer solution and other identified wastes only (dental clinics, etc.) $102. One-time generation license (fees are non-cumulative), by gallons: under 50 $0; 50–100 $0; 101–264 $102; 265–1,000 $201; 1,001–2,640 $402; more than 2,640 $1,002. | license year May 1 to April 30 (Hazardous Waste Management Ordinance §4.05) | 2026-10-13 |
| Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler Licenseonly if it applies to you | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division | $500–$700 for two years, banded by gross annual receipts, including the recovery fund contribution | 2 years, on a cycle ending 31 March | 2026-09-03 |
| Mechanical Contractor Bond Filingonly if it applies to you | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division | $100 every two years to file the bond | 2 years | 2026-09-03 |
| Electrical Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division | $188 every two years | 2 years — expires the last day of February in even-numbered years | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
MN registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person | perpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Minnesota state positiononly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | set by the city | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $135 one-time filing by post; $155 online or in person | perpetual, subject to a free annual renewal every December | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Renewalonly if it applies to you | Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | annual — due by 31 December every year after the year of formation | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Ramsey County Mn?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 8 records listed for a contractor or trade in Ramsey County Mn, MN, 0 apply to every business of this type and 8 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
2 of the 8 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Hazardous Waste Generator License: Annual license: Base Generator Fee – non silver $102, plus cumulative per-gallon volume fees (first 10 gallons $0). Non-sewered hazardous waste, per gallon: 11–50 gallons $6.05; 51–100 $2.82; 101–250 $1.87; 251–1,000 $1.21; 1,001–10,000 $0.66; 10,001–50,000 $0.28; 50,001–100,000 $0.14; over 100,000 $0. Sewered hazardous waste, per gallon: 11–264 gallons $2.02; 265–2,640 $1.09; 2,641–10,000 $0.48; 10,001–50,000 $0.12; 50,001–100,000 $0.08; over 100,000 $0. Total Fee for Self-Audit generators that provide for silver reclamation from spent fixer solution and other identified wastes only (dental clinics, etc.) $102. One-time generation license (fees are non-cumulative), by gallons: under 50 $0; 50–100 $0; 101–264 $102; 265–1,000 $201; 1,001–2,640 $402; more than 2,640 $1,002.
Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler License: $500–$700 for two years, banded by gross annual receipts, including the recovery fund contribution
Which offices issue these permits in Ramsey County Mn?
Permits for a contractor or trade in Ramsey County Mn, MN come from 3 separate offices: Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health — Environmental Health, Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health — Environmental HealthIssues 1 permit on this page: Hazardous Waste Generator License2785 White Bear Ave. N, Suite 350, Maplewood, MN 55109 · 651-266-1199www.ramseycountymn.gov/businesses/licenses-permits-inspections/licenses-inspections/food-vending
- Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — Minnesota state position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Renewal332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul, MN 55101 · (651) 296-2803www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing DivisionIssues 3 permits on this page: Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler License, Mechanical Contractor Bond Filing, Electrical Contractor License443 Lafayette Road North, St Paul, MN 55155 · (651) 284-5034www.dli.mn.gov/business/residential-contractors/residential-contractor-licensing
What does a contractor or trade need in Ramsey County Mn that other businesses do not?
3 of the 4 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Ramsey County Mn: Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler License, Mechanical Contractor Bond Filing and Electrical Contractor License.
Hazardous Waste Generator License
The county's Hazardous Waste Licensing page states: "All businesses that generate hazardous waste must have a license according to Ramsey County's hazardous waste management ordinance." A business that generates hazardous waste occasionally, sporadically or annually needs an annual license; a business disposing of hazardous waste one time only needs a one-time license. For either, the page says the first step is to get a hazardous waste ID from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the second is to fill out the county's generator license application. The ordinance applies "within the County" (§4.01A), and the license therefore covers businesses in Saint Paul and Maplewood as well as the other cities. An auto repair shop, salon, veterinary clinic, retailer or contractor needs this license only if it generates hazardous waste. Under §4.05 the license year for hazardous waste generators runs from May 1 to April 30; the fee amounts are the schedule's 2026 column. Figures are the 2026 column of the Ramsey County 2026–2027 fee schedule for Environmental Health (Legistar file 2026-029, adopted by the County Board in Resolution B2026-018 on January 27, 2026), in effect through December 31, 2026; the adopted 2027 column lists different amounts. Contact Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health, Environmental Health, 2785 White Bear Ave. N, Suite 350, Maplewood, MN 55109, 651-266-1199.
Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler License
Minnesota requires no surety bond of a residential contractor, which is unusual — instead the license fee itself funds a contractor recovery fund, and the contribution is banded by turnover: $320 under a million dollars of gross receipts, $420 to five million and $520 above, on top of a $180 base. The fund compensates homeowners up to $100,000 a claim and $550,000 against any one licensee. Insurance is still required, at $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. The license is needed by anyone contracting directly with an owner of one to four residential units across more than one of eight skill areas, anyone building for resale, and anyone doing roofing at all. Under fifteen thousand dollars of residential receipts you can hold a certificate of exemption for ten dollars instead. Since July 2023 residential solar installers need this license too, expressly so homeowners can reach the recovery fund. Every license needs a qualifying person who passes an exam and does fourteen hours of continuing education per cycle, and the license cannot be renewed if that person's registration has lapsed.
Mechanical Contractor Bond Filing
This is the one people get wrong. Minnesota licenses electricians and plumbers, and the Department of Labor and Industry's own bond page states 'there is no state license required for mechanical contractors' — and yet an HVAC business still cannot lawfully contract for gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work without filing a $25,000 bond with the department, at a hundred dollars for two years. The department says so plainly and adds that mechanical contractors must also comply with local licensing requirements. Individual HVAC workers likewise need no state license, but cities may require a competency card the department neither issues nor tracks. So the practical position is a state bond filing on top of a patchwork of city rules.
Electrical Contractor License
A $25,000 surety bond is required here where the residential builder license needs none, along with $100,000 of liability cover per occurrence. The company must designate a responsible licensed individual holding an active master electrician license, who has to be an owner, officer, member or salaried employee actively engaged in the company's electrical work, and who cannot serve as the responsible individual for any other contractor. A licensed electrician may supervise no more than two unlicensed employees. Plumbing contractors pay the same $188 but on a different clock, expiring on 31 December of odd-numbered years, and carry their own $25,000 bond.
The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MN and are covered on the MN state page.
How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Ramsey County Mn?
The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler License, Mechanical Contractor Bond Filing and Electrical Contractor License. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shop License — Minnesota state position, which a contractor or trade does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a contractor or trade | Only a contractor or trade needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto repair shops | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Retail stores | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Ramsey County Mn permits page and the MN state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Ramsey County Fee Schedule 2026-2027 — Environmental Health and Clinical Services, as corrected (Legistar file 2026-029; adopted by Resolution B2026-018, January 27, 2026)Ramsey County Board of Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Ramsey County Hazardous Waste Management Ordinance (Resolution 2008-082, February 19, 2008)Ramsey County, Minnesota · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Hazardous Waste LicensingRamsey County, Minnesota · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-13
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — residential contractor licensing, fees and insuranceMinnesota Department of Labor and Industry · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Minnesota Statutes section 326B.89 — the contractor recovery fund, its per-license fees and its payout capsMinnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — mechanical contractor bond requirements, confirming there is no state HVAC licenseMinnesota Department of Labor and Industry · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.