Minnesota Mechanical Contractor Bond
What it is & who requires it
Any business contracting to do gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work anywhere in Minnesota. Read that list rather than the word “mechanical” — it is what the statute actually covers, and it pulls in fuel-burning and refrigeration work that a company may not think of as HVAC. The fact worth more than the figure is the one the department states outright: there is no state license required for mechanical contractors at all. Minnesota does not examine or license the trade at state level and bonds it anyway, which makes this the rare bond that is not a condition of a license but a condition of contracting. The department is equally clear about what the bond does not do: mechanical contractors must still comply with local licensing requirements, and cities may require a license or a competency card for the individual workers, which the department does not issue and will not answer questions about. So the ordinary Minnesota mechanical contractor holds a state bond, no state license, and one or more city licenses. What the bond does displace is the city’s own bond — it stands in lieu of all other bonds any political subdivision requires for work covered by the section, which is why the Minneapolis trades bond in this directory carries the warning it does.
Obligee: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Construction Codes and Licensing Division). Citation: Minn. Stat. § 326B.197(a) (bond required for certain contractors — gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work; bond to the state in the amount of $25,000 for all work entered into within the state; for the benefit of persons suffering financial loss by reason of failure to comply with the State Mechanical Code; in lieu of all other bonds to any political subdivision required for work covered by this section; corporate surety licensed in Minnesota); Minn. Stat. § 326B.197(b) (biennial bond filing fee of $100); Minnesota State Mechanical Code, Minn. R. ch. 1346; DLI Mechanical Bond form (penal sum printed as TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00)).
Bond amount
The required bond amount is $25,000.
How to get it
This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
Request a bond quote
Tell us about the bond and the project. A licensed producer follows up — these bonds are individually underwritten, so they are not issued instantly.
Term & renewal
Term: Filed with the commissioner of labor and industry and valid for two years from filing.
Renewal: Biennial, with a renewal filing fee equal to the original filing fee.
Filing
Filed with the commissioner of labor and industry on the department’s Mechanical Bond form, which prints the sum in the AMOUNT box and again in words and figures in the body. The condition is drawn to the State Mechanical Code specifically rather than to a license, and it runs for the benefit of any person injured or suffering financial loss. Corporate surety licensed to do business in Minnesota; no cash or deposit alternative. The filing fee is charged per two-year filing and again on renewal, and the department takes the filing online or by mail with a check payable to the State of Minnesota. The bond must be properly signed and notarized before it is sent, and the department publishes a packet that carries the additional application forms, a disclosure of business owners, partners, officers and members, and a workers’ compensation certificate of compliance alongside the bond itself.
Source
Verified against the obligee source (last checked 2026-09-07).
Related Minnesota bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Minnesota Mechanical Contractor Bond?
- It’s required by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Construction Codes and Licensing Division) (Minn. Stat. § 326B.197(a) (bond required for certain contractors — gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work; bond to the state in the amount of $25,000 for all work entered into within the state; for the benefit of persons suffering financial loss by reason of failure to comply with the State Mechanical Code; in lieu of all other bonds to any political subdivision required for work covered by this section; corporate surety licensed in Minnesota); Minn. Stat. § 326B.197(b) (biennial bond filing fee of $100); Minnesota State Mechanical Code, Minn. R. ch. 1346; DLI Mechanical Bond form (penal sum printed as TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00))). Any business contracting to do gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work anywhere in Minnesota. Read that list rather than the word “mechanical” — it is what the statute actually covers, and it pulls in fuel-burning and refrigeration work that a company may not think of as HVAC. The fact worth more than the figure is the one the department states outright: there is no state license required for mechanical contractors at all. Minnesota does not examine or license the trade at state level and bonds it anyway, which makes this the rare bond that is not a condition of a license but a condition of contracting. The department is equally clear about what the bond does not do: mechanical contractors must still comply with local licensing requirements, and cities may require a license or a competency card for the individual workers, which the department does not issue and will not answer questions about. So the ordinary Minnesota mechanical contractor holds a state bond, no state license, and one or more city licenses. What the bond does displace is the city’s own bond — it stands in lieu of all other bonds any political subdivision requires for work covered by the section, which is why the Minneapolis trades bond in this directory carries the warning it does.
- How much is the Minnesota Mechanical Contractor Bond?
- The bond amount is $25,000.
- How do I get the Minnesota Mechanical Contractor Bond?
- This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
- What is the term?
- Filed with the commissioner of labor and industry and valid for two years from filing. Renewal: Biennial, with a renewal filing fee equal to the original filing fee.
- Is this bond insurance for me?
- No. It protects the obligee and the public — not you. If a valid claim is paid, you repay the surety.
- How is this requirement verified?
- We verify it against the obligee’s primary source (last checked 2026-09-07); the source link is on this page.
