Fire protection licensing in Minnesota
Minnesota's State Fire Marshal licenses fire protection (sprinkler) contractors. Each contractor needs a certified Managing Employee who qualifies through NICET Level III/IV in water-based layout, a PE, or 10,000 hours of experience, and who must also pass a state exam. All sprinkler work must be done or directly supervised by a state-certified journeyman sprinkler fitter, who also passes a state exam. Fire alarm installation is licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry as electrical/technology-systems work, typically under the Power Limited Technician license. Portable extinguisher servicing is licensed locally, for example in Minneapolis.
Some cities and counties in Minnesota add their own requirements on top of the state's. Confirm with your local fire marshal before you rely on this page.
What each trade needs in Minnesota
Fire alarm
Power Limited Technician license (covers power-limited fire alarm systems)
- Issued by
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (Minn. Stat. 326B.31-326B.36)
- Who needs it
- Individuals installing power-limited fire alarm systems (a personal license; the holder must be a W-2 employee of a licensed technology system or electrical contractor, or of an employer). Fire alarm installations need an electrical inspection except in one- and two-family dwellings
- What it takes
- 36 months (6,000 hours) of qualifying experience, then pass the DLI exam
State exam: DLI Power Limited Technician exam (state-run, based on the NEC)
Fire sprinkler
Fire Protection Managing Employee (ME) certificate
- Issued by
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety, State Fire Marshal Division (Minn. Stat. ch. 299M; Minn. R. ch. 7512)
- Who needs it
- The managing employee every fire protection contractor must have
- What it takes
- Qualify through any one of: 10,000 hours of fire protection-related work, NICET Level III or IV in automatic sprinkler system layout (now water-based systems layout), or a PE license under Minn. Stat. 326.03. Then pass the state ME exam with 70% or higher.
NICET: NICET Water-Based Systems Layout Level III or IV makes you eligible for the state exam (it does not replace it)
State exam: State Fire Marshal ME exam, given in person in St. Paul (next session 12/4/2026), 70% to pass
Sources: DPS-SFM Fire protection licensing requirements; DPS-SFM exam event, Dec 4 2026
Certified Journeyman Sprinkler Fitter
- Issued by
- Minnesota DPS State Fire Marshal Division
- Who needs it
- Anyone performing fire protection-related work (or the on-site direct supervisor of it)
- What it takes
- 8,000 hours of fire protection-related work, or completion of a state or federal journeyman sprinkler fitter apprenticeship; then pass the state exam with 70% or higher
State exam: State Fire Marshal journeyman sprinkler fitter exam, in person in St. Paul, 70% to pass
Sources: DPS-SFM Fire protection licensing requirements; DPS-SFM exam event, Dec 4 2026
Practice for these credentials
These national exams are named in the requirements above. Each has a free sample test.
NICET Water-Based Systems Layout
Sprinkler & standpipe layout — design, hangers, hydraulics.
Named in: Fire Protection Managing Employee (ME) certificate
Sources
Statutes, administrative codes and licensing agency pages, checked November 13, 2026. Rules change; the agency's current text governs.