Problem With a Contractor in Minnesota? Your Options

Checked against the official sources below on November 12, 2026. By Twin Ports Contractors.

Short answer: Start in writing with the contractor. Then call the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry at 651-284-5069 for suggestions. A written complaint can lead to discipline against a license, but the state says it cannot require the specific remedy you want. A court or arbitration can. A judgment against a licensed building contractor or remodeler may also open the Contractor Recovery Fund.

Your contractor did poor work, stopped showing up or will not fix a problem. Here are your options in Minnesota, in the order we would try them. DLI below means the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

Where to start

Your situation	Best first step	Who to call
The work is poor or may break the building code	Ask your local building official to look at it. Before DLI can formally investigate workmanship, it needs a code citation, or a certified building official’s report where the State Building Code has not been adopted.	Your local building official, then DLI at 651-284-5069
The contractor stopped showing up or will not finish	Write to the contractor. Then ask DLI for suggestions, and file a written complaint if that fails.	DLI at 651-284-5069 or 800-342-5354, or dli.contractor@state.mn.us
A defect in a new home or a home improvement	Read the home warranty guide before you sue. A dispute process may come first.	DLI by email at ENE.DLI@state.mn.us
You lost money to a licensed building contractor or remodeler	Get a court judgment. If you cannot collect, the Contractor Recovery Fund may be open to you.	The fund at 651-284-5057
A subcontractor or supplier says it was not paid	Read the mechanic’s lien guide.	A lawyer. Only a court can decide whether a lien is valid.

Step one: write to the contractor

This step is our advice, not a state rule. One exception: for a defect covered by the home warranty law, the statute excludes loss or damage you did not report to the builder or contractor in writing within six months after you discovered it or should have, with one exception the statute lists. See the home warranty guide.

Say what is wrong and what you want done. DLI’s complaint process asks for the same thing.
Reread your contract. DLI’s tips page says a contract should set specific timelines and say exactly what happens if the contractor misses them; its consumer guide says a general statement allowing for reasonable delays is a good idea.

Step two: call DLI

DLI’s consumer guide says to contact it at 651-284-5069 or dli.contractor@state.mn.us for help with a dispute with a residential contractor. It will offer suggestions about how to resolve the matter. If that fails, it will ask for a written complaint so it can begin a formal investigation.

Step three: file a written complaint

DLI says complaints must be in writing before an investigation can begin. You can start by phone or email, and the written complaint follows.

Online. Use DLI’s “File a complaint” page. You must create an account first.
By mail. Download the complaint form and mail it to: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Residential Building Contractors, 443 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155.
By email or phone. DLI’s complaints page says you may also file by email at dli.contractor@state.mn.us, or by calling 651-284-5069 or 800-342-5354. Say what type of licensed service the complaint is about, and DLI sends you to an investigator for that industry. It says the investigator will usually be able to tell you whether they can investigate. Investigators cannot give legal advice.

DLI’s complaint pages and its consumer guide ask you to include:

the details of the dispute, with as much information as possible, such as dates and what was said
what you would like the contractor to do to resolve it
a daytime phone number and your mailing address, plus an email address if available
copies of supporting documents, such as contracts or purchase agreements, canceled checks, correspondence, municipal correction notices and mechanic’s lien statements

The contractor gets a copy. DLI’s complaints page says it will send your complaint to the contractor. Its consumer guide says a copy “will likely be sent”. Leave out anything you do not want the contractor to read.

Workmanship complaints need a code citation. DLI says it cannot open a formal investigation unless a local building code enforcement official has cited the contractor for a violation of the state building code. Where the State Building Code has not been adopted, you must provide a Minnesota certified building official’s report stating that the defect violates it.

For a plumber or an electrical installer, DLI lists separate complaint pages.

What happens next. DLI says it investigates to decide whether state construction laws and rules were violated. Proven violations lead to enforcement actions that can include fines and license revocation. The pages we read give no timeline, so ask your investigator.

What DLI can and cannot do

It can start administrative disciplinary action against a contractor’s license if the contractor broke state law, and impose civil penalties.

It says it has no authority to compel a contractor to do corrective work or pay damages, or to impose a settlement of a contract dispute or other civil dispute. It says those remedies belong only to the courts or the arbitration process.

So a complaint can lead to discipline, not to a repair or a refund.

Look up past enforcement actions

DLI posts enforcement actions against residential building contractors by year. Open a year and search for a name with Control + F (command + F on a Mac).

For a copy of an order, contact DLI’s Enforcement Services Unit at 651-284-5069 with the subject’s name and the investigative case file number from the recap. You can also call and ask whether a contractor has a disciplinary history. See how to check a contractor’s license.

If it is a warranty problem

When it fits: a defect in a new home or a home improvement project.

DLI says Minnesota law requires builders and remodelers to warrant their work for varying lengths of time, depending on the type of defect, and that no government agency interprets or enforces that warranty. Your recourse is a civil lawsuit.

A dispute process may come first, and DLI’s two pages differ on it. Its tips page says the parties “are required to use” the home warranty dispute resolution process before a warranty dispute may proceed. Its page on the process says homeowners “may have to” apply to it, or to an approved alternate process, or wait 60 days. That page gives the conditions (“builder” here includes a home improvement contractor):

If the builder complied with all of the notice and opportunity to repair steps in the warranty law, you cannot sue until you have either applied to use the process or waited 60 days from the date the builder provides a written offer of repair.
If it failed to comply, for example by giving no written offer of repair, you are free to go to court immediately.
The builder is not required to take part. DLI’s page says that if it does not, you are free to begin litigation immediately.
The statute reads differently on both points. Minnesota Statutes 327A.051 says each party shall attend the conference. Section 327A.02 bars a court action until the process ends or 60 days pass after the written offer of repair, whichever comes first, unless the builder failed to inspect, make an offer or do the agreed repairs. Ask a lawyer before you file early. The home warranty guide has the detail.

The outcome is not binding, and the process has costs. DLI says that while the process is underway it “stops the clock” on time limits and statutes of limitations for an action based on a breach of the warranty law. That begins when you mail a notice of claimed defect to the builder. It extends for 180 days or until the process is completed, whichever is later.

The warranty periods, notices and deadlines are in Minnesota’s home warranty law.

Going to court

When it fits: you want a repair paid for or money back, and the contractor refuses.

DLI’s warranty dispute page mentions a $15,000 conciliation court threshold only to say that when the cost of the repairs falls within it, the cost of the dispute process may cause the parties to skip the process and go to court. DLI’s Recovery Fund instructions use a different figure: they say a loss of $20,000 or less is filed in Conciliation Court. Ask the court which limit applies to your case.

The Contractor Recovery Fund

When it fits: you have a final, docketed court judgment against a contractor, and the contractor held an active residential building contractor or residential remodeler license when you signed and when the work was done.

DLI’s consumer guide puts a step in between: after the judgment, a search is made for the contractor’s assets, and you apply to the fund if the contractor has none.

DLI’s fund page adds more conditions. You must have an actual and direct out-of-pocket loss, caused by conduct the page lists, on owner occupied residential property in Minnesota. You must apply within two years of the date the final judgment was entered.

What it will not pay. The fund page says the fund cannot pay more than your judgment. It does not pay attorney’s fees, projected costs that are not supported by documentation, or costs that are not part of the residential structure, such as landscaping, fences, driveways, pools or accessory buildings. The consumer guide adds repairs you perform yourself. The fund fact sheet adds interest and court costs.

The limits. The state’s documents differ. The statute, DLI’s application instructions and its fact sheet say up to $100,000 per applicant, and $550,000 in total for all claims against the same contractor. DLI’s consumer guide says $75,000 per claim. The statute is the law. Ask the fund at 651-284-5057 if it matters to you. The Contractor Recovery Fund guide has the detail and the filing dates.

Roofers. The fund page’s eligibility rules name only residential building contractor (BC) and residential remodeler (CR) licenses. They do not name roofer (RR) licenses. Ask DLI at 651-284-5057 before counting on the fund for a roofing job.

What to do next

Write to the contractor. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Call DLI at 651-284-5069 for suggestions. If that fails, file a written complaint.
If you want money or a repair, read the warranty and Recovery Fund guides before you go to court.

Common questions

Can the state make my contractor fix bad work in Minnesota?

No. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry says it has no authority to compel a contractor to perform corrective work or pay damages. It can start disciplinary action against the contractor's license. It says repairs and damages are for the courts or the arbitration process.

How do I file a complaint against a contractor in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry says a complaint must be in writing before it can investigate. Submit it online after creating an account, or download the complaint form and mail it. Its complaints page also lets you start by email at dli.contractor@state.mn.us or by calling 651-284-5069 or 800-342-5354. The written complaint still comes before an investigation.

Will the contractor see my complaint?

Plan on it. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's complaints page says it will send a copy of your complaint to the contractor, and tells you not to include anything you do not want the contractor to see.

Can I file a state complaint about poor workmanship?

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry says it cannot open a formal workmanship investigation unless a local building code enforcement official has cited the contractor for a violation of the state building code. Where the State Building Code has not been adopted, you must provide a report from a Minnesota certified building official stating that the defect violates the code.

How do I find out if a Minnesota contractor has been disciplined?

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry posts enforcement actions against residential building contractors by year on its website. You can also call 651-284-5069 and ask whether a contractor has a disciplinary history.

Sources

Every rule, number and deadline in this guide comes from these official pages, read on November 12, 2026. Rules change. The source is always the final word.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.