Continuing Education Questions
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Does Contractor University report the completion of my course(s)?
Yes. We electronically report all completed continuing education courses to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (MN Contractors and Building Officials), Minnesota Department of Labor (MN Realtors), and Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (WI Contractors).
Credits are electronically reported for the date your course(s) was completed. Credits are usually reported within three business days after the course is completed. Please allow 7-10 days for the above agencies to verify the submission.
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How many continuing education hours/credits do I need to take?
Minnesota Residential Building Contractor, Remodelers and Roofers (MN Dept. of Labor & Industry): 14 credit hours of continuing education every two years including at least one hour of training relating to ENERGY codes or energy conservation measures and at least one hour of BUSINESS management strategies. You can take as many Energy or Business courses as you want, but you must complete at least one hour of each.
Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor Qualifier (WI Dept. of Safety & Professional Services): Wisconsin residential building contractors must complete 12 credit hours of continuing education every two years with at least four of the hours focused on construction laws and codes and contracts, liability, and risk management. Courses that qualify for the four hour requirement will be marked as WI Legal/Business Course on the website.
Minnesota Real Estate (MN Dept. of Commerce): 30 for each two-year license cycle. You must complete 15 hours of education each year within that two-year period (there are special requirements – see the MN Dept. of Commerce website http://mn.gov/commerce for details).
Minnesota Building Officials (MN Dept. of Labor & Industry): 35 hours/credits for each two-year license cycle
(See individual course descriptions for specific credits)
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How can I confirm that my credits have been electronically reported?
Wisconsin Contractors:
Go to the WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services website: https://license.wi.gov/s/license-lookup
You may choose to search by “Credential/License Number”, “Individual Name”, Organization Name”, or “License Type”. Searching by “Organization Name” will not result in showing continuing education status. You must search by an individual’s name or license number.
How to search by Credential/License Number:
In the “Search By” dropdown, select “Credential/License Number”
Enter your Individual License Number (do not include DCQ- in your inquiry)
Then press “Search”
Click on the blue text in the search results
Scroll down. You will then see all courses/credits that the WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services has listed for you.
How to search by Individual Name:
In the “Search By” dropdown, select “Individual Name”
In the “Category” dropdown, select Trades
In the “Professions” dropdown, select Dwelling Contractor Qualifier
Enter your Last and First Name
Then press “Search”
Click on the blue text in the search results
Scroll down. You will then see all courses/credits that the WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services has listed for you.
How to search by License Type:
In the “Search By” dropdown, select “License Type”
In the “Category” dropdown, select Trades
In the “License Name” dropdown, select Dwelling Contractor Qualifier
Then press “Search”
In the search bar, enter your name
Click on the blue text in the search results
Scroll down. You will then see all courses/credits that the WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services has listed for you.
Minnesota Contractors:
Go to MN Dept. of Labor & Industry website: https://ims.dli.mn.gov/
No not log in.
Select "Continue as Guest"
Look for the GotoRecord # field and enter your QB license number.
This will bring up your record, you will see your name at the top left of the screen. Follow your name over to the right to find the blue printer icon.
Click on the blue printer button and look for the Continuing Education Status option.
A Continuing Ed Status report will show. It lets you know quickly if your credits have been met before your next renewal. It will show what you have earned in green, and what you need to complete in red.
Credits are electronically reported for the date your course(s) was completed. Credits are reported within three business days after the course is completed. Please allow 7-10 days for your credits to show up on the above websites. If you have any questions or don't see your credits listed, please contact education@housingfirstmn.org.
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Can I take more than one energy course and more than one business management course (MN Contractors)?
Yes. You can take as many of each as you want, but you must complete at least one hour of each during the two year cycle.
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How do I get my certificate of completion?
You can access your certificate in two different locations. Both areas for your certificate contain the exact same information but are located in two spots for convenience.
PROGRAM VIEWER
Your certification process is located in the viewer to access while the program is in progress or immediately after. Access by clicking on the Certificate tab.
YOUR CUSTOMER ACCOUNT
Your certification process is also located in your customer account to access after the program. Access by clicking on the Certificate button.
Please note that once you have completed your certification steps, you have the option to print your certificate or email a copy to yourself (or even another). These options can be accessed at any point within your customer account.
The certificate is for your files, as we electronically report your credits. Students are required to keep a copy of all course completion certificates. If you are eligible for multiple credit types, be sure to print and/or save each appropriate certificate.
SELECT THE CORRECT CERTIFICATE FOR YOUR LICENSE TYPE
If prompted to select your credit type for the completion certificate, please select only one at a time if you have both MN and WI licenses.
To generate a correct certificate, be sure to select the corresponding state information from the credit type options and the certificate options (e.g. everything has just Wisconsin or just Minnesota in their names) if multiple options appear in either area.
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Do you offer in-person classroom courses?
We will be offering in-person learning on the following date and location:
Wednesday, February 19, 2025, in Rice Lake, WI (MN and WI Contractors)
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How long do I have to complete online/on-demand courses?
Online/On-demand courses will be available immediately upon purchase must be completed by March 31, 2025. After that date, they will not be available for viewing.
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Who do I contact for questions regarding continuing education license requirements/renewals?
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
(Building Contractor, Remodeler, Roofer and Building Official)
651.284.5034 | dli.license@state.mn.us | www.dli.mn.gov
Minnesota Department of Commerce (Real Estate)
651.539.1599 | licensing.commerce@state.mn.us | www.mn.gov/commerce
Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (Dwelling Contractor Qualifier)
608.266.2112 | dspscredtrades@wi.gov | www.dsps.wi.gov
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How can I get a transcript?
General questions and requests for transcripts or duplicate copies of continuing education certificates: Education@HousingFirstMN.org.
Transcripts are also available through the following:
MN Contractor and MN Building Official (MN Dept. of Labor & Industry)
WI Contractor (WI Dept. of Safety and Professional Services)
MN Realtor (MN Dept. of Commerce)
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Why does a different license number appear on my completion certificate?
Business licenses cannot be used for earning continuing education credits. If a BC (MN) or DC (WI) license number was provided with your registration, we will look-up your individual license number (QB, QC or QR - MN; or DCQ - WI) and update your account.
More about individual license numbers:
Minnesota Residential Building Contractor, Remodeler and Roofer. An eight-character individual QB (Qualifying Builder), QC (Qualifying Remodeler) or QR (Qualifying Roofer) DLI issued license number (such as QB######) must be provided at the time of registration to ensure attendees’ hours are correctly recorded when reported to DLI and printed on your course completion certificate. Individuals may obtain this number online by using DLI’s License Lookup at https://secure.doli.state.mn.us/lookup/licensing.aspx and searching by last name. DLI issued BC (such as BC######) business license numbers cannot be used.
Wisconsin Building Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. Individual WI credential identification number (DCQ) must be provided at the time of registration to ensure attendees’ hours are correctly recorded. Individuals may obtain this number from their credential card or searching online at https://license.wi.gov/s/license-lookup. Business credential numbers cannot be used.
Minnesota Real Estate. Individual MN real estate license number must be provided at the time of registration to ensure attendees’ hours are correctly recorded.
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How do I know if a course meets the energy or business management credit requirement (MN)?
Each course is marked with information stating which credit(s) it has been approved for. Refer to the Category bullet for this information.
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How do I know a course qualifies for the 4 hour focus requirement on construction laws and codes and contracts, liability, and risk management (WI)?
Each course is marked with information stating which credit(s) it has been approved for. Refer to the tag section for the course as well as the course description for this information.
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What are the student requirements for receiving CE credit(s) for an in-person course?
In order to earn CE credit(s) for in-person courses, students must attend the entire course during the time span(s) listed. Credit(s) will not be issued for the following:
Non-attendance
Arriving more than 5 minutes after a course has begun
Leaving before completion of the course
Leaving the classroom for more than 5 minutes during a course hour
Non-payment of the course
Failure to sign-in and/or sign-out
Students must sign-in/sign-out, and be prepared to show their driver’s license or other legal identification with their photo if requested.
A quiz is not required for those attending for Minnesota contractor, building official, and Realtor continuing education, or Wisconsin continuing education.