DLI Authority & Affidavit Experience
Key Takeaways
- DLI (CCLD) licenses Minnesota boiler engineers under Minn. Stat. Ch. 326B and Minn. Rules Ch. 5225 — not MDH or Commerce.
- Special Engineer needs no experience affidavit; Second Class, First Class, and Chief require notarized DLI affidavits covering minimum time.
- Licensing horsepower uses 10 sq ft heating surface = 1 BHP, or 67,000 Btu/hr input = 1 BHP — never manufacturer nameplate ratings alone.
- For high-pressure A/B licenses, one year equals 2,000 hours; Minnesota residents may claim only experience earned while validly licensed.
- False or misleading affidavits can bring up to a $10,000 civil penalty plus suspension or revocation for everyone involved under § 326B.082.
DLI Authority & Affidavit Experience
Quick Answer: Minnesota's Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) licenses boiler engineers under Minn. Stat. Chapter 326B and Minn. Rules Chapter 5225. Above Special Engineer, you prove experience on a notarized DLI affidavit — not a resume — and false affidavits can trigger civil penalties up to $10,000 plus license action.
Minnesota does not treat boiler operation as a casual maintenance chore. The Construction Codes and Licensing Division (CCLD) inside DLI administers engineer exams, reviews experience affidavits, issues and renews licenses, and coordinates the boiler inspection program. On the exam, the SIE-style trap is naming the Department of Health, Commerce, or Pollution Control Agency as the licensing body — those agencies do not issue boiler engineer licenses.
Statutory Framework You Must Name
| Source | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Minn. Stat. Ch. 326B | Licensing authority, examinations, classifications, enforcement (including § 326B.082 penalties) |
| Minn. Rules Ch. 5225 | Operating definitions, experience counting, horsepower rating for licensing |
| DLI / CCLD | Applications, exams, affidavits, renewals, and day-to-day administration |
Engineers are divided into four classes under Minn. Stat. § 326B.978: Chief, First Class, Second Class, and Special, with Grades A, B, and C on the upper three classes. You apply on a DLI form (paper or electronic) at least 15 days before the requested exam date. If approved, you may sit the exam once within one year of the date DLI receives the application. The exam fee is $50, nonrefundable, and the time limit for all boiler exams is 2.5 hours. Passing score is 70%; if you fail, the waiting period before retesting is 30 days.
Who Needs an Affidavit — and Who Does Not
Special Engineer is the entry gate: submit the application and pass the exam. No prior operating experience and no experience affidavit are required. Every license above Special — Second Class, First Class, and Chief — requires both an exam application and one or more notarized affidavits covering the minimum experience for that class.
The affidavit is DLI's prescribed form. It must be completed by a Chief, First Class, or Second Class engineer, or by a manager/employer with personal knowledge of the work. The applicant does not self-certify hours. Affidavits must be filled out in ink or typed, signed, notarized with a current notary commission, and submitted as originals with the exam fee. Keep a copy for your records — DLI gives no credit for time that is not verified on an affidavit.
What the Affidavit Must Show
Record experience in the categories DLI lists: steam boiler plant (total horsepower and maximum working pressure with start/end dates), hot-water boiler plant (BTU input/kW/horsepower, pressure, temperature), steam engines or turbines when relevant, and high-pressure boiler operation hours. Dates must have end dates. Vague "worked in the boiler room for years" language fails review.
Licensing horsepower is not the manufacturer's nameplate. Under Minn. R. 5225.1000:
- 10 square feet of heating surface = 1 boiler horsepower, or
- if heating surface cannot be discerned, 67,000 Btu/hr input = 1 boiler horsepower
For high-pressure A or B licenses, one year = 2,000 hours (Minn. R. 5225.0550, Subp. 10). Low-pressure experience is commonly counted as a 12-month season that includes heating season and off-season maintenance — not a casual summer visit.
Minnesota residents may only claim operating experience gained while holding a valid Minnesota license. That rule is printed on the affidavit for a reason: unlicensed "shadowing" does not bank hours toward Second Class and above. Military or maritime service is the documented exception path — submit DD214 or equivalent service documentation instead of a civilian plant affidavit when that experience applies, and contact DLI if the service paperwork needs interpretation.
False Affidavits Are an Enforcement Event
Under Minn. Stat. § 326B.082, subd. 11(b)(2), submitting a false or misleading experience affidavit (or other license document) is cause for a civil penalty of up to $10,000 and suspension or revocation of the license(s) of any person involved — including the signer who attested to hours they did not personally know. The SIE-style exam loves this: the penalty attaches to the applicant and the verifying engineer or manager.
Exam-Day Process Snapshot
After affidavit and application approval, DLI sends scheduling instructions. Exams run at DLI locations on scheduled days only. You may reschedule once without a second exam fee if you cannot appear. Approval to test is not a license — the license issues only after you pass and pay the separate two-year license fee.
Master the affidavit rules before you memorize valve trim: without a clean, notarized experience record, DLI will not let you sit for Second Class or higher.
Why Affidavit Discipline Matters on the Exam
Expect scenario questions that mix a correct horsepower story with a broken affidavit: wrong signer, missing notarization, manufacturer nameplate HP, or Minnesota-resident hours earned while unlicensed. DLI will not authorize the exam until the experience record is complete, and § 326B.082 makes a false filing an enforcement event for everyone who touched it. Build the habit now — accurate dates, DLI horsepower math, and a qualified signer — because the same paperwork culture protects you after you are licensed.
A Minnesota resident applies for a Second Class boiler engineer exam and submits a notarized affidavit claiming two years of high-pressure operating experience earned while unlicensed. What is the correct DLI outcome?