The short version
Ask for the license number. Look it up. If the business will not give you a number, that is your answer.
You can search this site by business name, or go straight to the state's own lookup at dli.mn.gov. Both read the same register; ours is faster to search, theirs is the data originator.
Some trades are bonded, not licensed
Minnesota does not license every trade. Heating and cooling contractors file a $25,000 mechanical contractor bond with the state instead of holding a license — in the department's words, “there is no state license required for mechanical contractors.” Pipe layers register with a plumbing code-compliance bond. Sign contractors are licensed by cities and file a bond with the state so cities can check it. This site says Bonded or Registered for those businesses, never “Licensed”, and their number is a bond or registration number, not a license number. Sources: mechanical contractor bonds, pipe layer bonds, sign contractor bonds, all at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
What the status words mean
Minnesota uses six. We show the state's word and do not interpret it, because the department does not publish definitions and guessing at a legal status is not ours to do.
Only Issued means the license is live today. If you see anything else and the contractor tells you otherwise, ask them to explain it before money changes hands.
What a license does not tell you
It is a floor, not a recommendation. A current license means the state has issued a credential and it has not lapsed. It says nothing about whether the work is good, whether they turn up, or whether they will call you back.
It also says nothing about insurance. Insurance is separate, it is not in the state license file, and a contractor showing you a certificate is showing you a document they supplied — not one we verified.
Three questions worth asking
What is your license number? Then check it, while they are standing there.
How long have you held it? Tenure is public. Some Minnesota firms have been licensed since 1992, and that is worth knowing.
Who is doing the work? The licensed business and the crew on your roof are not always the same people.