Contractor Gone ยท Minnesota
Contractor gone in Minnesota: where the money can come from
Minnesota's Contractor Recovery Fund pays on a judgment against a licensed contractor, and Conciliation Court goes up to $20,000, so the path from complaint to money is shorter here than almost anywhere. File the DLI complaint, sue in Conciliation Court, and apply to the fund with the judgment.
Run the free check for Minnesota
The four paths in Minnesota
| Card chargeback | Same in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock. |
| State fund | Contractor Recovery Fund, Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). Cap: $100,000 per application (confirm current per-licensee limit). Precondition: Licensed residential contractor; a court judgment for a loss from the licensee's conduct. Deadline: apply within two years of the judgment (confirm). verified Agency page |
| Bankruptcy claim | If the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured. |
| Lien exposure: Mostly protected | Subs must give a pre-lien notice; an owner who paid the contractor before receiving it is protected to that extent (Minn. Stat. 514.011). |
Is the contractor licensed?
Licensed by the DLI Residential Building Contractor or Remodeler license. Look up the license. A contractor who works in more than one trade on a residence needs the license, and the license is what opens the fund.
Deposits and the contract
No statute caps deposits or sets a refund clock. confirm
Small claims
Conciliation Court, generally up to $20,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm
In order
- Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
- Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the fund; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
- If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
- Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
- File the complaint with Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). The fund claim hangs off it.
- Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
- Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. Subs must give a pre-lien notice; an owner who paid the contractor before receiving it is protected to that extent (Minn. Stat. 514.011).
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Minnesota's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the fund application, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.
Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.