Minnesota Contractor License Requirements
Minnesota has no general contractor license at all — not for residential work and not for commercial work: the chapter 326B table of sections read 2026-10-05 contains no general-contractor licensing section. What the state licenses is the multi-skill residential contractor — the BC, CR and RR licenses attach only when a company contracts directly with an owner of one to four units for work in more than one of the eight special skills — plus a universal Construction Contractor Registration for single-skill residential work and all commercial work, and separately licensed or bonded trades. Every claim below is traced to an official source with a verification date.
01 The Minnesota model
Minnesota does not license general contractors; it licenses multi-skill residential contracting and registers everyone else. The trigger is never a dollar amount — it is the combination of an owner of one to four units, a direct contract and more than one special skill on the same job.
- No general contractor license — verified absence — chapter 326B licenses only BC, CR, RR and manufactured home installer, and DLI routes commercial work to the registration instead. (Rule MN-NO-GC-LICENSE.) S-MN-MCL-326B-CH
- No dollar threshold — verified absence — § 326B.805 keys the license to the multi-skill contract; the only statewide figure is the $15,000 exemption CEILING, never a floor. (Rule MN-NO-DOLLAR-THRESHOLD.) S-MN-MCL-326B-805
- Multi-skill work needs a license — BC, CR or RR, decided by scope. (Rule MN-BC-LICENSE.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
- Everyone else registers — single-skill residential and all commercial work register under § 326B.701. (Rule MN-REGISTRATION.) S-MN-MCL-326B-701
The § 326B.701 registration fee is NOT_VERIFIED — no amount is published on the statute or DLI's page. So are the manufactured-home-installer fees, the per-class electrical fee rows, the sign-contractor bond amount, the trade per-class fees and every municipal permit fee (LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED). None are ever guessed.
02 Who regulates
Official publication of the Revisor of Statutes. Chapter 326B (Construction Codes and Licensing) was read there on 2026-10-05: § 326B.701 (registration), §§ 326B.801–89 (residential trades; licensing; Contractor Recovery Fund), § 326B.46 (plumbing licensing, bond and insurance), §§ 326B.31–399 (electrical), § 326B.092 (fees).
Licenses residential building contractors, remodelers, roofers and manufactured home installers; registers construction contractors; licenses plumbing contractors and individual plumbers, electrical contractors and electricians, water conditioning, elevator, high-pressure piping and boiler families; administers the mechanical contractor bond ($25,000) and the qualifying-person exams (QB/QC/QR). iMS is the online application, renewal and lookup system.
Adopts and enforces the electrical code (2026 NEC effective Aug. 17, 2026; permits filed before must comply with 2023 NEC; licensing exams transition Sept. 8, 2026) and licenses electrical contractors, electricians, satellite system installers and sign contractors; registers unlicensed individuals for employers.
Sets plumbing minimum standards (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code) and licenses master/journeyworker (and restricted) plumbers plus plumbing contractors under § 326B.46 — contractor bond ≥ $25,000 and liability $50,000/$100,000 + $10,000 PD; also administers mechanical contractor bonds (no state mechanical license) and water conditioning licensing.
03 Multi-skill licensing — BC, CR and RR (§ 326B.805)
DLI verbatim: "Any individual or company that contracts directly with an owner of residential real estate (one to four units) to provide work in more than one special skill must have a residential building contractor or residential remodeler license." The eight special skills are excavation, masonry and concrete, carpentry, interior finishing, exterior finishing, drywall and plaster, roofing, and general installation specialties.
- BC builds, CR remodels — the building contractor covers new structures; the remodeler is limited to existing structures and "cannot build new homes or detached garages." (Rule MN-BC-LICENSE.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
- Roofers are always licensed — the one exception to the single-skill exemption: RR is required even for roofing-only work, and gutters, downspouts, soffit and fascia sit outside the roofer's own scope, pulling the job back to BC or CR. (Rule MN-SINGLE-SKILL.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
- Owners are exempt — unless they speculate — owner-occupiers and landlords are exempt, but resale or speculation is not, and improving more than one property in any 24-month period PRESUMES speculation unless each is retained for rental. (Rule MN-OWNER-SPEC.) S-MN-MCL-326B-805
- No experience or education prerequisite — verified absence — DLI: "There are no prerequisite experience or educational requirements to take the residential building contractor or remodeler exam." (Rule MN-EXAM-PREREQ.) S-MN-DLI-ROOFER
04 Construction Contractor Registration — § 326B.701
§ 326B.701 subd. 2(a) verbatim: "any person who provides or performs building construction or improvement services in the state of Minnesota must register with the commissioner as provided in this section before providing or performing building construction or improvement services" — and registration "is not a substitute for, and does not relieve a person from complying with, any other law requiring that the person be licensed, registered, or certified."
- Who registers — single-skill residential contractors and subcontractors, plus every commercial contractor without a chapter 326B credential. DLI: "If a license is required, do not register." (Rule MN-REGISTRATION.) S-MN-MCL-326B-701
- Cycle — registration expires December 31 of each odd-numbered year, with renewals opening October 1; each day unregistered is a separate violation under subd. 5(c), and engaging an unregistered registrant is itself prohibited.
- Fee withheld — no fee amount appears on § 326B.701 or DLI's registration page: NOT_VERIFIED, never guessed.
05 Exemptions — § 326B.805 subd. 6
- Ten statutory clauses — employees of a licensee; suppliers who do not install; owner-occupiers and landlords; architects and engineers; certificate holders at or below $15,000; mechanical contractors; other statewide-licensed professions within scope; single-skill specialty contractors; school districts and technical colleges; and the named charities with their volunteers. (Rule MN-EXEMPTIONS.) S-MN-MCL-326B-805
- $15,000 certificate of exemption — a ceiling, not a floor — gross annual receipts at or below $15,000 (never reduced by costs or expenses) with an affidavit certificate; exceed it in any calendar year and the certificate must be surrendered immediately for the appropriate license. (Rule MN-15K-EXEMPTION.) S-MN-MCL-326B-805
- Single-skill specialists do not license — except roofers — but they still register for residential work, and every commercial contractor registers. (Rule MN-SINGLE-SKILL.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
06 Qualifying person, exam and the Q registration
- One qualifying person per company license — § 326B.805 subd. 4: the exam and education duties "must be fulfilled by a qualifying person designated by the potential licensee" — proprietor, partner, chief manager, owner-officer or managing employee; qualifying more than one company needs at least 25 percent common ownership. (Rule MN-QUALIFYING-PERSON.) S-MN-MCL-326B-805
- Written QB, QC or QR exam — qualifying builder for BC, qualifying remodeler for CR, qualifying roofer for RR, administered by DLI, with a $50 application and examination fee separate from the license fee and a 30-day wait after a failed attempt. (Rule MN-EXAM-QP.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-FAQ
- Q registration + 14 hours of CE — the Q registration is not a license; it tracks continuing education, runs two years, and the company license cannot renew unless it is active. (Rule MN-Q-REGISTRATION.) S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS
07 Conditions of approval and renewal
- Commercial general liability — § 326B.86 subd. 2: at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate bodily injury and $25,000 property damage, OR a single limit of $300,000 and $300,000, written by a Minnesota-licensed insurer with the certificate on file. (Rule MN-INSURANCE-CGL.) S-MN-MCL-326B-86
- Roofer limits are published two different ways — § 326B.86 subd. 2 says $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate and $25,000 property damage (or the $300,000 single limit), while DLI's roofer page says at least $300,000 per occurrence including at least $10,000 property damage — CONFLICT-MN-002, open. (Rule MN-ROOFER-INSURANCE.) S-MN-MCL-326B-86
- Workers' compensation — "Your license will not be approved unless DLI has current information on your liability insurance policy and your compliance with Minnesota's workers' compensation insurance requirements." Solo roofers may file a written explanation instead. (Rule MN-WORKERS-COMP.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
- Active Secretary of State filing — "A license cannot be obtained or renewed without an active Secretary of State filing for the business", renewed annually, with the exact filed name matching the license and the insurance certificate. (Rule MN-SOS-FILING.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-FAQ
- Written contract — § 326B.809: every agreement, estimate, bid, purchase order and change order in writing with the services, the materials and the price; performance guidelines before signing; a free signed copy at signing. (Rule MN-WRITTEN-CONTRACT.) S-MN-MCL-326B-809
- License number everywhere — business cards, contracts, notices, mechanics lien statements, all advertising including websites, and every permit application; no size is specified. (Rule MN-ADVERTISING.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-FAQ
- Unlicensed work costs the lien — § 326B.845: a knowing unlicensed contractor "has no right to claim a lien under section 514.01 and the lien is void"; violating a commissioner order is a gross misdemeanor. (Rule MN-PENALTIES.) S-MN-MCL-326B-845
08 The Recovery Fund, and who bonds
DLI FAQ verbatim: "The Contractor Recovery Fund replaces bonding requirements." Roofers and installers still bond under § 326B.86; building contractors and remodelers do not.
- Contractor Recovery Fund — § 326B.89 — $320, $420 or $520 by gross annual receipts; compensation capped above $100,000 per payment and $550,000 total; after a payment the license is suspended until repayment in full with interest, TWICE the amount paid, plus a surety bond of at least $40,000. (Rule MN-RECOVERY-FUND.) S-MN-MCL-326B-89
- No BC or CR bond — verified absence — § 326B.86 subd. 1 names only manufactured home installers and residential roofers. (Rule MN-NO-BC-CR-BOND.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-FAQ
- Roofer bond $15,000 — § 326B.86 subd. 1(b) on the § 326B.0921 form, company name matching the application exactly. (Rule MN-ROOFER-BOND.) S-MN-MCL-326B-86
- Installer bond $2,500 — § 326B.86 subd. 1(c), three-year license cycle. (Rule MN-MHI-BOND.) S-MN-MCL-326B-86
- Roofers sit outside the fund — § 326B.81 keeps roofers out of §§ 326B.802–885's fund provisions, so the $180 fee carries no surcharge. (Rule MN-LICENSE-FEE.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
09 Fees, renewal and continuing education
Every amount below was read on 2026-10-05 on DLI's own pages or the statute, in whole dollars. Initial cost = $180 base + the Recovery Fund tier ($320, $420 or $520) + the separate $50 exam fee; renewal = $505, $605 or $705 by gross receipts, with a $90 late fee.
| Fee | Amount | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying-person application and examination fee (commissioner-administered exam) | $50 | QB (qualifying builder) / QC (qualifying remodeler) / QR (qualifying roofer) exam | S-MN-MCL-326B-092 |
| Residential contractor business license — base license fee (BC / CR / RR) | $180 | Residential Building Contractor, Residential Remodeler, Residential Roofer (2-year business license) | S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE |
| Residential roofer license — license fee (NO Contractor Recovery Fund surcharge) | $180 | Residential Roofer (RR) | S-MN-DLI-ROOFER |
| Contractor Recovery Fund fee — gross annual receipts under $1,000,000 | $320 | Initial and renewal BC/CR licenses (also applies on renewal — § 326B.092 subd. 7(f)) | S-MN-MCL-326B-89 |
| Contractor Recovery Fund fee — gross annual receipts $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 | $420 | Initial and renewal BC/CR licenses | S-MN-MCL-326B-89 |
| Contractor Recovery Fund fee — gross annual receipts over $5,000,000 | $520 | Initial and renewal BC/CR licenses | S-MN-MCL-326B-89 |
| Residential contractor license renewal — gross annual receipts under $1,000,000 | $505 | BC / CR renewal received before expiration (2-year cycle) | S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS |
| Residential contractor license renewal — gross annual receipts $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 | $605 | BC / CR renewal received before expiration (2-year cycle) | S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS |
| Residential contractor license renewal — gross annual receipts over $5,000,000 | $705 | BC / CR renewal received before expiration (2-year cycle) | S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS |
| Late renewal fee (completed renewal not received by expiration) | $90 | BC / CR / RR renewal after the March 31 expiration | S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS |
| Continuing education fee (added to renewals of licenses with a CE requirement) | $5 | BC / CR / RR renewal (the qualifying person's 14-hour CE) | S-MN-MCL-326B-092 |
| Board fee — 1-year license (§§ 326B.31–59 electrical/plumbing/water conditioning; §§ 326B.90–925 high pressure piping) | $4 | 1-year licenses in the board-fee families | S-MN-MCL-326B-092 |
| Board fee — 2-year license (§§ 326B.31–59 electrical/plumbing/water conditioning; §§ 326B.90–925 high pressure piping) | $8 | 2-year licenses in the board-fee families | S-MN-MCL-326B-092 |
| Mechanical contractor bond filing fee (initial filing and each renewal) | $100 | Mechanical contractor bond with DLI (gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work) | S-MN-DLI-MECHANICAL-BOND |
- Initial license — $180 base plus the fund tier: $500, $600 or $700 of license and fund, or $550, $650 and $750 including the $50 exam fee. (Rule MN-LICENSE-FEE.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
- Renewal — $505, $605 or $705 before expiration, $90 late after; a lapsed renewal within two years owes the expired-period fees, the late fee and the current renewal. (Rule MN-RENEWAL-FEE.) S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS
- Cycles — two years ending March 31 (timely if received by March 1), 36 months for manufactured home installers, 24 months to December 31 of odd years for the registration. (Rule MN-RENEWAL-2YR.) S-MN-MCL-326B-885
- 14 hours of CE per two-year period — including one hour on the Minnesota Energy Code and one hour on business management strategies, with no credit carried forward. (Rule MN-CE-14H.) S-MN-MCL-326B-821
| Credential | Cycle | Continuing education | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| mn:residential_building_contractor_license | 24 months | Qualifying person: 14 hours of DLI-approved CE per two-year licensure period — at least 1 hour Energy Code and 1 hour business management strategies (§ 326B.821 subd. 2 and subd. 21); up to 7 of the 14 hours may be State Building Code instruction right after a new residential code adoption; Q registration renews automatically on completing the 14 hours and must be ACTIVE for the company license to renew | S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS |
| mn:residential_remodeler_license | 24 months | 14 hours per two-year licensure period (≥1h Energy Code, ≥1h business management) — § 326B.821 subd. 2, 21; Q registration (QC) must be active | S-MN-DLI-RENEWALS |
| mn:residential_roofer_license | 24 months | 14 hours per two-year licensure period — § 326B.821 subd. 2, and subd. 21 is titled 'Residential building contractor, remodeler, and roofer education' (1h energy + 1h business management) | S-MN-MCL-326B-885 |
| mn:manufactured_home_installer_license | 36 months | S-MN-MCL-326B-885 | |
| mn:construction_contractor_registration | 24 months | S-MN-MCL-326B-701 |
10 Documented conflicts
Minn. Stat. § 326B.885 subd. 2(a) verbatim: 'A residential contractor, residential remodeler, and residential roofer license shall have a renewal period of two years. The commissioner shall … phase in the renewal of residential contractor, residential remodeler, and residential roofer licenses from one year to two years. By June 30, 2011, all renewed residential contractor, residential remodeler, and residential roofer licenses shall be two-year licenses.' § 326B.821 subd. 2 verbatim: 'A qualifying person of a licensee must provide proof of completion of 14 hours of continuing education per two-year licensure period.' Corroborated by DLI's current renewals page: 'Residential building contractor and remodeler business licenses are on a two-year cycle ending on March 31' and 'QP registrations renew automatically when the QP completes their 14 hours of required DLI-approved continuing education.'
Minn. Stat. § 326B.885 — License renewal (with § 326B.821 CE hours; DLI renewals page corroborates)DLI 'How to renew a roofer license' page, verbatim: 'The license period for residential building contractors, remodelers and roofers is April 1 through March 31 each year. All licenses expire March 31 of each year, even if the license was issued for only a part of the license period. To maintain an active license, all licenses must be renewed by March 31 each year' and 'The company's qualifying person is required to show proof that seven hours of approved continuing education has been completed within each license period to renew the company license.'
How to renew a roofer license — Minnesota DLI (stale text, still published)RESOLVED IN FAVOR OF THE STATUTE — § 326B.885 subd. 2(a) has required a two-year renewal period since June 30, 2011 and § 326B.821 subd. 2 sets 14 hours per two-year licensure period; DLI's current renewals page (two-year cycle, 14 hours, $505/$605/$705, $90 late fee) agrees with it. The roofer renewal page's annual/7-hour text describes the pre-2011 regime and was never updated. This seed publishes the TWO-YEAR period and the 14-hour CE requirement (REQ-MN-RENEWAL-2YR-001, REN-MN-RESIDENTIAL-24M); the stale page is recorded here with its URL so the discrepancy stays visible.
Analysis notes
Detected 2026-10-05 while cross-checking DLI's roofer pages against ch. 326B. Both pages are live on dli.mn.gov (HTTP 200). Re-read both before ever asserting an annual renewal period or a 7-hour CE requirement.
Minn. Stat. § 326B.86 subd. 2 verbatim: 'Each licensee shall have and maintain in effect commercial general liability insurance, which includes premises and operations insurance and products and completed operations insurance, with limits of at least $100,000 per occurrence, $300,000 aggregate limit for bodily injury, and property damage insurance with limits of at least $25,000 or a policy with a single limit for bodily injury and property damage of $300,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate limits. The insurance must be written by an insurer licensed to do business in this state.' 'Each licensee' includes residential roofers — subd. 1 names them for the BOND, subd. 2 makes no exclusion, and § 326B.81 subjects roofers to everything except the Recovery Fund.
Minn. Stat. § 326B.86 — Bond; insuranceDLI 'Roofer license' page, insurance requirements section, verbatim: 'Liability insurance with limits of at least $300,000 per occurrence, which must include at least $10,000 property damage coverage.' The same page requires the certificate holder to be the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, 443 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Roofer license — Minnesota DLIOPEN — both sides are official. The page's $300,000 per-occurrence figure exceeds the statute's split option, but its $10,000 property-damage figure is BELOW the statute's $25,000 PD minimum, and the statute's single-limit alternative ($300,000/$300,000) names no PD sublimit at all. No third official source reconciles them this phase. The seed publishes the STATUTORY limits as the requirement (REQ-MN-ROOFER-INSURANCE-001, confidence=conflicting, conflictIds=[CONFLICT-MN-002]) and rules that turn on the roofer PD minimum return NOT_DETERMINED where it matters; consumers and applicants should satisfy BOTH readings ($300,000/occ with ≥$25,000 PD).
Analysis notes
Detected 2026-10-05 reading DLI's roofer application against § 326B.86. Re-read both before asserting a roofer property-damage minimum.
11 Trades — plumbing, mechanical and electrical
- Plumbing contractor license + master plumber — § 326B.46 subd. 1(c): "no person shall perform or offer to perform plumbing work with or without compensation unless the person obtains a contractor's license", operated only while a master plumber (or restricted master in towns under 5,000) is in charge; one contractor per responsible individual, 15 business days notice and 60 days to replace. (Rule MN-PLUMBING-LICENSE.) S-MN-MCL-326B-46
- Plumbing bond and insurance — a $25,000 surety bond under subd. 2(b) plus liability of $50,000 per person, $100,000 per occurrence and $10,000 property damage under subd. 2(c) — both BELOW the residential licensee minimums, so a licensee must satisfy both sets. (Rules MN-PLUMBING-BOND, MN-PLUMBING-INSURANCE.) S-MN-MCL-326B-46S-MN-MCL-326B-46
- Restricted tier stops at 5,000 residents — the restricted plumbing contractor works everywhere except cities and towns over 5,000 by the last federal census. (Rule MN-PLUMBING-RESTRICTED.) S-MN-MCL-326B-46
- Mechanical: NO state license, bond only — verified absence — DLI: "there is no state license required for mechanical contractors"; a business files a $25,000 bond ($100 filing fee, two-year validity, $100 renewal) to contract for gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning or refrigeration work, while cities may still require worker competency cards. (Rules MN-MECHANICAL-NO-LICENSE, MN-MECHANICAL-BOND.) S-MN-DLI-MECHANICAL-BONDS-MN-DLI-MECHANICAL-BOND
- Electrical — Board of Electricity — DLI licenses electrical contractors, electricians, sign contractors and satellite system installers and registers unlicensed helpers; the 2026 NEC takes effect for permits on August 17, 2026, with exams transitioning September 8, 2026. (Rule MN-ELECTRICAL-LICENSE.) S-MN-DLI-ELECTRICAL
- Plumbing vehicles sign in three-inch characters — § 326B.46 subd. 7: the contractor's name and license number in contrasting color, at least three inches high, on each side. (Rule MN-VEHICLE-SIGNAGE.) S-MN-MCL-326B-46
12 Local layer, permits and solar
- State license preempts local licensing in scope — § 326B.835 subd. 1 bars a political subdivision from requiring its own license or licensure fee from a state licensee, while preserving building permit charges and, under subd. 2, local control over on-site sewage treatment system installers; cities may still license exemption holders, single-skill specialists and out-of-scope work. (Rule MN-LOCAL-PREEMPTION.) S-MN-MCL-326B-835
- No permit for an unlicensed required contractor — "A political subdivision may not issue a building permit or zoning permit to an unlicensed residential building contractor or residential remodeler who is required to be licensed", and must report the attempt to DLI. (Rule MN-PERMIT-BAR.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-FAQ
- Solar since July 1, 2023 — the company contracting with the homeowner must hold a BC or CR license (so the Recovery Fund reaches the job), and "the actual installation of the solar PV system must be performed by a Minnesota-licensed electrical contractor." (Rule MN-SOLAR.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-LICENSE
13 Project guides
- May require: Mechanical Contractor Bond filing (NOT a license)
- Component: Electrical Contractor (business license)
- Alternative: Construction Contractor Registration
- May require: Residential Roofer (business license)
- Alternative: Residential Building Contractor (business license)
- Component: Construction Contractor Registration
- May require: Plumbing Contractor (business license)
- May require: Mechanical Contractor Bond filing (NOT a license)
- Component: Electrical Contractor (business license)
- Alternative: Construction Contractor Registration
- Alternative: Certificate of Exemption (≤ $15,000 gross receipts)
- May require: Residential Remodeler (business license)
- Component: Plumbing Contractor (business license)
- Component: Electrical Contractor (business license)
- Component: Master Plumber (individual license)
- Alternative: Residential Building Contractor (business license)
- Component: Plumbing Contractor (business license)
- Component: Electrical Contractor (business license)
- May require: Residential Remodeler (business license)
- May require: Residential Building Contractor (business license)
- Component: Plumbing Contractor (business license)
- Component: Electrical Contractor (business license)
- Alternative: Certificate of Exemption (≤ $15,000 gross receipts)
14 Verified absences
- No general contractor license — residential or commercial — the chapter 326B table of sections contains no GC licensing section. (Rule MN-NO-GC-LICENSE.) S-MN-MCL-326B-CH
- No dollar threshold — no statute or DLI page read sets a project-value minimum; $15,000 is an exemption ceiling, never a floor. (Rule MN-NO-DOLLAR-THRESHOLD.) S-MN-MCL-326B-805
- No experience or education prerequisite for the exam — DLI says so verbatim. (Rule MN-EXAM-PREREQ.) S-MN-DLI-ROOFER
- No surety bond for BC or CR — § 326B.86 subd. 1 names only roofers and installers; the Recovery Fund replaces bonding. (Rule MN-NO-BC-CR-BOND.) S-MN-DLI-RBC-FAQ
- No state mechanical license — DLI: "there is no state license required for mechanical contractors"; the $25,000 bond is the whole credential. (Rule MN-MECHANICAL-NO-LICENSE.) S-MN-DLI-MECHANICAL-BOND
- No published registration fee — § 326B.701 and DLI's page publish no amount: NOT_VERIFIED.
15 Sources
16 Verify a Minnesota license or registration
Look a credential up at the official source — never a third party.