What Are the CLE Requirements for Idaho Attorneys?
Idaho's active and house counsel members need 30 CLE credits every three-year reporting period, including at least 3 credits in legal ethics or professional responsibility.
The Idaho State Bar administers the program under the Idaho Bar Commission Rules.
No more than 15 self-study credits count toward each cycle, credits do not carry over, and the Certificate of Compliance is due February 1 after each period ends.
New admittees complete 10 NAC-approved credits on Idaho law within their first year.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Idaho State Bar, which administers mandatory CLE under the Idaho Bar Commission Rules (I.B.C.R.
402).
30 CLE credits every 3-year reporting period for active and house counsel members.
Three-year periods end December 31; the Certificate of Compliance is due February 1 after the period ends.
At least 3 of the 30 credits in legal ethics or professional responsibility; our Idaho research names no separate bias, wellness or technology minimum.
No more than 15 of the 30 credits may be self-study (recorded) credits.
10 NAC-approved credits on Idaho law within one year of admission; attorneys admitted with under 3 years of practice also take the New Attorney Program.
The certificate is due February 1; our research did not confirm Idaho's late fee — ask the Idaho State Bar.
How many CLE hours does Idaho require?
Idaho's active and house counsel members must complete 30 CLE credits every 3-year reporting period, and at least 3 of those credits must be in legal ethics or professional responsibility.
The requirement sits in Section IV of the Idaho Bar Commission Rules, which the Idaho State Bar administers.
The Idaho facts we collected record the cycle total; they set no separate annual minimum.
“minimum of thirty (30) credit hours of Accredited Activity in every three (3) year reporting period.”
What specialty credits are required (ethics, bias, wellness, tech)?
Idaho's rule names one specialty minimum: at least 3 of the 30 credits must be in legal ethics or professional responsibility.
Those 3 credits are part of the 30-credit total, not an addition to it.
The Idaho facts we collected do not document a separate requirement for bias, wellness or technology credits, so confirm any category question with the Idaho State Bar before you build a cycle plan around one.
“This includes at least three (3) CLE credits on legal ethics or professional responsibility”
When is the deadline and how do you report?
Idaho's reporting periods end on December 31, and the Certificate of Compliance is due by February 1 of the year immediately following the end of the reporting period — a little over a month after the cycle's credits must be finished.
The Idaho facts we collected fix the certificate deadline but not the filing mechanics; the Idaho State Bar is where attorneys confirm how the certificate is filed.
“shall be submitted on or before February 1 of the year immediately following the conclusion of the reporting period.”
What are the rules for newly admitted attorneys?
New Idaho admittees must complete 10 NAC-approved credits within one year of admission, covering Idaho ethics, civil and criminal procedure and community property.
Attorneys admitted with under 3 years of practice also take the New Attorney Program.
A new admittee's first reporting period runs from the date of admission to December 31 of the third full calendar year after admission.
Idaho has no Idaho-specific law component before admission; the state instead requires this first-year Idaho-law coursework after admission.
Can you complete CLE online or on demand?
Part of the cycle, with a cap.
No more than 15 of the required 30 credits may be self-study (recorded) credits, so at least 15 credits in each cycle must come from formats outside the self-study cap.
The Idaho facts we collected draw that self-study line but do not spell out how live webcasts or other interactive online formats count, so format questions belong with the Idaho State Bar.
“No more than fifteen (15) of the required thirty (30) credits may be self-study credits.”
Carryover and exemptions
Idaho allows no carryover: credit for attending or teaching a CLE activity applies only to the reporting period in which it is earned, so credits beyond the 30-credit requirement cannot be banked toward the next cycle.
The exemption our Idaho research records is inactive status — inactive Idaho members do not have to meet MCLE.
Returning to active status carries a make-up requirement: attorneys who have not been active in Idaho for 1-3 years must complete an extra 10 MCLE credits, and after 3 or more years the extra requirement is 30 credits.
What happens if you miss the deadline?
The Idaho facts we collected fix the February 1 certificate deadline but do not document what follows a missed one; the researcher flagged the late-fee amount as an open question.
A late or missing Certificate of Compliance is a matter for the Idaho State Bar, which administers the program, so an attorney who missed a deadline should confirm their standing and the cure options with the bar directly.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Idaho court rules, board and bar pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state CLE requirements series, current as of October 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Idaho State Bar publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Idaho, see bar admission rules in Idaho.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Idaho have mandatory CLE?
Yes.
Active and house counsel members of the Idaho State Bar must complete 30 credits every three-year reporting period, including at least 3 credits in legal ethics or professional responsibility.
The requirement is set by the Idaho Bar Commission Rules and administered by the Idaho State Bar.
How many ethics credits do Idaho attorneys need?
At least 3 of the 30 required credits must be in legal ethics or professional responsibility.
The 3 ethics credits are part of the 30-credit total rather than an add-on.
Our Idaho research does not document separate minimums for bias, wellness or technology credits, so confirm the current category rules with the Idaho State Bar.
Can Idaho attorneys take all of their CLE credits online?
Not under the self-study cap.
Idaho allows no more than 15 of the 30 required credits to be self-study (recorded) credits, so at least 15 credits each cycle must come in other formats.
The state rules we collected do not spell out how live webcasts count toward the cap, which makes the Idaho State Bar the place to confirm format questions.
Do CLE credits carry over in Idaho?
No. Idaho allows no carryover — credit for attending or teaching a CLE activity applies only to the reporting period in which it was earned, so credits earned beyond the 30-credit requirement cannot be banked for the next cycle.
Plan each three-year period on its own 30 credits, with at least 3 of them in ethics.
What do new Idaho attorneys have to complete in their first year?
Within one year of admission, a new Idaho admittee must complete 10 NAC-approved credits covering Idaho ethics, civil and criminal procedure and community property.
Attorneys who were admitted with under 3 years of practice also take the New Attorney Program.
The first reporting period runs from admission to December 31 of the third full calendar year after admission.
More Idaho Resources
Sources
- NCBE: Idaho jurisdiction page (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- NCBE: UBE local components (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Idaho Bar Commission Rules, Section IV — Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Idaho State Bar: MCLE compliance (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Idaho State Bar: license fees (retrieved 2026-10-02)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified October 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Idaho State Bar.