What Are the CLE Requirements for Minnesota Attorneys?
Minnesota's CLE requirements come from the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education: attorneys on active status must report at least 45 credit hours every three years.
Inside the 45 sit minimums of 3 ethics or professional responsibility credits, 2 elimination-of-bias credits and 1 mental health/substance use credit.
Reporting periods end June 30 on a staggered, three-category schedule, and reports are due August 31 after the period closes.
Since January 1, 2024 there is no cap on approved on-demand credits, and extra hours cannot roll into the next period.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education; lawyers report attendance online through OASIS.
At least 45 CLE credit hours every three years for lawyers on active status.
Three years, ending June 30.
Lawyers are split into three reporting categories with staggered periods, and reports are due August 31 after the period ends.
Within the 45 hours: at least 3 ethics or professional responsibility, 2 elimination of bias and 1 mental health/substance use credit.
No cap on approved on-demand CLE for courses viewed and reported after January 1, 2024, for reporting years 2024 and later.
A full three-year reporting period, plus the balance of the admission year.
A $75 late fee for reporting after August 31, even with an extension, and a $200 fee once a Notice of Noncompliance is issued.
How many CLE hours does Minnesota require?
Minnesota-licensed lawyers on active status must report at least 45 CLE credit hours every three years.
The Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education administers the requirement and publishes the total, the credit categories and the reporting rules its compliance page carries.
The three-year span is the full reporting period; the section below covers when a period ends and when the report is due.
“Minnesota-licensed lawyers on active status must report at least 45 continuing legal education (CLE) credit hours every three years.”
What specialty credits are required (ethics, bias, wellness, tech)?
Within the 45 hours, the board requires a minimum of 3 ethics or professional responsibility credit hours, a minimum of 2 elimination-of-bias credit hours and a minimum of 1 mental health/substance use credit hour.
Those are the three required categories on the board's compliance page; our research did not record a required technology credit among them.
Confirm the category minimums that apply to your reporting period with the board before you report.
“Included in the 45 credit hours must be a minimum of 3 ethics or professional responsibility credit hours, a minimum of 2 elimination of bias credit hours, and a minimum of 1 mental health/substance use credit hour.”
When is the deadline and how do you report?
Minnesota splits its lawyers into three reporting categories with staggered reporting periods, and each period ends June 30.
The report is due August 31 following the end of your reporting period.
Lawyers report attendance online through OASIS, the board's online reporting system.
What are the rules for newly admitted attorneys?
New Minnesota lawyers have a full three-year reporting period, plus the balance of the year the lawyer is admitted.
Which of the three reporting categories a new admittee lands in is something our research did not establish, so the board can confirm your category and first deadline.
Can you complete CLE online or on demand?
Since January 1, 2024, Minnesota has had no cap on approved on-demand CLE.
The board's rule is date-specific: an approved on-demand course viewed and reported after January 1, 2024, and counted toward reporting years 2024 and later, has no credit cap, while the old 30-credit limit applies only to courses reported before 2024.
The word approved carries weight in that rule, so confirm a course is board-approved before counting it.
Carryover and exemptions
Minnesota does not allow carry-over of excess CLE credits: credit hours earned above the required 45 before the June 30 deadline cannot be saved and used in the next reporting period.
On exemptions, our research recorded who the requirement covers, lawyers on active status, but did not establish which lawyers, if any, qualify for an exemption; the board can answer exemption questions.
What happens if you miss the deadline?
Reporting CLE after August 31 of your reporting year triggers a $75 late fee, and the board charges it even if you asked for and received an extension.
A $200 fee applies once a Notice of Noncompliance is issued.
Our research did not establish what steps the board takes beyond these fees, so questions about a specific noncompliance notice belong with the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education.
“A $75 late fee is charged if you report your CLE after August 31 of your reporting year, even if you have asked for and received an extension.”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Minnesota 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 Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Minnesota, see bar admission rules in Minnesota.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OASIS in Minnesota CLE reporting?
OASIS is the online system Minnesota lawyers use to report CLE attendance to the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education.
The board lists online reporting through OASIS alongside its compliance rules: 45 credit hours every three years, with the report due August 31 after a lawyer's reporting period ends.
The board's site carries the access instructions, since our research read the compliance pages rather than the reporting system itself.
Can I complete all of my Minnesota CLE hours on demand?
For approved on-demand courses viewed and reported after January 1, 2024, Minnesota puts no credit cap on on-demand hours, and the old 30-credit cap applies only to courses reported before 2024.
The 45-hour total still applies, including its minimums of 3 ethics or professional responsibility, 2 elimination-of-bias and 1 mental health/substance use credit.
Check that a course is board-approved before you count it.
Do inactive or retired Minnesota attorneys have to complete CLE?
The requirement we verified covers Minnesota-licensed lawyers on active status, who must report 45 credit hours every three years.
Our research did not record what the board requires of lawyers on inactive, retired or other statuses, so we cannot say whether CLE obligations follow a change of status.
The Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education can confirm the rules for your status.
More Minnesota Resources
Sources
- Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education: CLE compliance (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education: FAQ (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 Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education.