Minnesota LPC & LPCC Continuing Education Requirements
Minnesota counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC / LPCC license, including 4 hours of cultural diversity.
40
total hours / 2 years
4
cultural diversity hours
10
home study / self-study hours cap
10
carryover cap
Biennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's issue date.
Minnesota LPC & LPCC requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary. |
| Cultural Diversity | 4 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Carryover | Up to 10 unused hours can carry into the next cycle. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, regional professional association, state professional association, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 5 years after each renewal. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a late fee. |
| Provisional renewal | The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 12 months (renewable) before full compliance is required. BBHT may grant an initial 6-month time-limited variance to complete CE after the renewal date, with one additional 6-month variance available. Late renewal fee applies regardless of when the variance request is made or granted. Failure to complete CE within the granted period results in administrative suspension. |
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
Cultural Diversity
4 hours required each cycle.
Format limits
Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Carryover
Up to 10 unused hours can carry into the next cycle.
New licensees
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, regional professional association, state professional association, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 5 years after each renewal.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a late fee.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 12 months (renewable) before full compliance is required. BBHT may grant an initial 6-month time-limited variance to complete CE after the renewal date, with one additional 6-month variance available. Late renewal fee applies regardless of when the variance request is made or granted. Failure to complete CE within the granted period results in administrative suspension.
Full board policy details
- During the first four years of licensure, LPC/LPCC licensees must complete 60 graduate-level credits and/or 40 continuing education units; no CE reporting is required at the first or interim annual renewals within that initial 4-year window.
- PROVIDER APPROVAL: 100% of required CE hours must come from board-approved or board-recognized programs. Non-course activities — teaching a new course, delivering a first-time presentation, journal/book publication, leadership service, and academic coursework — remain subject to board approval; they carry category caps and one-time-per-cycle limits but are NOT exempt from the approval requirement.
- Self-designed (individually-designed) CE activities are not automatically creditable: they must be submitted to and preapproved by the board before they can be claimed, and are capped at 10 hours per cycle. Informal study that the board has not reviewed/approved does not qualify.
- Home study activities qualify for full CE credit if they include an independently graded test component. Live interactive webinars are treated as structured education equivalent to in-person. No minimum live-hour requirement and no cap on self-paced hours beyond category caps.
- Each CE activity must be at least one hour (50 minutes) in length to count.
- Academic credit conversion: 15 CE hours per semester credit hour; 10 CE hours per quarter credit hour.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: CE hours for teaching a course may be earned only the first time the licensee teaches that course. Credit for delivering a presentation is limited to the first presentation of the content. Repeating identical CE content (as a learner or presenter) within a single renewal period does not yield additional credit.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive LPC/LPCC licensees remain subject to renewal and CE requirements during the inactive period and must show proof of CE completed during the inactive period upon reactivation. If a license is terminated (lapsed), a former licensee applying for relicensure must complete 20 hours of CE for each year out of licensure, up to four years; longer lapses may require a variance and meeting current licensing requirements.
- CE variance: If a licensee cannot meet CE by the renewal date, they may request a time-limited variance (one 6-month extension, with the possibility of one additional 6-month extension) and must pay the late renewal fee. Failure to complete CE within the granted variance results in administrative suspension.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your Minnesota LPC / LPCC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Minnesota LPC / LPCC CE free →Minnesota LPC & LPCC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Minnesota LPC / LPCC licensees need?
Minnesota requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC / LPCC license. Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How often do Minnesota LPC / LPCC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Minnesota LPC / LPCC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Minnesota requires 4 hours of cultural diversity.
Can Minnesota LPC / LPCC licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new Minnesota LPC / LPCC licensees?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Minnesota board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Minnesota board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is informational only and not legal or board advice. Always verify requirements with your licensing board before you renew. See something wrong? Report it →
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