Minnesota real estate CE requirements and license renewal
Minnesota real estate licenses are valid for up to two years and must be renewed by June 30 of the expiration year. Renewal requires 30 hours of approved real estate continuing education (CE) completed during each license period, including a mandatory annual module course, 1 hour of Agency Laws training, and 1 hour of Fair Housing training. The Minnesota Department of Commerce oversees all real estate licensing, CE approval, and renewal through the PULSE Portal at pulseportal.com.
Minnesota real estate license renewal cycle and deadlines
Minnesota real estate licenses expire on June 30 of the renewal year, and all CE must be completed before that date. The first June 30 after initial licensure is exempt from CE, as is the first June 30 after re-licensure following an extended period of inactivity.
Minnesota real estate licenses are valid for up to two years and must be renewed by June 30 of the expiration year. The associated broker must submit the renewal application for a salesperson through the PULSE portal at pulseportal.com; a salesperson does not submit the renewal themselves. The renewal fee for a salesperson is $70 ($40 base + $20 recovery fund + $10 technology surcharge), and the renewal fee for a broker is $130 ($100 base + $20 recovery fund + $10 technology surcharge). Renewal processing takes approximately 7 business days after a complete application is submitted.
Salesperson renewals are filed by the affiliated broker through the PULSE Portal. A salesperson must demonstrate CE compliance before June 15 so the broker can process the renewal, though the statutory CE deadline remains June 30. If a course provider does not upload the student roster by July 10, the license lapses, per the Minnesota Department of Commerce Real Estate License Guide[1].
Minnesota real estate broker licenses are valid for two years and must be renewed by June 30 of the expiration year. Brokers must complete 30 hours of continuing education during each two-year period, with at least 15 hours completed before the previous June 30. Required CE includes a general module course, a broker module course if one is required that year, at least 1 hour of Agency Laws training, and at least 1 hour of Fair Housing training. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the general module is "Cybersecurity in Real Estate" (3.75 hours), which also satisfies the broker module requirement. The broker renewal fee is $130, consisting of a $100 base fee, a $20 recovery fund charge, and a $10 technology surcharge. Renewals are submitted through the PULSE portal at pulseportal.com.
State law does not provide grace periods for missed deadlines.
How many continuing education hours are required
Minnesota structures its CE requirement as a biennial cycle with an even split across each license year, so licensees complete coursework in stages rather than all at once.
Minnesota requires 30 hours of approved continuing education per two-year license period, with at least 15 hours completed during the first 12 months of each period. The 30 hours must include at least 1 hour of agency law training and at least 1 hour of fair housing training per licensing period, plus an annual required module course. For the 2026-2027 license year, the required module is "Cybersecurity in Real Estate," a 3.75-hour course that both salespersons and brokers must complete. The first June 30 after initial licensure is exempt from CE requirements, and extra hours do not carry over to the next period.
The license year runs from July 1 to June 30.
The annual required module course
Each license year, the Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce assigns a mandatory general module course that all salespersons and brokers must complete. The module counts toward the annual CE hours, not in addition to them.
For the 2026-2027 license year, the module is "Cybersecurity in Real Estate," a 3.75-hour course that both salespersons and brokers must complete before June 30, 2027, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce education page[2]. To receive credit, licensees must pass an exam at the end of the course: 20 multiple-choice and true/false questions drawn from a pool of at least 50, with a passing score of 14 or more correct answers.
Completing the 2026-2027 general module also satisfies the broker module requirement, so no separate broker module course is needed. The module does not satisfy the separate Agency Laws or Fair Housing requirements.
Broker vs. salesperson CE requirements
Brokers must meet the same CE hour totals as salespersons but have one additional obligation: a broker module course each license year, when one is assigned. For 2026-2027, the general module covers both requirements. Limited brokers and closing agents have no CE requirement, per the Minnesota Department of Commerce[1].
Minnesota brokers must complete 30 hours of continuing education per 2-year renewal period, with at least 15 hours completed during the first 12 months of each period. The 30 hours must include 1 hour of Agency Laws training, 1 hour of Fair Housing training, and an annual required general module course. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the general module "Cybersecurity in Real Estate" (3.75 hours) also satisfies the broker module requirement, so no separate broker module course is needed. Brokers with a commercial-only designation are exempt from the agency, fair housing, and module requirements but must still complete the remaining CE hours.
Minnesota real estate license renewal fees
The renewal fee for a salesperson license is $60 plus the technology surcharge, and the broker renewal fee is $120 plus the surcharge, per the Minnesota Department of Commerce[1]. Both fees include a $20 real estate education, research, and recovery fund charge. The technology surcharge is $10, effective May 1, 2023, under Minn. Stat. § 45.24(f)[3].
| License type | Fee (incl. $20 RE fund) | Technology surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Salesperson renewal | $60 | $10 |
| Broker renewal | $120 | $10 |
The real estate education, research, and recovery fund portion supports consumer protection and education programs administered by the Department of Commerce.
Taking Minnesota real estate CE courses online
Minnesota permits licensees to fulfill all CE requirements through online and distance-learning formats, including the mandatory annual module. The Department of Commerce, in consultation with a statewide trade association and a private CE provider, determines module topics and credit hours each license year.
Yes, Minnesota licensees can complete continuing education courses online. Minnesota REALTORS® offers flexible on-demand CE classes through MNR Academy that allow licensees to study at their own pace from any location with an internet connection, and some on-demand classes are offered free of charge. Minnesota rules cap CE credit at 8 hours per day, and the same course cannot be repeated for credit within the same licensing period.
For licensees seeking the most flexible scheduling, on-demand options eliminate fixed class times.
Online and on-demand continuing education courses offer the most flexible option for Minnesota licensees. Approved providers and courses can be found on the Pulse Portal at pulseportal.com, where offerings are listed by instruction method, including "Internet/Self Study/Online" and "Classroom." Minnesota allows a maximum of 8 hours of CE credit per calendar day, and some trade associations offer on-demand classes at no charge. No course may be repeated for credit within the same licensing period, and extra hours do not carry over to the next period.
Select courses are available at no charge from certain trade associations.
Some trade associations in Minnesota offer free on-demand continuing education classes that licensees can take at their own pace with no camera requirement. Most CE courses from approved providers carry a fee, and licensees must ensure any course they take is approved by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and reported through the PULSE Portal. Minnesota requires 30 hours of CE per two-year license period, with at least 15 hours completed each year, including 1 hour of agency law and 1 hour of fair housing training.
Finding approved CE course providers
Minnesota requires all real estate CE courses to come from providers approved by the Department of Commerce.
Approved continuing education course providers can be found on the Pulse Portal at pulseportal.com by selecting the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Real Estate board. Minnesota REALTORS® offers on-demand CE classes through MNR Academy, with some classes available at no charge. Minnesota requires 30 hours of approved CE per two-year license period, with at least 15 hours completed during the first 12 months of each cycle.
Providers typically upload course completions within 10 business days of the course date, according to SPAAR[4]. Licensees should verify that completions appear on their transcript before the renewal deadline.
Checking your CE transcript
Licensees can verify their completed CE hours through the state's online licensing system.
You can check your continuing education credits on the Pulse Portal at pulseportal.com by selecting the Minnesota Department of Commerce as the program, Real Estate as the board, and choosing "Review Your CE Transcript" under the Other Services menu. Course providers upload completion rosters to the Pulse Portal, and the Department of Commerce cannot assist with missing credits if a provider fails to report them. If a provider does not upload the student roster by July 10, the licensee's license will lapse.
If a course completion is missing, the licensee must contact the provider directly; the Department of Commerce cannot add credits on the licensee's behalf, per Minnesota REALTORS®[5].
Commercial-only licensee exemption
Salespersons and brokers who hold a commercial-only designation are exempt from the Agency Laws, Fair Housing, and module course requirements, but must complete all other CE hours. To claim the exemption, commercial-only licensees must apply annually between April 1 and June 30 on the PULSE Portal, as Minnesota REALTORS®[5] confirms. Paper exemption forms are no longer accepted.
NAR requirements vs. Minnesota state CE
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) maintains education requirements for members that are separate from state CE obligations.
The National Association of REALTORS® requires members to complete Code of Ethics training every three years, with a minimum of 2.5 hours; the current cycle runs from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027. NAR also requires Fair Housing and Anti-Bias training upon membership and every three years thereafter, with a minimum of 2 hours. These NAR requirements are separate from the Minnesota Department of Commerce continuing education requirements, which mandate at least 1 hour of agency law and 1 hour of fair housing training per licensing period.
Minnesota's Agency Laws and Fair Housing CE requirements are distinct from NAR's training and must be completed separately, per Minnesota REALTORS®[5].
Missed deadlines and license reactivation
A license becomes inactive if CE is not completed, the license is not renewed, association with a broker ends, or the broker's license becomes inactive. Licensees cannot earn credit for more than 8 hours of CE in a single day, according to Minnesota REALTORS®[5], so catching up on outstanding CE requires planning across multiple days.
The reactivation path depends on how long the license has been inactive and whether the renewal deadline has passed, per the Minnesota Department of Commerce[1]:
| Situation | Requirements to reactivate |
|---|---|
| Inactive less than 2 years, renewal deadline not passed | Complete outstanding CE, pay $20 reactivation fee |
| Inactive less than 2 years, renewal deadline passed | Complete outstanding CE, reapply for license, pay new license fees |
| Inactive more than 2 years | Complete prelicense education, retake and pass state and national exams, reapply for license |
If a license has been inactive for more than two years, the licensee must repeat the entire licensing process from prelicense education through examination.
Next steps for Minnesota licensees
Review your CE transcript well before each renewal deadline to confirm all required hours, including the annual module, Agency Laws, and Fair Housing, are recorded. If any credits are missing, contact your course provider immediately. Complete coursework early enough to ensure providers have time to upload rosters before the July 10 lapse deadline.
Sources
- Minnesota Department of Commerce — Guide to Real Estate Licensing (PDF)StatuteMay 2026
- MN Commerce — Licensing Education (Web Page)GovernmentAugust 2026
- Minnesota Department of Commerce — eLicense PortalEducationAugust 2026
- SPAAR — MN Real Estate License Continuing Education RequirementsEducationAugust 2026
- Minnesota Realtors — CE RequirementsEducationAugust 2026