Minnesota Teacher Certification Renewal
Minnesota teacher certification renewal depends on your license tier. The Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) issues Tier 3 licenses valid for three years and Tier 4 licenses valid for five years, both expiring June 30. Tier 3 renewal requires 75 clock hours, Tier 4 requires 125, across eight mandatory training areas.
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Minnesota licenses teachers through PELSB on a tiered system. A Tier 3 license is valid for three years, and a Tier 4 license is valid for five years, both expiring on June 30 of the expiration year. Your local school district’s continuing education committee reviews and reports your completed hours to PELSB before you apply. Renewal requirements differ by tier, and lapsed licenses have several paths back to good standing.
Teaching Certification Renewal
Minnesota teacher certification renewal depends on which license tier you hold. The state issues licenses across four tiers, but Tier 3 and Tier 4 are the ones you’ll encounter after your first full license. A Tier 3 license is valid for three years and requires 75 clock hours of professional development to renew. A Tier 4 license is valid for five years and requires 125 clock hours. Both expire on June 30 of the expiration year, and you can apply for renewal after January 1 of that year.
You can apply for renewal online once your local continuing education committee has approved and reported your completed hours to PELSB.
Your clock hours must include Minnesota’s mandatory training areas:
- Positive Behavioral Intervention Strategies
- Accommodating, Modifying, and Adapting Curricula, Materials, and Strategies
- Reading Preparation
- Key Warning Signs for Early-Onset Mental Illness
- Suicide Prevention
- English Learners
- Cultural Competency
- American Indian History and Culture
College courses count towards these hours, with one semester credit equaling 24 clock hours.
Your local school district’s continuing education committee reviews, approves, and enters your completed hours and mandatory requirements before they’re reported to PELSB.
Reinstatement of Certification
Has your Minnesota teaching license lapsed? If so, you may have your license reinstated through one of the following methods:
- Apply for a three-year short-call substitute teaching license. This will allow you to teach up to 15 consecutive days in one classroom assignment
- If you hold a five-year professional teaching license, show that you have completed 125 clock hours of professional development in the past five years. Your local continuing education committee must verify and report these hours to PELSB.
- If you did not work in a Minnesota school district during the past year, submit official transcripts that show you completed eight semester or 12 quarter credits in education or related to your teaching field in the past five years.
- If you have been offered a Minnesota teaching position contingent upon receiving your teaching license, you may be granted a once-in-a-lifetime one-school-year license extension. At the end of the school year, you must meet all renewal requirements.
There is no monetary penalty imposed by PELSB if you let your Minnesota teaching license expire.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How often do I need to renew my Minnesota teaching license?
It depends on your tier. A Tier 3 license is valid for three years, and a Tier 4 license is valid for five years. Both expire on June 30 of the expiration year, so you’ll need to renew before that date to keep teaching without interruption.
How many clock hours do I need to renew a Minnesota teaching license?
It depends on your license tier. Tier 3 license holders need 75 clock hours of professional development. Tier 4 license holders, the tier most full-time classroom teachers hold, need 125 clock hours.
What happens if my Minnesota teaching license expires?
PELSB doesn’t charge a monetary penalty for a lapsed license, but you’ll need to reinstate it before you can teach again. Options include a three-year short-call substitute license, verified clock hours from the past five years, transcripts showing recent coursework, or a license extension tied to a job offer.
Who approves my professional development hours for renewal?
Your local school district’s continuing education committee reviews and reports your completed hours to PELSB. Districts set their own specific requirements within the state’s mandatory training areas.
Can I renew my Minnesota teaching license from out of state?
Yes. If you don’t work in a Minnesota school district, you can submit official transcripts showing you completed eight semester or 12 quarter credits related to your teaching field within the past five years.
- Your renewal cycle depends on tier — Tier 3 licenses last three years, Tier 4 licenses last five years, both expiring June 30, per PELSB.
- Clock hours depend on tier too — Tier 3 needs 75 hours, Tier 4 needs 125 hours, covering eight PELSB-mandated training areas.
- Lapsed licenses have several reinstatement paths — including a three-year short-call substitute license, verified clock hours, or a job-offer extension.
- No penalty for letting a license lapse — but you must reinstate before teaching again.
Select your state below to find accredited teacher certification programs, application links, and licensing requirements for your jurisdiction.
