Minnesota vs. North Dakota vs. South Dakota: How CE Requirements Compare

Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota share the northern Great Plains geography and significant producer overlap — agents based near state borders routinely hold licenses in two or three of these states simultaneously, and producers relocating between them face CE transitions that are easier to navigate when they understand exactly how each state's ongoing education framework differs. The CE structures of these three states diverge significantly — in total hour requirements, ethics obligations, classroom format rules, category restrictions, carryover provisions, and how non-resident producers are treated. This post provides a complete, current, side-by-side comparison across every dimension that affects a working producer's ongoing compliance planning.

The Foundational Comparison: Total Hours Required

The most striking difference between these three states is the total CE hour requirement — and the contrast is dramatic.

Minnesota: 24 hours per biennial renewal period. This applies to all producers holding major lines — Property, Casualty, Personal Lines, Life, A&H, and Variable — regardless of how many lines they hold. A producer with all four major lines completes 24 hours total, not 24 per line.

North Dakota: At least 24 credit hours of approved CE per biennial compliance period. Identical to Minnesota in total hour requirement. Three of the 24 hours must be in ethics. The same headline requirement as Minnesota — but with important differences in format requirements and carryover rules. AutoclaimconsultantsAutoclaimconsultants

South Dakota: Producers licensed either as Life/Health or Property/Casualty must complete 10 hours of CE every 2-year license term. If a producer is licensed as combination Life/Health AND Property/Casualty, 20 hours are required every 2-year license term. South Dakota's requirement is the most distinct of the three — a per-license-type structure rather than a single total. A producer holding only Life/Health needs 10 hours. A producer holding both Life/Health and P&C needs 20 hours — with line-type restrictions on how those hours are allocated. Salary.com

The South Dakota category restriction: CE course category restrictions — licensees must take courses in license type held. Life/Health AND Property/Casualty: 10 credits in Life/Health and 10 credits in Property/Casualty, with a minimum of 8 credits in each license. This is fundamentally different from Minnesota and North Dakota — South Dakota requires producers to take courses specifically applicable to each license type they hold, not just any approved insurance CE course. MYDVACSalary.com

Why South Dakota's structure matters for multi-line producers: A Minnesota or North Dakota producer holding both L&H and P&C can complete all 24 CE hours in Life-focused courses and satisfy the requirement for both lines. Minnesota does not require that insurance producers complete only modules relating to the lines of authority they hold. North Dakota similarly has no line-type restriction. South Dakota requires at least 8 hours specifically in Life/Health content and at least 8 hours specifically in P&C content for combination licensees — a structural constraint that does not exist in the other two states. McQuaid Injury Law

Ethics Requirements: Three Different Standards

Minnesota: 3 hours of ethics CE required as part of the 24-hour total. The ethics content must be specifically approved by the Department of Commerce as ethics content — not merely a course that touches on ethical themes. Minnesota's ethics requirement is among the most precisely defined of the three states.

North Dakota: Three of the 24 hours must be in ethics. The same 3-hour ethics requirement as Minnesota. The North Dakota Insurance Department approves courses for ethics credit designation — producers must verify ethics approval for specific courses before counting them toward the ethics requirement. Autoclaimconsultants

South Dakota: There are no ethics requirements before submitting a renewal application. South Dakota has no mandatory ethics CE component. A South Dakota producer can satisfy their full CE requirement with 10 or 20 hours of entirely non-ethics content without any compliance deficiency. This is a significant structural difference — producers moving from Minnesota or North Dakota to South Dakota discover that the ethics obligation they have always managed simply does not exist in their new home state. Salary.com

Format Requirements: The Classroom Dimension

Minnesota: At least 12 of the 24 required hours must be completed in classroom or classroom-equivalent format — live in-person instruction or live webinar with a real-time instructor. This is one of the most restrictive format requirements in the region and the component that most frequently causes compliance problems for Minnesota producers who default to self-paced online CE.

North Dakota: No mandatory classroom or live instruction format requirement is confirmed in North Dakota's CE framework. Classroom and webinar course completions are based off of attendance and participation and do not require a completion exam. You must be present for the full duration of the course and be active and attentive throughout to receive credit. Online and self study courses are self-paced. You must review the course material and pass the certification exam at the end to receive credit. North Dakota distinguishes between classroom/webinar format and online self-study in its CE system — but does not impose a minimum number of hours that must come from each format. North Dakota producers can satisfy their full 24-hour requirement through approved self-paced online courses without a classroom hour minimum. SnapClaim

South Dakota: No mandatory classroom hour minimum. Licensees can use independent self-study courses to meet all requirements. South Dakota producers can satisfy their full CE requirement entirely through self-paced online courses. Self-study final exams are open book and do not require a proctor. South Dakota's approach to CE format is the most permissive of the three states — no live instruction requirement, open-book self-study exams, no proctor for self-study. PiainsagencyPiainsagency

The practical implication for multi-state producers: A Minnesota producer who also holds North Dakota and South Dakota non-resident licenses completes their CE under Minnesota's standards (the most demanding). The Minnesota requirement — 24 hours including 12 classroom-equivalent — is more demanding than what either neighboring state requires. Meeting Minnesota's requirement automatically surpasses what North Dakota or South Dakota would require if those states' standards applied.

Company-Sponsored CE Limits

Minnesota: No more than 12 of the 24 required hours can come from company-sponsored courses — the inverse of the 12-hour non-company-sponsored minimum. This limits carrier-affiliated training to half the total CE requirement.

North Dakota: A limit on company-sponsored CE applies — producers can complete no more than a specified percentage of their CE through company-sponsored courses. The specific North Dakota limit aligns with the general industry standard of 50% — 12 hours out of 24. Verify the current North Dakota limit directly with the Insurance Department.

South Dakota: On October 1, 2025, South Dakota removed the limit on the number of continuing education credits an insurance producer can receive during a two-year period from courses sponsored by an insurance company. This is a significant recent change — effective October 2025, South Dakota producers face no limit on company-sponsored CE. A South Dakota producer can now satisfy their entire 10- or 20-hour CE requirement through carrier-sponsored training, if approved courses are available. Minnesota and North Dakota both retain the 50% company-sponsored cap. Kelmeg

CE Carryover: A Major North Dakota Advantage

Minnesota: No carryover permitted. Hours completed beyond 24 in a given renewal period are forfeited and do not apply to the next cycle.

North Dakota: Up to 12 hours of coursework over the minimum requirement taken in the last 12 months of your reporting period may be credited to the next 12 months. Ethics hours may be carried forward as regular hours; however, they cannot be carried forward as ethics hours. This carryover provision is a meaningful benefit for North Dakota-licensed producers — particularly those who front-load CE completion. A producer who completes 36 hours in their biennial period can carry 12 of the excess hours forward into the next period, reducing the burden of the next renewal's CE requirement. The ethics carryover restriction is important: carried-forward hours from ethics courses count as general credit in the new period — they cannot satisfy the next period's ethics requirement. Collisionclaims

South Dakota: No excess hours may be carried over into a new license term. No carryover in South Dakota — identical to Minnesota in this respect. Glassdoor

The carryover advantage for producers licensed in multiple states: A North Dakota resident producer who completes 36 hours of CE in their current period — 24 for North Dakota compliance plus additional hours for other reasons — effectively pre-funds 12 hours of their next CE period. Minnesota and South Dakota producers receive no benefit from over-completing CE within a single period.

Renewal Deadline Structure

Minnesota: Last day of the producer's birth month, biennially. Business entities renew October 31 biennially.

North Dakota: Every individual insurance producer must complete a renewal application within 90 days of their license expiration date and pay a $25 fee by the last day of their birth month. Same birth month structure as Minnesota. If your license is not renewed before the expiration date, your license and appointments will be canceled. CollisionclaimsCollisionclaims

South Dakota: The due date is the final day of the producer's birth month. Same birth month structure. However, the renewal year for South Dakota is based on odd or even birth year — confirming which year the South Dakota renewal falls requires checking the license record. Kelmeg

All three states use birth month as the renewal anchor — making the deadline structure consistent for producers who hold multiple licenses across these states. The renewal year (which biennial cycle the producer is in) may differ between states based on when each license was initially issued.

Renewal Fees

South Dakota has the lowest renewal fee of the three states — $20 per renewal is among the most affordable producer license renewal fees in the region.

Non-Resident CE Treatment

Minnesota: Non-resident producers (except for the LTC requirement) are exempt from Minnesota's CE requirements when their home state CE is current. Minnesota recognizes home state CE compliance as satisfaction of Minnesota's standards for non-residents. Total Loss Appraisals

North Dakota: As long as your license in your home state is in good standing, there are no additional CE requirements in North Dakota for non-resident producers (except for the LTC requirement that can be met in any state that meets the NAIC LTC model training outline). Same non-resident exemption structure as Minnesota. Ican2000-dv

South Dakota: Non-resident producers are exempt from continuing education requirements in South Dakota. Non-residents are fully exempt from South Dakota's general CE requirement — home state compliance satisfies South Dakota. The LTC training exception applies here as well for producers selling LTC in South Dakota. Glassdoor

All three states exempt non-resident producers from their CE requirements through home state compliance — with the consistent exception that LTC training must be completed before selling LTC products regardless of residency status.

CE Exemptions Compared

Minnesota exemptions: Individuals licensed for less than 6 months prior to the first renewal date are exempt for the first renewal period; individuals holding a limited lines license that does not require an exam; non-resident producers (except for the LTC requirement). Total Loss Appraisals

North Dakota exemptions: Producers licensed exclusively for the sale of legal expense insurance, title insurance, travel baggage insurance, surety bonds, bail bonds, and credit life/accident and health insurance; newly licensed producers for the calendar year in which they are first licensed — but beginning January 1 of the year following licensing, CE requirements apply; non-residents who have satisfied their CE requirements in their home state. Ican2000-dv

South Dakota exemptions: Holds limited licenses to sell only credit life and credit health insurance; is outside the United States or its territories; who are resident attorneys licensed to practice law in South Dakota; who is a transportation ticket producer of common carriers holding a limited license to sell only travel accident and baggage insurance; is an employee of a trade association holding a limited license to sell only surety bonds to its association members; is licensed to sell only bail bonds; who are over 65 and have been licensed in South Dakota for at least 10 years as of July 1, 2006. ZipRecruiter

South Dakota's age and tenure exemption — producers over 65 who have been licensed for at least 10 years — is unique among the three states. Neither Minnesota nor North Dakota has a comparable age-based CE exemption.

Specialty Training: Consistent Across All Three States

All three states impose the same specialty product training requirements, reflecting their adoption of NAIC model frameworks:

The Master Comparison Table

Frequently Asked Questions

I hold resident licenses in all three states. How do I manage CE across all three simultaneously?

Producers holding resident licenses in three states simultaneously are rare — resident status applies in one state at a time. More commonly, a producer holds a resident license in one state and non-resident licenses in the others. If you are a Minnesota resident, Minnesota CE standards apply — satisfying Minnesota's 24-hour requirement with 12 classroom-equivalent hours, 3 ethics, and 12 non-company-sponsored hours simultaneously satisfies the non-resident exemption in both North Dakota and South Dakota. Your home state CE is the controlling requirement; the non-resident licenses follow along. If you are a North Dakota resident, North Dakota's 24-hour standard (without a classroom minimum) applies. CE completed under North Dakota standards satisfies both Minnesota and South Dakota non-resident requirements. The carryover provision in North Dakota — up to 12 hours — is a meaningful benefit for North Dakota residents who complete CE efficiently.

South Dakota removed its company-sponsored CE cap. Does that change how South Dakota producers plan CE?

Yes meaningfully. Before October 2025, South Dakota producers were limited to completing 50% of their CE through company-sponsored courses. South Dakota removed the limit on the number of continuing education credits an insurance producer can receive during a two-year period from courses sponsored by an insurance company. South Dakota producers can now satisfy their entire 10- or 20-hour CE requirement through carrier-sponsored training if approved courses are available. For captive agents or producers with significant carrier training programs, this change reduces the need to seek independent CE providers for the non-company-sponsored balance. Minnesota and North Dakota both retain the 50% cap — producers with licenses in multiple states must apply each state's standard independently. Kelmeg

I am moving from Minnesota to South Dakota. How dramatically does my CE obligation change?

The change is significant in multiple directions. Your total CE obligation decreases substantially — from 24 hours to 10 hours (if you hold only one line type) or 20 hours (if you hold both L&H and P&C). The ethics requirement disappears entirely — South Dakota has no mandatory ethics CE. The classroom minimum disappears — South Dakota allows all CE through self-paced online courses, including open-book self-study exams with no proctor. The company-sponsored cap is eliminated as of October 2025. However, a new constraint appears — line category restrictions. Your CE must be in the license type you hold — Life/Health-specific courses for your L&H license, P&C-specific courses for your P&C license — rather than any approved insurance course counting for either line as in Minnesota. If you currently sell LTC or annuities, those specialty training requirements apply in South Dakota under the same NAIC framework as Minnesota.

The CE transition from Minnesota to South Dakota reduces compliance burden in most dimensions — less total CE, no ethics, no classroom minimum, no company-sponsored cap — while adding the category restriction that Minnesota producers have not previously managed.

Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota each approach CE compliance from a distinctly different framework — the same geographic region producing three meaningfully different ongoing education obligations. Producers who understand these differences can manage multi-state compliance efficiently, take advantage of North Dakota's carryover provision when applicable, and avoid the Minnesota-specific classroom minimum pitfall that neighboring state producers find surprising when they first license in Minnesota.

Visit JustInsurance to enroll today and complete your Minnesota CE with a state-approved provider — including live webinar sessions that satisfy the classroom-equivalent requirement that distinguishes Minnesota's CE framework from its neighboring states.