Minnesota licenses independent clinical counselors as the LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor), through the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. Minnesota issues Counseling Compact privileges to practice (since September 30, 2025). Below: what Minnesota asks of a counselor already licensed in another state, and where those applications slow down.
Minnesota LPCC License Requirements
The independent clinical license in Minnesota is the LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor).
Minnesota also issues the LPC (lower tier; an LPC can convert to LPCC by meeting the clinical requirements), so confirm which tier your work and your payers require.
Exams named for licensure: NCMHCE. The LPCC also requires any ethical, oral and situational exams the board prescribes.
4,000 hours of post-degree supervised experience for the independent license.
How Much Does a Minnesota LPCC License Cost?
We have not published a Minnesota figure yet
We have not verified Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy's current schedule, and board fees change between legislative sessions
We handle the Minnesota application end-to-end.
Eligibility screening, document prep, board follow-ups, and tracking — so you don't lose a board meeting cycle to a missing form.
View full pricingWhere Minnesota Applications Get Delayed
Minnesota accepts the NCMHCE only. A counselor who passed only the NCE will need to sit for the NCMHCE before Minnesota will license them.
At 4,000 hours, Minnesota asks for more supervised experience than most states. Counselors licensed elsewhere on 3,000 hours should check whether endorsement waives the difference before assuming it does.
The LPCC needs 4,000 post-master's supervised hours, including 1,800 hours of client contact.
Minnesota and Arizona were the first two states to issue compact privileges.
Supervisor attestations and verifications from other boards take the longest. Request them the week you decide to apply, not the week you file.
Renewing Your Minnesota LPCC License
Renewal Cycle
Every 2 years
CE Requirement
40 CE hours per renewal cycle
The Counseling Compact and Minnesota
Minnesota is a Counseling Compact member and is issuing privileges to practice as of September 30, 2025. A counselor who lives in another live member state and holds an unencumbered independent license there can apply through CompactConnect for a Minnesota privilege instead of a full Minnesota license. The privilege costs the Commission's $30 fee plus Minnesota's own $50, and it follows your home license: if that lapses, so does the privilege.
Addiction counselors in Minnesota
Minnesota credentials addiction counselors as LADC, through the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. That credential is separate from the LPCC, and the Counseling Compact does not cover it. Licensed alcohol and drug counselors are licensed under Minn. Stat. ch. 148F. The Minnesota Certification Board issues IC&RC reciprocal credentials.
Keeping it current
Minnesota renews the LPCC every 2 years, with 40 hours of continuing education per cycle. In the first four years of licensure, counselors also complete 12 additional graduate semester credits (up to 60 total) plus 40 CE hours. If you hold licenses in several states, each runs its own calendar and its own CE rules, which is most of what our annual compliance service tracks.
Minnesota LPCC License FAQ
What is the counselor license called in Minnesota?
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Can I use the Counseling Compact for Minnesota?
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Which exam does Minnesota accept?
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Where these facts come from
Checked against primary sources. Boards change rules between sessions, so we confirm the current process again before anything is filed.
- LPCC exams, hours, conversion — checked 2026-10-08
- renewal CE — checked 2026-10-08
- LADC licensure — checked 2026-10-08
- HF 5247 approved 2024-05-24 (Chapter 127) — checked 2026-10-08
- live, $50 state fee — checked 2026-10-08
- live 2025-09-30 — checked 2026-10-08
- board site served a bot challenge to automated fetches; facts taken from statute — checked 2026-10-08
What Working with Us Costs
Transparent, a la carte service fees. Board, exam and fingerprinting fees are paid directly to those organizations. Our concierge fee is separate and is the only thing you pay us.
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