North Dakota

Yes – North Dakota allows carryover of CLE credits, up to 12 hours, but ethics credits cannot be carried over.
This policy is set by the State Bar Association of North Dakota’s CLE Commission and reflected in its official materials.

Details & nuances

• Carryover cap – up to 12 excess hours from a three-year period may be carried forward to the next reporting period.
• Reduction to 12 hours – as of December 5, 2024, CLE Policy 4.4 was amended to reduce the carryover limit from 15 to 12 hours.
• Ethics exclusion – ethics or professional responsibility credits may not be carried forward as ethics credit.
• Baseline requirement – North Dakota requires 36 hours every three years, including 3 hours of ethics, which must be earned in each period regardless of any general-credit carryover.

Key Takeaway
North Dakota permits carryover of up to 12 CLE hours into the next reporting period, but ethics credits never carry over and must be earned fresh each cycle.

You may begin having CLE credits reported in North Dakota as you complete programs — providers or you (if self-reporting) may submit credit information before the compliance period ends.

However, your formal certification (“Report of Compliance”) can only be filed after your three-year period concludes (by June 30), with the reporting deadline on July 31.

Key Details

• North Dakota attorneys must complete 36 hours of approved CLE every 3 years, including 3 hours in ethics.
• A Report of

North Dakota does not provide a formal exemption for “inactive attorneys” in its CLE rules.

When a lawyer applies for re-licensure after a lapse, North Dakota Rule 8 requires CLE credits depending on how long the attorney has been unlicensed, including required ethics hours.

Details:

• Under Rule 8(A)(1), if the applicant was unlicensed less than two years, they must show 12 CLE credits (including 1

No — North Dakota’s CLE rules do not provide a general extension for attorney CLE reporting; the rules require timely reporting and do not include a “petition to extend” provision.

Rules & Reporting in North Dakota

• Under the North Dakota Rules for Continuing Legal Education, attorneys must complete 45 hours of approved CLE in each three-year period.
• Each attorney must file a Report of Compliance by July 30 following the end of the three-year period.
• The rules do not contain a provision for attorneys to request an extension of the reporting deadline.

Failure & Penalty Procedures

• If an attorney fails to satisfy educational requirements, Rule 4 and associated procedures may be triggered.
• For judges, separate judicial education rules explicitly allow the Commission to grant an extension of time for reporting or compliance if “good cause” is shown.

What You Should Do

1. Confirm your CLE compliance period and reporting deadline (three-year cycle).
2. If you believe you won’t meet the deadline, contact the North Dakota CLE Commission promptly—though the rules do not guarantee relief, discretionary accommodation might be possible.
3. Retain documentation of your reason(s) (illness, emergency, etc.).
4. Complete the CLE as soon as possible, understanding that late reporting or noncompliance may trigger discipline.

Limitations & Considerations

• Because there is no formal extension provision, requests may be viewed as outside the established rules.
• Any relief would rest on exceptional circumstances and discretion, not a guaranteed right.
• Noncompliance can result in sanctions, including being declared ineligible to practice.

Key Takeaway
North Dakota does not formally permit extensions of CLE reporting deadlines under its attorney CLE statutes; you must comply or request exceptional relief, which is discretionary and not assured.

You report CLE credits in North Dakota by filing a “Report of Compliance” to the North Dakota CLE Commission by July 31, following the end of your three-year reporting period.
Your CLE hours must be completed by June 30 of the final year of your cycle.

Overview of North Dakota CLE Reporting

North Dakota attorneys must complete 36 hours of approved CLE over each three-year period, including 3 ethics hours.
You may earn up to 24 hours via self-study (recorded / distance learning) in the reporting period.
At least 12 hours must be live or interactive.
If you take more than 36 hours, you may carry forward up to 12 excess credits, but ethics hours may not be carried forward.
Attorneys are divided into three staggered compliance groups so that only one group reports each year.

Steps to Report CLE in North Dakota

• Complete your required 36 CLE hours (including 3 ethics) by June 30 of the final year.
• Keep

North Dakota attorneys report CLE compliance by filing a Report of Compliance with the State Bar by July 31 after completing credits by June 30. The report must include certificates and show 36 total hours over three years, including 3 ethics hours.

Key Details:

• The compliance cycle is three years, with attorneys assigned to staggered groups.
• Credits must be completed by June 30; the compliance report is due July 31.
• The Report of Compliance lists each course and includes attached certificates of attendance.
• Attorneys may claim no more than 24 hours of self-study, and up to 12 excess hours may carry forward (excluding ethics).

Key Takeaway: North Dakota attorneys must file a Report of Compliance with supporting certificates by July 31, documenting 36 hours every three years.

North Dakota attorneys must complete 36 CLE credit hours every three years. That requirement includes 3 hours in legal ethics, a portion from live programs, and allows limited carryover.

Requirements & Credit Composition

• Total: 36 credit hours per three-year compliance period
• Ethics: 3 credit hours
• Live programs: minimum of 12 credit hours must be live
• Self-study (on-demand): up to 24 credits permitted

Deadlines, Reporting & Carryover

• CLE compliance deadline: June 30 of the final year in cycle
• Reporting deadline: July 31 following end of cycle
• Carryover: attorneys may carry over up to 12 excess credits into next cycle; ethics credits may not be carried forward

Key Takeaway: North Dakota’s CLE cycle requires 36 credits every three years, including 3 ethics hours, with minimums for live programming and limited carryover.

No — North Dakota’s CLE rules do not provide a reduced requirement for part-time attorneys; all who are required to comply must meet the same credit threshold.

Under North Dakota’s Rules for Continuing Legal Education, every attorney (unless exempt or inactive) must complete at least 45 hours of approved CLE in each three-year period, including 3 hours of ethics or professional responsibility.

Details:

• The rule does not include any provision reducing the requirement for attorneys who work fewer hours or part time.
• There

Yes — North Dakota’s CLE rules provide limited exemptions, including judges and attorneys on inactive status who opt out of compliance.

Under the North Dakota Rules for Continuing Legal Education, Rule 7 exempts judges prohibited from private practice, and Rule 4 allows non-compliance via inactive status.

Details / Exceptions

• Judges Exempt: Attorneys serving as judges who are barred by judicial conduct rules from private legal

If you miss North Dakota’s CLE deadline, you’ll receive a notice requiring you to cure your noncompliance within 60 days or risk suspension. North Dakota attorneys must complete 36 CLE hours every three years (including 3 in ethics) by June 30, and report compliance by July 31.

ND CLE Deadlines & Reporting

• June 30: Deadline to complete required CLE credits.
• July 31: Deadline to submit your Report of Compliance.

Noncompliance Procedure & Suspension

• If your CLE is not complete or the report is deficient, the CLE Commission sends you a “60-day” notice to comply.
• You may have 20 days after that notice to request a hearing to dispute the finding.
• If you fail to comply or prove good cause by the end of the 60-day window (or hearing), the Commission issues a finding of noncompliance and an order of suspension filed with the State Bar and Supreme Court.
• After the order is filed, your suspension becomes effective the following December 31, and you cannot practice law until reinstated.
• Immediately after suspension, you must deliver notices to clients per suspension rules and may later seek reinstatement by completing the deficient hours, filing proof, and meeting all reinstatement conditions.

Key Takeaway: In North Dakota, missing the CLE deadline triggers a formal 60-day cure process. If you don’t remedy it or contest it in time, the Commission will suspend your license effective the following December 31 until you comply and are reinstated.

In North Dakota, CLE credit “counts” when earned through approved programs, self-study (within limits), mentoring, or other activities endorsed by the State Bar/CLE Commission under the North Dakota Rules for Continuing Legal Education.

Attorneys must complete 36 credit hours in each three-year reporting period, including 3 in legal ethics.

Qualifying CLE activities

• Attendance at approved live or interactive CLE programs (in-person, webinars) — must be certified

No — North Dakota does allow reporting after the deadline, but only under a formal cure procedure after receiving a 60-day notice, and you must pay a late filing fee (either $25 or $75 depending on timing) along with completing the missing credits.
The rules provide a 60-day compliance window after notice, during which late reports are accepted with reduced fees; after that period only higher fees apply or suspension may follow.

Details — North Dakota’s rule framework (Rule 4 of N.D. Rules for CLE)

• Attorneys must complete CLE by June 30 of their three-year reporting period and file a Report of Compliance by July 30 (or July

Yes — judges in North Dakota are subject to a distinct continuing judicial education (CJE) requirement, separate from the CLE rules for attorneys.

North Dakota law requires that judges of courts of record complete 45 hours of approved judicial education per three-year period, including at least 3 hours in judicial ethics; municipal judges must complete 8 hours annually.

Details

• North Dakota’s continuing judicial education rules mandate that each judge of a court of record (including supreme,

The CLE reporting deadline in North Dakota is July 31 following the compliance period.

Attorneys must complete their required CLE hours by June 30 and then submit their Report of Compliance by July 31.

North Dakota CLE Reporting Timeline

• Completion Deadline: June 30 of the reporting period.
• Reporting Deadline: July 31 for

Yes – you can submit CLE compliance online in North Dakota by emailing the Report of Compliance to the ND CLE Commission.

The Report of Compliance is required after each three-year reporting period and must be filed by the post-period deadline.

Details:

• The reporting period ends June 30, and compliance must be reported by July 31.
• A Report of Compliance, in the form set

North Dakota attorneys must complete 36 CLE credit hours every three years, including 3 hours in ethics.

At least 12 hours must be earned through live or interactive programs, and no more than 24 hours may be via self-study.

Details

• Reporting cycle: 3 years, ending June 30.
• Deadline: CLE must be completed by June 30, and compliance must be reported by

Yes — North Dakota requires attorneys to complete a minimum number of “live” (in-person or interactive) CLE credits in each reporting period.

Under current rules, attorneys must earn at least 12 credit hours in live programs, and the remainder may be taken by self-study (recorded or asynchronous) within set limits.

Details

• The total CLE requirement is 36 credit hours every 3 years, including 3 hours in ethics/professional responsibility.

Yes — in North Dakota at least 12 of the 36 required CLE credits in each three-year period must be earned in “live” formats (which include in-person and live webcasts). The remaining credits may come from self-study or prerecorded courses, up to a cap of 24 credits in a period.

CLE Rules in North Dakota

• Total CLE requirement: 36 credit hours every three years, including 3 in ethics.
• Live requirement: minimum of 12 credits must be “live” (in-person seminars or live webcasts).
• Self-study maximum: up to 24 credits may be earned via self-study (recorded, on-demand) programs during each reporting period.
• Carryover: attorneys may carry forward up to 12 excess credits to the next reporting period (excluding ethics credits).

Key Takeaway: North Dakota mandates that a portion of your CLE credits (12 of 36) must be earned live (in person or live webcast); you may use recorded or self-study formats only for the remainder.

North Dakota provides a one-month window — reporting compliance must be filed by July 31 after the June 30 CLE completion deadline. There is no automatic extension beyond that; failure to report may lead to a noncompliance notice under Rule 4.2.

North Dakota CLE Deadlines

• June 30: Deadline to complete required CLE credits in the three-year compliance period.
• July 31: Deadline to submit CLE compliance report.

Noncompliance Notice & Cure Period

• Under Rule 4.2, the CLE Board will issue a notice of noncompliance.
• The attorney then has 60 days from the notice to show compliance or request a hearing.

Key Takeaway: In North Dakota, your “grace period” ends July 31 — after June 30 — and if you miss that, you have only 60 days post-notice to cure or respond under Rule 4.2.