Minnesota Now Licenses Vet Techs: The LVT, Title Protection, the 2031 Deadline and What Clinics Must Change

For decades, Minnesota was one of the states where anyone could be called a veterinary technician. The Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) certified technicians voluntarily, but the state kept no list and the title meant nothing in law. That changed on July 1, 2026. Minnesota now licenses veterinary technicians, and the title is protected.

It is the biggest change to technician credentialing in any state in years, and it affects every Minnesota clinic, every Minnesota technician, and anyone hiring there.

What changed

A law passed in May 2024 and signed by Governor Tim Walz brought veterinary technicians into Minnesota's Veterinary Practice Act. The Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine now licenses them as licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs).

From July 1, 2026, under Minnesota Statutes section 156.077, a person may not use the title "veterinary technician" or "LVT" unless licensed by the Board. According to the MVMA and the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians (MAVT), the protection covers similar titles too: veterinary technologist and vet tech. And because "nurse" is a protected title in Minnesota's human medicine, neither LVTs nor assistants may call themselves veterinary nurses.

The MVMA's voluntary CVT certification has ended. CVTs do not become LVTs automatically; they apply like everyone else, with some steps done for them.

The two pathways

Traditional pathway

For new graduates, technicians credentialed in other states, and current CVTs who prefer it. Applicants must:

• Be at least 18.
• Have graduated from an AVMA or CVMA accredited veterinary technology program.
• Have a passing VTNE score, sent directly to the Board through the AAVSB. The Board will not accept scores sent by applicants.
• Pass a criminal background check. Fingerprints collected before cannot be reused.
• Pass the Minnesota Veterinary Technician Jurisprudence Exam, an open resource, untimed online test on Minnesota's veterinary laws and rules. It may be taken up to five times, with a fee each time.
• Arrange letters of good standing from any state where they have held a license or registration in the past ten years.

Temporary alternative pathway, open until July 1, 2031

This is the provision often called the grandfather clause, and it has two groups:

• Current MVMA certified technicians in good standing. The MVMA transfers their education and VTNE records to the Board. They still apply, pay, pass the background check and take the jurisprudence exam.
• Experienced staff without the credential. Applicants who have worked at least 4,160 hours in a technician role in the last five years, about two years full time, may apply without an accredited degree or the VTNE. They upload a résumé and must provide notarized affidavits from at least two licensed veterinarians attesting to their skills, and from three unrelated adults who know them. The MVMA notes that the Board reviews each of these applications individually, and that review can take around six months.

After July 1, 2031, the alternative closes. Every new LVT will need an accredited degree and the VTNE. The MVMA has been open that the clause is controversial, and explained that legislators required it so that everyone already working as a technician could apply.

What it costs

From the Board's 2026 guide:

Renewal and continuing education

LVT licenses run for two years. Renewal requires 16 hours of CE, with no more than 4 hours in practice management. The MVMA adds that at least 12 should be in the medical category. Live or recorded formats both count. You do not submit certificates with the renewal, but the Board audits a share of licensees, so keep them.

What LVTs may do

Minnesota did not write a task list. According to the MVMA and MAVT, an LVT may perform the tasks technicians already do, and gains two things:

• Supervising unlicensed staff. As directed by the veterinarian, an LVT can directly supervise unlicensed employees, so the veterinarian no longer needs to stay in sight or hearing of every patient.
• Remote work under a veterinarian's direction. An LVT may treat a patient away from the veterinarian when there is a valid veterinarian client patient relationship, the veterinarian has examined the animal first, and the veterinarian is reachable by phone. The LVT identifies themselves and the supervising veterinarian, records the treatment, and the veterinarian reviews it.

The AVMA's report gave an example from the MVMA's president, Dr. Ann Brownlee: a client visiting a clinic every day for 14 days just for an injection, because a technician could not legally give it without direct supervision.

Only veterinarians may diagnose, give a prognosis, prescribe or perform surgery. Nothing stops a veterinarian from hiring and training unlicensed staff. They simply cannot use the technician title.

What Minnesota clinics need to do

The Board's guidance for employers is specific:

1. Change titles everywhere. Websites, staff bios, directories, social media, name badges, uniforms and client materials. Unlicensed staff are veterinary assistants now.
2. Do not assign LVT tasks to staff who are not licensed.
3. Verify licenses on the Board's public lookup.
4. Help staff apply. Encourage portal accounts, help on the job trained staff gather affidavits, and give time to study for the jurisprudence exam.
5. Rewrite job posts. "LVT required" now means something in Minnesota. See how to write a veterinary job posting.

A practice with an experienced assistant who qualifies under the 4,160 hour rule should help them apply before 2031. After that, the route is an accredited program.

Why it matters

Minnesota joins the large majority of states that credential technicians. The MVMA's hope is better use of technicians, and with it better pay and job satisfaction, an argument that matches what the AVMA and wellbeing researchers have said for years. See what a vet tech can legally do and veterinary burnout and wellbeing.

With licensing live, Minnesota LVTs will appear in Zuse's records as the Board publishes its roster. Our post on states that do not license veterinary technicians covers the states that still do not.

What Minnesota jobs pay

From Minnesota technician postings that stated pay in Zuse's data in November 2026, the typical advertised rate was $27.00 an hour, above the national typical of $26.00. See veterinary technician pay by state.

How Zuse helps

On Zuse Talent, Minnesota technicians can browse vet tech jobs with pay shown and claim their LVT once the Board lists it. Practices on Zuse Hire see licensed people nearby, checked against the Board's record.

Sources

• Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Technicians: 2026 transition guide
• AVMA News, Minnesota creates title protection, licensure pathway for veterinary technicians (May 30, 2024)
• Minnesota VMA and Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians, Veterinary Technician Licensure: What We Know So Far (January 22, 2026)
• Zuse, veterinary pay by state, November 12, 2026

Rules are still being finalized. Confirm the current requirements with the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine.

FAQ

Do vet techs need a license in Minnesota?

Yes, to use the title. Since July 1, 2026, only people licensed by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine may call themselves veterinary technicians or LVTs.

Can I become an LVT in Minnesota without a degree?

Until July 1, 2031, yes, if you have worked at least 4,160 hours as a technician in the last five years. You need affidavits from two licensed veterinarians and three unrelated adults, a background check and the jurisprudence exam.

Does my MVMA CVT become an LVT automatically?

No. CVTs in good standing apply to the Board. The MVMA sends their education and VTNE records, but they still apply, pay, pass the background check and take the jurisprudence exam.

How much does a Minnesota LVT license cost?

$285 in total for a first license: $75 application, $75 jurisprudence exam, $100 for the two year license and $35 for the background check.

How much CE do Minnesota LVTs need?

Sixteen hours every two years, with no more than 4 hours in practice management.