ClinicBuilt
Book a call
Start a clinic / Minnesota

How to start a medical clinic in Minnesota.

What a founder needs to know in Minnesota: who can own a practice, which state approvals apply, how nurse practitioners and PAs can work, and where to register. Every fact links to its source.

Updated October 2026Sources linked
MNMinnesotaStarting a clinic, at a glance
Corporate practice of medicine
ModerateRestricted, with exceptions
Certificate of need program
NoNo CON program for clinics
Nurse practitioner authority
Full practiceAANP classification
Register your business with
Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services
Checked October 2026

Ownership: Under the Minnesota Professional Firms Act (ch. 319B), ownership interests in a professional firm may be held only by licensed professionals, other professional firms, certain partnerships, and trusts or ESOPs whose trustees and beneficiaries are licensed.

Certificate of need: Minnesota does not operate a CON program.

Nurse practitioners: AANP classifies Minnesota as full practice; a new NP must first practice at least 2,080 hours under a collaborative agreement in a hospital or integrated clinical setting (Minn.

Who can own a medical clinic in Minnesota

Under the Minnesota Professional Firms Act (ch. 319B), ownership interests in a professional firm may be held only by licensed professionals, other professional firms, certain partnerships, and trusts or ESOPs whose trustees and beneficiaries are licensed. Physician-owned professional firms (PA, PC or PLLC) are typical, and health professionals in listed fields may practice together in one firm; non-physician investors generally use management services arrangements.

Sources: revisor.mn.gov, revisor.mn.gov

Business entity and registration

Physicians usually organize a professional firm under chapter 319B (a professional corporation or professional LLC; listed health professions may combine). Entities are registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State, which offers online filing.

Sources: revisor.mn.gov, sos.mn.gov

Certificate of need in Minnesota

Minnesota does not operate a CON program. It instead uses moratoria on new hospitals and hospital beds, nursing home beds, ICF beds for people with developmental disabilities, and radiation therapy facilities in certain counties; physician offices, ASCs and general imaging are not covered.

Sources: ncsl.org

Licenses, registrations and state agencies

MDH licenses outpatient surgical centers, hospitals, birth centers, dialysis, home care, hospice and rural health clinics, among others. The outpatient surgical center definition excludes a physician's, APRN's, PA's or dentist's office or clinic, and MDH does not list a license for ordinary clinics or physician offices.

Sources: health.state.mn.us, revisor.mn.gov

Minnesota-specific requirements to know

Every Minnesota prescriber who holds a DEA registration must register and keep an account with the Prescription Monitoring Program, and must check it before an initial Schedule II to IV opiate prescription and at least every three months for chronic pain or opioid treatment patients, with listed exceptions. Out-of-state physicians may treat Minnesota patients by telehealth through an annual interstate telehealth registration with the Board of Medical Practice instead of a full license, if they do not see patients in Minnesota.

Sources: revisor.mn.gov, revisor.mn.gov

Agencies you will deal with

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants

Nurse practitioners: AANP classifies Minnesota as full practice; a new NP must first practice at least 2,080 hours under a collaborative agreement in a hospital or integrated clinical setting (Minn. Stat. 148.211, subd. 1c).

Sources: storage.aanp.org, revisor.mn.gov

Physician assistants: Minnesota PAs must have a practice agreement at the practice level that a licensed physician at the same facility reviews every year, and spinal injections for pain require physician referral and collaboration (Minn. Stat. 147A.09).

Sources: revisor.mn.gov

Med spas, injectables and IV therapy in Minnesota

We found no Minnesota statute, rule or Board of Medical Practice guidance specific to med spas, injectables, lasers or IV hydration; the Board's website does not post such guidance. Cosmetic injections, lasers and IV therapy are generally treated as the practice of medicine or nursing, so they should be performed by licensed prescribers (physicians, APRNs, PAs) or by nurses on their orders, inside a practice owned in line with chapter 319B.

Sources: mn.gov, revisor.mn.gov

Planning an aesthetic or IV business? See how to start a med spa and how to start an IV therapy business.

Step-by-step checklist in Minnesota

  1. Choose your structure and check ownership rules. Decide who will own the practice and confirm it fits Minnesota’s corporate practice of medicine rules. Under the Minnesota Professional Firms Act (ch. 319B), ownership interests in a professional firm may be held only by licensed professionals, other professional firms, certain partnerships, and trusts or ESOPs whose trustees and beneficiaries are licensed.
  2. Form the entity with the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services. Physicians usually organize a professional firm under chapter 319B (a professional corporation or professional LLC; listed health professions may combine). Entities are registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State, which offers online filing.
  3. Get federal numbers. Apply for an EIN from the IRS, then a Type 2 NPI for the practice and Type 1 NPIs for each clinician through NPPES.
  4. Confirm licenses with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Every physician needs a Minnesota license. Check the board’s rules for any practice registrations, supervision agreements or office requirements before opening.
  5. Check certificate of need and facility licensing. Minnesota does not operate a CON program.
  6. Register to prescribe. Register with the DEA for controlled substances and complete any Minnesota controlled substance registration and prescription monitoring program enrollment. Every Minnesota prescriber who holds a DEA registration must register and keep an account with the Prescription Monitoring Program, and must check it before an initial Schedule II to IV opiate prescription and at least every three months for chronic pain or opioid treatment patients, with listed exceptions.
  7. Set up lab, safety and privacy basics. Get a CLIA certificate if you will run any lab tests, including waived tests, and put HIPAA privacy and security and OSHA policies in place.
  8. Enroll with Medicare, Medicaid and insurers. Enroll in Medicare through PECOS, enroll with Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP), Minnesota Department of Human Services and start commercial credentialing early, because payer enrollment often takes months.
  9. Plan staffing around NP and PA rules. AANP classifies Minnesota as full practice; a new NP must first practice at least 2,080 hours under a collaborative agreement in a hospital or integrated clinical setting (Minn. Stat. 148.211, subd. 1c).
  10. Launch your marketing before opening day. Claim your Google Business Profile, publish a website with online booking and start ads and content four to eight weeks before you open, so the schedule is not empty on day one.

The national steps are explained in more detail in our guide to how to start a medical clinic, and costs are broken down in how much it costs to start a clinic.

Marketing a new clinic in Minnesota

New clinics usually fail on cash flow before they fail on care. The fastest fix is patients booked before opening day: a complete Google Business Profile, a website with online booking, local search ads and a few weeks of social content showing the team and the space. We run that launch for new clinics and keep it going once the doors open.

Plan your Minnesota launch with us →

Important. This guide is general information checked against official and professional sources in October 2026. It is not legal advice. Rules change and details depend on your services, so confirm your plan with a healthcare attorney licensed in Minnesota and with the agencies listed above.

Sources

  1. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/319B.07
  2. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/319B.40
  3. https://www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/start-a-business
  4. https://www.ncsl.org/health/certificate-of-need-state-laws
  5. https://storage.aanp.org/www/documents/no-index/state-fact-sheets/minnesota.pdf
  6. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/148.211
  7. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/147A.09
  8. https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/regulation/index.html
  9. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/144.55
  10. https://mn.gov/boards/medical-practice/
  11. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/147.081
  12. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/152.126
  13. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/147.032

Nearby state guides

WisconsinIowaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaAll states
Minnesota questions

Starting a clinic in Minnesota, answered.

Can a non-physician own a medical clinic in Minnesota?
Under the Minnesota Professional Firms Act (ch. 319B), ownership interests in a professional firm may be held only by licensed professionals, other professional firms, certain partnerships, and trusts or ESOPs whose trustees and beneficiaries are licensed. Physician-owned professional firms (PA, PC or PLLC) are typical, and health professionals in listed fields may practice together in one firm; non-physician investors generally use management services arrangements.
Does Minnesota require a certificate of need to open a clinic?
Minnesota does not operate a CON program. It instead uses moratoria on new hospitals and hospital beds, nursing home beds, ICF beds for people with developmental disabilities, and radiation therapy facilities in certain counties; physician offices, ASCs and general imaging are not covered.
Can nurse practitioners open their own practice in Minnesota?
AANP classifies Minnesota as full practice; a new NP must first practice at least 2,080 hours under a collaborative agreement in a hospital or integrated clinical setting (Minn. Stat. 148.211, subd. 1c).
Who can perform Botox, laser or IV therapy in Minnesota?
We found no Minnesota statute, rule or Board of Medical Practice guidance specific to med spas, injectables, lasers or IV hydration; the Board's website does not post such guidance. Cosmetic injections, lasers and IV therapy are generally treated as the practice of medicine or nursing, so they should be performed by licensed prescribers (physicians, APRNs, PAs) or by nurses on their orders, inside a practice owned in line with chapter 319B.
Where do I register a medical practice in Minnesota?
Physicians usually organize a professional firm under chapter 319B (a professional corporation or professional LLC; listed health professions may combine). Entities are registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State, which offers online filing.