Source: .
How to become a game warden in Minnesota
- Certification
- Minnesota peace officer license (3-year renewal cycle)
- Minimum age
- None. POST: 'there is no minimum age requirement in the minimum selection standards'. Candidates have reached license eligibility at 19, and agencies may set their own (PPOE Coordinator's Manual, Aug. 2025).
- Education
- Postsecondary degree (associate or higher) from a regionally accredited institution, plus a POST-certified Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) program (Minn. R. 6700.0500 subp. 3).
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen, or eligible to work in the U.S. under federal requirements (Minn. R. 6700.0700 subp. 1A, eff. July 26, 2023).
- Driver's license
- Valid Minnesota driver's license, or a valid license from the applicant's state of residence (6700.0700 subp. 1B).
- Disqualifiers
- Any felony. Listed non-felony offenses, including 5th-degree assault (gross misdemeanor), bias crimes, domestic assault, order-for-protection or no-contact violations, harassment and stalking, criminal sexual conduct, theft (except misdemeanor theft of $500 or less), non-marijuana controlled-substance offenses, and misconduct of a public officer. Also: predatory-offender registration, NDI listing or prior revocation, discriminatory conduct, hate/extremist group or gang conduct (6700.0700 subp. 1D-G). Background, medical and psychological screening required.
- Basic academy
- No clock-hour academy. Applicants complete a degree plus PPOE (academic and skills components, board learning objectives) at one of about 30 POST-certified colleges (6700.0300). Some agencies run cadet programs for degree holders.
- State exam
- POST Peace Officer Licensing Examination (6700.0500, 6700.0600). Passing gives 3 years of license eligibility, renewable by re-examination.
- Time to certify
- A license is issued when a license-eligible candidate is hired; the agency must notify POST before the first day (6700.0800). Exam eligibility lasts 3 years. Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) training must be done before hire or within 6 months of employment (6700.0700 subp. 1K).
- Officers from other states
- Reciprocity licensing exam (6700.0501). Eligibility: a degree plus 3 years of law enforcement work after basic training, or 5 years without a degree. Applicants must have served within the past 6 years and never had a license revoked. Eligibility lasts 1 year. Minimum selection standards must also be met.
- Continuing training
- 48 hours of board-approved continuing education per 3-year license renewal period (Minn. R. 6700.1000 subp. 3), plus statutory mandated topics.
No statewide physical fitness test; PPOE skills schools set their own fitness standards (PPOE manual). The part-time peace officer license is closed to new holders: those licenses lapse once the officer leaves an agency that employed them on or before June 30, 2014. Officers licensed before June 1, 2023 are exempt from some newer selection standards for earlier conduct (6700.0700 subp. 1a-1b). The State Patrol trains license-eligible candidates in its own academy.
Source: State POST commissions and legislatures, State peace officer standards: statutes, administrative rules and POST commission pages. Data captured October 2, 2026.
Pension in Minnesota
State employees: State public safety
| Plan | Accrual | Normal retirement | Employee pays | Social Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSRS State Patrol Retirement Plan State Patrol Plan - first hired after June 30, 2013 | 3% | age 55 (vested); mandatory retirement at 60 | 15.4% | Not stated |
The statewide plan a new hire usually joins. Some cities and counties run their own plans; check with the employer. Each plan's formula, vesting, cost-of-living adjustment and retiree health are on the Minnesota pension plans list.
Source: State retirement systems, Official state retirement system pages, member handbooks and statutes. Data captured October 2, 2026.
More about this job
Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Fish & Game Warden page.
Fish & Game Warden in other states
More government jobs in Minnesota
Minnesota government jobs · Minnesota public pension plans · police officer standards in Minnesota · exam practice in Minnesota