Remote Meetings

The Open Meeting Law provides for different ways public bodies may conduct open meetings using remote technology. The requirements for holding meetings using interactive technologies, as defined in Minn. Stat. sec. 13D.001 Subd. 2, or a telephone will differ depending on what Open Meeting Law provision the public body uses.

State Public Bodies
A state level public body may conduct a meeting by telephone or interactive technology under Minn. Stat. sec. 13D.015 if:
- All members participating in the meeting, wherever their physical location, can hear all other members and all discussion and testimony;
- Members of the public at the regular meeting location can hear all discussion and all votes of members of the entity and participate in the testimony;
- At least one member of the entity is physically present at the regular meeting location;
- All votes are conducted by roll call, so each member's vote can be identified and recorded;
- To the extent practical, public bodies must allow members to monitor the meeting electronically from a remote location when using telephone or interactive technology to conduct a meeting;
- The public body provides appropriate notice for this meeting. More information about notices for meetings under 13D.015 is available on our notice page.
Non-State Public Bodies
Public bodies that are not a state-level public body may conduct a meeting using interactive technology under Minnesota Stat. sec. 13D.02 if:
- All members of the public body participating in the meeting can see and hear each other, and can see and hear all discussion and testimony and all votes of members of the public body;
- At least one member of the public body is physically present at the regular meeting location;
- All votes are conducted by roll call so each member's vote can be identified and recorded;
- Each location at which a member of the body is present is open and accessible to the public, with exceptions permitted for members serving in the military or members advised by a health care professional against being in a public place for personal or family medical reasons. These exceptions for attending remote meetings without opening the location to the public are limited to three times per year.
- To the extent practical, public bodies must allow members to monitor the meeting electronically from a remote location when using interactive technology to conduct a meeting.
- The public body must provide appropriate notice for this meeting. More information about notice for meetings under 13D.02 is available on our notice page.
Advisory Opinion 18-019: The location of a member of a public body attending a meeting remotely under Minn. Stat. sec. 13D.02 does not need to be within the territorial confines of the public body. However, the location must be open and accessible to the public and noticed properly.
Meetings During Pandemic or Chapter 12 Emergency
Under Minn. Stat. sec. 13D.021, public bodies may meet using telephone or interactive technology during a pandemic or Chapter 12 emergency if certain conditions are met:
- The presiding officer, chief legal counsel, or chief administrative officer for the public body determines that an in-person meeting or a meeting using technology under Minn. Stat. secs. 13D.015 or 13D.02 is not practical or prudent because of a health pandemic; or
- A Chapter 12 emergency is declared.
Additional requirements to hold a meeting under 13D.021 are:
- All members of the public body participating can hear one another and can hear all discussion and testimony;
- Members of the public present at the regular meeting location of the body can hear all discussion and testimony and all votes of the members of the body, unless attendance at the regular meeting location is not feasible due to the health pandemic or emergency declaration.
- At least one member of the body, chief legal counsel, or chief administrative officer is physically present at the regular meeting location, unless unfeasible due to the health pandemic or emergency declaration; and
- All votes are conducted by roll call, so each member's vote on each issue can be identified and recorded.
- To the extent practical, public bodies must allow members to monitor the meeting electronically from a remote location when using telephone or interactive technology to conduct a meeting.
- To the extent practical, public bodies that have a practice of allowing public comment at in-person meetings must allow members of the public to comment fro a emote location during public comment periods of meetings held under this section.
Advisory Opinion 21-003: If a quorum of a public body is meeting in person, then the public body cannot determine that an in-person meeting is "not practical or prudent" under Minn. Stat. sec. 13D.021.