MSHSL Officials - 2026-2027

Registration details:

• All officials registration and eligibility items are on Arbiter.
• The Arbiter registration system will accept Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
• Registration closes for each sport when the deadline for the completion of the online module and exam has passed. 2026-2027 Modules & Exam Deadlines
• The late fee will go into effect on July 1 for returning fall officials. Returning winter officials must register (complete payment) by September 1 and spring officials by February 1 to avoid this assessment.
• Again this year - we are asking officials to voluntarily share gender, ethnicity, and occupation information. This information will assist with our recruitment and retention initiatives.

A couple of tech tips:

• Click on the blue Register button over to the right on the Registration Dashboard, you will select your sports further in the registration portal, see the below picture.
• You will need to click a box and type your name 4-5 times in the Background Consent portion of registration. The box to click is to the left of your name.
• The best browsers to use for Arbiter are Firefox, Google Chrome, or Microsoft Edge. If you receive an Oops message it is often the browser that is not working to load the page.
• Make sure you do not have pop-ups blocked.
• If any of the pages still do not load, you may need to clear your cache and/or cookies (Here is how to do that - https://arbitersportshelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/23671538791053-Clearing-Cache-and-Cookies).
• Click on the Next button towards the upper right of the screen to move to the next page.

Registration Fee Structure:

Returning Veteran Officials (including student/minor officials)

First Sport - $70.00

Each Additional Sport - $20.00

First & Second Year Officials (including student/minor officials)

First Sport -$30.00

Each Additional Sport - $15.00

Late Fee (July 1 for fall sports, September 1 for winter sports, and February 1 for spring sports) - $40.00

Reciprocity Officials - $15.00 This registration is for officials who are fully eligible in other states and want to also officiate in MN.

• Rule Change Supplements - posted on Arbiter MSHSL Central Hub
  
• Supplemental medical and liability insurance that covers each official for the entire year - information is posted on Arbiter MSHSL Central Hub (not provided for Reciprocity registrations)
• Background checks for all new officials and annually, 20% of returning officials
• Access to Arbiter MSHSL Central Hub content - updated throughout the year
• Mechanics Illustrated documents (FB, SC, VB, BB, BA, SB, and TF)
• Online rules module production
• In-person clinics in select sports
• In-season training modules in select sports
• NFHS/MSHSL Exams
• Arbiter eligibility tracking
• Rules Books - for new officials in 2026-27; returning officials - keep your 2025-26 rules book
• Shipping costs for materials, rules, and case books
• Staff time, consultations, rule interpreters meetings, and pre-season meetings
• Sport-specific rules coordinator staff
• Officials Observation Program in select sports
• Charter/Legacy Officials Association Program
• Years of Service Awards Program

The Eligibility Tiers listed below will be checked for each activity. We recommend that all officials enroll in Regular Season, Section Tournament and State Tournament Eligibility Tiers.

Regular Season - (officiate regular season contests)

• Will have the requirements of payment, concussion module, background check, online modules, and exam.
  

Section Tournament - (officiate regular season and be considered for section contests)

• Will have Regular Season requirements and in-person clinic attendance (in sports where this is applicable).

State Tournament - (officiate regular season and be considered for section and state contests)

• Will have Section Tournament requirements and additional requirements as determined by the Coordinators for each sport, including viewing training videos, completing a mechanics exam, or other sport-specific requirements. These items will have adjusted due dates (not the same as the online modules or exams) that will vary by sport.

Student/Minor - (Any official under the age of 18)

• Will have the requirements of payment, concussion module, online modules, and exam.

Reciprocity - (For officials fully eligible in other states)

• Will have the requirements of payment, background check, concussion module, and “Home” state requirements.

The online modules and exams will open in August for fall sports as per the 2026-2027 Modules & Exam Deadlines schedule located on the MSHSL Arbiter Central Hub.

All officials are eligible to be considered for Section Tournament or State Tournament assignments regardless of the number of years in officiating, provided that the eligibility items under those Tiers are completed. Reciprocity officials are not eligible for post-season contests.

Background checks are completed on all new officials and 20% of our returning officials. These are completed in the month prior to the season beginning.

If you have not done so already, we recommend connecting with Officials Associations. Officials Associations provide further opportunities for training and mentoring. The schools often use them for scheduling/assigning officials to games. Connecting with an Association is recommended even for officials who work lower-level contests as they do most of the scheduling for the schools. Here is a link to our Association Directory - https://www.mshsl.org/officialsjudges/officials-association-directory

Supplemental materials such as Simplified and Illustrated, a 2026-27 Rules book, etc. can be purchased via the MSHSL Online Store (https://mshsl.myshopify.com/). Purchased items will not be shipped until approximately two weeks prior to the season. Products will be added to the MSHSL Online Store as they become available.

Tournament Cards allow access to most section and state contests/games. The card provides admission for one person, the official who purchased the card.

Tournament Cards can ONLY be ordered by MSHSL Officials who have completed a paid registration. Orders by anyone else will be canceled.

Ordering is a two-step process:

1. Upload a photo
2. Order online through the MSHSL Online Store (via Shopify)

These cards are not good for/exclude: Class AA Boys Hockey at Xcel Energy Center, State Girls & Boys Swimming and Diving, or select Section Events.

Detailed directions can be found on the Tournament Card Ordering Information page, link below.

Tournament card orders will be processed and sent to the printer on the first of each month (September 2026 - May 2027).

All policies for officials are in the Manual for Athletic Officials, linked here, and posted on the Arbiter MSHSL Central Hub. The updated manual will be available after the August Board of Directors meeting.

You will receive a sport-specific newsletter from us when the online module, exam, etc. are available on Arbiter.

There will be periodic emails sent from SMORE (like this newsletter), officials@mshsl.org, and messaging@arbitersports.com. Please make sure these email addresses are not blocked in your email.

If it is MSHSL process-related, please email officials@mshsl.org for assistance.