OT state license renewal and continuing education: a first set of states
Each state board sets its own occupational therapy license renewal cycle and continuing education hours. This page summarizes twenty-nine states from their official board, rule, or statute pages. Each state page quotes its source and says whether that source covers occupational therapy assistants too. Other states are not yet covered here.
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
This is separate from NBCOT certification renewal (36 units every 3 years for OTR and COTA); see renewal and continuing education and how certification CE works.
Twenty-nine states at a glance
| State | OT continuing education | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | At least 10 contact hours | Biennial renewal |
| Washington | 24 hours, at least 20 directly related to OT, plus suicide assessment and health equity training | Every two years |
| Florida | 26 hours: 22 general, 2 on medical errors, 2 on Florida laws and rules; at least 14 live | Biennium |
| New York | 36 hours, at least 24 in professional subjects | 3-year registration cycle |
| Texas | 24 contact hours, including an HHSC-approved human trafficking course | Every two years, by the end of the birth month |
| California | 24 PDUs, half directly related to OT services; up to 6 may carry over | Biennial renewal period |
| Minnesota | OT 24 contact hours; OTA 18 | Two-year licensure period |
| Illinois | 24 contact hours, including 1 each on ethics, sexual harassment prevention, and implicit bias | 24-month prerenewal period |
| Wisconsin | 24 points, at least 12 through professional development activities | Biennial renewal |
| Oregon | 30 points, plus 1 hour of cultural competency and the OHA pain management module | Two years before renewal |
| North Carolina | 15 CCA points, including 1 in ethics | Annual renewal |
| Pennsylvania | 24 contact hours, including 2 on child abuse recognition and reporting | Biennial period |
| Nevada | 24 hours; up to 10 may carry over; jurisprudence exam every 5 years | Biennial renewal cycle |
| Idaho | 10 hours of germane continuing education each year | Each year of the renewal cycle |
| Colorado | 24 PDA from at least 2 categories, no more than 12 in one | 2-year license period |
| New Mexico | 15 contact hours; up to 15 may carry over | Annual licensing year |
| Iowa | OT 30 hours, OTA 15; up to half may carry over | Two-year birth-month compliance period |
| Utah | 24 hours, at least 2 on legal and ethical principles | Expires in odd-numbered years |
| Alabama | OT 15 contact hours a year (30 biennially), OTA 10 (20) | Annual or biennial renewal |
| New Hampshire | 24 contact hours, at least half clinical | Biennium |
| Tennessee | 24 credits, 12 in OT service delivery; up to 4 may carry over | 24 months before the renewal month |
| South Dakota | 12 points a year; NBCOT certification meets it | Annual |
| North Dakota | 20 contact hours | Biennial, in even-numbered years |
| Kentucky | 12 CCUs; no carryover | Annual |
| Louisiana | 14 contact hours, including ethics and a laws and rules course | Annual |
| Massachusetts | 24 points, 2 in ethics or Massachusetts law | Biennial |
| South Carolina | 16 hours per biennium; NBCOT certification required | Up to two years |
| Oklahoma | 20 contact hours every 2 years; AOTA and OOTA programs accepted | Annual renewal; hours counted over two years |
| Missouri | 24 continuing competency credits; records kept 2 years | Each renewal |
Summaries of official pages read November 12, 2026. Exemptions, first-renewal rules, and assistant rules differ; read the state page and the board’s own site.
Other states
For a state not listed, find its board in the state and territory directory and read the board’s renewal page.