Iowa OT and OTA license renewal and continuing education
Iowa rule 481—805.2 requires each occupational therapist “to complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education approved by the board” each biennium, and each occupational therapy assistant “a minimum of 15 hours of continuing education approved by the board.”
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.
Source read on November 12, 2026: Iowa Administrative Code 481—Chapter 805, Continuing Education for Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants (PDF) on the Iowa Legislature site.
Cycle
The compliance period is two years and runs from the middle of the licensee’s birth month to the middle of the same month two years later (paraphrased).
First renewal
“Those persons licensed for the first time shall not be required to complete continuing education as a prerequisite for the first renewal of their licenses.”
Carryover
Licensees with extra hours “may apply up to 50 percent of the required hours to the following renewal period.” That is a maximum of 15 hours for OTs and 7.5 for OTAs (paraphrased).
Credit
An hour of continuing education “means at least 50 minutes spent by a licensee completing an approved continuing education activity”. Business, personal skills, and general health topics together are capped at 8 hours for OTs and 4 for OTAs (paraphrased). Clinical student supervision earns “One hour will be awarded for every 160 contact hours of supervision.”
What the chapter read does not say
The chapter read does not set a record retention period for licensees.
What this page does not do
It covers the state occupational therapy license only, and only what the official page or pages named above say. It does not cover NBCOT certification renewal, does not list fees, and does not replace the board’s own instructions. Rules change; check the board before you renew.