New Mexico OT and OTA license renewal and continuing education
New Mexico rule 16.15.4.8 NMAC states: “Every licensed occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant must earn a minimum of 15 continuing education contact hours per year during each year of licensure.”
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: 16.15.4 NMAC, Continuing Education Requirements (occupational therapy) on the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives site.
Cycle
Renewal is annual, and the hours are earned over a licensing year that runs from October through September (paraphrased). The first 15-hour year begins in the October after the license is issued (paraphrased). “No license will be renewed in the absence of satisfactory evidence that the required continuing education contact hours have been earned.”
Credit
“One continuing education contact hour is equivalent to 60 minutes.” “No licensee may obtain credit for any continuing education contact hours without approval of those continuing education contact hours by the board.”
Carryover
“The board will allow a maximum of 15 continuing education contact hours to be carried over into the next licensing year.”
Records and audits
“The board shall audit a percentage of renewal applications each year to verify the continuing education requirement.” If not audited, “all documentation of attendance and agendas should be retained by the licensee for a minimum of three years immediately preceding the current renewal.”
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.