Virginia OT license renewal and continuing education
Virginia regulation 18VAC85-80-71 states: “In order to renew an active license biennially, a licensee shall complete at least 10 contact hours of continuing learning activities”.
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: 18VAC85-80-71, Continued competency requirements for renewal of an active license (Regulations Governing the Practice of Occupational Therapy, Board of Medicine) on the Virginia Law site. The section uses the word “licensee” throughout.
Hours and approved providers
Subsection A requires at least 10 contact hours of activities “related to a licensee's current or anticipated roles and responsibilities in occupational therapy”, approved or provided by groups including the “Virginia Occupational Therapy Association”, the “American Occupational Therapy Association”, and the “National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy”.
Volunteer service and student supervision
Up to two hours may come from unpaid occupational therapy services to low-income individuals through a local health department or free clinic: “One hour of continuing education may be credited for three hours of providing such volunteer services”. Up to two more may come from supervising students: “One hour of continuing education may be credited for eight hours of providing such supervision”.
First renewal
Subsection D states: “A licensee shall be exempt from the continuing competency requirements for the first biennial renewal following the date of initial licensure in Virginia.”
Records
Subsection E states: “The licensee shall retain in the licensee's records all supporting documentation for a period of six years following the renewal of an active license.”
Extensions and exemptions
The board may extend the deadline “for up to one year for good cause shown upon a written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date,” and may grant an exemption for circumstances such as “temporary disability, mandatory military service, or officially declared disasters.” The section read does not name a carryover allowance or a required ethics topic.
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.