Wisconsin PT and PTA license renewal and continuing education
Wisconsin Administrative Code section PT 9.03 states that “every physical therapist shall complete at least 30 hours of board-approved continuing education in each biennial registration period”, and that every physical therapist assistant “shall complete at least 20 hours”.
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: Wis. Admin. Code ch. PT 9, Continuing Education (PDF) from the Wisconsin Legislature’s administrative code site. It covers physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
Ethics and jurisprudence
“Four of the required 30 hours shall be in the area of ethics, jurisprudence, or both.” The same four hours apply within the 20 hours for assistants (paraphrased).
Credit
A contact hour means “not less than 50 minutes a licensee spends in actual attendance at or completion of acceptable continuing education.” Hours count only for the registration period in which they were earned, and “In no case may continuing education hours be applied to more than one biennial period.”
New licensees and waivers
New licensees do not have to meet the requirement between initial licensure and the start of a full 2-year licensure period (paraphrased). The board may grant a postponement or waiver for prolonged illness, disability, or extreme hardship (paraphrased).
Certification and audits
“Applicants for renewal shall certify completion of required continuing education hours.” The board audits any licensee under investigation for alleged misconduct (paraphrased). The chapter read does not set a retention period for licensees.
What this page does not do
It covers the state physical therapy license only, and only what the official page or pages named above say. It does not list fees and does not replace the board’s own instructions. Rules change; check the board before you renew.