How to renew your Arkansas RN license

The rule is 17 CAR § 121-704(a), and the ASBN RN renewal page says the same. In the 24 months immediately before your renewal date, complete one of the following:

1. 15 practice-focused contact hours from a nationally recognized or state continuing-education approval body recognized by ASBN; or
2. Certification or recertification during the renewal period by a national certifying body recognized by ASBN; or
3. An academic course in nursing or a related field. The ASBN CE page and CE FAQ say at least one college credit hour in nursing with a grade of C or better. One semester hour equals 15 contact hours.

You attest to this in the renewal application. You do not list courses or upload certificates unless ASBN selects you for an audit.

What counts as CE in Arkansas

Per the ASBN Continuing Education FAQ:

Counts:

• AHA ACLS, PALS, NRP, and PEARS count as 10 contact hours each, initial or renewal, if taken in the two years before renewal. The card is your proof. See ACLS renewal and PALS renewal.
• STABLE counts as 9.3 contact hours.
• ENA courses such as TNCC and ENPC count.

Does not count:

• CPR/BLS training does not count, even though your employer may still require it. See BLS renewal.
• In-service programs, orientation, refresher courses, and courses designed for lay people don't count either (17 CAR § 121-708).

• Practice focus: hours must relate to your area of practice, per the ASBN CE FAQ.
• CME: counts only if nurses are in the target audience and the content fits your practice.
• Carryover: hours beyond the requirement do not carry over to the next cycle (17 CAR § 121-704(f)).

First renewal after initial licensure

If your first renewal cycle is shorter than 24 months, ASBN requires no CE for that first renewal, as long as you renew on time. This comes from the ASBN CE FAQ and Renewal FAQ, and it applies whether you were licensed by examination or by endorsement.

Audits and record-keeping

• Audits: ASBN runs random audits. If selected, you have 30 days from the audit letter to send copies of your certificates (17 CAR § 121-703).
• Records: keep originals for two consecutive renewal periods or four years (17 CAR § 121-705(c)).
• If an audit finds you short: you get 90 days to make up the hours. After that, ASBN assesses $50 per contact hour still missing and issues a letter of reprimand (17 CAR § 121-710(b); § 120-506).

One-time mandatory topics

None for standard RN renewal in 17 CAR § 121-704 as of September 28, 2026. APRNs with prescriptive authority have a separate five-hour pharmacotherapeutics requirement. That is outside this RN guide.

Compact and primary state of residence

• Party state: Arkansas implemented the original Nurse Licensure Compact on July 1, 2000 and the current NLC on January 19, 2018. The source is the ASBN Compact page, and NCSBN's NLC implementation list gives the same January 19, 2018 date.
• Multistate license: you need Arkansas as your primary state of residence plus the 11 uniform licensure requirements.
• Licensed in Arkansas doesn't mean multistate. You may hold a single-state license. Check your license type on Nursys.
• You declare your primary state of residence in the renewal application. Proof can include a driver's license, federal tax return, voter registration card, military form 2058, or a W-2 from a federal agency.
• Another compact state as home: per the ASBN RN renewal page, "If another compact state is your primary state of residence and you have an active multistate license in that state; your Arkansas license will not be renewed."
• Further reading: multi-state nursing license tracking and compact status.

Nearby live RN guides: Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.

This is the initial publish, September 28, 2026. ASBN's rules are now codified as 17 CAR Parts 120 and 121. Older ASBN PDFs still cite "Chapter 2, Section VII," which maps to 17 CAR §§ 121-701 through 121-710. Nothing substantive changed for RN renewal in the sources reviewed that day.