California RN licenses renew every two years, expiring on the last day of the month after your birth month. Renewal requires 30 contact hours of continuing education from a BRN-approved provider and a $190 fee, paid through the BreEZe portal. Late renewal adds a $90 delinquency fee.
The California BRN requires 30 contact hours of continuing education in every two-year renewal cycle. Every hour must come from a provider that holds a BRN provider number. This is a stricter bar than most states — ANCC accreditation alone does not satisfy the California requirement. Confirm the BRN provider number appears on every certificate you plan to use.
If this is your first renewal after initial licensure by NCLEX, the 30-hour requirement is waived, but you must complete a 1-hour implicit bias course to satisfy the state's continuing competence rule.
You do not upload CE certificates at renewal. You attest that the hours were completed. The BRN audits a percentage of renewals — keep every certificate for 4 years after the renewal date. If audited and you cannot produce documentation, the license can be cited.
Practicing on a lapsed California RN license is a citable offense — you cannot work as an RN for even one day past the expiration date. Delinquent renewal fee is $280 ($190 renewal + $90 delinquency).
Licenses that have lapsed for more than eight years may require reexamination or a competency demonstration. Contact the BRN directly for the reinstatement pathway in that case.
Trust reminds you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before your California birthday-linked deadline, stores your CE certificates on-device, and links you straight to BreEZe.