Comparison · All 50 states + DC

Nursing CE requirements by state, compared

Nursing CE requirements vary more than most nurses expect. California requires 30 contact hours every two years, Florida requires 24 with five mandated topics, and eleven states require no CE at all. This table compares renewal cycles, CE hours, mandatory topics, and fees for all 50 states and DC, verified against each board of nursing in July 2026.

Last verified: July 1, 2026. Boards change rules mid-cycle — confirm on your board's page (linked in every row) before you renew.

Showing all 51 states.

State	Renewal cycle	CE hours	Mandatory topics	Fee	Board	Save
Alabama	2 yrs; Dec 31, even years (single-state RN); odd years (multistate)	24 (prorated on a first renewal)	None	$103.50	Alabama Board of Nursing	Add Alabama RN
Alaska	2 yrs; Nov 30, even years	Any 2 of 3: 30 CE hrs, 320 practice hrs, 30 hrs professional activities	None	$200	Alaska Board of Nursing	Add Alaska RN
Arizona	4 yrs; Apr 1, individually assigned (not birth month)	None (960 practice hrs in 5 yrs or degree/refresher instead)	None	$160	Arizona State Board of Nursing	Add Arizona RN
Arkansas	2 yrs; birth date	15 (or national certification or academic course)	None	$100	Arkansas State Board of Nursing	Add Arkansas RN
California	2 yrs; month after birth month	30	1 hr implicit bias (first renewal only)	$190	California Board of Registered Nursing	Add California RN
Colorado	2 yrs; Sept 30 — odd or even year by issuance date	None	None	Not published by the board	Colorado State Board of Nursing	Add Colorado RN
Connecticut	Annual; birth month	2 contact hrs every 6 yrs	Included in the 6-year requirement	$110/yr	CT Board of Examiners for Nursing	Add Connecticut RN
Delaware	2 yrs; odd years	30 + practice hours (1,000/5 yrs or 400/2 yrs)	3 hrs substance abuse; 1 hr abuse/trafficking of vulnerable persons	~$170	Delaware Board of Nursing	Add Delaware RN
District of Columbia	2 yrs; June 30, even years (moving to birth month)	24	2 hrs LGBTQ cultural competency; 2.5 hrs DC public health priorities	$195 (incl. background check)	DC Board of Nursing	Add District of Columbia RN
Florida	2 yrs; by assigned group	24	2 hrs medical errors; 2 hrs FL laws & rules; 2 hrs human trafficking (every renewal); 2 hrs recognizing impairment (every other renewal); 2 hrs domestic violence (every third biennium, in addition to the 24); 1 hr HIV/AIDS (one-time)	$75	Florida Board of Nursing	Add Florida RN
Georgia	2 yrs; Jan 31, even years	30 — or 1 of 5 options (certification, coursework, 500 practice hrs + verification, reentry)	None	$65	Georgia Board of Nursing	Add Georgia RN
Hawaii	2 yrs; June 30, odd years	30 — or one alternative (certification, residency, academic credits); options can't combine	None	~$196	Hawaii Board of Nursing	Add Hawaii RN
Idaho	2 yrs; Aug 31, odd years	None	None	$70	Idaho Board of Nursing	Add Idaho RN
Illinois	2 yrs; May 31, even years	20	1 hr sexual harassment prevention; 1 hr implicit bias; 1 hr cultural competency; 1 hr Alzheimer's (if caring for adults 26+)	$80	Illinois Board of Nursing (IDFPR)	Add Illinois RN
Indiana	2 yrs; Oct 31, odd years	None	None	$50	Indiana State Board of Nursing	Add Indiana RN
Iowa	3 yrs; birth month	36	Mandatory reporter training (if serving children/dependent adults)	$99	Iowa Board of Nursing	Add Iowa RN
Kansas	2 yrs; birth month	30	None	$85	Kansas State Board of Nursing	Add Kansas RN
Kentucky	Annual; Oct 31	14/yr — or 1 of 7 alternatives	1 hr Alzheimer's/dementia (one-time, by Oct 2027)	$65	Kentucky Board of Nursing	Add Kentucky RN
Louisiana	2 yrs; renew Oct–Dec	30 — or 900 practice hrs or national certification	None	$100	Louisiana State Board of Nursing	Add Louisiana RN
Maine	2 yrs; birthday	None	None	$75	Maine State Board of Nursing	Add Maine RN
Maryland	2 yrs; 28th of birth month, birth-year parity	1 of 3: 1,000 practice hrs/5 yrs, nursing program, or 30 CEUs	Implicit bias + structural racism attestation (one-time, from Apr 2026)	$191	Maryland Board of Nursing	Add Maryland RN
Massachusetts	2 yrs; birthday, even years	15	Domestic/sexual violence training (one-time)	$120	MA Board of Registration in Nursing	Add Massachusetts RN
Michigan	2 yrs from issuance	25	2 hrs pain & symptom management; 1 hr/yr implicit bias; human trafficking (one-time)	$131	Michigan Board of Nursing	Add Michigan RN
Minnesota	2 yrs; birth month, birth-year parity	1 contact hr per month of registration (24 in a full cycle)	None	$85	Minnesota Board of Nursing	Add Minnesota RN
Mississippi	2 yrs; Dec 31, even years	None	None	$100	Mississippi Board of Nursing	Add Mississippi RN
Missouri	2 yrs; Apr 30, odd years	None	None	$85	Missouri State Board of Nursing	Add Missouri RN
Montana	2 yrs; Dec 31	None (24-hr requirement repealed Nov 2023)	None	$100	Montana Board of Nursing	Add Montana RN
Nebraska	2 yrs; Oct 31, even years	20 + 500 practice hrs in 5 yrs (or alternatives)	None	$123	Nebraska Board of Nursing	Add Nebraska RN
Nevada	2 yrs; birthday	30	2 hrs cultural competency/DEI (every renewal); 4 hrs bioterrorism (one-time)	$100	Nevada State Board of Nursing	Add Nevada RN
New Hampshire	2 yrs; birthday	30	None	$80	New Hampshire Board of Nursing	Add New Hampshire RN
New Jersey	2 yrs; May 31	30	1 hr opioid drugs (every renewal); 1 hr organ/tissue donation (one-time)	$120	New Jersey Board of Nursing	Add New Jersey RN
New Mexico	2 yrs; birth month	30 (national certification accepted instead)	None	$110	New Mexico Board of Nursing	Add New Mexico RN
New York	3 yrs; birth month	None	Infection control coursework every 4 yrs	$73	NYSED Office of the Professions	Add New York RN
North Carolina	2 yrs; birth month	1 of 8 options (30 CE hrs is one; certification, practice hrs + CE combos, academic credit)	None	$100	North Carolina Board of Nursing	Add North Carolina RN
North Dakota	2 yrs; Dec 31	12 + 400 practice hrs in 4 yrs	None	$140	North Dakota Board of Nursing	Add North Dakota RN
Ohio	2 yrs; odd years, by Sept 15	24	≥1 hr Ohio nursing law & rules (Category A)	$68.50	Ohio Board of Nursing	Add Ohio RN
Oklahoma	2 yrs; birth month, even years	1 of 5 options (24 CE hrs is one; 520 practice hrs, certification, refresher, coursework)	None	$75	Oklahoma Board of Nursing	Add Oklahoma RN
Oregon	2 yrs; birthday	None until Jan 1, 2028 (then 20/cycle)	1 hr pain management (every 36 mo); 2 hrs cultural competency (every 48 mo)	~$158	Oregon State Board of Nursing	Add Oregon RN
Pennsylvania	2 yrs; Apr 30 or Oct 31	30	2 hrs child abuse recognition (every renewal); 2 hrs organ donation (one-time, from May 2026)	$122	Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing	Add Pennsylvania RN
Rhode Island	2 yrs; Mar 1	10	2 of the 10 hrs on substance abuse; 1 hr Alzheimer's/dementia (one-time)	$135	RI Board of Nurse Registration	Add Rhode Island RN
South Carolina	2 yrs; Apr 30, even years	1 of 4 options (30 CE hrs is one; certification, academic program, employer verification)	None	$75	South Carolina Board of Nursing	Add South Carolina RN
South Dakota	2 yrs; birth date	None (140 practice hrs/12 mo or 480/6 yrs instead)	None	$115	South Dakota Board of Nursing	Add South Dakota RN
Tennessee	2 yrs; birth month, birth-year parity	No hour mandate — any 2 competence options (10 CE hrs is one)	None	$140	Tennessee Board of Nursing	Add Tennessee RN
Texas	2 yrs; birth month	20 (or board-approved national certification)	2 hrs jurisprudence & ethics (every 3rd cycle); human trafficking (every renewal, direct care)	$68	Texas Board of Nursing	Add Texas RN
Utah	2 yrs; Jan 31, odd years	1 of 3: 400 practice hrs; 200 practice hrs + 15 CE; or 30 CE	Suicide prevention module (every renewal)	$68	Utah DOPL — Board of Nursing	Add Utah RN
Vermont	2 yrs; Mar 31, odd years	1 of 4 pathways (20 CE hrs is one; 400 practice hrs, certification, program)	None	$220	Vermont Board of Nursing	Add Vermont RN
Virginia	2 yrs; birth month	1 of 9 options (30 CE hrs is one; 15 hrs + 640 practice hrs, certification, academic credit)	None	$140	Virginia Board of Nursing	Add Virginia RN
Washington	Annual; birthday	8/yr + 96 practice hrs/yr	2 of the 8 hrs in health equity; 6 hrs suicide assessment (one-time)	$138	Washington State Board of Nursing	Add Washington RN
West Virginia	2 yrs; June 30, even years	12	3 hrs safe prescribing/drug diversion (newly licensed only)	$110 (incl. $20 program fee)	WV Board of Registered Nurses	Add West Virginia RN
Wisconsin	2 yrs; Feb 28/29, even years	None	None	$73	Wisconsin Board of Nursing	Add Wisconsin RN
Wyoming	2 yrs; Dec 31, even years	1 of 5 options (40 CE hrs is one; 400 practice hrs, refresher, NCLEX retake, degree)	None	$90	Wyoming State Board of Nursing	Add Wyoming RN

*Fee shown only inside the board's renewal portal or set by statute; confirm at renewal.

No CE required

States with no CE requirement

Eleven states require no continuing education for RN renewal: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. New York requires no general CE either — only infection-control coursework every four years. Most of these states verify competency another way, usually practice hours (Arizona and South Dakota) or nothing beyond the fee (Wisconsin, Indiana). Montana is the most recent addition — it repealed its 24-hour requirement in November 2023. No CE doesn't mean no deadline: a lapsed license in a no-CE state locks you out of shifts just as fast.

Flexible pathways

States where CE is one of several options

Fifteen states treat CE as one path among several to prove continuing competence — usually interchangeable with practice hours, a current national certification, or academic coursework: Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming, plus Texas (certification substitutes for CE). If you hold a national specialty certification (CCRN, CEN, OCN), check your state's list before buying CE — in many of these states your certification already covers renewal.

What to watch

Mandatory topics to watch

Even where total hours are low, boards increasingly mandate specific topics. The recurring ones: human trafficking (Florida and Texas, every renewal), implicit bias (Michigan yearly, Illinois every renewal, California and Maryland at first renewal or one-time), child abuse recognition (Pennsylvania, every renewal), opioids and pain management (New Jersey and Oregon), suicide prevention (Utah every renewal, Washington one-time), and health equity (Washington, annually from 2026). One-time requirements are the ones nurses miss when they move states — they don't transfer.

FAQ

Common questions

Which state has the highest CE requirement for RNs?

Iowa requires 36 contact hours, but on a 3-year cycle — about 12 hours per year. On a per-year basis, California, Delaware, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New Mexico (30 hours per 2 years) are the heaviest. Washington's 8 hours per year plus 96 practice hours is the strictest ongoing check.

I hold a compact (NLC) license. Which state's rules do I follow?

Your home state's. A multistate license renews under your primary state of residence's requirements, regardless of where you practice. If you move your residence to another compact state, you renew under the new state's rules.

Does a national certification replace CE?

In many states, yes — Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and others accept a current national specialty certification in place of CE hours. Check your board's list before paying for courses.

What happens if I'm audited?

Boards audit a random sample each cycle. You'll be asked to produce certificates — typically within 5 to 30 days depending on the state. Most boards require you to keep records for 4 years even though you don't upload them at renewal. Texas begins requiring upload at renewal in September 2026.

How often do these requirements change?

Constantly. In 2026 alone: Tennessee raised its fee from $100 to $140, West Virginia moved its renewal window to June, Washington's health-equity deadline hit, Pennsylvania added an organ-donation requirement, and Oregon began phasing in a 20-hour requirement for 2028. Verify against your board — every row above links to it.

Sources: the 51 boards of nursing linked in the table above, retrieved July 2026. Requirements change — always confirm on your board's page before renewing.

Never miss a renewal