How to renew your Pennsylvania LPN license
Pennsylvania LPN licenses renew every two years through PALS. Complete 30 contact hours of Board-approved continuing education, including 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting training, answer the criminal and disciplinary questions, and pay the biennial fee before your expiration date. New licensees are generally exempt from CE for their first renewal.
- Cycle
- 2 years (biennial) · date on your PALS record
- CE hours
- 30 contact hours, Board-approved provider
- Required topic
- 2 hours child abuse recognition (counts toward 30)
- First renewal
- Generally CE-exempt; child abuse training still applies
- Portal
- PALS (pals.pa.gov)
- Board
- PA State Board of Nursing (Dept. of State)
- Compact
- NLC enacted — confirm current implementation status
- Check your biennial end date in PALSPractical nurse licenses renew on a two-year biennium set by the State Board of Nursing. The date lives on your record in PALS (Pennsylvania Licensing System), so confirm it there.
- Complete 30 contact hours of continuing educationThirty contact hours per biennium from a Board-approved provider. Certificates are retained by you, not uploaded — the Board audits a sample each cycle.
- Include the 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reportingPennsylvania requires 2 hours of approved child abuse recognition and reporting training each renewal period, and it counts toward your 30 hours.
- Renew in PALSSign in at pals.pa.gov, open the Practical Nurse renewal, and verify your address, employment, and any name changes.
- Answer the criminal and disciplinary questionsAct 53 reporting means convictions and out-of-state discipline are asked at renewal. Disclose; the omission is treated more seriously than the underlying event.
- Pay and save the confirmation in TrustPay the biennial fee by card, then keep the receipt and CE certificates on-device for the audit window.
Requirements
Thirty hours, same as the RN. Pennsylvania sets practical nurse CE at 30 contact hours per biennium from a Board-approved provider — the same total as registered nurses, which surprises LPNs arriving from states that ask for 20 or 24.
2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting is mandatory each renewal period and counts within the 30. Take it from an approved provider on the Department of Human Services list; a generic course will not satisfy the attestation.
Opioid prescribing and pain-management education requirements in Pennsylvania are aimed at licensees with prescriptive authority. If a renewal screen asks you about them, follow the Board's own wording for your license type rather than assuming.
Newly licensed practical nurses are generally exempt from CE for the first renewal period. Fees are set by the Board and adjusted by rule — confirm the current biennial amount in PALS.
How to renew, step by step
- 01Check your biennial end date in PALSPractical nurse licenses renew on a two-year biennium set by the State Board of Nursing. The date lives on your record in PALS (Pennsylvania Licensing System), so confirm it there.
- 02Complete 30 contact hours of continuing educationThirty contact hours per biennium from a Board-approved provider. Certificates are retained by you, not uploaded — the Board audits a sample each cycle.
- 03Include the 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reportingPennsylvania requires 2 hours of approved child abuse recognition and reporting training each renewal period, and it counts toward your 30 hours.
- 04Renew in PALSSign in at pals.pa.gov, open the Practical Nurse renewal, and verify your address, employment, and any name changes.
- 05Answer the criminal and disciplinary questionsAct 53 reporting means convictions and out-of-state discipline are asked at renewal. Disclose; the omission is treated more seriously than the underlying event.
- 06Pay and save the confirmation in TrustPay the biennial fee by card, then keep the receipt and CE certificates on-device for the audit window.
If you're late
A lapsed Pennsylvania license means no practice. The Board can assess late fees for each biennium in which you practiced without renewing, and continued practice on a lapsed license is a disciplinary matter on its own.
Recovery is a late renewal in PALS with the outstanding fees and any CE you still owe for the missed period — the hours do not disappear because the deadline did. Longer gaps can pull in additional Board review before the license is reactivated.
Frequently asked questions
- How many CE hours does a Pennsylvania LPN need?
- Thirty contact hours per two-year biennium from a Board-approved provider, including the 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting training.
- Is the child abuse training separate from the 30 hours?
- No — the 2 approved hours count toward the 30. It is a required topic within the total, not an addition on top of it.
- Do Pennsylvania LPNs need opioid education?
- The opioid and pain-management education requirements target prescribers and licensees with prescriptive authority. Practical nurses should confirm on the Board's renewal page whether any current requirement reaches their license type before attesting.
- Where do I renew a Pennsylvania practical nurse license?
- In PALS at pals.pa.gov, the licensing system for all Department of State professional boards. Paper renewal is not the normal path.
- What happens if my Pennsylvania LPN license lapses?
- Practicing on a lapsed license is unlicensed practice and can carry per-shift penalties. Late renewal is available, and Pennsylvania may assess a late fee for each biennium you were unrenewed but practicing.
- Is Pennsylvania in the Nurse Licensure Compact?
- Pennsylvania enacted the NLC and implementation has been phased. Confirm the Board's current status before relying on multistate privileges; your Pennsylvania license itself renews the same way either way.
- Is there a first-renewal CE exemption?
- Newly licensed practical nurses are generally exempt from the CE requirement for their first renewal period. The child abuse training requirement still applies.
- Can I renew as inactive?
- You can allow the license to lapse or request inactive treatment, but you may not practice in Pennsylvania until it is active and current.
Last verified against Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing sources:
Changelog
Every revision to this guide, newest first. Last updated .
- New guide: Pennsylvania LPN 30-hour biennial CE, child abuse recognition requirement, PALS renewal path, and lapse consequences.
Trust tracks this renewal for you.
Thirty hours plus an approved child abuse course, every two years, tracked by you. Trust stores your certificates on-device, reminds you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days, and links straight into PALS.
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