How to renew your Wisconsin RN license
Wisconsin RN licenses renew every two years by February 28 (or 29) of even-numbered years, and Wisconsin requires zero continuing education hours. What it does require, and what actually blocks renewals, is the mandatory Nursing Workforce Survey — $4, completable only during the open window. The next deadline is February 29, 2028.
- Cycle
- 2 years · deadline February 28/29 of even years, fixed for all RNs
- Next deadline
- February 29, 2028 (most recent: February 28, 2026)
- Window opens
- Roughly 7–8 weeks before — mid-January 2028
- CE required
- None. Zero hours, no topics, no CE audit, no approved-provider list
- Mandatory extra step
- Nursing Workforce Survey — $4, Board may not renew without it
- Fee
- $73 renewal + $4 survey = $77. Late adds a flat $25
- Inactive/retired status
- Does not exist for RNs
- LPNs
- Different cycle — April 30 of odd years
- Portal
- LicensE
- Confirm your deadlineRN licenses renew every two years by February 28 (February 29 in leap years) of even-numbered years. Dual-credentialed LPNs renew separately, April 30 of odd years.
- Watch for the renewal window to openLicensE opens the renewal window roughly 7–8 weeks before the deadline — mid-January in an even year. Do not wait until February 27; support tickets can take up to 10 days.
- Renew in LicensE, not the old portalSign in at license.wi.gov. The older online.drl.wi.gov site still serves license lookup only and confuses people into thinking renewal is broken there.
- Complete the Nursing Workforce SurveyPay the $4 survey fee and complete it inside the same window. The Board may not renew your license without it, and the survey disappears once the window closes.
- Declare your primary state of residenceRequired for compact eligibility. You must also notify the Board if your immigration status has changed since your last renewal.
- Nurse-midwives and APRNs: verify the linkageRenewing certain advanced credentials can auto-renew your RN license unless you are a primary resident of another compact state — check LicensE directly rather than assume it.
- Save the renewed license to TrustLicensE issues an email confirmation and a downloadable certificate. Store both so a future audit or employer check is a two-minute task.
Requirements
DSPS states the deadline as "02/28 or 2/29/even years." Wis. Stat. § 440.08(2)(a) frames it as "March 1 of each even-numbered year"; DSPS operationalizes that as a last-day-to-renew of February 28 (29 in leap years), with the credential expired as of March 1. File by February 28 and don't test the one-day gap.
Wisconsin requires no continuing education to renew an RN license. Wis. Admin. Code § N 2.40(2) gives the complete list of requirements to renew within five years: pay the renewal fee plus any applicable late fee, pay the nursing workforce survey fee, and complete the survey to the Board's satisfaction. No CE clause exists. DSPS maintains a CE page for every profession that has a CE mandate — and dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/RN/CE.aspx returns a 404.
State clearly on the page that the absence of a state CE mandate is not an absence of obligation: employer competency requirements, ANCC/AANP/specialty certification renewal, ACLS/BLS, and the chapter N 6 standards of practice — which require practicing within your competence — all still apply.
Fees
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| RN renewal fee | Amount: $73.00 | When: Standard biennial renewal |
| Nursing Workforce Survey fee | Amount: $4.00 | When: Required with every renewal |
| On-time total | Amount: $77.00 | When: |
| Late renewal fee | Amount: +$25.00, flat | When: From March 1 of the expiration year. Does not escalate by month or year |
| Late total | Amount: $102.00 ($98 + $4 survey) | When: |
| Late renewal after 5 years | Amount: Renewal + late + survey, plus a refresher course if required | When: On/after March 1 five years past expiration |
| Inactive / retired status | Amount: Does not exist for nurses | When: Wisconsin's retired-status option covers only architects, engineers, designers, landscape architects and land surveyors |
| Temporary permit | Amount: $10.00 | When: Initial licensure instrument; valid 3 months, renewable once |
| Duplicate credential / name or address change | Amount: $10.00 | When: |
| Governor-signed wall certificate | Amount: $10.00 | When: Offered as an add-on inside the LicensE renewal flow |
Fees are set administratively by DSPS under Wis. Stat. § 440.03(9)(a) and reviewed every two years, so quote them with the date attached.
What Wisconsin requires instead
1. The Nursing Workforce Survey — mandatory. Wis. Stat. § 441.01(7): the Board may not renew the license without it. Fee $4.00. This, not CE, is the actual extra step that blocks Wisconsin renewals — and it is only available during the open renewal period.
2. Payment of the renewal fee.
3. Declaration of primary state of residence (compact-related).
4. Notification if your immigration status has changed since the last renewal.
No mandatory topics for RNs. For contrast, APRN prescribers must complete 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics, including at least 2 hours in responsible prescribing of controlled substances — that is an APRN requirement, not an RN one.
No CE audit and no retention requirement — there is nothing to retain. Retain proof of the renewal itself instead: LicensE issues an email confirmation and a downloadable license certificate.
What changed this cycle
For the plain RN license, essentially nothing — no new CE requirement, no cycle change, no new renewal step. What changed is entirely in the APRN layer:
2025 Wisconsin Act 17 — the APRN Modernization Act, effective September 1, 2026. Replaces the Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber (APNP) certification with a new APRN license across four role designations. Existing APNP and Nurse-Midwife credentials auto-convert on September 1, 2026 with no application.
The renewal-date consequence is the headline: the APNP cycle was September 30 of even years, and the September 30, 2026 APNP renewal does not happen. DSPS says current APNPs "will not renew their APNP credentials this year… renewal of that credential will then coincide with the next RN renewal in February 2028." Anyone budgeting for a Sept 30, 2026 APNP renewal is working from stale documents — the fee schedule and APNP CE page still show the old cycle.
Emergency rules affecting chapters N 1–N 8 were adopted to implement Act 17; permanent rules are still pending, so APRN details may shift. The Board's IV Hydration Guidance, approved October 22, 2025, is practice guidance, not a renewal rule.
Your first renewal after licensure
There is no special first-renewal rule. No proration, no exemption, no partial-period relief, no CE waiver (there is no CE to waive).
DSPS says it directly: "Should you receive your initial credential in the months leading up to this date, you are still required to renew your license by the statutorily defined date." An RN licensed in January 2028 must still pay the full $73 + $4 and renew by February 29, 2028 — roughly four to six weeks after getting licensed.
Wis. Stat. §§ 440.05 and 440.08 contain no proration or waiver provision for a credential issued shortly before its renewal date. The only reduced renewal fee in the statute is $10 for apprentice, journeyman, student or temporary credentials, which does not cover a full RN license.
How to renew, step by step
- 01Confirm your deadlineRN licenses renew every two years by February 28 (February 29 in leap years) of even-numbered years. Dual-credentialed LPNs renew separately, April 30 of odd years.
- 02Watch for the renewal window to openLicensE opens the renewal window roughly 7–8 weeks before the deadline — mid-January in an even year. Do not wait until February 27; support tickets can take up to 10 days.
- 03Renew in LicensE, not the old portalSign in at license.wi.gov. The older online.drl.wi.gov site still serves license lookup only and confuses people into thinking renewal is broken there.
- 04Complete the Nursing Workforce SurveyPay the $4 survey fee and complete it inside the same window. The Board may not renew your license without it, and the survey disappears once the window closes.
- 05Declare your primary state of residenceRequired for compact eligibility. You must also notify the Board if your immigration status has changed since your last renewal.
- 06Nurse-midwives and APRNs: verify the linkageRenewing certain advanced credentials can auto-renew your RN license unless you are a primary resident of another compact state — check LicensE directly rather than assume it.
- 07Save the renewed license to TrustLicensE issues an email confirmation and a downloadable certificate. Store both so a future audit or employer check is a two-minute task.
If you're late
You may not practice. Wis. Stat. § 441.06(4) bars practicing or using RN titles without a current license. § 441.13(1) allows a fine up to $250 and up to one year in county jail — and it reaches "any person violating this subchapter or knowingly employing another in violation," so your employer is exposed too. § 441.13(2) also bars you from suing to recover pay for nursing services rendered while unlicensed.
No grace period. Chapter 441 contains none. The one narrow protection: under Wis. Stat. § 227.51(2), if a timely and sufficient renewal application with payment was submitted by the deadline, the existing license does not expire until DSPS acts on it. That protects a pending application; it does not protect a missed deadline.
Under 5 years expired: ordinary late renewal in LicensE — $73 + $25 + $4 and the survey. No CE, no exam, no refresher, no re-application.
5 years or more: the "late renewal after 5 years" application requires all of the above plus one of — documentation of employment requiring a nursing license within the last five years, or completion of a Board-approved nursing refresher course or equivalent education. Nurses who kept practicing under another state's license almost always qualify on the employment prong and never need the refresher. Applicants must also verify licensure via Nursys or direct Board verification.
You may not re-apply as a new applicant. Wis. Admin. Code § N 2.40(1): "A person with an expired credential may not reapply for a credential using the initial application process." However old the lapse. NCLEX re-examination is not a listed requirement for late renewal or reinstatement at any threshold. If a refresher is required and includes a clinical component, the Board may grant a limited license solely to complete it.
Frequently asked questions
- How many CE hours does Wisconsin require?
- Zero. Wis. Admin. Code § N 2.40(2) lists only the renewal fee, the workforce survey fee, and completing the survey — nothing else. DSPS has no RN CE page; dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/RN/CE.aspx returns a 404. Nurses buy CE bundles for Wisconsin renewal every cycle that the Board never asks for.
- I skipped the Nursing Workforce Survey — can I do it later?
- No, and this is the real Wisconsin blocker. The Board may not renew your license without it, it carries its own $4 fee, and it is only available during the open renewal window.
- The statute says March 1 — do I have until then?
- DSPS states the operational deadline as 02/28 or 2/29, and the $25 late fee attaches once that date passes. File by February 28 and don't test the one-day gap between the statute's wording and the Board's practice.
- I just got licensed in January — is my first renewal skipped or prorated?
- No. DSPS says directly that you are still required to renew by the statutorily defined date. An RN licensed in January 2028 still owes the full $73 + $4 by February 29, 2028 — as little as four to six weeks after licensure.
- Can I go inactive for a few years instead of renewing?
- No. Wisconsin has no inactive or retired status for RNs — that option covers only architects, engineers, designers, landscape architects and land surveyors. The Board's own instruction for nurses is to let the license expire and late-renew within five years for an extra $25.
- My license expired last week — can I keep working while I sort it out?
- No. Wis. Stat. § 441.06(4) bars practicing or using RN titles without a current license. § 441.13(1) allows a fine up to $250 and up to one year in county jail, and it reaches any employer who knowingly employs an unlicensed nurse. § 441.13(2) also bars you from suing to recover pay for that work.
- What happens if my license has been expired for five years?
- Under five years is ordinary late renewal — fee, late fee, survey. At five years or more you must also show either documentation of nursing employment requiring a license in the last five years, or completion of a Board-approved refresher course. Nurses who kept practicing under another state's license almost always qualify on the employment prong.
- My license lapsed a long time ago — can I just apply as a new nurse?
- No. Wis. Admin. Code § N 2.40(1) bars a person with an expired credential from reapplying through the initial application process, however old the lapse. You must go through late renewal.
- I hold both RN and LPN licenses — same deadline?
- No. RN renews February 28 (or 29) of even years; LPN renews April 30 of odd years. Dual-credential holders miss the LPN cycle constantly because it doesn't line up with the RN date.
- I'm a nurse-midwife or APNP — does renewing that renew my RN too?
- DSPS says renewing the Nurse Midwife credential automatically renews your RN license, unless you are a primary resident of another compact state. Renew in the wrong order, or live in another compact state, and you can end up with a renewed advanced credential sitting on top of an expired RN license.
- Is my September 30, 2026 APNP renewal still happening?
- No. Under 2025 Wisconsin Act 17, current APNPs will not renew their APNP credentials on that date; the next renewal for that credential coincides with the RN renewal on February 29, 2028. The fee schedule and APNP CE page still show the old cycle, so don't trust either without checking the date.
- Why isn't renewal working on the old portal I bookmarked?
- Renewal now runs through license.wi.gov (LicensE). The older online.drl.wi.gov site still serves license lookup only, which misleads people into thinking renewal is broken.
Last verified against Wisconsin Board of Nursing / DSPS sources:
Changelog
Every revision to this guide, newest first. Last updated .
- Reviewed and verified requirements, fees, and deadlines against Wisconsin Board of Nursing / DSPS sources.
Trust tracks this renewal for you.
The Nursing Workforce Survey is the step that actually blocks Wisconsin renewals. Trust reminds you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days before February 28/29 so you don't hit the deadline with the window already closed.
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