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California PT & PTA continuing education requirements
Board-verified details
Rules change. This summary is for orientation only and may be out of date or incomplete. Confirm with your state board. Fields marked “Check with your board” could not be verified.
- PT hours required
- 30 contact hours (CA CCR § 1399.91(a))
Source: [5] - PTA hours required
- 30 contact hours (CA CCR § 1399.91(a))
Source: [5] - Renewal cycle
- 2 years
Source: [6] - Deadline pattern (PT)
- Every 2 years; license expires the last day of your birth month. Hours must be earned in the 2 years before expiration.
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] - Deadline pattern (PTA)
- Same as PTs (every 2 years, last day of birth month).
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] - Live / in-person / online limits
- The 4 life-support hours must include an in-person, hands-on component.
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] - Required topics
- 2 hours ethics, laws and regulations (the CAL-JAM jurisprudence module can satisfy this)
- 4 hours life support for health care professionals (comparable to or more advanced than AHA BLS)
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4]- Course approval rules
- Courses must come from a PTBC-recognized approval agency or a provider approved by one. PTBC does not approve individual courses itself.
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] - First renewal
- First renewal: 15 hours (4 life support + 2 ethics/laws/regs + 9 other) if renewed on time.
Source: [1] [2] [3] [4] - Official state board
- Physical Therapy Board of California
(916) 561-8200 · pt@dca.ca.gov
Notes
- Keep completion records for 5 years.
Where to get CEUs cheap or free
See free & live webinars and compare unlimited CEU subscriptions. Before buying, check that a course is approved for California (look for the state on the course’s approval statement).
Sources
Numbers next to each field point to the source(s) used for that field.
- https://www.ptbc.ca.gov/licensees/continuing_competency/index.shtml
- https://ptbc.ca.gov/licensees/license_renewal.shtml
- https://www.ptbc.ca.gov/publications/newsletters/progressnotes_summer_2026.pdf
- https://www.ptbc.ca.gov/applicants/caljam.shtml
- https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicenseRenewalUnitsRequired
- https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicensureRenewalTerm
- https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicensureRenewalRequirement
- https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicenseRenewalCourseApproval
Last checked: 2026-10-17. Primary source: https://www.ptbc.ca.gov/licensees/continuing_competency/index.shtml