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Pennsylvania 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 This summary is for orientation only and may be out of date or incomplete.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 (PA Reg. §40.67(a)(1))
Source: [5]
PTA hours required
30 contact hours (PA Reg. §40.67(a)(1))
Source: [5]
Renewal cycle
2 years
Source: [6]
Deadline pattern (PT)
PT licenses expire December 31 of every even-numbered year.
Source: [4]
Deadline pattern (PTA)
PTA certifications expire December 31 of every even-numbered year (49 Pa. Code §40.191(a)). CE must be completed in the biennium before renewal.
Source: [1]
Live / in-person / online limits
The CE rules (49 Pa. Code §§40.67, 40.192) set no limit on online/distance or home-study hours. Limits apply to authorship credit (book up to 15 hours, chapter or peer-reviewed article up to 10, non-peer-reviewed article up to 5).
Source: [2] [3]
Required topics
  • PT: at least 2 hours law or ethics
  • PT: at least 2 hours child abuse recognition and reporting (Board-approved)
  • PTA: at least 4 hours identifying/responding to emergency health conditions
  • PTA: at least 2 hours law or ethics
  • PTA: at least 2 hours child abuse recognition and reporting

Source: [2] [3]
Course approval rules
Courses from Board-preapproved providers (including courses certified by FSBPT ProCert or approved by APTA or its components) or courses individually approved by the Board. No credit for office management or practice building.
Source: [2] [3] [4]
Other renewal requirements
  • Professional liability insurance (per FSBPT)

Source: [7]
First renewal
CE is not required for the first renewal after initial licensure/certification.
Source: [2] [3] [4]
Official state board
Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy
1-833-367-2762 · st-physical@pa.gov

Notes

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 Pennsylvania (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.

  1. https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/secure/pacode/data/049/chapter40/s40.191.html
  2. https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/secure/pacode/data/049/chapter40/s40.67.html
  3. https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/secure/pacode/data/049/chapter40/s40.192.html
  4. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/boards-commissions/physical-therapy/renewal-information
  5. https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicenseRenewalUnitsRequired
  6. https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicensureRenewalTerm
  7. https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicensureRenewalRequirement
  8. https://www.fsbpt.org/lrg/Home/LicenseRenewalCourseApproval

Last checked: 2026-10-17. Primary source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/secure/pacode/data/049/chapter40/s40.67.html