RN Continuing-Education Hours by State (2026)

Continuing-education requirements for RN renewal differ sharply by state. This table ranks the states we've verified by CE contact hours required per renewal cycle, highest first. A few states use competence pathways or mandated coursework instead of a single hour count — those are listed separately.

RN CE hours by state, ranked

#StateCE hours per cycleCycle
1 Iowa RN renewal 36 hours 36 mo
2 California RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
3 Pennsylvania RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
4 Georgia RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
5 New Jersey RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
6 Louisiana RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
7 Nevada RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
8 Kansas RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
9 New Mexico RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
10 New Hampshire RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
11 Delaware RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
12 Alaska RN renewal 30 hours 24 mo
13 Michigan RN renewal 25 hours 24 mo
14 Florida RN renewal 24 hours 24 mo
15 Ohio RN renewal 24 hours 24 mo
16 Minnesota RN renewal 24 hours 24 mo
17 Alabama RN renewal 24 hours 24 mo
18 District of Columbia RN renewal 24 hours 24 mo
19 Texas RN renewal 20 hours 24 mo
20 Illinois RN renewal 20 hours 24 mo
21 Nebraska RN renewal 20 hours 24 mo
22 Vermont RN renewal 20 hours 24 mo
23 Massachusetts RN renewal 15 hours 24 mo
24 Arkansas RN renewal 15 hours 24 mo
25 Kentucky RN renewal 14 hours 12 mo
26 West Virginia RN renewal 12 hours 24 mo
27 North Dakota RN renewal 12 hours 24 mo
28 Rhode Island RN renewal 10 hours 24 mo
29 Washington RN renewal 8 hours 12 mo
30 Indiana RN renewal None required 24 mo
31 Missouri RN renewal None required 24 mo
32 Colorado RN renewal None required 24 mo
33 Wisconsin RN renewal None required 24 mo
34 Mississippi RN renewal None required 24 mo
35 Idaho RN renewal None required 24 mo
36 Maine RN renewal None required 24 mo
37 Montana RN renewal None required 24 mo
38 South Dakota RN renewal None required 24 mo
39 Wyoming RN renewal None required 24 mo

States without a single published hour count

These states don't publish a single fixed CE-hour figure — the requirement depends on factors covered on each state's full guide:

Based on 51 states verified against official boards. Figures change — confirm with your board before filing.

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