Nurse Practitioner (APRN) CE Requirements by State (2026): Hours, Pharmacology and Controlled-Substance CE

Last updated: October 14, 2026.

Hour totals below are tied to the board or statute named in the sources. They are not a complete 50-state table, and they are not legal advice. If your state is not listed, use the CE requirements tool and the board’s renewal page. Do not copy another state’s number.

A useful CE plan starts with three deadlines: RN renewal, APRN renewal, and national certification. Add any prescriber-specific training to that plan. One course may meet more than one requirement, but its topic, approval, completion date, and documented hours must qualify for each.

How APRN CE differs from RN CE

An RN renewal often asks for a block of contact hours, a practice-hour alternative, or a choice of competency options. An APRN renewal may add:

pharmacology or pharmacotherapy hours,
controlled-substance or opioid education,
proof that national certification is current,
hours that must be itemized on the certificate, not buried in a general course.

North Dakota is a clear example. RNs renew with 12 contact hours in the preceding two years. An APRN with prescriptive authority needs 15 contact hours in pharmacotherapy related to the scope of practice during those two years. The Board says those APRN hours may also fulfill the RN renewal requirement. Certificates must itemize pharmacology. The Board’s CE page says UpToDate activity certificates do not meet the pharmacology-specific requirement.

Georgia is a different model. The continuing-competency rule for registered nurses, which the statute also applies at renewal to advanced practice registered nurses, is a menu. One option is 30 hours from a board-approved provider. Others include keeping national certification, completing an academic program, or verifying competency through a qualifying employer plus at least 500 practice hours. “APRN CE Georgia” is not automatically “30 extra hours on top of certification.” Read Rule 410-13-.01 and O.C.G.A. § 43-26-9.

National certification vs. the state license

Your certifying body (ANCC, AANPCB, PNCB, and others) sets the hours for the certification. The board sets the hours for the license. Some boards accept current certification as the competency option, which is Georgia’s menu. Others still want pharmacology hours even when you are certified. North Dakota requires current national certification for the APRN license and the pharmacotherapy hours for prescriptive authority. Letting the certification lapse can cost the license even if the CE log looks full.

Keep two rows in your tracker: certification cycle and state cycle. They rarely share an end date.

Pharmacology and controlled-substance CE

These are the pharmacology rules confirmed for this update.

State	What was confirmed	Source
North Dakota	15 pharmacotherapy contact hours in the previous 2 years for an APRN with prescriptive authority. May count toward the 12-hour RN requirement. Certificates must itemize pharmacology.	ND Board of Nursing CE page and APRN FAQs
Connecticut	APRNs: 50 contact hours in the preceding 24 months, including at least 5 in pharmacotherapeutics, plus required topic hours (including substance abuse and others listed by DPH).	Connecticut DPH APRN continuing education
New Jersey	APNs using the 2026 joint-protocol exemption: 14 contact hours in controlled-substance pharmacology (8 of them beyond the initial-certification CDS hours in effect on March 30, 2026) and 10 pharmacology hours each biennium.	P.L.2026, c.6
Arizona	RNs renew on practice or education options, not a fixed CE-hour total. An APRN who holds an active DEA registration must complete at least 3 hours of opioid, substance-use, or addiction CE.	Arizona Board of Nursing renewal, citing A.R.S. § 32-3248.02
Nevada	RNs and LPNs: 30 hours of nursing-related CE each renewal cycle, including 4 hours of cultural competency. APRNs: an additional 15 hours each renewal cycle. One-time 4-hour bioterrorism course.	Nevada State Board of Nursing CE
Georgia	Biennial competency menu for RN renewal, including 30 hours from a board-approved provider or maintenance of national certification. The statute covers APRN renewal as well.	Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 410-13-.01 and O.C.G.A. § 43-26-9
Wisconsin	Under the APRN law effective September 1, 2026, at least 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the area of practice; follow current Board implementation instructions.	2025 Wisconsin Act 17, §441.09(4)
Iowa	Current ARNP national certification satisfies both ARNP and RN CE. ARNPs who prescribe opioids during the three-year cycle also need at least 2 hours on current CDC opioid-prescribing guidelines and must submit that proof at renewal.	Iowa DIAL ARNP CE
Florida APRN	At least 3 hours on safe and effective controlled-substance prescribing and 2 hours on human trafficking each biennium, even when national certification exempts the APRN from other CE. Autonomous registration adds 10 hours of approved CE at renewal.	Fla. Stat. §464.013, Board renewal guidance, and §464.0123(5)

Rhode Island, Arizona RN practice hours, and other states are covered in nursing license renewal by state when the question is the renewal deadline rather than pharmacology.

Iowa: certification and opioid education are separate

Iowa’s current guidance accepts active ARNP national certification for the ARNP and RN continuing-education requirements. The general nursing pathway is 36 contact hours per renewal period; an ARNP using the certification pathway should retain proof of current certification. An ARNP who prescribed opioids during the cycle must also complete and document the two-hour CDC-guidelines training. Do not substitute an old draft rule or a general pharmacology certificate for that specific requirement.

Iowa’s renewal cycle is three years. Keep course records for four years and match completion dates to the renewal period. The current DIAL CE guidance reflects rules effective June 4, 2025.

Check required subjects within the total

A completed hour total can still miss a required subject. Nevada’s current CE table also lists APRN suicide-prevention education (two hours every four years), SBIRT education (two hours each renewal cycle), and opioid-related education for APRNs registered to dispense controlled substances. Match those conditions to your practice and credentials; do not assume any 15-hour APRN bundle covers them all.

For each state, record whether a topic counts within the overall total, adds hours, or follows a separate schedule. Keep the provider’s itemized certificate rather than assigning pharmacology or controlled-substance credit yourself.

How to use the state tools

The site’s CE pages mirror renewal research for one profession and one state. Open the hub at CE requirements and pick the state, or start from a renewal checklist such as:

If the tool and this article disagree, the board’s page wins. Tell us through the contact page so the research can be checked. The tool is evidence-based research, not a board order.

Build a record you can use for an audit

Log the course the day you finish it. Record the completion date, the provider, the hours, and whether the certificate itemizes pharmacology. North Dakota tells licensees to keep certificates for at least two renewal cycles and not to send them unless audited. Connecticut’s APRN page tells licensees to keep proof and produce it if the Department asks.

A blank spreadsheet is at /downloads/nursing-ceu-tracker.csv. The how-to for using it is how to track nursing CEUs. The Self-Service Tracking plan includes CEU tracking and alerts for $35 per month. That is a portal feature, not a promise that a course is board-approved.

Frequently asked questions

How many CE hours does an NP need?

There is no national number. North Dakota prescribers need 15 pharmacotherapy hours every two years. Connecticut APRNs need 50 contact hours every 24 months. Georgia may accept certification in lieu of a 30-hour bundle. Start with your board.

Do certification hours count for the state?

Sometimes. Georgia lists maintenance of national certification as one competency option. North Dakota still wants itemized pharmacotherapy hours for prescriptive authority. Read both rules.

What is the New Jersey pharmacology requirement for independent APNs?

Fourteen contact hours in controlled-substance pharmacology, with eight of those hours beyond the initial CDS education in effect on March 30, 2026, plus 10 pharmacology hours each biennial period. That is in P.L.2026, c.6, for APNs who qualify to practice without a joint protocol.

Can I count the same course twice?

A course may satisfy different credentials when each authority accepts it and the completion date falls within each required period. That is different from carrying the same hours into a later renewal cycle. Do not assume carryover: North Dakota does not accept excess hours for a future period, and Iowa’s current guidance requires hours within the renewal period.