California Board of Registered Nursing
California Nursing CE Requirements
California RNs need 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years. 1 state-mandated topic may apply, depending on the license and practice.
At a glance
California nursing license renewal
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN) [1] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [2] |
| Hours per renewal | 30 contact hours [1] |
| CE period | Every 2 years [1] |
| Renewal deadline | Licenses expire every two years; the first license is issued for two birthdays and expires on the last day of the month following the nurse's birth date. [2] |
| State-mandated topics | Implicit bias [1] |
| What CE counts | Courses from a continuing education provider recognized by the Board of Registered Nursing. Category 1 CME, college courses, courses taken in another state that are acceptable to that state's board of nursing, and courses approved by ANCC-approved regional accrediting bodies when taken out of state can also count. Courses offered in California by out-of-state organizations must have a Board-approved CEP number. [1] |
State-mandated topics
- Implicit bias — 1 hour [1]
Nurses within the first two years after initial licensure (who are otherwise exempt from the 30 hours), since January 1, 2023. The course must be from a continuing education provider approved by the Board of Registered Nursing.
Good to know
- Nurses are exempt from the 30-hour requirement during the first two years after initial licensure, except for the implicit bias course. [2]
- CPR and BLS courses, basic EKG/dysrhythmia courses and basic IV courses do not count. [1]
- Nurse practitioners whose primary-care patient population is over 25% aged 65 or older must complete at least 6 of the 30 hours in gerontology, dementia care or the care of older patients. [1]
- Keep certificates or grade slips for four years as proof of CE in case of a random audit. [1]
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the California Board of Registered Nursing ↗ before you renew.
Free continuing education
Free nursing CE
The California Board of Registered Nursing pages we checked do not name an accreditor we track, so we do not mark individual courses as accepted here. Check a course's approval against the board's rule before relying on it.
Questions
California nursing CE, answered
How many CE hours do California nurses need?
California RNs need 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years. 1 state-mandated topic may apply, depending on the license and practice. Licenses expire every two years; the first license is issued for two birthdays and expires on the last day of the month following the nurse's birth date.
Does California require specific CE topics for nurses?
Implicit bias (1 hours): Nurses within the first two years after initial licensure (who are otherwise exempt from the 30 hours), since January 1, 2023. The course must be from a continuing education provider approved by the Board of Registered Nursing.
Do free online CE courses count in California?
Courses from a continuing education provider recognized by the Board of Registered Nursing. Category 1 CME, college courses, courses taken in another state that are acceptable to that state's board of nursing, and courses approved by ANCC-approved regional accrediting bodies when taken out of state can also count. Courses offered in California by out-of-state organizations must have a Board-approved CEP number. Check that a free course meets this rule before relying on it.
Sources & verification
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. We fetched each page on the date shown and confirmed the exact wording below appears on it.
- California Board of Registered Nursing — Continuing Education for License Renewal ↗www.rn.ca.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (13)
“Registered nurses are required by law (California Code of Regulations, Section 1451, Article 5) to complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years”
“Registered nurses are required by law (California Code of Regulations, Section 1451, Article 5) to complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years”
“to complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years”
“starting January 1, 2023 a licensee still within the first 2 years of holding their license, immediately following their initial licensure, must complete one hour of direct participation in an implicit bias course offered by a continuing education provider that has been approved by the Board of Registered Nursing.”
“Courses must be taken through a continuing education provider recognized by the Board of Registered Nursing.”
“Continuing Medical Education is acceptable for meeting RN continuing education requirements, as long as the course is Category 1”
“Courses taken for college or university credit can be used for RN continuing education.”
“Courses taken in another state, so long as the course is acceptable by that state's Board of Nursing for continuing education.”
“Courses approved by ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center) approved regional accrediting bodies when these courses are taken out-of-state.”
“Courses offered in California by out-of-state organizations, associations, corporations, individuals, must have a Board-approved CEP number.”
“CPR and BLS courses, basic EKG/dysrhythmia courses as well as basic IV courses that are similar to those used to certify licensed vocational nurses to start IVs”
“Nurse practitioners that provide primary care to a patient population of which over 25% are 65 years of age or older must complete at least 6 of the 30 continuing education hours required to renew their registered nurse license, in a course in the field of gerontology, the special care needs of patients with dementia, or the care of older patients.”
“You are required to keep certificates or grade-slips for four years as proof of CE completion in the event of an audit.”
- California Board of Registered Nursing — License/Certificate Renewal ↗www.rn.ca.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (3)
“All RNs in the State of California who wish to maintain an active license are required to complete 30 contact hours of continuing education for license renewal.”
“Your first California RN license is issued for two birthdays, not two years, and will expire the last day of the month following your birth date. From that date on, it will expire every two years, if renewed timely.”
“During the first two years immediately following initial licensure in California or other jurisdictions, licensees shall be exempt from completion of the continuing education requirements specified in Title 16, California Code of Regulations Section 1451, with the exception of the Implicit Bias requirement.”