California LAADC & CADC Continuing Education Requirements
California addiction counselors must complete 50 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LAADC / CADC license, including 9 hours of ethics, 30 hours of substance use disorders, and 3 hours of cultural competency.
50hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 50
30substance use disorders
9ethics
3cultural competency
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Where this comes from
- State source
- California board rule
- Last verified
- October 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Every figure on this page is read from this rule, and the page refreshes when the ruleset changes. How we verify
It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.
Requirements
California LAADC & CADC requirements
Total
50 hoursYou need 50 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Topic minimums, counted within the 50
The remaining 8 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
- Substance Use Disorders
- 30
- You need 30 hours each cycle.
- Ethics
- 9
- You need 9 hours each cycle.
- Cultural Competency
- 3
- You need 3 hours each cycle.
Limits on how the hours are earned
- Professional development
- max 10 hrs
Cycle and record rules
- Renewal
- The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
- Renewal fee
- The board renewal fee is $100 every 2 years, and a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $70 fee.
- Approved providers
- California requires every certified alcohol and other drug counselor to complete at least 40 hours of continuing education in each two-year certification period (9 CCR 13055(a)). CCAPP, which issues the CADC and LAADC, requires 50 hours every two years: at least 40 continuing education hours from CCAPP-approved providers, including 9 hours of ethics and confidentiality (3 of them on diversity, inclusion, culture, equity or LGBTQIA2+) and at least 30 hours of advanced alcohol/drug counseling workshops, plus up to 10 professional development hours from any source. Courses must be new material not taken before.
- Board audit
- The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
- Late renewal
- A late renewal adds a $70 late fee.
To keep your proof in order, see what to keep for a CE audit, which covers every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.
Your hours
Check where you stand
Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before your renewal.
Your result appears here as you enter hours.
Open the full Addiction Counselor CE hours calculatorFull board policy details
- Approved providers: "Continuing education hours must be earned through a CCAPP-approved provider with a current provider number"; only the professional development hours (at most 10) may come from other sources (https://ccappcredentialing.org/renew-a-credential/). The state rule also makes every certifying organization "accept as continuing education hours of training in the areas specified in (c) and (d), provided by any State, county, city, or other governmental agency or by any agency which provides services through a contractual arrangement with a State and/or county agency" (9 CCR 13055(e)). The engine does not check provider identity; a course logged here must carry a CCAPP provider number, come from such a government source, or be logged as professional development.
- State topic list: "The forty (40) hours of continuing education shall include any combination of the following: (1) The curriculum contained TAP 21 ...; (2) Provision of services to special populations ...; (3) Ethics; (4) Communicable diseases including tuberculosis, HIV disease and Hepatitis C; and (5) Prevention of sexual harassment" (9 CCR 13055(c)). "Any combination" sets no per-topic floor; "At the certifying organization's discretion, the forty (40) hours of continuing education may also include other topics related to the field of alcoholism and drug abuse" (13055(d)).
- Daily ceiling and repeats: "CCAPP will accept a maximum of eight (8) CEUs per day for education completed", and "All CE courses must be new material the professional has not taken before; duplicate courses are not allowed" (https://ccappcredentialing.org/sud-career-ladder/cadc-i/). The engine enforces no repeats inside a cycle only; it does not apply the eight-per-day ceiling or reject a course repeated from an earlier cycle.
- Professional development hours (10 maximum) cover design or presentation of alcohol/drug topics outside an approved provider, "In-service Education. Formalized training within institutions such as clinics and treatment centers", self-improvement workshops on personal and professional growth, and participation in CCAPP board, Credentialing Board and district meetings, approved CCAPP volunteer work and CPM examinations. Not included: "Volunteer 12 Step Work", volunteer counseling at step houses, 12-step meeting attendance, "Group or Individual Counseling or psychotherapy" and AA retreats (https://ccappcredentialing.org/renew-a-credential/).
- Presenting: under Section I.B, design, implementation or presentation of alcohol/drug counseling topics for an approved CCAPP provider number counts as continuing education, and "Trainers receive 1 hour for preparation for each hour of training and each hour for presentation" (https://ccappcredentialing.org/renew-a-credential/). The preparation credit is not encoded; log the presenter hours the certificate or letter awards.
- Other California certifying organizations: a counselor certified by CADTP (SUDCC) or by CAADE's Addiction Counselor Certification Board of California (CATC) renews on that organization's standard, not this one. CADTP: "A minimum of forty (40) hours of continuing education. The 40-hours must include three (3) hours of Ethics & Confidentiality during each two-year period" (https://cadtpcounselors.org/managing-ceus-for-renewal/). ACCBC: "CATCs must obtain 40 TAP 21-specific CEHs/CEUs every two years. 9 of those hours must be in addiction-specific laws and ethics" (https://www.accbc.org/catc/renew-credential/). Neither is scoped by this file.
- Dual licensure: a physician, psychologist, LCSW, LMFT or other licensed professional working in an AOD program need not be certified at all (9 CCR 13015(b); H&S Code 11833(d)(1)(C)) and instead owes "36 hours of continuing education during every two year period of licensure" based on the 13055 curriculum, which "at the discretion of the employing AOD program" may be satisfied by the CE "required by the licensed professional's licensing board" (9 CCR 13015(d)). A BBS licensee who also holds a CCAPP CADC or LAADC is not excused from CCAPP's 50 hours: CCAPP sets no reduced or combined total, so the certification is evaluated on its own hours.
California LAADC & CADC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do California LAADC / CADC licensees need?
California requires 50 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LAADC / CADC license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for California LAADC / CADC licensees?
Of the total, 9 hours must be in ethics.
How often do California LAADC / CADC licensees renew?
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How much does California LAADC / CADC license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $100 every 2 years, per the California board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $70 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for California LAADC / CADC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, California requires 30 hours of substance use disorders, 3 hours of cultural competency.
Sources and verification
- State source
- California board rule
- Fee schedule
- California board fee schedule
- Last verified
- October 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
We reviewed this page against the California board source, and we refresh it from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is for guidance only, not legal or board advice. Always confirm requirements with your licensing board before renewing. See something wrong? Report it
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California guides & data
What to keep for a CE audit →Learn what boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, and what the notice looks like, then use the printable checklist.California mental health workforce data →229,073 active providers, or 582.1 per 100,000 residents, ranked 12 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.
Other California CE requirement pages
Addiction Counselor CE requirements in other states
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