Louisiana LAC Continuing Education Requirements
Louisiana addiction counselors must complete 48 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LAC license, including 6 hours of ethics and 42 hours of substance use disorders.
48hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 48
42substance use disorders
6ethics
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Where this comes from
- State source
- Louisiana board rule
- Last verified
- October 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
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
Louisiana LAC requirements
Total
48 hoursYou need 48 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Topic minimums, counted within the 48
The topic minimums account for every hour of the total.
- Substance Use Disorders
- 42
- You need 42 hours each cycle.
- Ethics
- 6
- You need 6 hours each cycle.
Limits on how the hours are earned
- In-service training hours
- max Not accepted 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 $225 every 2 years, and a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $150 fee.
- Approved providers
- Hours must come "from an approved educational provider (AEP) or an approved institute of higher education (AIHE)" and "Continuing education hours must be approved by the ADRA" (LAC 46:LXXX.701 B.1.b and .727 B). Unapproved hours are not rejected outright: "If unapproved continuing education hours are submitted, renewal applicant must document that the education meets standards equivalent of the ADRA. Equivalence may be demonstrated by providing the course description and the qualifications of instructors" (LAC 46:LXXX.727 C), and the ADRA charges a fee for each 15 hours so reviewed. Because that path exists, no provider gate is enforced here; log the provider on each credit and keep the certificate. "In-service training conducted by an employer does not serve as continuing education for renewal" (LAC 46:LXXX.727 A).
- Board audit
- The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
- Late renewal
- The board allows a 30-day grace period after expiration. A late renewal adds a $150 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
- Provider approval: the ADRA keeps its own list of approved educational providers (AEP), approved training institutions and approved institutions of higher education (LAC 46:LXXX.1705-1709; https://la-adra.org/approved-ce-providers/). "Continuing education hours must be approved by the ADRA" (LAC 46:LXXX.727 B). Hours from an unapproved source may be submitted with "the course description and the qualifications of instructors" to show equivalence (LAC 46:LXXX.727 C); the fee schedule charges "Individuals seeking approval of CEU credits not obtained from an Approved Provider or seeking approval of courses not approved by the ADRA" $25.00 "For each 15 hours of CEU credit submitted (pre/post approval)" (ADRA Fee Schedule effective July 28, 2019), and LAC 46:LXXX.501 A.7 caps that fee at $50 per 15 hours. The rule text does not say whether NAADAC, NBCC or LPC-board approvals are accepted as ADRA approval; treat them as unapproved sources unless the provider also holds AEP status.
- In-service training: "In-service training conducted by an employer does not serve as continuing education for renewal" (LAC 46:LXXX.727 A). Tag such sessions in-service training; the engine excludes them from the 48.
- Delivery format: the current rule sets no limit on online, home-study or self-paced hours and no live-attendance minimum; the only format test is ADRA approval of the provider or course. The 2005 text (old §727 B.1, LR 31:655) converted "Semester credit hours ... at the rate of 15 clock hours per one semester hour"; the December 2025 recodification dropped that sentence, so academic coursework from an approved institution of higher education is credited as the ADRA states it on the course report.
- Carry-forward: the rule counts only hours completed "within two years prior to the expiration date" (LAC 46:LXXX.701 B.1.b); nothing allows excess hours to roll into the next cycle.
- Dual licensure: the ADRA rule says nothing about an LPC, LCSW or LMFT held alongside the LAC. The LAC owes the full 48 regardless of other licenses, there is no combined or reduced total and no separate attestation, and nothing in LAC 46:LXXX accepts the LPC board's approval (LAC 46:LX.707) as ADRA approval. A single course can be logged once and serve both renewals only when it satisfies each board's own content and provider tests; the LPC board's rule is rules/lpc/la-lpc-LPC S.yaml.
- Specialty certifications ride on the practice credential: "A lapsed practice credential (e.g., LAC, CAC, RAC, LCSW, MD) terminates immediately the current and valid status of any specialty certification (e.g., CCS, CCGC)" (old LAC 46:LXXX.731 A, LR 31:655, text retained in substance by the 2025 §731). A CCS owes eight clinical-supervision hours plus six ethics hours per two-year certification term (LAC 46:LXXX.711 B.1.b); a Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor (CCGC) owes "a minimum of eight hours of education ... directly applicable to compulsive gambling and a minimum of six hours in professional ethics" (LAC 46:LXXX.713 B.1.b). Only the CCS is modeled (supervisor endorsement); a CCGC holder tracks the gambling eight by hand.
- Late renewal and reinstatement: "A practice credential, specialty certification, or learning status not renewed prior to the expiration date shall be deemed suspended until renewed or reinstated" (LAC 46:LXXX.729 A). "Applications for renewal received within 30 days after the expiration date and which satisfy all requirements for renewal will require payment of both a renewal fee and a late fee and will be effective on the expiration date" (§729 B). After that, reinstatement "within one year of the expiration date" requires "the completion of 48 hours of education required for timely renewal, plus an additional 12 hours of education if the application is received within six months of the expiration date, or an additional 24 hours of education is [sic] the application is received more than six months after the expiration date" (§731 A.2). The board's LAC sheet adds: "If a LAC credential has been expired for more than twelve (12) months, the applicant must pass the AADC Examination again before the credential can be renewed". The 12- and 24-hour add-ons depend on how long the credential has been expired, so they stay a manual check; the dashboard shows the standard 48.
Louisiana LAC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Louisiana LAC licensees need?
Louisiana requires 48 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LAC license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for Louisiana LAC licensees?
Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Louisiana LAC licensees renew?
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How much does Louisiana LAC license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $225 every 2 years, per the Louisiana board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $150 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Louisiana LAC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Louisiana requires 42 hours of substance use disorders.
Sources and verification
- State source
- Louisiana board rule
- Fee schedule
- Louisiana board fee schedule
- Last verified
- October 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
We reviewed this page against the Louisiana 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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Louisiana 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.Louisiana mental health workforce data →21,407 active providers, or 463.5 per 100,000 residents, ranked 22 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.
Other Louisiana CE requirement pages
Addiction Counselor CE requirements in other states
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