Updated for 2026

Massachusetts LADC, LADC II & LADC Assistant Continuing Education Requirements

Massachusetts addiction counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LADC / LADC II / LADC Assistant license.

40hours every 2 years

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Where this comes from

State source: Massachusetts 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

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Requirements

Massachusetts LADC, LADC II & LADC Assistant requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study: max 20 hrs

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal: The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Approved providers: Hours count when the course comes from a Department "Recognized Entity": accredited colleges and universities, AdCare Educational Institute, the New England Institute of Addiction Studies, DPH licensed or approved substance use treatment agencies, DPH approved or funded substance abuse educational organizations, providers approved by the Massachusetts boards of registration in social work, nursing, medicine, mental health professionals and psychology, MBSACC, the American Academy of Healthcare Providers in the Addictive Disorders, NBCC, NAADAC, IC&RC and the Employee Assistance Certification Commission (CE Policy section 2). Other sponsors are not barred, but "approval is not guaranteed": seek Department approval before the course or at least 60 days before your license expires (section 4(D)). Every course must pertain to one of the six content areas in section 4(A) and hours must fall inside your own two-year licensure period.
Recordkeeping: Keep CE documentation for 2 years after each renewal.
Board audit: The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.

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.

Total hours completedof 40

Your renewal dateAdd it to see a monthly pace. This license renews on a date that varies by licensee.

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Full board policy details

Two-year licensure period, licensee-specific dates. "A person serving as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor shall apply for license renewal biennially to the department. An alcohol and drug counselor seeking license renewal shall submit proof of having successfully completed the requirements for such approved continuing education as may be established by regulations" (M.G.L. c. 111J s. 3). The CE Policy's "Licensure Period" is "the two-year period between license renewals which begins on the issue date of the license and ends on the expiration date of the license", and the Department states that "LADCs must renew their licenses every two years from the original issue date". 105 CMR 168.011(A) also provides that a license "shall expire on the first day of October of each even numbered year following the date of issuance of the original license or shall expire not more than two years from date of issue as determined by the department"; the Department's practice is the per-licensee two-year term, so the engine uses the window ending at each license's own expiration date.
Content. "Continuing professional education will be accepted for training and education activities approved by the Department related to alcohol and drug abuse counseling in the counselor core competency function areas" (105 CMR 168.015(A)). The CE Policy section 4(A) limits qualifying courses to six areas: (1) the counselor core functions (screening, intake, orientation, assessment, treatment planning, counseling, case management, crisis intervention, client education, referral, reports and record keeping, consultation); (2) pharmacology and psychopharmacology of alcohol and drugs; (3) the addiction process; (4) treatment models and methods including twelve step, self-help, harm reduction and relapse prevention; (5) interdisciplinary approaches, including clients with co-occurring disorders; (6) professional standards of practice, including diverse populations, HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, ethics and client safety. None of the six carries an hour floor, so no category requirement is encoded; a course outside them does not count.
Course standards. A course must be "at least fifty (50) consecutive minutes in length", come with an outline stating the contact hours, be presented by qualified individuals, keep an attendance record with each attendee's license number, issue a certificate only after completion and offer a written evaluation (CE Policy section 4(C)); 105 CMR 168.015(B) requires "a curriculum with specified goals and objectives (published in advance), appropriate credentials of the presenter, and written evaluation to be completed by participants".
Home study, "electronic or otherwise", is limited to 50 percent of the required hours (CE Policy section 3(C)), which the engine enforces as a 20-hour ceiling on self study and recorded credits. 105 CMR 168.015(B) says the Department's guidelines set "the eligibility requirements for distance learning and education"; the policy states no other distance rule.
Academic courses. The CE Policy defines an "Academic Credit Conversion Formula" for undergraduate or graduate credit, "1 credit = 15 hours. For example a 3-credit course would convert into 45 hours of continuing education" (section 2), documented by "an official transcript from the accredited post-secondary institution and a course description" (section 4(B)(7)). Log a passed course as its converted clock hours.
Licensed before the policy (historical). "Those licensed prior to the issuance of this continuing education policy shall complete no less than twenty-five hours of continuing education prior to initial licensure renewal. Forty hours of continuing education shall be required in all subsequent renewal cycles" (CE Policy section 3(B)). The policy took effect March 15, 2005, so every current licensee owes forty; no first-renewal reduction or exemption applies to anyone licensed since then ("Beginning with the initial licensure period", section 3(A)).
Tiers. The LADC I conducts "an independent practice of alcohol and drug counseling" and supervises other counselors; the LADC II practices "under clinical supervision"; the assistant provides "recovery based services under direct clinical and administrative supervision" (105 CMR 168.004; M.G.L. c. 111J s. 1). The CE Policy applies one forty-hour requirement to all three, which is why one rule scopes all three slugs. An upgrade from assistant to II or II to I is a new license with its own issue and expiration dates.
Other licenses. Mental health counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, nurses and physicians are exempt from c. 111J licensing (M.G.L. c. 111J s. 5(a); 105 CMR 168.005(A)) but may hold an LADC as well (168.005(D)). Neither the regulation nor the CE Policy credits or reduces hours for another license, so a dual licensee owes forty hours here in addition to the other license's own requirement. A course from a provider approved by a Massachusetts board of registration in social work, nursing, medicine, mental health professionals or psychology is a Recognized Entity course, so one qualifying course in a section 4(A) content area may be logged for both licenses.
Extension. "The Department may extend the deadline for completion of the required continuing education only upon a showing by the licensee that completion of such continuing education by the original deadline imposes an undue hardship due to unforeseen circumstances" (CE Policy section 3(D)). No waiver, inactive status or reduced-hours provision appears in the regulation or the policy.

Massachusetts LADC, LADC II & LADC Assistant CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Massachusetts LADC / LADC II / LADC Assistant licensees need?

Massachusetts requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LADC / LADC II / LADC Assistant license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How often do Massachusetts LADC / LADC II / LADC Assistant licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Can Massachusetts LADC / LADC II / LADC Assistant licensees complete CE online or by home study?

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Sources and verification

State source: Massachusetts board rule
Last verified: October 2026
Ruleset version: 2026.1

We reviewed this page against the Massachusetts 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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Massachusetts 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.Massachusetts mental health workforce data →67,140 active providers, or 938.5 per 100,000 residents, ranked 3 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

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