LCSW Continuing Education Requirements, by State
Every state asks licensed clinical social workers to complete continuing education each renewal cycle — a set number of hours, usually some ethics, and often state-specific categories. Here is what each state requires, sourced from the board itself.
Marcus Reyes, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker · Alabama
cycle
2024 – 2026
earned
19.0 hrs
needed
11.0 hrs
deadline
Jun 14, 2026
pace toward deadline
49
states covered
15–45
CE hours per cycle (range)
41
states with an ethics minimum
2026
most recent board check
01Built for LCSW board rules
We know what your board requires. Down to the hour.
Three examples below — the actual rules from California, Texas, and Ohio. Every category, every one-time requirement, every approved-provider constraint. We track them the same way: as named requirements you either meet or don’t, on a deadline that’s either soon or not.
Rules updated continuously from board sourcesLast verified · BBS-CA 08 May 2026 · BHEC-TX 08 May 2026 · CSWMFT-OH 08 May 2026
California
CA · LCSWBoard · BBS·Renews · Every 2 yrs
Total
36 hrs
Cycle
2-yr
Law & Ethics
REQUIRED EVERY RENEWAL CYCLE
6 hrs
EACH CYCLE
Suicide Risk Assessment
ONE-TIME REQUIREMENT
6 hrs
ONE-TIME
Telehealth
ONE-TIME REQUIREMENT
3 hrs
ONE-TIME
HIV/AIDS
FIRST RENEWAL ONLY
7 hrs
FIRST CYCLE
Child Abuse Assessment & Reporting
FIRST RENEWAL ONLY
7 hrs
FIRST CYCLE
Alcoholism & Chemical Dependency
FIRST RENEWAL ONLY
15 hrs
FIRST CYCLE
Provider rule
Hours must come from a BBS-approved CE provider, an accredited college, or an approved professional association.
Texas
TX · LCSWBoard · BHEC·Renews · Every 2 yrs
Total
30 hrs
Cycle
2-yr
Ethics
REQUIRED EVERY RENEWAL CYCLE
6 hrs
EACH CYCLE
Cultural Diversity / Competency
EACH RENEWAL CYCLE
3 hrs
EACH CYCLE
Human Trafficking
EACH RENEWAL CYCLE
1 hr
EACH CYCLE
Supervision
ACTIVE SUPERVISORS ONLY
6 hrs
IF APPLICABLE
Self-study / home study
PER RENEWAL CYCLE
≤1 hr
MAXIMUM
General practice content
ANY BOARD-APPROVED CE
20 hrs
REMAINDER
Provider rule
At least 50% of hours must come from BHEC-listed provider types; the remainder may come from any provider.
Ohio
OH · LISWBoard · CSWMFT·Renews · Every 2 yrs
Total
30 hrs
Cycle
2-yr
Ethics
REQUIRED EVERY RENEWAL CYCLE
3 hrs
EACH CYCLE
Supervision
LISW-S ONLY
3 hrs
IF APPLICABLE
General practice content
ANY BOARD-APPROVED CE
27 hrs
REMAINDER
Renewal
COUNTED FROM YOUR ISSUE DATE
License anniversary
RENEWAL
Provider rule
Hours must come from a CSWMFT-approved CE provider, an accredited college, or an approved professional association.
Board rules change — categories get added, hour totals shift, one-time requirements get retired or replaced. We track every change as it happens and reapply the new rules to your record automatically. If a board adds a one-hour update next year, your cycle progress updates the same week — and we’ll tell you what (if anything) you need to do.
LCSW CE requirements in every state we cover
Add a LCSW license in any of the highlighted states and the rules apply automatically — including license-abbreviation differences (LCSW, LISW, LCSW-C, LICSW, LMSW), board-approved provider lists, and state-specific one-time requirements.
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How tracking works for clinical social workers
Log every hour
Add each course as you complete it — drag in the certificate, and it's dated, tagged to a category, and bound to its source.
Pace toward renewal
See each requirement — total, ethics, and every category minimum — on its own bar against your LCSW deadline, not just the lump-sum total.
Renew with confidence
Know you're complete before you submit. Your full record is ready the moment your board asks for it.
LCSW continuing education: frequently asked
How often do clinical social workers renew their license?
It varies by state. Most LCSW licenses renew every two years (biennial), but some states are annual or triennial. Each state page above shows the exact cadence and due date.
How many CE hours do clinical social workers need?
Across the 49 states we cover, LCSW continuing education requirements range from 15 to 45 hours per renewal cycle. Open your state above for its exact total.
Do all states require ethics CE for LCSWs?
Most do. 41 of the 49 states we cover set a specific ethics-hours minimum for LCSW renewal; the rest fold ethics into general hours. Your state page lists the exact figure.
What counts as continuing education?
Board-approved courses, workshops, and (within limits) home-study or on-demand programs typically count, along with activities like teaching or publishing in some states. Many boards cap how much can be self-study and require provider approval — details are on each state page.
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