California LCSW Continuing Education Requirements
California clinical social workers must complete 36 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW license, including 6 hours of law & ethics.
36
total hours / 2 years
6
law & ethics hours
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
California LCSW requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 36 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Law & Ethics | 6 hours required each cycle. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Approved providers | CE must be earned from a board-approved provider. |
Full board policy details
- No general self-study or online-format cap applies to LCSW renewals under the current BBS CE regulations.
- Instructor/teaching credit: A licensee who teaches a course provided by a board-accepted provider may claim credit for the course only one time during a single renewal period. A maximum of 18 CE hours may be met by teaching courses during a single renewal period.
- Inactive status: Licensees holding inactive status are exempt from CE requirements while inactive, but must renew inactive status every two years and pay the inactive renewal fee. Inactive licensees may not engage in activity requiring an active license, including providing psychotherapy, supervising, or signing off on experience hours.
- Retired status: Licensees on retired status may not practice and are exempt from renewal and CE requirements while retired.
- Reactivation from inactive: Requires 18 CE hours if the license expires less than one year from the reactivation request date, or 36 CE hours if the license expires more than one year from the reactivation request date. Required law and ethics and applicable one-time CE requirements must also be satisfied.
- Restoration from retired: Requires 18 CE hours (including 6 hours of law and ethics) if the license was placed on retired status less than one year before the restoration request, or 36 CE hours (including 6 hours of law and ethics) if it was placed on retired status one or more years before the restoration request.
- Late renewal: An expired active license may be renewed late within 3 years of the expiration date after completing the required CE hours for the lapsed period. A license that has been expired for more than 3 years cannot be renewed; the licensee must apply for a new license.
- Renewal attestation: At renewal, the licensee must certify under penalty of perjury on the renewal application that the required CE for the renewal period has been completed.
- BBS random CE audits: The Board conducts random CE audits. A licensee selected for audit must produce certificates of completion documenting the full 36 hours of CE (and any applicable one-time or subcategory hours) completed during the renewal period.
- CE waiver — disability: A licensee may apply for a one-cycle CE waiver if a documented physical or mental disability substantially limited the licensee's life activities and reduced earned income below the Social Security disability substantial gainful activity level for at least one year of the renewal period.
- CE waiver — primary caregiver: A licensee may apply for a one-cycle CE waiver if the licensee served as the primary caregiver for an immediate family member with a total physical or mental disability for at least one year of the renewal period.
- Waiver request procedure: Waiver requests must be submitted in writing on the Board's prescribed form at least 60 days before the license expiration date.
- Law and ethics persists through waiver: Even when a one-cycle CE waiver is granted, the licensee must still complete the 6 hours of law and ethics CE for that renewal period.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your California LCSW record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track California LCSW CE free →California LCSW CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do California LCSW licensees need?
California requires 36 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for California LCSW licensees?
Of the total, 6 hours must be in law & ethics.
How often do California LCSW licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Is the first renewal different for new California LCSW licensees?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- California board rule
- Profession source
- ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the California board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is informational only and not legal or board advice. Always verify requirements with your licensing board before you renew. See something wrong? Report it →
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