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.
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Licensees must complete 36 hours of continuing education during each renewal period1 (the two-year period that spans from the first day after the license's prior expiration date to the current license expiration date), including 6 hours of Law and Ethics2 during each renewal period. … Licensees renewing after July 1, 2023 may only claim a maximum of 18 hours3 each renewal period for teaching a course3.
- 36 hours every two-year renewal period
- 6 hours of law and ethics
- No more than 18 hours from teaching
It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.
California LCSW requirements
Total
Topic minimums, counted within the 36
- Law & Ethics
- 6
- You need 6 hours each cycle.
Limits on how the hours are earned
- Teaching
- max 18 hrs
- Board exam development panel service
- max 6 hrs
Cycle and record rules
- Renewal
- The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
- Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status Status / fee Amount and conditions Active renewal $220. Biennial total including $20 education-fund fee. Delinquent active renewal total $320. Includes the $100 additional delinquency charge. CE course costs are separate. Late renewal does not authorize practice on an expired license.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
- New licensees
- The first renewal is different. New licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements, such as prorated hours or first-cycle-only rules, and we apply them automatically.
- Approved providers
- CE must be earned from a board-approved provider.
- Late renewal
- A late renewal adds a $100 late fee.
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 LCSW CE hours calculatorAlso hold a California LPC or LMFT license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the California LPC and California LMFT requirements.
California LCSW required trainings and mandates
Beyond the 36-hour CE total, California requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.
One-time requirements
- One-time 6-hour suicide risk assessment and intervention training required for licensees who renew or reactivate after January 1, 2021. (6 hours, one time).
- One-time 3-hour training or coursework in the provision of mental health services via telehealth required for licensees who renew or reactivate after July 1, 2023. (3 hours, one time).
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.
- BBS examination-development panel service earns up to 6 hours per renewal period and may be applied only to the 6-hour law-and-ethics requirement.
- 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.
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. The renewal cycle is biennial and is 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?
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How much does California LCSW license renewal cost?
| Status / fee | Amount and conditions |
|---|---|
| Active renewal | $220. Biennial total including $20 education-fund fee. |
| Delinquent active renewal total | $320. Includes the $100 additional delinquency charge. |
CE course costs are separate. Late renewal does not authorize practice on an expired license.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
Is the first renewal different for new California LCSW licensees?
The first renewal is different. New licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements, such as prorated hours or first-cycle-only rules, and we apply them automatically.
Sources and verification
- State source
- California board rule
- Fee schedule
- California board fee schedule
- Profession source
- ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.5
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
Other California CE requirement pages
LCSW CE requirements in other states
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