Kentucky LCSW & CSW Continuing Education Requirements
Kentucky clinical social workers must complete 30 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew their LCSW / CSW license, including 3 hours of code of ethics.
30
total hours / 3 years
3
code of ethics hours
Triennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's issue date.
Kentucky LCSW & CSW requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 30 hours every 3 years. |
| Renewal | Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary. |
| Code of Ethics | 3 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. |
| Other mandates | 6 hours of suicide assessment treatment management required every 6 years. |
| Other mandates | 1.5 hours of pediatric abusive head trauma required every 6 years. |
| Provisional renewal | The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 12 months (renewable) before full compliance is required. The Kentucky Board of Social Work may grant a CE extension of up to one year for documented illness, disability, or undue hardship under 201 KAR 23:075(5). Additional extensions may be requested if warranted. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 30 hours can come from.
- instructor creditmax 15 hrs
- board meeting attendancemax 6 hrs
Kentucky LCSW & CSWrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Kentucky requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 3 years cycle
- 6 hours of suicide assessment treatment management required every 6 years.
- 1.5 hours of pediatric abusive head trauma required every 6 years.
Full board policy details
- Under the amended 201 KAR 23:075, there is no overall cap on technology-mediated or home-study CE hours. All required CE may be earned in person or through technology-mediated learning, including the mandatory ethics and clinical supervision courses.
- The proposed telehealth-training mandate was deleted before adoption. The current Board page expressly says it was removed because the legislation did not pass; no telehealth hours are required for renewal.
- Board approval: CE programs from preapproved sponsors (ASWB, NASW and state chapters, Clinical Social Work Association, APA, ACA, NBCC, and CSWE-accredited schools) are automatically accepted. Programs from other sources must be submitted to the Board for approval. Ethics and clinical supervision courses must always be individually Board-approved.
- Course repeat restrictions: A licensee may claim instructor credit for teaching CE courses (up to half of the CE requirement), but credit shall not be issued for repeated instruction or attendance of the same course content or program within the same renewal period, unless the content has been substantially revised (201 KAR 23:075 §3(2)(c)).
- Inactive status: Kentucky does not exempt inactive licensees from CE. To go inactive or renew an inactive license, the licensee must submit CE certificates showing completion of all required CE hours, the same as for active renewal (201 KAR 23:055).
- Reactivation from inactive: A licensee may request return to active status within three years of going inactive by submitting a written request, payment, and CE certificates demonstrating that required CE was completed during the inactive period. If the inactive license is allowed to expire (over three months past renewal), the licensee must reapply under the initial licensure requirements of 201 KAR 23:051.
- Retired status: Kentucky does not establish a separate retired license category. A licensee who stops practicing must either go inactive or let the license expire; there is no retired-status CE exception.
- CE extension: Under 201 KAR 23:075(5), a licensee unable to meet CE due to documented illness, disability, or undue hardship may apply for an extension of up to one year. Statutorily mandated CE topics (e.g. pediatric abusive head trauma) remain required and cannot be waived.
- Instructor credit is limited to one-half of the renewal total and is not available for repeated instruction unless the program was substantially revised. Board-meeting attendance is limited to 6 hours per cycle. Article-authorship awards differ by license type and remain a manual credit-conversion check.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Kentucky LCSW / CSW record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Kentucky LCSW / CSW CE free →Kentucky LCSW & CSW CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Kentucky LCSW / CSW licensees need?
Kentucky requires 30 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew a LCSW / CSW license. Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How many ethics hours are required for Kentucky LCSW / CSW licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in code of ethics.
How often do Kentucky LCSW / CSW licensees renew?
Triennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
Is the first renewal different for new Kentucky LCSW / CSW 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
- Kentucky board rule
- Profession source
- ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the Kentucky board source and refreshed 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 →
Track your Kentucky LCSW / CSW CE without the spreadsheet.
Log your hours, watch every category pace toward your triennial renewal, and keep your certificates in one record. Free to start, no credit card required.
Create your free recordKentuckyguides & data
What to keep for a CE audit
What boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, what the notice looks like, and a printable checklist.
Kentucky mental health workforce data
18,646 active providers, or 404.7 per 100,000 residents, ranked 29 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.