Updated for 2026

Tennessee LCSW Continuing Education Requirements

Tennessee clinical social workers must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCSW license, including 6 hours of professional ethics and 1 hour of tn law and rules.

total hours / 2 years

professional ethics hours

tn law and rules hours

two-thirds

home study / self-study cap

Biennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's birth month.

Tennessee LCSW requirements

Requirement	Notes
Total continuing education	30 hours every 2 years.
Renewal	Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.
Professional Ethics	6 hours required each cycle.
TN Law and Rules	1 hour required each cycle.
Format limits	At most two-thirds of hours may be home study / self-study.
Other mandates	Tennessee Public Chapter 621 (2022), codified at Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-1-170, requires all healthcare professionals — including licensed social workers — to complete an implicit bias training program. Current licensees as of the effective date were required to complete the training by December 31, 2022; anyone licensed on or after January 1, 2022 must complete it within one year of initial licensure. This is a statutory mandate SEPARATE from the 30-hour CE total and does NOT count toward CE hours.

Full board policy details

At most two-thirds (66.7%) of CE hours per 2-year cycle may be earned via multi-media / distance learning (online self-paced, correspondence, etc.). At least one-third of hours must therefore be live or in-person.
Per Board policy, synchronous (live, interactive) online courses — e.g. live webinars and videoconferences that allow the attendee to engage in real time — count as in-person attendance and are NOT counted against the 66.7% multi-media cap.
Provider approval — Tennessee does not pre-approve CE providers or courses. Credit may be earned from any qualified source (universities, professional associations, employers, etc.) provided the content is relevant to social work practice or ethics. CE Broker is recommended for tracking but not required.
COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS — Instructor credit: Tennessee allows CE credit only for the FIRST presentation of a given training. An instructor may claim one CE hour per hour taught, plus up to one hour of preparation per hour taught, but only for the initial offering of that content. Repeating the same course in the same cycle does not earn additional instructor credit.
COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS — Attendee repeats: The rule does not explicitly prohibit a licensee from taking the same course twice in a renewal period. However, hours cannot be double-counted across multiple social work licenses — a licensee holding both an LCSW and an LMSW must earn separate, non-duplicated CE hours for each (§ 1365-01-.09 — no duplication between the four categories).
LICENSE STATUS RULES — Inactive / expired: A licensee on inactive status or whose license has lapsed is not required to earn CE during the period of inactivity. To reinstate within 3 years of expiration, the licensee must document completion of the CE that would have been required during the lapsed period (§ 1365-01-.07).
LICENSE STATUS RULES — Retired reactivation: If reactivation from retired status is requested within one year of retirement, the licensee must submit proof of having completed the CE requirements for the license within the 12 months immediately preceding reactivation; those hours do not count toward the next renewal. If reactivation occurs more than one year after retirement, standard reinstatement rules apply.
LICENSE STATUS RULES — No conditional / provisional renewal: Tennessee does not offer a conditional or provisional renewal for licensees short on CE. All CE must be completed prior to renewal; shortfalls may result in late fees or disciplinary action rather than a provisional extension.
First renewal — No reduction or proration applies to an LCSW's first renewal. The full 30-hour, 6-hour-ethics, 1-hour-TN-law requirement applies to every renewal, including the first. (The exam-study substitution at first renewal applies only to LBSW/LMSW, not LCSW.)
Multiple licenses — A licensee holding more than one social work license under the Board (e.g. LCSW + LMSW) must earn separate CE hours for each license. Ethics and TN law/rules hours may satisfy the topical requirement for both, but total hours cannot be duplicated across categories (§ 1365-01-.09).

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Tennessee LCSW CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Tennessee LCSW licensees need?

Tennessee requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCSW license. Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.

How many ethics hours are required for Tennessee LCSW licensees?

Of the total, 6 hours must be in professional ethics.

How often do Tennessee LCSW licensees renew?

Biennial cycle: renews at the end of your birth month.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Tennessee LCSW licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Tennessee requires 1 hour of tn law and rules.

Can Tennessee LCSW licensees complete CE online or by home study?

At most two-thirds of hours may be home study / self-study.

Sources & verification

State source: Tennessee board rule
Profession source: ASWB ACE continuing education guidance
Last verified: May 2026
Ruleset version: 2026.1

Reviewed against the Tennessee 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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Other Tennessee CE requirement pages

Tennessee LPC