Updated for 2026

Colorado LMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Colorado marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license.

40hours every 2 years

Next deadline: August 31, 2027The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

What the board saysColorado board rule
Licensed marriage and family therapists shall complete forty PDH each renewal cycle1 in order to renew their license or certification … A maximum of five PDH2 may be carried from the last renewal cycle to the next renewal cycle if the PDH were earned within three months of license expiration and are in excess of the forty PDH required for the current renewal cycle.
What it means
  1. 40 hours each renewal cycle
  2. Up to 5 extra hours earned within 3 months of expiration carry into the next cycle
4 CCR 736-1, Rule 1.18Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.3How we verify
Start free trialExplore the demo →

It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.

Requirements

Colorado LMFT requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Single activity
max 20 hrs per activity
Carryover
max 5 hrs

Up to 5 unused hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.
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.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 5 years after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.

To keep your proof in order, see what to keep for a CE audit, which covers every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.

Your hours

Check where you stand

Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before August 31, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

Also hold a Colorado LPC or LCSW license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Colorado LPC and Colorado LCSW requirements.

Full board policy details
  • The fixed biennial renewal cycle runs from September 1 of an odd-numbered year through August 31 of the next odd-numbered year. The next cycle begins September 1 immediately after the August 31 expiration.
  • No more than 20 PDH in any single Professional Development Activity (PDA) may be credited in one renewal cycle. Board-approved PDA types are volunteering, mentoring, presenting, supervision, publishing, coursework, independent learning, and group learning. This is one general per-PDA limit; the LMFT rule does not state separate teaching or publication caps.
  • A creditable activity must enhance, improve, or maintain LMFT competence. The licensee must be able to show or describe how it provided new knowledge or skills, or sharpened existing skills through synthesis of new knowledge. The Board may deny PDH that do not satisfy this substantive standard.
  • Colorado does not pre-approve individual CE providers or courses. A licensee may choose any source when the activity fits a Board-approved PDA type and satisfies the professional-competence standard. The LMFT rule does not restrict credit to enumerated provider types or disciplines.
  • Presenting and publishing are eligible PDA types, but the LMFT regulation does not establish a 3-to-1 workshop-presentation multiplier, a 10-PDH academic-credit teaching multiplier, or a first-presentation-only rule. Service on a federal, state, or municipal board or commission is ineligible.
  • The regulation does not impose a categorical repeat-course ban. Each claimed activity must nevertheless satisfy the new-knowledge or skill-enhancement standard, and the Board may deny credit when it does not.
  • Original, reinstated, and reactivated licenses issued during a renewal cycle accrue 1.66 PDH for each month or portion of a month licensed in the current cycle. Reactivation does not create a prorated 40-hour makeup requirement for prior inactive cycles.
  • Up to 5 excess PDH may carry to the next cycle when earned within three months before license expiration. The carried hours must exceed the 40 PDH required for the cycle in which they were earned.
  • Continuing professional competency is demonstrated through the required assessment, learning plan, activities, and documentation. It does not require retaking the examination used for initial LMFT licensure, and an examination does not substitute for the cycle's required PDH.
  • First-cycle PDH accrue at 1.66 hours for each month or portion of a month licensed. The displayed total approximates this as 40 hours multiplied by licensed calendar months divided by 24, rounded to the nearest whole hour. The partial issuance month counts because this cycle ends September 1. Whole-hour rounding can understate the Board formula: eight months displays 13 hours versus 13.28 PDH. Complete at least 1.66 times the number of months or partial months licensed, even when the displayed total is lower.

Colorado LMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Colorado LMFT licensees need?

Colorado requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

How often do Colorado LMFT licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

Is the first renewal different for new Colorado LMFT 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
Colorado board rule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

We reviewed this page against the Colorado 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

Make your next renewal easier.

Add your Colorado LMFT license and every requirement on this page becomes a checklist on your record.

Start free trialExplore the demo

30 days free, no credit card.

Colorado guides & data

What to keep for a CE audit →Learn what boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, and what the notice looks like, then use the printable checklist.Colorado mental health workforce data →36,559 active providers, or 608 per 100,000 residents, ranked 11 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Colorado CE requirement pages

Colorado LPCColorado LCSWColorado PsychologistColorado Addiction CounselorColorado PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states