Florida LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Florida marriage and family therapists must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 3 hours of ethics and boundaries or telehealth and 2 hours of medical errors.
30
total hours / 2 years
2
medical errors hours
3
ethics and boundaries or telehealth hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Florida LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 30 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years. |
| Renewal fee | $115 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $105 fee. |
| Ethics and Boundaries or Telehealth | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Medical Errors | 2 hours required each cycle. |
| New licensees | New licensees are placed into the ongoing statewide biennium, so the first license expires on the next March 31 of an odd-numbered year. No CE is required for that first (partial) cycle and hours are not pro-rated — the full 30-hour requirement begins with the first complete biennium after the initial renewal. |
| Approved providers | Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by state licensing board, board approved sponsor, national professional association, accredited university, nbcc approved provider, apa approved provider, and nasw approved provider and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, and psychology. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $105 late fee. |
| Other mandates | Newly licensed LMFTs must complete a 2-hour Board-approved domestic violence course within the first 6 months of initial licensure. This initial course is SEPARATE from the recurring every-third-renewal domestic violence requirement — both apply. Completing it at licensure means the course does not have to be repeated at the first applicable third-renewal deadline, but the 2-hour domestic violence CE remains due at every third biennial renewal thereafter. It does not count toward renewal CE (no CE is required in the first cycle). |
| Other mandates | A 3-hour HIV/AIDS course must be completed before or within 6 months of initial licensure (or an affidavit filed committing to complete within 6 months). One-time licensure prerequisite; does not count toward renewal CE. |
| Other mandates | An 8-hour Florida laws-and-rules course is required prior to initial LMFT licensure. One-time licensure prerequisite; distinct from the 3-hour laws-and-rules CE due every third renewal; does not count toward renewal CE. |
| Other mandates | 2 hours of domestic violence required every 6 years. |
| Other mandates | 3 hours of laws and rules required every 6 years. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 30 hours can come from.
- presenter or moderatormax 10 hrs
- graduate course instructionmax 5 hrs
- board meeting attendancemax 3 hrs
Keeping the proof in order: what to keep for a CE audit, with every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.
Florida LMFTrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Florida requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- Newly licensed LMFTs must complete a 2-hour Board-approved domestic violence course within the first 6 months of initial licensure. This initial course is SEPARATE from the recurring every-third-renewal domestic violence requirement — both apply. Completing it at licensure means the course does not have to be repeated at the first applicable third-renewal deadline, but the 2-hour domestic violence CE remains due at every third biennial renewal thereafter. It does not count toward renewal CE (no CE is required in the first cycle).
- A 3-hour HIV/AIDS course must be completed before or within 6 months of initial licensure (or an affidavit filed committing to complete within 6 months). One-time licensure prerequisite; does not count toward renewal CE.
- An 8-hour Florida laws-and-rules course is required prior to initial LMFT licensure. One-time licensure prerequisite; distinct from the 3-hour laws-and-rules CE due every third renewal; does not count toward renewal CE.
- 2 hours of domestic violence required every 6 years.
- 3 hours of laws and rules required every 6 years.
Full board policy details
- There is no limit on the number of hours earned through home study or distance-learning courses; 100% of the 30 hours may be earned via distance learning. Florida does not distinguish live vs. home-study credit, but distance-learning courses must include a post-test and meet provider standards. There is no minimum in-person or live-contact requirement.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: The only explicit repeat prohibition is on the ethics/boundaries-or-telehealth requirement — the same course may not be taken in consecutive renewal periods (topics must alternate). Presenters/moderators receive credit on a one-time basis per program (max 10 hours per biennium). Teaching a graduate-level course earns credit one time per course (Board caps academic-teaching credit at 5 hours per biennium). Attending a full day of Board disciplinary hearings earns 3 hours of risk-management credit, claimable once per cycle. No CE credit is given for a licensee's regular job activities, professional-organization membership/office, unstructured independent study, or authoring/editing publications.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive and retired licensees owe no CE while in that status. To reactivate, the licensee must complete the CE required for all biennial licensure periods during which the license was inactive/retired (e.g. 30 hours per missed cycle). A license inactive/retired for more than two consecutive biennial cycles may require additional competency demonstration (e.g. a special-purpose exam) before reactivation. Delinquent licensees must complete past-due CE (30 hours for the lapsed cycle) plus fees to reactivate within the following cycle, or the license becomes null and void. Spouses of active-duty military members absent from Florida due to the military assignment are exempt from renewal (including CE) during the qualifying absence.
- Disciplinary CE ordered by the Board (e.g. a special ethics course due to a violation) is in addition to the hours required for renewal and does not count toward the 30-hour requirement.
- A licensee who holds two or more Board licenses (e.g. LMFT and LMHC/LCSW) may use the same 30 hours to satisfy the renewal requirements for each license, provided the required topics are met. The statutory domestic-violence course need only be taken once to satisfy all licenses held by the same person.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Florida LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Florida LMFT CE free →Florida LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Florida LMFT licensees need?
Florida requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How many ethics hours are required for Florida LMFT licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics and boundaries or telehealth.
How often do Florida LMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How much does Florida LMFT license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $115 every 2 years, per the Florida board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $105 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Florida LMFT licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Florida requires 2 hours of medical errors.
Is the first renewal different for new Florida LMFT licensees?
New licensees are placed into the ongoing statewide biennium, so the first license expires on the next March 31 of an odd-numbered year. No CE is required for that first (partial) cycle and hours are not pro-rated — the full 30-hour requirement begins with the first complete biennium after the initial renewal.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Florida board rule
- Fee schedule
- Florida board fee schedule
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.3
Reviewed against the Florida 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 Florida LMFT CE without the spreadsheet.
Log your hours, watch every category pace toward your biennial renewal, and keep your certificates in one record. Free to start, no credit card required.
Create your free recordFloridaguides & data
Baker Act training in Florida
Who actually needs a Baker Act certificate, what the training covers, and how it fits alongside 491-board CE.
Florida domestic violence CE requirement
The one-time course due after initial licensure and the 2 hours required every third renewal.
Florida qualified supervisor training
The 12-hour course to become a board-qualified supervisor and the 4-hour refresher every third renewal.
Florida laws & rules CE
The 8-hour pre-licensure course and the 3-hour laws-and-rules CE due every third renewal.
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.
Florida mental health workforce data
66,391 active providers, or 283 per 100,000 residents, ranked 45 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.