Updated for 2026

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.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
3ethics and boundaries or telehealth
2medical errors

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

What the board saysFlorida board rule
A licensee shall not be required to complete continuing education for the first renewal1 of licensure. For each subsequent renewal, licensee must complete 30 hours2 of approved continuing education credit. Courses shall include: (a) Two hours on the prevention of medical errors3; and (b) Three hours relating to professional ethics and boundary issues or telehealth4. These courses may be taken in any order, however, the same course may not be taken in consecutive renewal periods.
What it means
  1. No CE is required for the first renewal
  2. 30 hours each renewal after the first
  3. 2 hours on medical errors
  4. 3 hours on ethics and boundaries or telehealth
Rule 64B4-6.001, F.A.C.Last verified October 2026Ruleset 2026.5How we verify
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Requirements

Florida LMFT requirements

Total

30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of odd years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 30

The remaining 25 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics and Boundaries or Telehealth
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.
Medical Errors
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Presenter or moderator
max 10 hrs
Graduate course instruction
max 5 hrs
Board meeting attendance
max 3 hrs
Nonclinical
max 6 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of odd years.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$120. On-time biennial total: $115 renewal fee plus the $5 unlicensed-activity surcharge.
Rule 64B4-4.005, F.A.C.Section 456.065(3), F.S.
Inactive renewal$55. On-time biennial total: $50 inactive renewal fee plus the $5 surcharge. The board also lists $55 for active-to-inactive renewal before expiration.
Rule 64B4-4.0052, F.A.C.Section 456.065(3), F.S.
Delinquency (late fee)$105. Adds to renewal fees. After expiration, the board lists $225 for active-to-active and $160 for inactive-to-inactive renewal; status changes cost more.
Rule 64B4-4.007, F.A.C.
Reactivation from inactive$50. Additional reactivation fee, plus current renewal fees: the board lists $170 for inactive-to-active renewal before expiration. CE and other reactivation requirements also apply.
Rule 64B4-4.0051, F.A.C.Section 491.008, F.S.
Change of status$105. Additional processing fee when changing status outside the beginning of a licensure cycle. After expiration, the board lists $265 for active-to-inactive and $380 for inactive-to-active renewal.
Rule 64B4-4.006, F.A.C.

These are renewal totals and additional charges, not amounts to add together in every case. The board has a separate schedule for 120-day notified delinquent renewals. Fingerprint retention may add $43.25 when due; CE courses and other background-screening costs are separate. Confirm the amount for your status with the board.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-26. Board fee schedule.

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 adds a $105 late fee.

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 March 31, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Florida LMFT required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Florida requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 2-year 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.
  • You need 2 hours of domestic violence every 6 years.
  • You need 3 hours of laws and rules 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.

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. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is 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?

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

How much does Florida LMFT license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$120. On-time biennial total: $115 renewal fee plus the $5 unlicensed-activity surcharge.
Rule 64B4-4.005, F.A.C.Section 456.065(3), F.S.
Inactive renewal$55. On-time biennial total: $50 inactive renewal fee plus the $5 surcharge. The board also lists $55 for active-to-inactive renewal before expiration.
Rule 64B4-4.0052, F.A.C.Section 456.065(3), F.S.
Delinquency (late fee)$105. Adds to renewal fees. After expiration, the board lists $225 for active-to-active and $160 for inactive-to-inactive renewal; status changes cost more.
Rule 64B4-4.007, F.A.C.
Reactivation from inactive$50. Additional reactivation fee, plus current renewal fees: the board lists $170 for inactive-to-active renewal before expiration. CE and other reactivation requirements also apply.
Rule 64B4-4.0051, F.A.C.Section 491.008, F.S.
Change of status$105. Additional processing fee when changing status outside the beginning of a licensure cycle. After expiration, the board lists $265 for active-to-inactive and $380 for inactive-to-active renewal.
Rule 64B4-4.006, F.A.C.

These are renewal totals and additional charges, not amounts to add together in every case. The board has a separate schedule for 120-day notified delinquent renewals. Fingerprint retention may add $43.25 when due; CE courses and other background-screening costs are separate. Confirm the amount for your status with the board.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-26. Board fee schedule.

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 and verification

State source
Florida board rule
Fee schedule
Florida board fee schedule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.5

We reviewed this page against the Florida 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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Florida guides & data

Baker Act training in Florida →Find out who actually needs a Baker Act certificate, what the training covers, and how it fits alongside 491-board CE.Florida domestic violence CE requirement →This guide covers the one-time course due after initial licensure and the 2 hours required every third renewal.Florida qualified supervisor training →This guide covers the 12-hour course to become a board-qualified supervisor and the 4-hour refresher every third renewal.Florida laws & rules CE →This guide covers 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 →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.Florida mental health workforce data →66,391 active providers, or 283 per 100,000 residents, ranked 45 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Florida CE requirement pages

Florida LPCFlorida LCSWFlorida PsychologistFlorida PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states