Updated for 2026

North Carolina LMFT & LMFTA Continuing Education Requirements

North Carolina marriage and family therapists must complete 20 continuing education hours per year to renew their LMFT / LMFTA license, including 3 hours of ethics.

20hours per year
Topic minimums, counted within the 20
3ethics

Next deadline: June 30, 2027The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 each year.

What the board saysNorth Carolina board rule
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associates shall submit each year1 with the license renewal forms proof of 20 hours1 of continuing education credits … Ongoing supervision by an AAMFT approved supervisor or AAMFT supervisor candidate may be utilized by the supervisee for up to 12 hours2 of continuing education … Three hours of the required 20 hours3 of continuing education shall consist of ethics training3 in the provision of professional mental health services for each renewal period. (e) The maximum number of hours of continuing education credits for presenting4 a continuing education course in marriage and family therapy or teaching a course in marriage and family therapy at a recognized educational institution is five4.
What it means
  1. 20 hours every year
  2. No more than 12 hours from ongoing supervision
  3. 3 hours of ethics
  4. No more than 5 hours for presenting or teaching
21 NCAC 31 .0701Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.3How we verify
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Requirements

North Carolina LMFT & LMFTA requirements

Total

20 hoursYou need 20 hours per year. The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 each year.

Topic minimums, counted within the 20

The remaining 17 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Presenter
max 5 hrs
Professional service
max 12 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 each year.
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 June 30, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • No delivery-format cap. There is no restriction on the number of hours obtained on-line or in person; both live and on-line courses are accepted. There is no live-vs.-self-study distinction in the MFT rule. However, CE credit shall not be accepted for independent learning undertaken without peer or other guidance, review, input, supervision, or monitoring.
  • Presenting a CE course or teaching a course at a recognized educational institution is capped at 5 hours per renewal.
  • Ongoing supervision by an AAMFT approved supervisor or AAMFT supervisor candidate may be utilized by the supervisee for up to 12 hours of continuing education per renewal.
  • Graduate-coursework conversion: a 3 semester-hour graduate course = 45 contact hours, a 1 semester-hour graduate course = 15 contact hours, and a 1 quarter-hour graduate course = 10 credit hours. Evidence of completion for graduate coursework is a transcript verifying course completion.
  • Non-admissible categories: credit shall not be accepted for (1) regular work activities, administrative staff meetings, case staffing, or reporting; (2) membership in, holding office in, or participation on boards/committees, business meetings of professional organizations, or banquet speeches; (3) independent learning without peer or other guidance/review/input/supervision/monitoring; (4) training related to agency policies and procedures; or (5) non-therapy content programs such as finance or business management.
  • COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: The rule does not separately address repeating the same course within a cycle. All presenting/teaching credit, regardless of how many times a course is taught, is capped at 5 hours per renewal.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES: While a license is on inactive status, no renewal fee or CE is due, and there is no time limit on inactive status as long as the annual $50 inactive maintenance fee is submitted by July 1 of each year. There is no retired status. To reactivate from inactive status, the licensee must submit the renewal request, document the required CE for the most current two-year period, and pay the $200 reactivation fee; the Board considers requests for return to active status on an individual basis. A license expired for nonpayment or CE noncompliance may be reinstated within two years of expiration by paying the $200 reinstatement fee and documenting CE equal to the hours required had the license not expired. A license expired for more than two years shall not be reinstated; the person must reapply, paying the applicable license application fees and meeting the licensing requirements under Sections .0200 and .0300 of the Chapter. Undue-hardship CE waivers up to 12 months, waivers for licensees on active military duty (including active-duty service members or their spouses deployed outside the United States, for any renewal year), and armed-forces federal-tax-extension waivers are available on request.

North Carolina LMFT & LMFTA CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do North Carolina LMFT / LMFTA licensees need?

North Carolina requires 20 continuing education hours per year to renew a LMFT / LMFTA license. The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 each year.

How many ethics hours are required for North Carolina LMFT / LMFTA licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.

How often do North Carolina LMFT / LMFTA licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 each year.

Sources and verification

State source
North Carolina board rule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

We reviewed this page against the North Carolina 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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North Carolina 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.North Carolina mental health workforce data →44,456 active providers, or 397 per 100,000 residents, ranked 32 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other North Carolina CE requirement pages

North Carolina LPCNorth Carolina LCSWNorth Carolina PsychologistNorth Carolina Addiction CounselorNorth Carolina PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states