Updated for 2026

North Dakota LMFT & LAMFT Continuing Education Requirements

North Dakota marriage and family therapists must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT / LAMFT license, including 6 hours of ethics.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
6ethics

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

What the board saysNorth Dakota board rule
Licensed marriage and family therapists must complete a minimum of thirty hours of continuing education every two years1, of which six hours must be ethics2 … Home study courses related to marriage and family therapy … Programs must have an independently graded test component. No more than one-half, or fifteen continuing education unit hours3, of the required thirty continuing education hours may be earned by this method.
What it means
  1. 30 hours every 2 years
  2. 6 hours of ethics
  3. No more than 15 hours of home study
N.D. Admin. Code 111-02-01-06Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

North Dakota LMFT & LAMFT requirements

Total

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

Topic minimums, counted within the 30

The remaining 24 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
6
You need 6 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 15 hrs

Up to 15 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by December 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.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by board approved sponsor, board approved individual activity, and aamft approved provider.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a late fee.
Your hours

Check where you stand

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

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • Home study / self-study courses must have an independently graded test component. No more than one-half (15 of the 30 required hours) may be earned by home study; by operation of this cap at least 15 hours must come from structured/instructor-led activity (NDAC 111-02-01-06(4)(b)).
  • Instructor-led / interactive media (conventions, workshops, seminars, lectures, graduate/postgraduate courses, interactive media) count as live/structured education and are outside the 15-hour home-study cap (NDAC 111-02-01-06(4)(b)(1)).
  • Course approval: "A course may not be counted toward a licensee's continuing education requirements unless it has been approved by the board" (NDAC 111-02-01-06(4)). Approval arrives by one of three pathways. (i) A SPONSOR may obtain approval from the board for a course it offers (NDAC 111-02-01-06(11)). (ii) A LICENSEE may apply to the board for individual approval of a course, and must do so within sixty days after the event (NDAC 111-02-01-06(6)). (iii) All American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy approved continuing education is deemed approved by the board (NDAC 111-02-01-06(6)(d)). Approvals issued by another state's MFT board are NOT automatically accepted and must be separately approved by the NDMFTLB (NDAC 111-02-01-06(6)(d)). A sponsor applies on its own behalf for course approval; separately, a licensee who attends a course the board has not approved may still secure credit by applying for individual approval within sixty days after the event. Research, authoring/editing/reviewing, presentations, and individually designed activities require board PREAPPROVAL (NDAC 111-02-01-06(6); 111-02-01-06(7)(c)-(f)) and are not exempt from the approval requirement; the board has final say on the hours awarded for an individually designed activity.
  • A board-approved supervisor or AAMFT-approved supervisor must dedicate ten percent (3 of the 30 CE units) to courses on supervision; these count toward the 30-hour total and recur each biennial cycle (NDAC 111-02-01-06(2); 111-02-02-05(4)).
  • Course repeat restrictions: CE hours may be earned only for the first time the licensee teaches a course (10 CE hours per semester credit-hour, MFT course at a regionally accredited institution); only for the licensee's first presentation on a developed subject (up to 3 development hours per presentation hour, 1:1); and authoring/publishing credit only in the year of publication (book up to 30h; book chapter or journal article up to 15h; editing up to 25h; journal-article review 1h per manuscript). Research and individually designed activities require board preapproval (NDAC 111-02-01-06(7)).
  • Excluded content: CE may not be applied for marketing/business aspects, time management, supervisory sessions, staff orientation, procedural agency activities, personal therapy, or methods not structured on sound education principles or contrary to the code of ethics (NDAC 111-02-01-06(7)).
  • License status rules: A non-expired license may claim a CE exemption by affidavit if retired and not practicing, permanently disabled (with physician statement), emeritus, or called to active military duty (NDAC 111-02-01-06(9)). Emeritus status (age 62+) is expressly CE-exempt (NDAC 111-02-04-05(3)).
  • Reactivation from an exemption: before resuming practice the licensee must give written notice and submit CE equivalent to what would have been required for the five years (or any portion) immediately preceding the notice of intent to resume (NDAC 111-02-01-06(10)).
  • Reinstatement of an expired license: if expired under 5 years, submit CE that would have applied had the license not expired plus late fees; if expired 5 years or more, retake the written examination and submit the equivalent CE plus late fees (NDAC 111-02-04-03).

North Dakota LMFT & LAMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT licensees need?

North Dakota requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT / LAMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by December 31 of odd years.

How many ethics hours are required for North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT licensees?

Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.

How often do North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT licensees renew?

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

Can North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT licensees complete CE online or by home study?

Up to 15 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Is the first renewal different for new North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT 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
North Dakota board rule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the North Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Dakota mental health workforce data →3,482 active providers, or 435.6 per 100,000 residents, ranked 26 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other North Dakota CE requirement pages

North Dakota LPCNorth Dakota LCSWNorth Dakota PsychologistNorth Dakota Addiction CounselorNorth Dakota PMHNP

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