Updated for 2026

North Dakota LMFT & LAMFT Continuing Education Requirements

What a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT / LAMFT) must complete to renew in North Dakota.

Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline

North Dakota LMFT & LAMFT requirements

Requirement	Notes
Total continuing education	See the board source for the total-hour requirement.
Renewal	Biennial cycle: CE due by December 31 of odd years.
New licensees	First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply 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 allows a late fee.

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).

We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.

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North Dakota LMFT & LAMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How often do North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT licensees renew?

Biennial cycle: CE due by December 31 of odd years.

Is the first renewal different for new North Dakota LMFT / LAMFT licensees?

First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.

Sources & verification

State source: North Dakota board rule
Last verified: July 2026
Ruleset version: 2026.2

Reviewed against the North Dakota 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 →

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North Dakotaguides & data

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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.

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