Florida LMHC Continuing Education Requirements
Florida counselors must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMHC license, including 3 hours of ethics or telehealth and 2 hours of medical errors.
30
total hours / 2 years
2
medical errors hours
3
ethics or telehealth hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Florida LMHC 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 or Telehealth | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Medical Errors | 2 hours required each cycle. |
| 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 national professional association, state professional association, accredited university, and governmental agency and recognized associations in counseling, mft, and social work. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $105 late fee. |
| One-time requirements | One-time 3-hour HIV/AIDS education course required by first renewal (Fla. Stat. §491.0065). New licensees may either complete the course as part of the licensure application, or sign an affidavit at application and complete the course within 6 months of initial licensure. The affidavit path is a deferral, not a waiver — the course must still be completed. Functions as a standalone prerequisite that precedes the first CE-required cycle. (3 hours, one time). |
| One-time requirements | One-time 2-hour domestic violence course from a board-approved provider, required within 6 months of initial licensure. No waiver or exemption applies based on submission timing with the licensure application — the 6-month post-licensure deadline is firm. (2 hours, one time). |
| One-time requirements | One-time 8-hour Florida laws and rules course required before initial licensure issuance. (8 hours, one time). |
| Other mandates | 3 hours of florida laws and rules required every 6 years. |
| Other mandates | 2 hours of domestic violence required every 6 years. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 30 hours can come from.
- board meeting attendancemax 3 hrs
- presenter or moderatormax 10 hrs
- graduate course instructionmax 5 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 LMHCrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Florida requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
One-time requirements
- One-time 3-hour HIV/AIDS education course required by first renewal (Fla. Stat. §491.0065). New licensees may either complete the course as part of the licensure application, or sign an affidavit at application and complete the course within 6 months of initial licensure. The affidavit path is a deferral, not a waiver — the course must still be completed. Functions as a standalone prerequisite that precedes the first CE-required cycle. (3 hours, one time).
- One-time 2-hour domestic violence course from a board-approved provider, required within 6 months of initial licensure. No waiver or exemption applies based on submission timing with the licensure application — the 6-month post-licensure deadline is firm. (2 hours, one time).
- One-time 8-hour Florida laws and rules course required before initial licensure issuance. (8 hours, one time).
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- 3 hours of florida laws and rules required every 6 years.
- 2 hours of domestic violence required every 6 years.
Full board policy details
- No limit on home-study or online CE hours; all 30 hours may be completed via self-paced or distance learning from approved providers. No minimum in-person or live-classroom requirement.
- Maximum 10 hours per biennium may be claimed for serving as a presenter or moderator at CE programs.
- Maximum 5 hours per biennium may be claimed for teaching a graduate-level course in the field.
- Up to 3 hours of general CE may be earned per biennium for attending a Board meeting.
- Course repeat restrictions: The same Ethics or Telehealth course topic may not be taken in consecutive renewal periods — licensees must alternate. Identical courses may not be claimed twice within the same renewal period. Teaching/presenter credit is capped per biennium regardless of how many times the same material is delivered.
- Approved providers — named credentialing and CE-sponsor bodies: In addition to the generic provider-type categories above, the Florida Board explicitly recognizes named credentialing bodies as approved CE sources. These include the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC, including NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Providers / ACEP) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB, including ASWB- Approved Continuing Education Providers / ACE). Courses sponsored or approved by these organizations are accepted toward the 30-hour requirement. Accepted named sponsors include but are not limited to NBCC and ASWB, alongside AAMFT, APA, and other national/state professional associations, accredited universities, and governmental agencies in the mental health field. CE Broker is the system of record for approved-provider verification.
- License status — inactive: Inactive licensees are not required to complete CE while in that status. To reactivate within 4 years of inactivity, the licensee must complete the 30 CE hours required for the immediately preceding biennium (see reactivation_ce conditional requirement above).
- License status — retired: Retired licensees are not required to complete CE while in that status. Reactivating a retired license requires completion of the CE hours that would have been required during the most recent biennium of active practice, and may require additional coursework or an examination if the license has been retired for an extended duration. If the license has been in retired status for more than two consecutive biennia (i.e., 4+ years), the Board may require proof of continued competency before authorizing a return to active status — competency may be demonstrated through additional coursework, a re-examination, supervised practice, or other Board-specified evidence in addition to the standard CE catch-up.
- Military servicemembers on active duty and their spouses assigned out-of-state are exempt from CE during the qualifying period. The Board may grant case-by-case hardship extensions. Florida does not offer a conditional active license to complete CE after the deadline; failure to complete CE results in delinquent status.
- Dual licensees (e.g., LMHC + LMFT or LMHC + LCSW) under Chapter 491 may generally apply the same approved CE credits to both licenses since cycles and requirements coincide.
- Approved sex therapy or hypnosis certification program completion satisfies all 25 general hours of CE for that renewal period.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Florida LMHC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Florida LMHC CE free →Florida LMHC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Florida LMHC licensees need?
Florida requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMHC license. Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How many ethics hours are required for Florida LMHC licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics or telehealth.
How often do Florida LMHC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How much does Florida LMHC 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 LMHC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Florida requires 2 hours of medical errors.
Is the first renewal different for new Florida LMHC 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
- Florida board rule
- Fee schedule
- Florida board fee schedule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.4
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 LMHC 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.