Updated for 2026

North Carolina LCMHC, LCMHCS & LCMHCA Continuing Education Requirements

North Carolina counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA license, including 3 hours of ethics and 5 hours of jurisprudence exam credit.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
5jurisprudence exam credit
3ethics

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by June 30 every 2 years, based on your license expiration year.

What the board saysNorth Carolina board rule
Documents that shall be included with the renewal form are the following: (1) certificate of completion of the jurisprudence examination1 for the level of license that is being renewed … Forty contact hours2 of continuing counselor education, including a minimum of three contact hours of ethics3, shall be completed within the two-year license renewal period2 … Continuing counselor education provided by one of the following national organizations, their affiliates or by a vendor approved by one of the following organizations shall be approved for no more than 15 contact hours4 for any given renewal period … The maximum contact hours awarded for presenting5 professional activities or workshops is five5.
What it means
  1. Jurisprudence exam certificate filed with each renewal
  2. 40 hours every two years
  3. 3 hours of ethics
  4. No more than 15 hours from second-tier providers
  5. No more than 5 hours for presenting
21 NCAC 53 .0602, .0603Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.6How we verify
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Requirements

North Carolina LCMHC, LCMHCS & LCMHCA requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by June 30 every 2 years, based on your license expiration year.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 32 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Jurisprudence Exam Credit
5
You need 5 hours each cycle. Jurisprudence Exam Credit: submit the certificate for the required Board exam at renewal. Completion awards five contact hours of CE and fulfills the ethics requirement; five is the credit award, not a required exam duration. Board guidance: https://www.ncblcmhc.org/licensure/applying/jurisprudence.
Ethics
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Secondary tier provider
max 15 hrs
Presenter
max 5 hrs
Publication
max 10 hrs
Leadership service
max 10 hrs
Professional service
max 10 hrs
Doctoral dissertation
max 10 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by June 30 every 2 years, based on your license expiration year.
New licensees
Your first renewal period runs from issuance through the second June 30. It requires 30 contact hours when shorter than two full years; a full two-year period requires 40.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by aca approved provider, aascb approved sponsor, nbcc approved provider, crcc approved provider, aamft approved provider, apa approved provider, nasw approved provider, naadac approved provider, national professional association, and accredited university.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 7 years after each course's completion date.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
The board allows a 365-day grace period after expiration.

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 your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LPC CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • Jurisprudence Exam Credit: submit the certificate for the required Board exam at renewal. Completion awards five contact hours of CE and fulfills the ethics requirement; five is the credit award, not a required exam duration. Board guidance: https://www.ncblcmhc.org/licensure/applying/jurisprudence.
  • Fully accepted (unlimited hours) providers: American Counseling Association (ACA), American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB), National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), and their approved vendors/affiliates.
  • Secondary-tier provider organizations (AACC, AAMFT, APA, NAADAC, NASW, etc.) are capped at 15 contact hours per 2-year renewal period. This is a provider-category cap and applies regardless of delivery method (live, online, or self-study).
  • Up to 5 contact hours per cycle for presenting workshops/seminars in approved content areas. The 5-hour cap applies regardless of how many times the licensee presents (including repeat presentations of the same material).
  • Up to 10 contact hours per cycle for authoring a published counseling article or book chapter. Multiple publications do not increase the 10-hour cap.
  • Up to 10 contact hours per cycle for holding a leadership office or board position in a professional counseling organization (minimum 6 months of service). Multiple roles do not increase the 10-hour cap.
  • Up to 10 contact hours per cycle for doctoral work toward a counseling-related dissertation.
  • Up to 10 contact hours per cycle for receiving post-licensure clinical supervision.
  • Academic coursework: 1 semester hour = 15 contact hours; must be in counseling-related subjects.
  • No CE limit on online/self-study format itself; acceptability depends on whether the activity is offered by an approved provider. No minimum in-person/live requirement. No per-day hour cap.
  • The rule does not impose a general attendee repeat-course ban.
  • Inactive/retired status: NC LCMHC Board does not offer an inactive or retired license status. Licensees must renew or allow the license to expire; no CE exemption is available.
  • Reactivation after expiration (within 1 year): licensee must complete the required CE hours for the missed period PLUS an additional 20 penalty hours. These penalty hours do not count toward the next cycle. The licensee may not practice during this make-up period. After 1 year of lapse, the person must reapply for licensure as new.
  • Hardship CE extension (up to 1 year): granted by the Board on written request submitted by May 1 of the expiration year, for (a) active military deployment, (b) major illness of the licensee or immediate family with medical documentation, or (c) death in the immediate family. CE earned during an extension applies only to the missed period, not the next cycle. License is not active for practice during the extension until CE is completed and license renewed.
  • Active-duty military waiver: CE may be waived for the period a federal tax-filing extension is granted under G.S. 105-249.2.
  • Dual licensure with NC LMFT: each board's CE requirements must be met separately; the same course may count toward both licenses if it satisfies each board's criteria, but each license is audited independently.

North Carolina LCMHC, LCMHCS & LCMHCA CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do North Carolina LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA licensees need?

North Carolina requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by June 30 every 2 years, based on your license expiration year.

How many ethics hours are required for North Carolina LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.

How often do North Carolina LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by June 30 every 2 years, based on your license expiration year.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for North Carolina LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, North Carolina requires 5 hours of jurisprudence exam credit.

Is the first renewal different for new North Carolina LCMHC / LCMHCS / LCMHCA licensees?

Your first renewal period runs from issuance through the second June 30. It requires 30 contact hours when shorter than two full years; a full two-year period requires 40.

Sources and verification

State source
North Carolina board rule
Profession source
NBCC continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.6

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 LMFTNorth Carolina LCSWNorth Carolina PsychologistNorth Carolina Addiction CounselorNorth Carolina PMHNP

LPC CE requirements in other states