Updated for 2026

Oregon LPC Continuing Education Requirements

Oregon counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC license, including 6 hours of law & ethics, 4 hours of cultural competency, and 2 hours of suicide risk assessment.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
6law & ethics
4cultural competency
2suicide risk assessment

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

What the board saysOregon board rule
Licensees must complete at least 40 continuing education clock hours within each reporting period1 … Licensees must complete the following minimum continuing education requirements in each reporting period: (a) Six clock hours of training in professional ethics and/or Oregon State laws and regulations2 pertaining to the practice of professional counseling or marriage and family therapy … (c) Four clock hours of training in cultural competency3; and (d) Two clock hours of training dedicated to the topic of suicide risk assessment, treatment, and management4 … Continuing education activities for which licensees can obtain a maximum of 20 clock hours5 within a two year reporting period: (A) Publication activities5 … (B) Professional presentations5 … Continuing education activities for which licensees can obtain a maximum of 10 clock hours6 within a two year reporting period …
What it means
  1. 40 hours every two years
  2. 6 hours of ethics or Oregon law
  3. 4 hours of cultural competency
  4. 2 hours on suicide risk assessment and treatment
  5. No more than 20 hours from publications and presentations
  6. No more than 10 hours from professional service or paid supervision
OAR 833-080-0011, 833-080-0041Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.6How we verify
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Requirements

Oregon LPC requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 28 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Law & Ethics
6
You need 6 hours each cycle.
Cultural Competency
4
You need 4 hours each cycle.
Suicide Risk Assessment
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Publication and first time presentation combined
max 20 hrs
Professional service
max 10 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
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 national professional association, regional professional association, state professional association, accredited university, governmental agency, human services organization, and individual approved provider.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 2 years after the end of each cycle.
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 your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LPC CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • Home study, distance learning, internet courses, and tele-courses have no hour cap, all 40 hours may be completed via online/self-paced study. There is no live-vs-online minimum and no per-day maximum.
  • Academic coursework converts at 15 clock hours per semester credit and 10 clock hours per quarter credit, with no cap on the number of academic hours counted.
  • Approvable CE programs must be at least one clock hour in duration; activities shorter than 60 minutes are not creditable unless combined into full-hour increments.
  • Presentations earn 2 CE hours per 1 hour of presentation time (covering preparation). No credit is allowed for repeat presentations unless the program content was substantially changed and required significant additional study or research. The rule does not impose a general attendee repeat-course ban.
  • Inactive status, Licensees on inactive status are exempt from CE while inactive (OAR 833-080-0011(5)). To reactivate, the licensee must document 40 hours of CE meeting all Division 80 requirements completed within the 24 months immediately preceding reactivation. Because this is a separate lookback rather than the ordinary reporting cycle, it remains a manual review. If inactive more than 5 years, the licensee must also retake and pass the Oregon law and rules exam.
  • Post-reactivation prorated CE, After an inactive licensee is reactivated, the residual CE obligation for the remainder of that renewal cycle (from reactivation date through next renewal) is prorated, in addition to the 40 hours documented to reactivate.
  • Medical-hardship waivers, The Board may grant a waiver or extension of CE requirements (in whole or in part, including deadline extensions) for a documented medical condition under OAR 833-080-0021. Requires written request on Board forms with a signed statement from a health care provider.
  • Dual LPC/LMFT licensure, A single set of 40 CE hours (with the required topic minima) satisfies renewal for both licenses when a licensee holds both. The Board treats CE as a unified requirement for its licensees.
  • First renewal with initial license period > 12 months, The 12-month-or-less CE exemption for new licensees (OAR 833-080-0011(4)) applies only when the licensee has been licensed 12 months or less on their first renewal date. If the initial licensure period exceeds 12 months, no partial proration is provided and the full 40-hour CE requirement (including all topic minima) applies for that first renewal.
  • Supervision-received CE credit eligibility, Only the licensee RECEIVING supervision for professional growth may claim CE credit for it (within the 10-hour professional service/consultation cap). Supervision received to fulfill licensure requirements or as part of disciplinary action is NOT creditable. The licensee PROVIDING supervision does not receive CE credit for providing it.
  • NBCC-approved programs, Programs approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) are explicitly accepted as approved CE under OAR 833-080-0041(2). The Board does not pre-approve specific providers or courses, but NBCC approval is one of the named pathways that automatically qualifies a program.

Oregon LPC CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Oregon LPC licensees need?

Oregon requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

How many ethics hours are required for Oregon LPC licensees?

Of the total, 6 hours must be in law & ethics.

How often do Oregon LPC licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Oregon LPC licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Oregon requires 4 hours of cultural competency, 2 hours of suicide risk assessment.

Is the first renewal different for new Oregon LPC 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
Oregon board rule
Profession source
NBCC continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.6

We reviewed this page against the Oregon 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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Oregon 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.Oregon mental health workforce data →40,053 active providers, or 937.2 per 100,000 residents, ranked 4 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Oregon CE requirement pages

Oregon LMFTOregon LCSWOregon PsychologistOregon Addiction CounselorOregon PMHNP

LPC CE requirements in other states