South Carolina LPC & LAC Continuing Education Requirements
South Carolina counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC / LAC license, including 6 hours of ethics and 1 hour of suicide prevention.
40
total hours / 2 years
6
ethics hours
1
suicide prevention hours
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
South Carolina LPC & LAC requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Ethics | 6 hours required each cycle. |
| Suicide Prevention | 1 hour 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, regional professional association, state professional association, and board approved sponsor and recognized associations in counseling, mft, and addiction counseling. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a late fee. |
Full board policy details
- All 40 hours may be earned in person or online. No minimum in-person requirement and no cap on online/self-study hours beyond the activity-specific caps.
- Up to 20 hours per two-year period may be earned through alternative professional activities (first-time presentations, peer-reviewed publications, preparation of a new course), with each individual activity capped at 5 hours.
- Course repeat restriction: CE credit for teaching is granted only for the first-time presentation of a paper, workshop, or seminar. Repeating the same presentation in the same cycle does not earn additional credit. A published paper may be used for CE credit only once (ever).
- Excess CE hours may NOT be carried forward to the next renewal cycle. Each cycle's hours must be earned within the September 1 – August 31 biennial reporting window.
- License status: South Carolina does not offer a formal inactive or retired status for LPCs/LMFTs. A licensee who does not renew lets the license lapse — no CE is required while lapsed, but the licensee may not practice. Reinstatement requires payment of a reinstatement fee plus the current renewal fee and proof of CE completion for the missed cycle. Lapses of more than 5 years use a different reinstatement application and may require additional board-imposed requirements.
- Dual supervisor credentials (e.g. LPC-S and LMFT-S): the 10 hours of supervision CE may be divided as equally as possible among each supervised discipline.
- Dual licensure (e.g. holding both an LPC and an LMFT under this board): the 50-hour requirement includes 6 hours of ethics and 1 hour of suicide prevention, with the remaining 43 hours distributed 'as equally as possible' between counseling-related and MFT-related content areas. The rule does not impose a strict numerical floor for each discipline; the split is qualitative ('as equally as possible').
- Alternative professional activities (first-time presentations, peer-reviewed publications, preparation of a new course) are not exempt from board oversight — they are pre-approved categories defined by rule, subject to the 5-hour per-activity cap and the aggregate 20-hour-per-cycle cap, and must be properly documented. Publications may be used for CE credit only once ever.
We turn all of this (every category, format limit, and one-time rule) into a live checklist on your South Carolina LPC / LAC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track South Carolina LPC / LAC CE free →South Carolina LPC & LAC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do South Carolina LPC / LAC licensees need?
South Carolina requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC / LAC license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for South Carolina LPC / LAC licensees?
Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.
How often do South Carolina LPC / LAC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for South Carolina LPC / LAC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, South Carolina requires 1 hour of suicide prevention.
Is the first renewal different for new South Carolina LPC / LAC 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
- South Carolina board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- May 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the South Carolina board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is informational only and not legal or board advice. Always verify requirements with your licensing board before you renew. See something wrong? Report it →
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