Updated for 2026

Virginia LPC Continuing Education Requirements

Virginia counselors must complete 20 continuing education hours per year to renew their LPC license, including 2 hours of ethics standards or law.

20

total hours / year

2

ethics standards or law hours

Annual renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline

Virginia LPC requirements

RequirementNotes
Total continuing education20 hours per year.
RenewalAnnual cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years.
Ethics Standards or Law2 hours required each cycle.
New licenseesFirst renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Approved providersQualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by accredited university, governmental agency, licensed health facility, national professional association, state professional association, regional professional association, credentialing body, other state counseling board, and aascb approved sponsor and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, psychiatry, addiction, rehabilitation counseling, and pastoral counseling.
RecordkeepingKeep CE documentation for 2 years after each renewal.
Board auditThe board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewalA late renewal allows a late fee.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Board caps and floors on where the 20 hours can come from.

  • journal articlemax 8 hrs
  • book authorshipmax 18 hrs
  • first time presentationmax 8 hrs
  • teaching new coursemax 8 hrs
  • dissertationmax 18 hrs
  • clinical supervision receivedmax 10 hrs
  • leadership servicemax 8 hrs
  • volunteer servicemax 2 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.

Total hours
20 hours per year.
Renewal
Annual cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years.
Ethics Standards or Law
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 accredited university, governmental agency, licensed health facility, national professional association, state professional association, regional professional association, credentialing body, other state counseling board, and aascb approved sponsor and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, psychiatry, addiction, rehabilitation counseling, and pastoral counseling.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 2 years after each renewal.
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 20 hours may be completed via approved home-study or online courses; no required in-person minimum and no overall cap on self-paced hours from approved providers.
  • Up to 2 CE hours per cycle may come from unpaid counseling to low-income individuals via qualifying clinics, at a conversion of 1 CE hour per 3 hours of service.
  • Practice-related (non-clinical) training that enhances practice may be counted up to 8 hours with board-acceptable justification.
  • Instructor/presenter rule: the same presentation may be claimed for CE credit only once in any two-year period; only actual presentation time counts.
  • Repeating the same CE course within the same renewal cycle does not yield additional credit; each CE activity is generally creditable only once per cycle.
  • Dissertation credit may be counted only once. Article, book, presentation, course-development, supervision-received, and leadership limits are activity categories rather than delivery formats.
  • Inactive status: licensees on inactive status are not required to complete CE during the inactive period and may not practice until reactivating.
  • Reactivation from inactive status requires 20 hours per year inactive (max 80 hours), all earned within the 4 years immediately preceding reactivation.
  • After a long inactive period, the Board may additionally require proof of competency to practice (beyond CE makeup hours) as a condition of reactivation.
  • Reinstatement from a lapsed (expired) license follows the same CE catch-up: up to 80 hours within the prior 4 years, mirroring the inactive reactivation policy.
  • The Board may grant a one-time extension of up to 12 months for good cause if requested in writing before the renewal deadline; the CE requirement is delayed, not waived.
  • The Board may waive all or part of CE for circumstances beyond the licensee's control (e.g., temporary disability, mandatory military service, officially declared disasters).
  • Dual licensees under the Virginia Board of Counseling (e.g., LPC + LMFT or LPC + LSATP) may use the same 20 CE hours (including 2 ethics) to renew all such licenses; no separate hour pool is required per credential.
  • Disciplinary CE ordered by the Board as part of a sanction does not count toward the regular 20-hour renewal requirement.
  • Virginia does not allow exam re-taking or supervised experience to substitute for the CE clock-hour requirement.
  • All CE activities (including publications, presentations, leadership service, course development, and academic coursework) must come from approved sources and meet Board criteria; no activity type is exempt from the approved-provider requirement.
  • CE providers approved by another state's counseling board or by the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB) are recognized as acceptable sponsors.

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

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Virginia LPC CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Virginia LPC licensees need?

Virginia requires 20 continuing education hours per year to renew a LPC license. Annual cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years.

How many ethics hours are required for Virginia LPC licensees?

Of the total, 2 hours must be in ethics standards or law.

How often do Virginia LPC licensees renew?

Annual cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years.

Is the first renewal different for new Virginia LPC 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

Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

Reviewed against the Virginia 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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Virginiaguides & data

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.

Virginia mental health workforce data

29,924 active providers, or 337 per 100,000 residents, ranked 39 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Virginia CE requirement pages

Virginia LMFTVirginia LCSWVirginia Psychologist

LPC CE requirements in other states

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming