Updated for 2026

Colorado PMHNP Continuing Education Requirements

Here's what a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) must complete to renew in Colorado.

These are the Colorado APRN license requirements for a board-certified PMHNP who prescribes controlled substances. Your RN license, ANCC certification and DEA registration renew separately; see every credential.

Topic minimums
2substance use prevention training (opioid prescribing, benzodiazepines, substance use disorders, PDMP)

The renewal cycle is biennial, and the license renews by September 30 of your renewal year. Every license expires September 30; the year varies by licensee.

Where this comes from
State source
Colorado board rule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.2

Every figure on this page is read from this rule, and the page refreshes when the ruleset changes. How we verify

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Requirements

Colorado PMHNP requirements

Topic minimums

Substance use prevention training (opioid prescribing, benzodiazepines, substance use disorders, PDMP)
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and the license renews by September 30 of your renewal year. Every license expires September 30; the year varies by licensee.
Approved providers
Colorado's Board of Nursing sets no continuing education for RN license or Advanced Practice Registry renewal, so it keeps no approved-provider list. The two substance use prevention hours owed by APRNs with prescriptive authority may be any relevant training: continuing education courses, self-study of scholarly articles or guidelines, peer review involving opioid prescribing, volunteer service, conference attendance, teaching or presenting (3 CCR 716-1, Rule 1.23(C)(2)), earned within the renewal period.
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 adds a late fee.

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.

Credential stack

Every credential a Colorado PMHNP renews

Each one renews on its own date, and a lapse at any of them stops prescribing. The ANCC certification and DEA registration are the same in every state.

  1. APRNAdvanced Practice Registered Nurse
    Colorado · Biennial

    2 hours of substance use prevention training (opioid prescribing, benzodiazepines, substance use disorders, PDMP) every 2 years.

    Requirements above
  2. RNRegistered Nurse
    Colorado · Biennial

    No CE hours to renew.

    Requirements above
  3. CSRState Controlled Substance Registration
    Colorado

    Colorado does not issue a separate CSR.

  4. PMHNP-BCPsychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified
    ANCC · Every 5 years

    75 CE hours every 5 years, including 25 hours of pharmacology.

    PMHNP-BC renewal requirements
  5. DEADEA Registration
    DEA · Triennial

    No recurring CE hours, but a one-time training applies.

    DEA renewal requirements
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.

Also hold a Colorado Psychologist or LPC license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Colorado Psychologist and Colorado LPC requirements.

Full board policy details
  • RN renewal has no hours: "Continuing education hours are not currently required in order to renew a Registered Nurse, Practical Nurse, Nurse Aide Certification, or Psychiatric Technician license in Colorado" (Board of Nursing FAQ). Continued competency is checked only on reinstatement or reactivation: a license "inactive or expired for two or more but less than five years" may be reinstated on "20 contact hours of continuing education for each two years without an active license", and five years or more requires a refresher course (3 CCR 716-1, Rule 1.1(G)(7)-(8)). That return-to-practice path is left in prose.
  • APR registration and national certification: inclusion on the Advanced Practice Registry requires "national certification from a nationally recognized accrediting agency ... in the appropriate role and population focus" (C.R.S. § 12-255-111(3)(b)), and to retain prescriptive authority "The advanced practice registered nurse shall maintain national certification ... unless the board grants an exception" (C.R.S. § 12-255-112(4)(b)(IV); Rule 1.15(E)(1): "must obtain and maintain national certification from a recognized Certifying Body"). Renewal of the APR registration "is required at the time of the APRN's Colorado professional nurse license renewal" (Rule 1.14(H)(1)), and continued competency is shown by "Meeting the requirements to maintain certification by a Certifying Body" (Rule 1.14(H)(3)). The Board adds no CE of its own; the certification's CE is ANCC's (us-pmhnp bc.yaml). National certification does not substitute for any Colorado hours because there are none, and PMHNP-BC is not treated as lifting the substance use prevention hours (see that requirement).
  • Substance use prevention training: owed by an APRN with provisional or full prescriptive authority at renewal and at reinstatement of prescriptive authority (Rule 1.23(C)(1), (C)(4); Rule 1.15(K)(4), (L)(2)); "Applicants for renewal or reinstatement shall attest during the application process to either their compliance with this substance use training requirement or their qualifying for an exemption" (Rule 1.23(C)(5)). Gated on a DEA row because an APRN who cannot prescribe opioids qualifies for the no-opioids exemption. Rule 1.23(C)(1) and (C)(5) still cross-reference the exemption as "Section (C)(3) of Rule 1.25", the rule's number before the 2025 renumbering. The enabling subsection of C.R.S. § 12-30-114 was deleted by SB 26-138 (signed June 2, 2026, effective August 12, 2026); the Board's rule remained in the CCR version effective March 17, 2026 and must be repealed by July 1, 2027.
  • Prescription drug monitoring program: as a condition of renewal "each licensee shall attest that the licensee is in compliance with section 12-280-403 (2)(a)" (C.R.S. § 12-255-110(3)(b), on and after July 1, 2024), the PDMP registration duty of a practitioner with authority to prescribe controlled substances. It is a registration and attestation, not continuing education, so it is not modeled.
  • Culturally relevant and affirming health-care training (C.R.S. § 12-30-119): the Board must give renewing licensees information about the Office of Health Equity's courses and "encourage participation"; it is not a requirement, so it is not modeled. Colorado has no implicit bias, human trafficking or other statewide CE mandate for nurses.

Colorado PMHNP CE: frequently asked questions

Which credentials does a Colorado PMHNP renew?

4 separate credentials, each on its own renewal date: the APRN (Colorado, biennial), the RN (Colorado, biennial), the PMHNP-BC (ANCC, every 5 years), and the DEA (DEA, triennial). Colorado issues no separate CSR. A lapse at any one of them stops prescribing.

How often do Colorado PMHNP licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and the license renews by September 30 of your renewal year. Every license expires September 30; the year varies by licensee.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Colorado PMHNP licensees?

Yes. Colorado requires 2 hours of substance use prevention training (opioid prescribing, benzodiazepines, substance use disorders, PDMP).

Sources and verification

State source
Colorado board rule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.2

We reviewed this page against the Colorado 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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Colorado 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.Colorado mental health workforce data →36,559 active providers, or 608 per 100,000 residents, ranked 11 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Colorado CE requirement pages

Colorado LPCColorado LMFTColorado LCSWColorado PsychologistColorado Addiction Counselor

PMHNP CE requirements in other states