Updated for 2026

Colorado Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements

Colorado psychologists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 35 hours of accredited coursework.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
35accredited coursework

Next deadline: August 31, 2027The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

What the board saysColorado board rule
A licensed psychologist shall complete forty (40) PDH each renewal cycle1 before renewing a license … A maximum of ten (10) PDH2 may be carried from the last renewal cycle to the next renewal cycle if the PDH were earned within three … (3) months of license expiration and are in excess of the forty (40) PDH required for the current renewal cycle. … With the exception of five (5) PDH3, activities must qualify as continuing education units, continuing medical education , or continuing education as approved and/or accredited4 by the American Psychological Association, State Medical Association, Accreditation Council For Continuing Medical Education, or by a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
What it means
  1. 40 hours each renewal cycle
  2. Up to 10 extra hours earned within 3 months of expiration carry into the next cycle
  3. Up to 5 hours may come from non-accredited activities
  4. The other 35 hours must be accredited continuing education
3 CCR 721-1, Rule 1.20Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.3How we verify
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Requirements

Colorado Psychologist requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 5 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Accredited Coursework
35
You need 35 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Non accredited coursework
max 5 hrs
Carryover
max 10 hrs

Up to 10 unused hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.
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
For accredited coursework, qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by apa approved provider, state professional association, accme accredited provider, and accredited university.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 5 years after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
The board allows a 60-day grace period after expiration. A late renewal adds a late fee.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 60 months before full compliance is required. No conditional/provisional registration exists for a CPD shortfall — all 40 PDH must be completed before renewal; a license may not be renewed until all CPD requirements for the cycle are completed (Rule 1.20 C.1.a(2)). The nearest analog is the 60-day post-expiration grace period with a delinquency fee (Rule 1.10 B), which is a late-renewal window, not a CE-shortfall accommodation.

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 August 31, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full Psychologist CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • 1 continuing education hour = 1 PDH (1:1). Online CE is expressly allowed and treated the same as live; there is no self-study/home-study cap and no minimum live/in-person hours. All 40 PDH may be earned online (Rule 1.20 C.4.A(2)-(3)).
  • ACCEPTABILITY STANDARDS: Except for up to 5 PDH, coursework activities must qualify as CEU/CME/CE approved or accredited by the American Psychological Association, a State Medical Association, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), or a regionally accredited institution of higher education (Rule 1.20 C.4.A(1)). No mandatory subject/topic hours exist for the base Licensed Psychologist; ethics is an optional allowable activity, not a required minimum.
  • PROVIDER MODEL: The Board does not pre-approve providers or courses (C.R.S. § 12-245-307(3); Rule 1.20 C.3.c). Qualifying-organization classes apply only to the coursework activity; teaching, publishing, and editorial-review activities are self-certified.
  • COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: Credit for developing and teaching a given academic course is earned only the first time within a licensure cycle (Rule 1.20 C.4.c(1)). Credit for developing and presenting a given workshop/seminar is earned only the first time within a cycle (Rule 1.20 C.4.e(1)). The rule is silent on re-taking the same attended CE course within a cycle (no express prohibition).
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive licensees are exempt from CPD while inactive and may not practice (Rule 1.21 A). Colorado has no separate 'retired' tier. REACTIVATION (from inactive): must comply with all Rule 1.20 CPD requirements within the two years immediately preceding application (Rule 1.21 E.1); if inactive > 2 years, must also pass the jurisprudence exam AND demonstrate competence via a work-experience statement, an average of 20 PDH per year expired (1.67/month), or retaking/passing the EPPP (Rule 1.21 F.1). REINSTATEMENT (from expired): comply with all Rule 1.20 CPD within the two preceding years (Rule 1.13 E.1); if expired > 2 years, jurisprudence exam plus one of 20 PDH per year expired, retake/pass EPPP, or (if practicing in a non-CPD jurisdiction) verification + work statement (Rule 1.13 F.1). MANUAL REVIEW: the duration-dependent makeup (20 PDH per year expired/inactive) scales with time and cannot be represented as a fixed conditional requirement.
  • MILITARY EXEMPTION (only enumerated CPD exemption): a psychologist called to federally funded active duty > 120 days for a war/emergency/contingency may request an exemption from CPD for the renewal, reinstatement, or reactivation covering the two-year period within the service period or within six months after service ends; must be approved by DPO with written evidence (Rule 1.20 E; Rule 1.10 C; C.R.S. § 12-20-302). No general hardship/illness/disability CPD waiver is provided in the codified rule.
  • REACTIVATION/REINSTATEMENT COMPETENCE SUBSTITUTION: for licensees inactive/expired more than 2 years, retaking and passing the EPPP is an available route to demonstrate competence in lieu of the make-up PDH (Rule 1.21 F.1; Rule 1.13 F.1).
  • MULTI-LICENSE CREDIT REUSE: a person licensed in more than one DORA mental-health profession still completes only 40 PDH total to satisfy all such renewals (CPD Manual Rev. 2/2025). Informational only; the engine evaluates one license at a time.
  • NEW LICENSEE BUMP: a license issued within 120 days of the upcoming Aug-31 renewal expiration is issued with the next expiration date (DORA Applications page). Mid-cycle initial licenses prorate at 1.67 PDH per month or portion thereof (Rule 1.20 C.3.d).
  • PSYPACT OVERLAY (informational, not part of the CO 40-PDH requirement): Colorado participates in PSYPACT (C.R.S. § 12-245-308). APIT/TAP mobility authorizations are issued and renewed annually by the PSYPACT Commission/ASPPB, not the Colorado board; E.Passport renewal requires 3 hours of telepsychology-related CE, separate from and not counting toward the CO requirement.

Colorado Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Colorado Psychologist licensees need?

Colorado requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a Psychologist license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

How often do Colorado Psychologist licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.

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

Yes. Colorado requires 35 hours of accredited coursework.

Is the first renewal different for new Colorado Psychologist 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
Colorado board rule
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

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

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Psychologist CE requirements in other states