| State | LPC ethics / cycle | LMFT ethics / cycle | LCSW ethics / cycle | Psychologist ethics / cycle | Addiction Counselor ethics / cycle | Board's name for it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | – | n/a | Ethics · Professional Issues and Ethics |
| Alaska | 3 / 2 years | 2 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| Arizona | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics or Mental Health Law · Professional Ethics |
| Arkansas | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 1 year | – | Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| California | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 9 / 2 years | Law & Ethics · Ethics |
| Colorado | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Connecticut | 3 / 1 year | – | – | – | – | Professional Ethics |
| Delaware | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| District of Columbia | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6 / 2 years | Ethics |
| Florida | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics or Telehealth · Ethics and Boundaries or Telehealth · Ethics and Laws |
| Georgia | 5 / 2 years | 5 / 2 years | 5 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| Hawaii | – | 6 / 3 years | 3 / 3 years | – | 6 / 2 years | Ethics · Substance use disorder (professional) ethics |
| Idaho | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 2 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics · Professional Ethics · Law & Ethics |
| Illinois | 3 / 2 years | – | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics |
| Indiana | – | – | – | 6 / 2 years | – | Ethics |
| Iowa | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | – | n/a | Ethics · Social Work Ethics |
| Kansas | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics · Professional Ethics · Professional Ethics Allowed Activities D1 D2 D4 D6 |
| Kentucky | – | 3 / 1 year | 3 / 3 years | 3 / 3 years | 3 / 3 years | Ethics · Code of Ethics · Ethics or Risk Management |
| Louisiana | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | – | 2 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Ethics · Ethics or Law |
| Maine | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | Ethics · Social Work Ethics |
| Maryland | – | – | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | – | Ethics and Professional Practice · Law & Ethics |
| Massachusetts | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Michigan | – | – | 5 / 3 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics |
| Minnesota | – | 3 / 2 years | 2 / 2 years | – | 3 / 2 years | Ethics · Social Work Ethics |
| Mississippi | 6 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 2 / 2 years | 2 / 2 years | Ethics or Legal · Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| Missouri | – | – | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics |
| Montana | – | – | – | 2 / 2 years | – | Ethics |
| Nebraska | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | – | Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| Nevada | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics · Scientific and Professional Ethics |
| New Hampshire | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Ethics |
| New Jersey | 5 / 2 years | 5 / 2 years | 5 / 2 years | – | – | Ethics Legal · Law & Ethics · Ethics |
| New Mexico | 12 / 2 years | 12 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 12 / 2 years | Ethics · Professional Ethics |
| New York | – | – | – | 3 / 3 years | 6 / 3 years | Law & Ethics · Ethics |
| North Carolina | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 1 year | 4 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics |
| North Dakota | 3 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 2 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Ethics · Social Work Ethics · Ethics or Law |
| Ohio | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics · Ethics or Cultural Competency |
| Oklahoma | 3 / 1 year | 3 / 1 year | 3 / 1 year | – | 3 / 1 year | Ethics · Mental Health Ethics |
| Oregon | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Law & Ethics · Ethics |
| Pennsylvania | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics |
| Rhode Island | – | – | 3 / 2 years | – | 3 / 2 years | Ethics |
| South Carolina | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | – | – | 6 / 2 years | Ethics |
| South Dakota | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | – | 4 / 2 years | Ethics · Social Work Ethics |
| Tennessee | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Ethics and Jurisprudence · Law & Ethics · Professional Ethics · Ethics |
| Texas | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Ethics |
| Utah | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Ethics Law or Technology · Ethics · Law & Ethics |
| Vermont | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 1.5 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | Professional Ethics · Ethics |
| Virginia | 2 / 1 year | 2 / 1 year | 6 / 2 years | 1.5 / 1 year | 2 / 1 year | Ethics · Ethics Standards Law · Law & Ethics |
| Washington | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 4 / 3 years | 4 / 2 years | Law & Ethics · Ethics and Law · Ethics |
| West Virginia | 3 / 2 years | – | 1 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | n/a | Ethics |
| Wisconsin | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | 6 / 2 years | 4 / 2 years | Ethics and Boundaries · Law & Ethics |
| Wyoming | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | 3 / 2 years | Professional Ethics · Ethics |
Swipe the table for more columns →A dash means the published rule states no separate ethics minimum, and "n/a" means there's no published rule for that profession. Hours are per renewal cycle, not per year, and each cell shows the cycle length.
Ethics CE: common questions
How many ethics CE hours do most states require?
Among the 187 state rules (of 240 tracked for LPC, LMFT, LCSW, Psychologist, Addiction Counselor) that state an explicit ethics minimum, the median is 3 hours per renewal cycle. Requirements range from 1 hour to 6 or more, and cycle lengths differ, so always read the figure against your state's cycle.
What if my state isn't listed with an ethics minimum?
A dash means the board's rule doesn't carve out a separate ethics minimum. Ethics coursework still counts toward the general total, and some boards fold ethics into a jurisprudence or laws-and-rules requirement instead. Check the linked state page for the full rule.
Do ethics hours count toward the total CE requirement?
In nearly every state, yes: the ethics minimum is a carve-out within the total, not an addition to it. The linked state pages note the exceptions.
What counts as an ethics course?
Boards name the bucket differently (ethics, law and ethics, ethics and boundaries, jurisprudence) and approve courses against their own definition. See our guide to what counts as ethics CE for how to verify a course before renewal.