Arizona Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Arizona physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants. A physician assistant license renews every other year on or before the licensee's birthday. A renewal filed within 30 days after the birthday carries a penalty fee, and a license that is not renewed within 90 days after the birthday automatically expires, after which the physician assistant must apply for licensure again. Arizona also mandates specific subjects. Opioid related, substance use disorder related or addiction related continuing medical education: 3 CME credits every renewal cycle.

Arizona Physician Assistant renewal and continuing education rules

"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.

A.R.S. 32-2523 requires 40 hours of category I continuing medical education approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association or another accrediting organization acceptable to the board, completed before the renewal date. The requirement is waived for a licensee who holds a certification in good standing from a board approved certifying body, which is how most Arizona physician assistants satisfy it through NCCPA certification maintenance. Arizona therefore sets a real state hour count and lets national certification stand in its place, rather than deferring to NCCPA outright.

Required CE topics for Arizona physician assistants

State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.

Documentation and audit

Common questions

How many CE hours does a Arizona PA need to renew?

Arizona physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants. A.R.S. 32-2523 requires 40 hours of category I continuing medical education approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association or another accrediting organization acceptable to the board, completed before the renewal date. The requirement is waived for a licensee who holds a certification in good standing from a board approved certifying body, which is how most Arizona physician assistants satisfy it through NCCPA certification maintenance. Arizona therefore sets a real state hour count and lets national certification stand in its place, rather than deferring to NCCPA outright.

How often does a Arizona PA license need to be renewed?

Physician Assistant licenses in Arizona renew every two years. A physician assistant license renews every other year on or before the licensee's birthday. A renewal filed within 30 days after the birthday carries a penalty fee, and a license that is not renewed within 90 days after the birthday automatically expires, after which the physician assistant must apply for licensure again.

What specific CE topics are required for Arizona physician assistants?

Opioid related, substance use disorder related or addiction related continuing medical education: 3 CME credits every renewal cycle. Citations: opioid related, substance use disorder related or addiction related continuing medical education (A.R.S. 32-3248.02).

Do Arizona physician assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

The board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Category I continuing medical education approved by the AAPA, AMA, AOA or another accrediting organization acceptable to the board. The board randomly audits at least ten percent of renewing physician assistants who do not hold current national board certification.

Sources

Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• A.R.S. 32-2523, Renewal of license, Arizona Revised StatutesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• PA Renewal Opioid CME, Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician AssistantsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• A.R.S. 32-3248.02, Opioid, substance use disorder and addiction related continuing educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026

Arizona does not regulate physician assistants through the Arizona Medical Board. The Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants is a separate board with its own site at azpa.gov, and that is the regulator cited here. Both the two year birthday cycle and the 40 hour category I total were read in A.R.S. 32-2523 on the legislature's own site, and the three hour opioid component was read on the board's renewal page and in A.R.S. 32-3248.02. The comparison with Arizona physicians is instructive: the Arizona physician requirement verified for this dataset is also 40 CME credits per two year cycle, but it is set by a different board under a different statute and carries no national certification waiver. The scope difference between the board page (all physician assistants) and the statute (schedule II prescribers and controlled substance dispensers) is described in the topic note rather than recorded as a conflict, because the two sources do not disagree about the hour count. The board page did not state record retention or whether proof is filed with the renewal, so those fields are null.