Arizona Osteopathic Physician (DO) license renewal and CE requirements
Arizona osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery.
Osteopathic licenses renew every other year by December 31, in either even numbered or odd numbered years depending on the licensee. The renewal portal opens about October 1 of the renewal year and the board mails a notice the last Friday in October. Renewing after December 31 but by January 31 avoids a penalty; after January 31 a late fee applies and the license may be renewed late only until April 30. A license not renewed expires on May 1 and there is no reinstatement, so the physician must apply as a new licensee.
Summary
Arizona osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery. Osteopathic licenses renew every other year by December 31, in either even numbered or odd numbered years depending on the licensee. The renewal portal opens about October 1 of the renewal year and the board mails a notice the last Friday in October. Renewing after December 31 but by January 31 avoids a penalty; after January 31 a late fee applies and the license may be renewed late only until April 30. A license not renewed expires on May 1 and there is no reinstatement, so the physician must apply as a new licensee. Arizona also mandates specific subjects. Opioid related, substance use disorder related, or addiction related continuing medical education: 3 CME credits every renewal cycle (all licensees; the board states the three hours are required even if the physician does not prescribe opioids and does not hold a DEA registration).
Arizona Osteopathic Physician (DO) 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.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 40 CME credits |
| Category 1 minimum | 24 CME credits |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | An approved postgraduate training program or preceptorship, which may fulfill all 40 hours for the biennial period; the board also describes it as substituting for 20 CME hours per year of training; Providing training in an AOA, AMA, or ACGME accredited graduate medical education program, which the board says waives the 24 hour AOA Category 1-A requirement for that renewal cycle; Osteopathic medical teaching and grand rounds credited by an AOA accredited sponsor; Judging osteopathic clinical case presentations and research poster presentations, up to 10 Category 1-A credits per AOA three year cycle; Standardized life support classes, up to 8 Category 1-A credits per AOA three year cycle; Standardized Federal Aviation Administration aviation medicine or armed services flight surgeon primary courses |
A.R.S. 32-1825(B) requires 40 clock hours of board approved education during the two years preceding renewal, and A.A.C. R4-22-207(A) splits it: at least 24 hours of CME classified by the American Osteopathic Association as Category 1-A from an AOA accredited sponsor, and no more than 16 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 credit from an ACCME accredited provider. category_1_minimum records the 24 hour AOA Category 1-A floor. Credits are counted for the two calendar years preceding the December 31 renewal date, so a physician renewing December 31, 2025 reports CME completed in 2024 and 2025. The board states that interactive online CME counts for at most 15 Category 1-A credits per AOA three year cycle. The first renewal is reduced rather than waived: the board's renewal page says a licensee renewing for the first time attests to 20 CME credits, 12 of them AOA Category 1-A. The rules do not state a carryover allowance for ordinary renewals; the board does say a licensee with an approved extension may apply extra hours earned during the extension to the current requirement. CME may be waived for disability, military service, absence from the United States, or other circumstances beyond the licensee's control, and an extension to April 30 may be requested; both requests are filed between October 1 and January 30.
Required CE topics for Arizona osteopathic physician (do)s
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid related, substance use disorder related, or addiction related continuing medical educationThe rule requires that at least the number of hours specified in A.R.S. 32-3248.02, which is three, address opioid related, substance use disorder related, or addiction related prescribing, and that those hours be earned as AOA Category 1-A or AMA PRA Category 1, so they count inside the 40 hours. A.R.S. 32-3248.02 by its own terms reaches health professionals who hold a DEA registration, but the board's rule imports only the number of hours and the board's renewal page states plainly that every Arizona DO must complete the three hours regardless of prescribing or DEA status. The board also notes that a course used for both AOA Category 1-A and the opioid requirement must be entered twice in the licensee portal. | 3 CME credits | Every renewal | All licensees; the board states the three hours are required even if the physician does not prescribe opioids and does not hold a DEA registration | A.A.C. R4-22-207(A)(3); A.R.S. 32-3248.02 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Yes |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Category 1-A CME must be sponsored by an AOA accredited Category 1 sponsor; the balance may be AMA PRA Category 1 credit certified by an accredited AMA or ACCME provider. The board holds the physician responsible for recordkeeping and is not notified when CME is completed; licensees enter CME in the Thentia licensee portal. A.A.C. R4-22-207(C) accepts an AOA CME activity report, a certificate of attendance showing the licensee's name, course title, provider, category, hours and date, a specialty board printout, or, for postgraduate training, a letter from the Director of Medical Education. The board's renewal page says a license will not be renewed until CME compliance is fully documented, and lists missing CME documentation for a licensee selected for random audit as a reason a renewal is marked Renewal Deficient. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Arizona DO need to renew?
- Arizona osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery. A.R.S. 32-1825(B) requires 40 clock hours of board approved education during the two years preceding renewal, and A.A.C. R4-22-207(A) splits it: at least 24 hours of CME classified by the American Osteopathic Association as Category 1-A from an AOA accredited sponsor, and no more than 16 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 credit from an ACCME accredited provider. category_1_minimum records the 24 hour AOA Category 1-A floor. Credits are counted for the two calendar years preceding the December 31 renewal date, so a physician renewing December 31, 2025 reports CME completed in 2024 and 2025. The board states that interactive online CME counts for at most 15 Category 1-A credits per AOA three year cycle. The first renewal is reduced rather than waived: the board's renewal page says a licensee renewing for the first time attests to 20 CME credits, 12 of them AOA Category 1-A. The rules do not state a carryover allowance for ordinary renewals; the board does say a licensee with an approved extension may apply extra hours earned during the extension to the current requirement. CME may be waived for disability, military service, absence from the United States, or other circumstances beyond the licensee's control, and an extension to April 30 may be requested; both requests are filed between October 1 and January 30.
- How often does a Arizona DO license need to be renewed?
- Osteopathic Physician (DO) licenses in Arizona renew every two years. Osteopathic licenses renew every other year by December 31, in either even numbered or odd numbered years depending on the licensee. The renewal portal opens about October 1 of the renewal year and the board mails a notice the last Friday in October. Renewing after December 31 but by January 31 avoids a penalty; after January 31 a late fee applies and the license may be renewed late only until April 30. A license not renewed expires on May 1 and there is no reinstatement, so the physician must apply as a new licensee.
- What specific CE topics are required for Arizona osteopathic physicians (DO)?
- Opioid related, substance use disorder related, or addiction related continuing medical education: 3 CME credits every renewal cycle (all licensees; the board states the three hours are required even if the physician does not prescribe opioids and does not hold a DEA registration). Citations: opioid related, substance use disorder related, or addiction related continuing medical education (A.A.C. R4-22-207(A)(3); A.R.S. 32-3248.02).
- Do Arizona osteopathic physicians (DO) have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Category 1-A CME must be sponsored by an AOA accredited Category 1 sponsor; the balance may be AMA PRA Category 1 credit certified by an accredited AMA or ACCME provider. The board holds the physician responsible for recordkeeping and is not notified when CME is completed; licensees enter CME in the Thentia licensee portal. A.A.C. R4-22-207(C) accepts an AOA CME activity report, a certificate of attendance showing the licensee's name, course title, provider, category, hours and date, a specialty board printout, or, for postgraduate training, a letter from the Director of Medical Education. The board's renewal page says a license will not be renewed until CME compliance is fully documented, and lists missing CME documentation for a licensee selected for random audit as a reason a renewal is marked Renewal Deficient.
- Is the first Arizona DO renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Arizona applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- DO Renewal Application, Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and SurgeryState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- A.R.S. 32-1825, Renewal of licenses; continuing medical education; failure to renew; penalty; reinstatement; waiver of continuing medical educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- A.R.S. 32-3248.02, Health professionals; substance use or addiction continuing educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Ariz. Admin. Code R4-22-207, Continuing Medical Education; Waiver; Extension of Time to Complete (Cornell LII mirror of the Arizona Administrative Code)Third-party summary, accessed September 7, 2026
Arizona has two separate physician boards. DOs are regulated by the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery under A.R.S. Title 32 Chapter 17 and A.A.C. Title 4 Chapter 22, not by the Arizona Medical Board, so this record cites only osteopathic sources and shares nothing with az-physician_md. The 40 hour total and the December 31 biennial renewal come from A.R.S. 32-1825; the 24 hour AOA Category 1-A floor, the 16 hour AMA Category 1 ceiling, the opioid hours, the postgraduate training substitution, the documentation list and the waiver and extension procedure come from A.A.C. R4-22-207 read on the Cornell LII mirror, because the Arizona Administrative Code is published by the Secretary of State only as a PDF, which was not downloaded. The odd or even year assignment, the October portal opening, the late fee and May 1 expiration, the reduced 20 credit first renewal, the 15 credit cap on interactive online Category 1-A per AOA three year cycle, and the statement that the opioid hours apply even without a DEA registration were read on the board's DO Renewal Application page. azdo.gov returns 403 to curl and to automated fetchers behind Cloudflare; the page was read in a real browser. The board's Change in CME Requirement notice and the CME waiver and extension forms are PDFs and were not opened. Record retention length and any carryover allowance for an ordinary renewal are not stated in the sources read, so they are null. A.R.S. 32-1825(A) phrases the deadline as on or before January 1 of the renewal year, while the board's page and forms consistently use December 31 as the renew by date; these describe the same deadline and the board's wording is used here.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.