Colorado Occupational Therapy Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Colorado occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Colorado State Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies).
Licenses run in two year license periods and are renewed online through the division's licensing system. The state office describes the cycle as a two year license period but does not state the calendar expiration date on any page that could be read, so confirm your own expiration date in the division's online services account or on your license.
Summary
Colorado occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Colorado State Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies). Licenses run in two year license periods and are renewed online through the division's licensing system. The state office describes the cycle as a two year license period but does not state the calendar expiration date on any page that could be read, so confirm your own expiration date in the division's online services account or on your license. Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.
Colorado Occupational Therapy 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.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Not stated by the board |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 24 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Fieldwork supervision: 1 PDA per Level I student, 1 PDA per week per Level II student, 1 PDA per week per entry level or post-doctoral student; Group study with a regularly meeting professional study group; Independent learning, a structured self-curated experience outside a traditional learning environment (self-paced online courses do not count here); Mentoring, as either the mentor or the protege; Presenting, 2 PDA per clock hour presented when the licensee both prepares and delivers, first delivery only; Publishing, including work that is drafted and submitted but not yet published; Volunteer service that relies on professional knowledge and skill; Deemed status for licensees who satisfy the continuing competency program of an approved entity, currently the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and the Colorado Department of Education; Military exemption, pre-approved, for a licensee called to federally funded active duty for at least 120 days |
Colorado runs a continuing professional competency program rather than a plain hour count. A licensee who does not claim deemed status or a military exemption completes the state office's continuing professional development program: a reflective self-assessment tool, a written learning plan, and at least 24 professional development activities per two year license period. One professional development activity equals one clock hour of 60 minutes, so 24 activities is 24 contact hours. The 24 must come from at least two activity categories and no more than 12 will be credited in any single category. Activities must fall within the license period immediately preceding renewal, and excess activities do not carry over. Commuting, travel, scheduling and planning time do not count, and activities that fulfill the duties of the licensee's primary job do not count unless the rules say otherwise. Deemed status is the alternative route: a licensee who meets the competency requirements of an approved entity, currently NBCOT or the Colorado Department of Education, complies without running the state program, provided that program includes a knowledge and skills assessment, at least 24 hours of continuing education or learning activities each two year license period, and proof of completion.
Required CE topics for Colorado occupational therapy assistants
The Colorado State Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies) pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 5 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The state office does not pre-approve or accredit specific educational providers or programs. Licensees keep their own reflective self-assessment tool, learning plan and activity documentation with their license records rather than sending them in, retain documentation for at least five years, and produce it if selected in the compliance audits conducted after each license period. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Colorado OTA need to renew?
- Colorado occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Colorado State Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies). Colorado runs a continuing professional competency program rather than a plain hour count. A licensee who does not claim deemed status or a military exemption completes the state office's continuing professional development program: a reflective self-assessment tool, a written learning plan, and at least 24 professional development activities per two year license period. One professional development activity equals one clock hour of 60 minutes, so 24 activities is 24 contact hours. The 24 must come from at least two activity categories and no more than 12 will be credited in any single category. Activities must fall within the license period immediately preceding renewal, and excess activities do not carry over. Commuting, travel, scheduling and planning time do not count, and activities that fulfill the duties of the licensee's primary job do not count unless the rules say otherwise. Deemed status is the alternative route: a licensee who meets the competency requirements of an approved entity, currently NBCOT or the Colorado Department of Education, complies without running the state program, provided that program includes a knowledge and skills assessment, at least 24 hours of continuing education or learning activities each two year license period, and proof of completion.
- How often does a Colorado OTA license need to be renewed?
- Occupational Therapy Assistant licenses in Colorado renew every two years. Licenses run in two year license periods and are renewed online through the division's licensing system. The state office describes the cycle as a two year license period but does not state the calendar expiration date on any page that could be read, so confirm your own expiration date in the division's online services account or on your license.
- Does Colorado require specific CE topics for occupational therapy assistants?
- The Colorado State Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies) does not list mandated subject areas for OTA renewal on the pages we verified; the 24 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Colorado occupational therapy assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 5 years. The state office does not pre-approve or accredit specific educational providers or programs. Licensees keep their own reflective self-assessment tool, learning plan and activity documentation with their license records rather than sending them in, retain documentation for at least five years, and produce it if selected in the compliance audits conducted after each license period.
- Is the first Colorado OTA renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Colorado does not require continuing education for a OTA's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 9, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Colorado Occupational Therapy CPC, Division of Professions and OccupationsState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- Colorado Occupational Therapy Homepage, Division of Professions and OccupationsState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- 3 CCR 715-1, Occupational Therapy Rules and Regulations, version list, Colorado Secretary of StateStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 9, 2026
Confirmed as an occupational therapy assistant figure at its own source rather than inferred. Colorado writes one requirement for both credentials and names them together: the division's continuing professional competency page states that all occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants with an active Colorado license must complete continuing professional competency requirements, that requirements do not begin until after the first renewal of an occupational therapist's or an occupational therapy assistant's initial license, and that a licensee must complete at least 24 professional development activities during each two year license period. There is no reduced assistant total, no separate assistant category caps and no separate renewal date. Occupational therapy assistants have been regulated in Colorado only since 2014, eight years after occupational therapists. Supervision of an assistant by an occupational therapist is a practice requirement, not continuing education, and is not recorded here. Same gaps as the therapist record: the calendar expiration date is not published on any readable division page, since the occupational therapy licensing services page returns an access denied message to every client including a browser, so the renewal basis is unknown; and 3 CCR 715-1 is available from the Secretary of State only as PDF and word processing downloads, so the rule text was not opened. Deemed status through NBCOT's continuing competency program or the Colorado Department of Education substitutes for the state program, but current NBCOT certification is not itself a renewal condition.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Colorado State Office of Occupational Therapy Licensure (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.