Colorado Physical Therapist license renewal and CE requirements
Colorado physical therapists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies).
All physical therapist licenses expire on October 31 of even-numbered years and renew for two years. Renewal opens about four to five weeks before the expiration date through the DPO Online Services account.
Summary
Colorado physical therapists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies). All physical therapist licenses expire on October 31 of even-numbered years and renew for two years. Renewal opens about four to five weeks before the expiration date through the DPO Online Services account. Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.
Colorado Physical Therapist 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, 10/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Category 1 minimum | 20 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Formalized assessments; Presentations, research, and publications; Mentoring or supervision; Independent or group study or in-service; Volunteer service; Deemed Status for licensees who meet the continuing competency program of a Colorado state agency (currently the Colorado Department of Education) or a board-recognized accrediting body for the full two-year period; Military exemption for licensees on federally funded active duty for more than 120 days |
Colorado's Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) program counts Professional Development Activity (PDA) hours; one contact hour equals one PDA credit hour (4 CCR 732-1, Rule 1.5(M)(3)(b)(2)). A physical therapist must complete the Self-Assessment Tool once per two-year renewal period, complete a board-approved Learning Plan, and accrue 30 PDA hours relevant to practice and to the Learning Plan. At least 20 of the 30 hours must be in the Educational Coursework, Fellowships, or Residencies category (recorded above as category_1_minimum); the remaining hours may come from the Other Professional Development Activities category listed above. PDA hours apply to only one two-year renewal period, so unused hours do not carry over. CPC requirements begin after the first renewal of a license: a licensee first issued mid-cycle does not have to start CPC until after renewing for the first time. No cap on online or self-study coursework appears in the rule. PTAs need 20 hours with 15 in the coursework category.
Required CE topics for Colorado physical therapists
The Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (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 | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The board does not pre-approve courses or providers; the licensee selects activities from the board's Professional Development Activities List that fit their Learning Plan. At renewal the licensee attests to compliance. Audits are conducted after a renewal period ends and require the signed Learning Plan and documentation of 30 PDA hours; records must be retained for two complete two-year renewal periods (recorded here as four years). |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Colorado PT need to renew?
- Colorado physical therapists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies). Colorado's Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) program counts Professional Development Activity (PDA) hours; one contact hour equals one PDA credit hour (4 CCR 732-1, Rule 1.5(M)(3)(b)(2)). A physical therapist must complete the Self-Assessment Tool once per two-year renewal period, complete a board-approved Learning Plan, and accrue 30 PDA hours relevant to practice and to the Learning Plan. At least 20 of the 30 hours must be in the Educational Coursework, Fellowships, or Residencies category (recorded above as category_1_minimum); the remaining hours may come from the Other Professional Development Activities category listed above. PDA hours apply to only one two-year renewal period, so unused hours do not carry over. CPC requirements begin after the first renewal of a license: a licensee first issued mid-cycle does not have to start CPC until after renewing for the first time. No cap on online or self-study coursework appears in the rule. PTAs need 20 hours with 15 in the coursework category.
- How often does a Colorado PT license need to be renewed?
- Physical Therapist licenses in Colorado renew every two years. All physical therapist licenses expire on October 31 of even-numbered years and renew for two years. Renewal opens about four to five weeks before the expiration date through the DPO Online Services account.
- Does Colorado require specific CE topics for physical therapists?
- The Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies) does not list mandated subject areas for PT renewal on the pages we verified; the 30 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Colorado physical therapists 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 4 years. The board does not pre-approve courses or providers; the licensee selects activities from the board's Professional Development Activities List that fit their Learning Plan. At renewal the licensee attests to compliance. Audits are conducted after a renewal period ends and require the signed Learning Plan and documentation of 30 PDA hours; records must be retained for two complete two-year renewal periods (recorded here as four years).
- Is the first Colorado PT renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Colorado does not require continuing education for a PT's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Physical Therapy: Applications and Forms (license expiration), Colorado Division of Professions and OccupationsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Colorado Physical Therapy CPC (Continuing Professional Competency), Division of Professions and OccupationsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Physical Therapy, Colorado Division of Professions and OccupationsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- C.R.S. 12-285-119 Continuing professional competency (mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 7, 2026
- 4 CCR 732-1.5 Physical Therapist Licensure Rules (LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 7, 2026
The October 31 even-year expiration was read on the DPO Applications page; the 30 PDA hours, 20-hour coursework minimum, Self-Assessment Tool, Learning Plan, first-renewal start, Deemed Status, and military exemption were read on the DPO CPC page and in Rule 1.5(M) of the Secretary of State's 4 CCR 732-1 PDF (the LII mirror labels the same rule 1.5(L)). The dpo.colorado.gov and sos.state.co.us pages reject non-browser fetches, so they were retrieved with a browser user agent. The rule mandates no specific subject matter, so mandatory_topics is empty. C.R.S. 12-285-114 refers renewal timing to the Division's schedule under 12-20-202 and does not itself state the date. The CPC Program Manual and PDA List PDFs linked from the CPC page were not fetched, so per-category hour caps within the Other Professional Development Activities category are not recorded. The Colorado Secretary of State CCR PDF generator link for 4 CCR 732-1 returned a server error on 2026-09-07 and was dropped from sources; the rule text is cited via the Cornell LII mirror and the Division of Professions and Occupations pages.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Colorado State Physical Therapy Board (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.