Connecticut Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Connecticut pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Connecticut Commission of Pharmacy (Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division). A license to practice pharmacy expires annually. Effective July 1, 2022 all Connecticut pharmacist licenses expire on January 31 each year, with a $100 renewal fee. Renewal is completed in the state eLicense portal, and the continuing education completed in the calendar year that just ended is what counts toward that renewal. Connecticut also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacy law or drug law: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.

Connecticut Pharmacist 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.

Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-600(a) requires not less than 15 contact hours of accredited continuing professional education in the calendar year immediately preceding expiration of the license, of which not less than 5 must be earned by attending a live presentation and at least 1 must be on pharmacy law or drug law. The statute states a live floor and no separate cap on non live study, so max_self_study_or_online is left null; in practice the 5 hour live floor leaves at most 10 of the 15 hours non live. The requirement does not apply to a pharmacist applying for the first year of a license (20-600(b)). Hours earned in one calendar year may not be carried into the next (20-600(e)). A pharmacist whose license lapsed and who has not been licensed for more than two years must certify compliance for each of the two years before the year of application. A waiver or an extension of time is available for illness, incapacity or other extenuating circumstances, requested in writing with the renewal application. A retired pharmacist holding an inactive license must obtain 30 hours, at least 10 of them live, before returning to active practice. Note the unit definition: Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-599(3) defines a continuing education unit as ten contact hours, but the requirement itself is written in contact hours, so 15 contact hours is 1.5 CEUs, not 15 CEUs.

Required CE topics for Connecticut pharmacists

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 Connecticut RPh/PharmD need to renew?

Connecticut pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Connecticut Commission of Pharmacy (Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division). Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-600(a) requires not less than 15 contact hours of accredited continuing professional education in the calendar year immediately preceding expiration of the license, of which not less than 5 must be earned by attending a live presentation and at least 1 must be on pharmacy law or drug law. The statute states a live floor and no separate cap on non live study, so max_self_study_or_online is left null; in practice the 5 hour live floor leaves at most 10 of the 15 hours non live. The requirement does not apply to a pharmacist applying for the first year of a license (20-600(b)). Hours earned in one calendar year may not be carried into the next (20-600(e)). A pharmacist whose license lapsed and who has not been licensed for more than two years must certify compliance for each of the two years before the year of application. A waiver or an extension of time is available for illness, incapacity or other extenuating circumstances, requested in writing with the renewal application. A retired pharmacist holding an inactive license must obtain 30 hours, at least 10 of them live, before returning to active practice. Note the unit definition: Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-599(3) defines a continuing education unit as ten contact hours, but the requirement itself is written in contact hours, so 15 contact hours is 1.5 CEUs, not 15 CEUs.

How often does a Connecticut RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?

Pharmacist licenses in Connecticut renew every year. A license to practice pharmacy expires annually. Effective July 1, 2022 all Connecticut pharmacist licenses expire on January 31 each year, with a $100 renewal fee. Renewal is completed in the state eLicense portal, and the continuing education completed in the calendar year that just ended is what counts toward that renewal.

What specific CE topics are required for Connecticut pharmacists?

Pharmacy law or drug law: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Citations: pharmacy law or drug law (Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-600(a)).

Do Connecticut pharmacists 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 3 years. Credit comes from accredited continuing professional education offered by an organization, institution or agency approved by the Commission of Pharmacy, evidenced by a certificate of continuing education units naming the provider, the program title, the dates, the units completed and the director's signature (Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-599). At renewal the pharmacist submits a statement signed under penalty of false statement rather than the certificates. Certificates must be kept at least three years after the renewal date and produced to the department on request or to satisfy a random audit. Falsifying a continuing education document is separately a ground for discipline under 20-579. The statute does not require reporting through NABP CPE Monitor.

Is the first Connecticut RPh/PharmD renewal exempt from CE?

Yes. Connecticut does not require continuing education for a RPh/PharmD's first renewal.

Sources

Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 400j, Pharmacy (sections 20-599, 20-600, 20-601, 20-579, 20-633)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• Pharmacist License, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control DivisionState board page, accessed September 10, 2026

Connecticut pharmacists are licensed by the Department of Consumer Protection through the Commission of Pharmacy, not by the Department of Public Health that regulates most other Connecticut health professions in this dataset. The 15 contact hour annual requirement, the 5 live hours, the 1 hour of pharmacy or drug law, the first year exemption, the no carryover rule, the three year retention and the random audit were all read in Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-599 and 20-600 on the General Assembly's own site. The annual expiration is in 20-601(b) and the January 31 date, effective July 1, 2022, is stated on the department's own pharmacist license page. The department's dedicated continuing education handout is published only as a PDF and was not downloaded, so anything it adds beyond the statute is not reflected here. Pharmacist administration of vaccines requires a one time immunization training program under Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-633(d) rather than recurring CE hours, so it is not listed as a mandatory topic; the 1 hour of annual immunization continuing education in 20-633(c) applies to certified and registered pharmacy technicians, not pharmacists. Connecticut sets no opioid, human trafficking or implicit bias CE requirement for pharmacists.