Delaware Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Delaware nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Board of Nursing (Division of Professional Regulation). A Delaware APRN license expires on the same date as the holder's Delaware RN license, and the RN license must be renewed first. Delaware staggers nursing expirations across three dates in odd numbered years: February 28, May 31 or September 30. All newly issued RN licenses expire on September 30 of odd numbered years, and an APRN who holds no Delaware RN license also expires September 30 of odd numbered years. Renewal is every two years through DELPROS. At renewal an APRN attests to specialty practice hours: 1,500 hours over the past five years in the specialty, or 600 hours over the past two years in the specialty, or graduation from the specialty program within the past two years. Delaware also mandates specific subjects. Substance abuse: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Recognition of and response to suspected or known sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking, or domestic violence: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Controlled substance prescribing practices, treatment of chronic pain, or other topics related to prescribing controlled substances: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse practitioners who hold a Delaware controlled substance registration (APN CSR)).

Delaware Nurse Practitioner 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.

Delaware sets no separate advanced practice hour count. The nurse practitioner meets the same 30 contact hours the board requires of every RN for a full renewal period, and the two named subject minimums sit inside that 30: at least three hours in substance abuse, and at least one hour in recognizing and responding to suspected or known sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking or domestic violence. What the advanced practice layer adds is not hours but practice: the specialty hour thresholds attested at renewal. A first renewal is prorated by how long the license has been held, with 0, 15 or 30 hours depending on the issue date. Prescriptive authority is granted automatically with APRN licensure in Delaware rather than applied for separately, though a holder of a temporary permit may not prescribe. A nurse practitioner who holds a Delaware controlled substance registration renews that registration separately and owes two hours of controlled substance continuing education for it; the board states the three substance abuse hours taken for the nursing license also count for those two credits.

Required CE topics for Delaware nurse practitioners

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 Delaware NP need to renew?

Delaware nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Board of Nursing (Division of Professional Regulation). Delaware sets no separate advanced practice hour count. The nurse practitioner meets the same 30 contact hours the board requires of every RN for a full renewal period, and the two named subject minimums sit inside that 30: at least three hours in substance abuse, and at least one hour in recognizing and responding to suspected or known sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking or domestic violence. What the advanced practice layer adds is not hours but practice: the specialty hour thresholds attested at renewal. A first renewal is prorated by how long the license has been held, with 0, 15 or 30 hours depending on the issue date. Prescriptive authority is granted automatically with APRN licensure in Delaware rather than applied for separately, though a holder of a temporary permit may not prescribe. A nurse practitioner who holds a Delaware controlled substance registration renews that registration separately and owes two hours of controlled substance continuing education for it; the board states the three substance abuse hours taken for the nursing license also count for those two credits.

How often does a Delaware NP license need to be renewed?

Nurse Practitioner licenses in Delaware renew every two years. A Delaware APRN license expires on the same date as the holder's Delaware RN license, and the RN license must be renewed first. Delaware staggers nursing expirations across three dates in odd numbered years: February 28, May 31 or September 30. All newly issued RN licenses expire on September 30 of odd numbered years, and an APRN who holds no Delaware RN license also expires September 30 of odd numbered years. Renewal is every two years through DELPROS. At renewal an APRN attests to specialty practice hours: 1,500 hours over the past five years in the specialty, or 600 hours over the past two years in the specialty, or graduation from the specialty program within the past two years.

What specific CE topics are required for Delaware nurse practitioners?

Substance abuse: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Recognition of and response to suspected or known sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking, or domestic violence: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Controlled substance prescribing practices, treatment of chronic pain, or other topics related to prescribing controlled substances: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse practitioners who hold a Delaware controlled substance registration (APN CSR)).

Do Delaware nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. All contact hours must be earned through an approved method or from a board approved provider. Providers request board approval through DELPROS; the board approves providers rather than individual courses. Continuing education is entered in the DELPROS CE tracker, and certificates are uploaded only if the licensee is selected for a random audit.

Sources

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

• Continuing Education and Audit Information, Delaware Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• Renewal, Delaware Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• FAQs, Delaware Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• Continuing Education and Audit Information, Delaware Controlled Substance RegistrationState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

All values were read on the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation's own board pages. Topic key substance_abuse is not in the canonical list, and the abuse and trafficking recognition hour is filed under human_trafficking because that is the closest canonical key even though the required content is broader. The 30 hour requirement and both subject minimums are the shared nursing rule, applying to RNs and APRNs alike; the board's continuing education page states no separate APRN hour count and its FAQ confirms that an APRN renewing a Delaware RN license completes the same 30 hours with three in substance abuse. Delaware regulations at 24 DE Admin Code 1900 could not be read: the state regulations site returned a page with no rule text to the fetching tool. The board's renewal and FAQ pages do not state whether current national certification is a condition of APRN renewal, so no such requirement is recorded here; the FAQ addresses certification only in the context of temporary permits for new graduates. Record retention length was not stated on the pages read.