Delaware Occupational Therapist license renewal and CE requirements
Delaware occupational therapists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice.
Occupational therapy licenses expire on July 31 of even numbered years and are renewed online in DELPROS every two years. A renewal notice goes to the email address on record a few months before expiration. A late renewal can be filed for up to one year after expiration with a late fee, but practice must stop the day the license expires; after one year the license terminates and a new application is required.
Summary
Delaware occupational therapists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. Occupational therapy licenses expire on July 31 of even numbered years and are renewed online in DELPROS every two years. A renewal notice goes to the email address on record a few months before expiration. A late renewal can be filed for up to one year after expiration with a late fee, but practice must stop the day the license expires; after one year the license terminates and a new application is required. Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Delaware Occupational 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, 07/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| 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 | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Academic coursework, 1 credit hour per semester equals 10 CEUs; Independent learning with an assessment element such as online courses and self-study series, 1 hour equals 1 CEU; Independent learning without an assessment element such as audited coursework, 2 hours equals 1 CEU, maximum 12 CEUs; Reading peer reviewed articles or textbook chapters and writing a report, 2 articles or chapters equal 1 CEU; Professional study groups and receiving mentoring, 2 hours equal 1 CEU, maximum 12 CEUs each; Presenting at a state, national or international workshop or conference, 1 hour equals 2 CEUs, first presentation of a topic only; Serving as adjunct faculty, 1 credit hour equals 6 CEUs; Attending DOTA, AOTA, NBCOT or board meetings, maximum 6 CEUs, and serving on a related board or committee, maximum 6 CEUs; NBCOT or AOTA self-assessment (maximum 1 CEU), professional development plan (maximum 1 CEU) and competency assessment units (maximum 10 CEUs); Volunteering, 5 hours equal 1 CEU, maximum 12 CEUs; Mentoring a colleague, 2 hours equal 1 CEU, maximum 12 CEUs; peer review of a research article or textbook, 5 CEUs per review, maximum 12; Publications, 10 CEUs for a peer reviewed article or textbook chapter, 5 for a non peer reviewed professional article, 2 for a lay publication article, maximum 24 CEUs; Specialty certification such as Certified Hand Therapist or Board Certified in Pediatrics earned during the licensure period; Fieldwork supervision, Level I and Level II, maximum 12 CEUs total for student supervision; One CPR course per biennium |
The board calls the unit a continuing education unit but defines it as 60 minutes in a learning activity excluding meals and breaks, so 24 units is 24 contact hours (24 Del. Admin. Code 2000-3.5). The 24 hours must be completed by July 31 of each even numbered year, matching the two year renewal cycle, and excess hours cannot be carried into the next biennium. The first renewal is prorated by how much of the cycle remained when the license was issued: 21 to 24 months remaining requires 24 hours, 16 to 20 months requires 15 hours, 11 to 15 months requires 10 hours, and 10 months or less is exempt. A licensee who upgrades from an assistant to a therapist license on or after December 1 of the prior even year owes the amount that would have been required for the assistant license. There is no overall cap on online or self study work: independent learning with an assessment element counts hour for hour, while independent learning without an assessment counts at 2 hours per unit and is capped at 12 units.
Required CE topics for Delaware occupational therapists
The Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice 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 | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education sponsored or approved by NBCOT, the Delaware Occupational Therapy Association, AOTA, or offered by AOTA approved providers is automatically approved; any other provider or licensee may request prior board approval by submitting an outline of the activity. Courses are entered in the DELPROS continuing education tracker and proof is satisfied by an electronic attestation at renewal. Documentation is uploaded only if the licensee is selected in the board's random audit after July 31, and audited licensees must submit verification within ten business days. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Delaware OT need to renew?
- Delaware occupational therapists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. The board calls the unit a continuing education unit but defines it as 60 minutes in a learning activity excluding meals and breaks, so 24 units is 24 contact hours (24 Del. Admin. Code 2000-3.5). The 24 hours must be completed by July 31 of each even numbered year, matching the two year renewal cycle, and excess hours cannot be carried into the next biennium. The first renewal is prorated by how much of the cycle remained when the license was issued: 21 to 24 months remaining requires 24 hours, 16 to 20 months requires 15 hours, 11 to 15 months requires 10 hours, and 10 months or less is exempt. A licensee who upgrades from an assistant to a therapist license on or after December 1 of the prior even year owes the amount that would have been required for the assistant license. There is no overall cap on online or self study work: independent learning with an assessment element counts hour for hour, while independent learning without an assessment counts at 2 hours per unit and is capped at 12 units.
- How often does a Delaware OT license need to be renewed?
- Occupational Therapist licenses in Delaware renew every two years. Occupational therapy licenses expire on July 31 of even numbered years and are renewed online in DELPROS every two years. A renewal notice goes to the email address on record a few months before expiration. A late renewal can be filed for up to one year after expiration with a late fee, but practice must stop the day the license expires; after one year the license terminates and a new application is required.
- Does Delaware require specific CE topics for occupational therapists?
- The Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice does not list mandated subject areas for OT renewal on the pages we verified; the 24 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Delaware occupational therapists 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. Continuing education sponsored or approved by NBCOT, the Delaware Occupational Therapy Association, AOTA, or offered by AOTA approved providers is automatically approved; any other provider or licensee may request prior board approval by submitting an outline of the activity. Courses are entered in the DELPROS continuing education tracker and proof is satisfied by an electronic attestation at renewal. Documentation is uploaded only if the licensee is selected in the board's random audit after July 31, and audited licensees must submit verification within ten business days.
Sources
Last verified September 9, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education and Audit Information, Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy PracticeState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- License Renewal, Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy PracticeState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- 24 Del. Admin. Code 2000-3.0, Continuing Education (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 9, 2026
Delaware has its own occupational therapy board, the Board of Occupational Therapy Practice in the Division of Professional Regulation, separate from the Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers. The 24 hour total, the August 1 to July 31 even year cycle, the proration table, the automatic approval of NBCOT, DOTA and AOTA sponsored courses, the attestation based proof and the random audit were read on the board's own continuing education and renewal pages. The rule text of 24 Del. Admin. Code 2000-3.0 is published on regulations.delaware.gov behind a JavaScript application that returns no text to an automated client, so the section was read through the Cornell mirror, which matched the board's own page on every figure. The board mandates no subject: no ethics, jurisprudence, human trafficking or similar course appears in section 3.0. NBCOT certification is not required to renew; NBCOT is named only as an automatically approved continuing education sponsor and as a source of self assessment and competency assessment units. One point to read carefully: the board's renewal page states that reactivating an inactive license requires proof of 20 contact hours earned in the past two years, which is a reactivation figure and not the 24 hours required for an ordinary renewal. Record retention years for the licensee are not stated; audited licensees must produce certificates within ten business days.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Delaware Board of Occupational Therapy Practice before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.