Delaware Physical Therapist Assistant license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Delaware physical therapist assistants must complete 3 CEUs, which is 30 contact hours, every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers. Licenses renew biennially through the DELPROS portal. The licensure period runs February 1 through January 31 of the odd-numbered year, and the required continuing education units must be completed no later than January 31 of every odd-numbered year. Delaware also mandates specific subjects. Ethics: 0.2 CEUs every renewal cycle. Current CPR certification: 0.1 CEUs every renewal cycle. Hours do not carry over between cycles.

Delaware Physical Therapist 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.

Delaware applies one requirement to physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and athletic trainers alike, and names all three in the rule: 24 Del. Admin. Code 2600-13.1 states that three CEUs are required for every biennial license renewal for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, and Athletic Trainers, completed no later than January 31 of every odd-numbered year. One CEU is awarded for every 10 hours of an approved course (one contact hour is 0.1 CEU), so 3.0 CEUs equal 30 contact hours per two-year period. The three CEUs must include 0.2 units of Ethics and proof of current CPR certification, which itself counts for 0.1 CEU. CEUs do not carry over from one biennial period to the next. New licensees are prorated by the six-month block in which the license was granted: 2.5 CEU if granted between February 1 of an odd year and July 31 of that year, 2.0 CEU from August 1 of an odd year to before February 1 of an even year, 1.5 CEU from February 1 to before August 1 of an even year, and 0.5 CEU from August 1 of an even year to before January 31 of the next odd year (the board's page words the last two blocks as August 1 of an even year to before October 1 of an even year at 0.5 CEU, and on or after October 1 of an even year at the full 3.0 CEU). The board may grant an extension or a partial or total waiver for hardship if the licensee applies in writing before the license expires.

Required CE topics for Delaware physical therapist assistants

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 PTA need to renew?

Delaware physical therapist assistants must complete 3 CEUs, which is 30 contact hours, every two years to renew their license with the Delaware Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers. Delaware applies one requirement to physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and athletic trainers alike, and names all three in the rule: 24 Del. Admin. Code 2600-13.1 states that three CEUs are required for every biennial license renewal for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, and Athletic Trainers, completed no later than January 31 of every odd-numbered year. One CEU is awarded for every 10 hours of an approved course (one contact hour is 0.1 CEU), so 3.0 CEUs equal 30 contact hours per two-year period. The three CEUs must include 0.2 units of Ethics and proof of current CPR certification, which itself counts for 0.1 CEU. CEUs do not carry over from one biennial period to the next. New licensees are prorated by the six-month block in which the license was granted: 2.5 CEU if granted between February 1 of an odd year and July 31 of that year, 2.0 CEU from August 1 of an odd year to before February 1 of an even year, 1.5 CEU from February 1 to before August 1 of an even year, and 0.5 CEU from August 1 of an even year to before January 31 of the next odd year (the board's page words the last two blocks as August 1 of an even year to before October 1 of an even year at 0.5 CEU, and on or after October 1 of an even year at the full 3.0 CEU). The board may grant an extension or a partial or total waiver for hardship if the licensee applies in writing before the license expires.

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

Physical Therapist Assistant licenses in Delaware renew every two years. Licenses renew biennially through the DELPROS portal. The licensure period runs February 1 through January 31 of the odd-numbered year, and the required continuing education units must be completed no later than January 31 of every odd-numbered year.

What specific CE topics are required for Delaware physical therapist assistants?

Ethics: 0.2 CEUs every renewal cycle. Current CPR certification: 0.1 CEUs every renewal cycle. Citations: ethics (24 Del. Admin. Code 2600-13.1) and Current CPR certification (24 Del. Admin. Code 2600-13.1).

Do Delaware physical therapist assistants 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. Approval of CEUs is within the discretion of the Board, but continuing education units already approved during the current licensing period by another agency such as a national governing body (for example APTA or BOC) or a fellow state licensing board are accepted. Sponsors or licensees may seek prior written approval with a CEU Application Form, and board approval expires three years after the approval date. Proof of continuing education is satisfied by an electronic attestation from the licensee; documentation is not uploaded to DELPROS unless the licensee is selected for audit. The Board notifies licensees selected for random audit within sixty days after January 31, and the licensee has twenty days from receipt of the notice to submit the current CPR card and certificates of completion showing proof of attendance, date, instructor, sponsor, title, and hours.

Is the first Delaware PTA renewal exempt from CE?

No. Delaware applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.

Sources

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

• 24 Del. Admin. Code 2600-13.0 Mandatory Continuing Education Units (CEUs) (LII mirror, 28 DE Reg. 395, 11/1/2024 final)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
• Continuing Education and Audit Information, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic TrainersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

Delaware is a state where the same requirement genuinely covers both credentials, and both sources say so in terms that name physical therapist assistants: rule 13.1 begins 'Three CEUs are required for every biennial license renewal for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, and Athletic Trainers', and the board's continuing education page carries a table headed 'PHYSICAL THERAPIST, PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSISTANT, ATHLETIC TRAINERS' for the first-renewal proration and then states that active Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants and Athletic Trainers must complete 3.0 units of approved CE during each full licensure renewal period between February 1 and January 31 of odd-numbered years. The rule text was read on the Cornell mirror because the Delaware Administrative Code page for chapter 2600 is served through the Division's document viewer. The board page and the rule describe the last first-renewal proration block slightly differently: the rule runs the 0.5 CEU block from August 1 of an even year to January 31 of the odd year, while the board's table ends it on October 1 of the even year and shows 3.0 CEU for a license issued on or after that date, which reads as a license issued that late running to the following full period rather than the upcoming January 31. Both wordings are recorded in the notes; they do not disagree about the 3.0 CEU total, the biennial cycle, or the January 31 odd-year deadline. The rule does not state a record retention period beyond the audit obligation, so retention_years is null.