Hawaii Physical Therapist Assistant license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Hawaii does not require continuing education for PTA license renewal, which happens every two years. Physical therapist assistant licenses renew every two years. The biennial renewal fee is paid to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on or before December 31 of each even-numbered year, and failure to pay by that date forfeits the license (HRS 461J-10). The board's page states that all licenses, regardless of issuance date, are subject to renewal by December 31 every even-numbered year, and that anyone not renewed by the expiration date is unlicensed and may not practice. For the January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028 period, on-time renewals were accepted from November 9, 2026 through December 31, 2026, with an active-status PTA renewal fee of $230. A forfeited license may be restored within one year of forfeiture on written application and payment of the delinquent fee plus 50 percent.

Hawaii 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.

Hawaii does not apply its continuing competence requirement to physical therapist assistants. HRS 461J-10.1(a) reads: 'Beginning with the December 31, 2016, renewal, each licensed physical therapist shall be required to obtain at least thirty units of approved continuing competence units in each two-year license renewal period.' HRS 461J-1 defines 'physical therapist' and 'physical therapist assistant' as two separate credentials, so the thirty-unit requirement, the first-renewal fifteen-unit rule in 461J-10.1(b), the evidence-at-renewal obligation in 461J-10.1(c), and the random audit power in 461J-10.1(d) all reach physical therapists only. The subject requirements that sit inside that total for PTs, a two-hour Hawaii ethics and jurisprudence course and a four-hour life support course, likewise do not reach PTAs. Every continuing competence document the board publishes is titled for physical therapists, including the Important Announcement Regarding Continuing Competence Requirements for Physical Therapists and the Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the PT Continuing Competence Requirements, and APTA Hawaii introduces the same material as the requirements for licensed PTs in the State of Hawaii. Physical therapist assistants still renew biennially and pay the renewal fee.

Required CE topics for Hawaii physical therapist assistants

The Hawaii Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) 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

Common questions

How many CE hours does a Hawaii PTA need to renew?

Hawaii does not require continuing education for PTA license renewal, which happens every two years. Hawaii does not apply its continuing competence requirement to physical therapist assistants. HRS 461J-10.1(a) reads: 'Beginning with the December 31, 2016, renewal, each licensed physical therapist shall be required to obtain at least thirty units of approved continuing competence units in each two-year license renewal period.' HRS 461J-1 defines 'physical therapist' and 'physical therapist assistant' as two separate credentials, so the thirty-unit requirement, the first-renewal fifteen-unit rule in 461J-10.1(b), the evidence-at-renewal obligation in 461J-10.1(c), and the random audit power in 461J-10.1(d) all reach physical therapists only. The subject requirements that sit inside that total for PTs, a two-hour Hawaii ethics and jurisprudence course and a four-hour life support course, likewise do not reach PTAs. Every continuing competence document the board publishes is titled for physical therapists, including the Important Announcement Regarding Continuing Competence Requirements for Physical Therapists and the Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the PT Continuing Competence Requirements, and APTA Hawaii introduces the same material as the requirements for licensed PTs in the State of Hawaii. Physical therapist assistants still renew biennially and pay the renewal fee.

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

Physical Therapist Assistant licenses in Hawaii renew every two years. Physical therapist assistant licenses renew every two years. The biennial renewal fee is paid to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs on or before December 31 of each even-numbered year, and failure to pay by that date forfeits the license (HRS 461J-10). The board's page states that all licenses, regardless of issuance date, are subject to renewal by December 31 every even-numbered year, and that anyone not renewed by the expiration date is unlicensed and may not practice. For the January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028 period, on-time renewals were accepted from November 9, 2026 through December 31, 2026, with an active-status PTA renewal fee of $230. A forfeited license may be restored within one year of forfeiture on written application and payment of the delinquent fee plus 50 percent.

Sources

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

• HRS 461J-10.1 Continuing competence (Hawaii State Legislature)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• HRS 461J-10 Biennial renewal; failure to renew (Hawaii State Legislature)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• HRS 461J-1 Definitions, defining physical therapist and physical therapist assistant separately (Hawaii State Legislature)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• Board of Physical Therapy, DCCA Hawaii (renewal by December 31 of every even-numbered year, PTA renewal fees, continuing competence documents for physical therapists)State board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• Continuing Competency Information, APTA HawaiiThird-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026

The task flagged that the board FAQ states PTAs are not subject to the continuing competence requirement, and that was verified from the statute itself rather than from the FAQ, which is a PDF the no-download rule excludes. HRS 461J-10.1(a) limits the thirty-unit requirement to 'each licensed physical therapist', and HRS 461J-1 defines physical therapist and physical therapist assistant as distinct licensed credentials, so nothing in 461J-10.1 reaches a PTA. The capitol.hawaii.gov host returns 403 to automated clients including WebFetch; the three statute sections were read as rendered HTML in a browser. Renewal terms were read twice: HRS 461J-10 for the December 31 even-year biennial fee and forfeiture, and the DCCA board page for the same date, the renewal window, and the PTA-specific active and inactive fees. Two related items were not read because both are PDFs: the board's Continuing Competence FAQ and Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 16-110, so if HAR 16-110 imposes anything on PTAs beyond the statute it is not reflected here. The Hawaii PT record's two-hour jurisprudence and four-hour life support entries are components of the PT continuing competence total and are deliberately absent here.