Maine Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
Maine pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Maine Board of Pharmacy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation).
A pharmacist license is renewed every year and expires on December 31. Renewal is filed online, and the board emails a reminder with the licensee's access code at least 30 days before expiration. A license may still be renewed for up to 90 days after expiration with a $50 late fee on top of the $75 renewal fee, but practice is not allowed during that window. Anyone applying more than 90 days late must reapply as a new applicant.
Summary
Maine pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Maine Board of Pharmacy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation). A pharmacist license is renewed every year and expires on December 31. Renewal is filed online, and the board emails a reminder with the licensee's access code at least 30 days before expiration. A license may still be renewed for up to 90 days after expiration with a $50 late fee on top of the $75 renewal fee, but practice is not allowed during that window. Anyone applying more than 90 days late must reapply as a new applicant. Maine also mandates specific subjects. Board-approved courses on drug administration: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists authorized to administer drugs and immunizations). Continuing education in the areas of practice covered by the collaborative practice agreement: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists who enter into a collaborative practice agreement (Collaborative Drug Therapy Management license)).
Maine 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.
| Renewal cycle | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 15 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Postgraduate studies, institutes, seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, extension studies and correspondence courses approved by the board; A 20 hour immunization administration course taken for initial authorization to immunize may also be counted toward the renewal requirement |
32 MRS Section 13735 states that an annual renewal license may not be issued until the applicant certifies that, during the calendar year preceding the application for renewal, the applicant completed not less than 15 hours of approved continuing professional pharmaceutical education. The board's individual licenses page repeats the 15 hour figure. The board counts hours, not CEUs. The CE window is the preceding calendar year and the license year also ends December 31, so continuing_education.cycle_months is left null. Correspondence courses are expressly allowed and the board states no live minimum and no home study cap. The statute lets the board make exceptions in emergency or hardship cases. Inactive pharmacists need no CE while inactive, but a pharmacist returning to active status must show 15 hours from the previous calendar year (32 MRS Section 13734(2) and the board's inactive pharmacist listing). Pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists and pharmacy graduates are separate credentials under Board Rule Chapter 7 and are not included here.
Required CE topics for Maine pharmacists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Board-approved courses on drug administrationTwo of the 15 hours must be board-approved courses on drug administration, so this is carved out of the total rather than added to it. The board's continuing education FAQ states that a pharmacist who does not hold the authorization to administer immunizations does not need these two hours. Obtaining the authorization in the first place requires a 20 hour course of study completed within the three years before application plus life support (CPR) training. No canonical topic key covers drug administration, so the key medication_administration is used. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | Pharmacists authorized to administer drugs and immunizations | 32 MRS Section 13735; 32 MRS Section 13702-A(28) |
| Continuing education in the areas of practice covered by the collaborative practice agreementA pharmacist who enters into a collaborative practice agreement must agree to complete, in each year of the agreement, 5 of the 15 required hours in the areas of practice covered by the agreement. The Collaborative Drug Therapy Management license carries no fee and renews annually on December 31 with the pharmacist license. No canonical topic key covers collaborative practice, so the key collaborative_practice is used. | 5 contact hours | Every renewal | Pharmacists who enter into a collaborative practice agreement (Collaborative Drug Therapy Management license) | 32 MRS Section 13735 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | The content of each course offered for credit must be approved in advance by the board or its representative (32 MRS Section 13735). Course providers file a Continuing Education Prior Approval Application with a fee, and the board publishes searchable lists of approved courses and approved course providers on its continuing education page. The board pages read do not require ACPE accreditation or reporting through NABP's CPE Monitor. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Maine RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- Maine pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Maine Board of Pharmacy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation). 32 MRS Section 13735 states that an annual renewal license may not be issued until the applicant certifies that, during the calendar year preceding the application for renewal, the applicant completed not less than 15 hours of approved continuing professional pharmaceutical education. The board's individual licenses page repeats the 15 hour figure. The board counts hours, not CEUs. The CE window is the preceding calendar year and the license year also ends December 31, so continuing_education.cycle_months is left null. Correspondence courses are expressly allowed and the board states no live minimum and no home study cap. The statute lets the board make exceptions in emergency or hardship cases. Inactive pharmacists need no CE while inactive, but a pharmacist returning to active status must show 15 hours from the previous calendar year (32 MRS Section 13734(2) and the board's inactive pharmacist listing). Pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists and pharmacy graduates are separate credentials under Board Rule Chapter 7 and are not included here.
- How often does a Maine RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in Maine renew every year. A pharmacist license is renewed every year and expires on December 31. Renewal is filed online, and the board emails a reminder with the licensee's access code at least 30 days before expiration. A license may still be renewed for up to 90 days after expiration with a $50 late fee on top of the $75 renewal fee, but practice is not allowed during that window. Anyone applying more than 90 days late must reapply as a new applicant.
- What specific CE topics are required for Maine pharmacists?
- Board-approved courses on drug administration: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists authorized to administer drugs and immunizations). Continuing education in the areas of practice covered by the collaborative practice agreement: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists who enter into a collaborative practice agreement (Collaborative Drug Therapy Management license)). Citations: Board-approved courses on drug administration (32 MRS Section 13735; 32 MRS Section 13702-A(28)) and continuing education in the areas of practice covered by the collaborative practice agreement (32 MRS Section 13735).
- Do Maine pharmacists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates. The content of each course offered for credit must be approved in advance by the board or its representative (32 MRS Section 13735). Course providers file a Continuing Education Prior Approval Application with a fee, and the board publishes searchable lists of approved courses and approved course providers on its continuing education page. The board pages read do not require ACPE accreditation or reporting through NABP's CPE Monitor.
Sources
Last verified September 11, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 32 MRS Section 13735, Continuing pharmacy education (Maine Revised Statutes, Office of the Revisor of Statutes)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- 32 MRS Section 13734, Renewal of licensesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- Board of Pharmacy, Licensing, Individual Licenses, Office of Professional and Occupational RegulationState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- Board of Pharmacy, Continuing Education, Office of Professional and Occupational RegulationState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- Board of Pharmacy, Frequently Asked Questions, PharmacistsState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- Board of Pharmacy, Laws and RulesState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
The 15 hour annual requirement, the two hour drug administration carve out and the five hour collaborative practice carve out were read in 32 MRS Section 13735 on the Legislature's own site and are repeated on the board's individual licenses page and continuing education FAQ. The annual December 31 expiration, the 90 day late renewal window and the fees were read on the board's individual licenses page; 32 MRS Section 13734 confirms the license expires on the date set by the commissioner and that renewal is available for up to 90 days after expiration. The board did not state a carryover rule, a record retention period, a CE audit process, or a first renewal exemption on any page read, so those fields are null. The board's own rules, which may address those points, are published by the Secretary of State only as Word documents, which were not downloaded. Unlike most pharmacy boards, the Maine pages read require board approval of each course rather than ACPE accreditation, and do not mention NABP CPE Monitor. The board announced a new Board Rule Chapter 44 on pharmacist authorization to make certain contraception accessible, effective January 1, 2025; the rule text was not readable in HTML, so any training attached to that authorization is not recorded here.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Maine Board of Pharmacy (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.