Massachusetts Physical Therapist license renewal and CE requirements
Massachusetts physical therapists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions.
A license expires every two years on the licensee's birth anniversary; the licensee must submit a completed renewal application and fee before the expiration date (259 CMR 2.04). Continuing competence activities must be completed in the 24 months before the renewal date.
Summary
Massachusetts physical therapists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions. A license expires every two years on the licensee's birth anniversary; the licensee must submit a completed renewal application and fee before the expiration date (259 CMR 2.04). Continuing competence activities must be completed in the 24 months before the renewal date. Massachusetts also mandates specific subjects. Ethics, laws and regulations governing practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.
Massachusetts Physical 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 | Tied to the licensee's birth date |
| 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 | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Publishing a book, book chapter, or peer-reviewed journal article (maximum 2 points per chapter or article; publication category capped at 22 points); Teaching or presenting (1 point per contact hour; 4 points per academic credit taught; category capped at 10 points); Academic coursework (1 point per academic credit; capped at 6 points); Activities approved by professional associations such as APTA (capped at 6 points) |
259 CMR 7.01 requires a minimum of 24 points of Board recognized continuing competence activities during the preceding biennial renewal period. The Board counts points, not hours; for continuing competence programs one point equals one contact hour or equivalent, and up to 24 points may come from such programs. Only activities completed in the 24 months before each renewal date are acceptable. For new professionals licensed by examination the requirement commences following their first renewal period after initial licensure. The regulation contains no carryover provision. Waivers for illness, disability, military service, or hardship may be requested at least 45 days before the renewal cycle ends and last no more than one renewal period (259 CMR 7.04).
Required CE topics for Massachusetts physical therapists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics, laws and regulations governing practice in the Commonwealth of MassachusettsTwo of the 24 points each renewal period must be in ethics, laws and regulations governing practice in Massachusetts, or some combination thereof. Value is in points; one point equals one contact hour for continuing competence programs. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | 259 CMR 7.01(1) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | At renewal the licensee submits a signed statement on a Board form attesting under the pains and penalties of perjury to compliance (259 CMR 7.02(1)). Programs offered by CAPTE or ACOTE accredited schools, or approved by FSBPT, APTA, AOTA, the Board of Certification, a PT or OT regulatory agency in another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction, a government health agency, or an accredited hospital are deemed approved (259 CMR 7.03(2)); anything else must be submitted to the Board at least 90 days before the program or at the time of an audit. The Board may randomly audit and request documentation covering the two prior renewal periods (259 CMR 7.02(5)), and the Board's renewal page tells licensees to keep documentation for the past two license cycles. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Massachusetts PT need to renew?
- Massachusetts physical therapists must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions. 259 CMR 7.01 requires a minimum of 24 points of Board recognized continuing competence activities during the preceding biennial renewal period. The Board counts points, not hours; for continuing competence programs one point equals one contact hour or equivalent, and up to 24 points may come from such programs. Only activities completed in the 24 months before each renewal date are acceptable. For new professionals licensed by examination the requirement commences following their first renewal period after initial licensure. The regulation contains no carryover provision. Waivers for illness, disability, military service, or hardship may be requested at least 45 days before the renewal cycle ends and last no more than one renewal period (259 CMR 7.04).
- How often does a Massachusetts PT license need to be renewed?
- Physical Therapist licenses in Massachusetts renew every two years. A license expires every two years on the licensee's birth anniversary; the licensee must submit a completed renewal application and fee before the expiration date (259 CMR 2.04). Continuing competence activities must be completed in the 24 months before the renewal date.
- What specific CE topics are required for Massachusetts physical therapists?
- Ethics, laws and regulations governing practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Citations: ethics, laws and regulations governing practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (259 CMR 7.01(1)).
- Do Massachusetts physical therapists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 4 years. At renewal the licensee submits a signed statement on a Board form attesting under the pains and penalties of perjury to compliance (259 CMR 7.02(1)). Programs offered by CAPTE or ACOTE accredited schools, or approved by FSBPT, APTA, AOTA, the Board of Certification, a PT or OT regulatory agency in another U.S. or Canadian jurisdiction, a government health agency, or an accredited hospital are deemed approved (259 CMR 7.03(2)); anything else must be submitted to the Board at least 90 days before the program or at the time of an audit. The Board may randomly audit and request documentation covering the two prior renewal periods (259 CMR 7.02(5)), and the Board's renewal page tells licensees to keep documentation for the past two license cycles.
- Is the first Massachusetts PT renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Massachusetts does not require continuing education for a PT's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 259 CMR 7.00 Continuing Competence (official regulation PDF, Mass. Register #1468, 4/29/22)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- 259 CMR 7.00: Continuing competenceStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- 259 CMR 2.00 General Provisions (official regulation PDF), 2.04 Requirements for Renewal of LicenseStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- 259 CMR 2.00: General provisionsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Important Renewal Information, Board of Allied Health ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Board of Allied Health ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
The 24 points per biennial period, the 2 points in ethics and Massachusetts laws and regulations, the category caps, the 24-month window, the attestation at renewal, and the audit reaching two prior renewal periods were read in the official 259 CMR 7.00 PDF published on mass.gov; the two-year birth-anniversary expiration was read in the official 259 CMR 2.00 PDF (section 2.04). mass.gov returns 403 to every automated client, so these pages and PDFs were opened in a browser and are recorded in data/licensure/link-verified-exceptions.json. The Board counts points rather than hours; for continuing competence programs one point equals one contact hour, which is why the unit is recorded as contact hours with the point system explained in the notes. 259 CMR 7.00 states no separate self-study or online cap and no retention period in years; retention_years reflects the Board's own instruction on its renewal page to keep documentation for the past two license cycles.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Massachusetts Board of Allied Health Professions before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.