Nevada Occupational Therapy Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Nevada occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy.
A standard license expires two years after the date it was issued, so the renewal date is personal to the licensee rather than a common statewide date. Renewal can be filed online up to 60 days before expiration. The board will not accept a renewal application submitted more than 30 days after the license expired; after that the license must be reinstated, and it cannot be reinstated at all once five years have passed.
Summary
Nevada occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy. A standard license expires two years after the date it was issued, so the renewal date is personal to the licensee rather than a common statewide date. Renewal can be filed online up to 60 days before expiration. The board will not accept a renewal application submitted more than 30 days after the license expired; after that the license must be reinstated, and it cannot be reinstated at all once five years have passed. Nevada also mandates specific subjects. Nevada Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence Examination: required on a periodic schedule set by the board. Up to 10 excess contact hours carry over to the next cycle.
Nevada Occupational Therapy 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.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the original issue date |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 24 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes, up to 10 contact hours |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | Supervision of level I fieldwork as primary clinical fieldwork educator (maximum 4 hours per cycle); Supervision of level II fieldwork as primary clinical fieldwork educator (maximum 18 hours per cycle); Writing a peer reviewed book, book chapter or article on occupational therapy (maximum 12 hours in the cycle of publication); Teaching a course, workshop, seminar or in-service outside the licensee's normal scope of employment; Participation in an official meeting of the board or of a professional occupational therapy organization (maximum 6 hours per cycle); Achieving a board approved specialty certification (maximum 5 hours in the cycle achieved); Passing the Nevada Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence Examination (credited once per cycle); Academic courses, including distance learning; Self-study with a formal assessment of learning, including electronic and internet based courses |
NAC 640A.070(1) requires a person with a standard license to complete at least 24 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal cycle. The assistant figure was read as its own value: the continuing education rule is written around the standard license and never distinguishes an occupational therapy assistant from an occupational therapist, and no lower assistant total appears anywhere in NAC chapter 640A, so an occupational therapy assistant owes the same 24 hours. NAC 640A.013 defines an hour of continuing education as 60 minutes, excluding breaks. A licensee who earns more than 24 hours may carry a maximum of 10 hours into the next biennial cycle. A person who obtains a standard license within 12 months of graduating from an approved program that includes fieldwork needs only 12 hours for the first renewal, so the first renewal is reduced rather than waived, and licensees who do not meet that condition owe the full 24. Acceptable subject matter under NAC 640A.090 includes research, theoretical or practical courses, clinical development, administration, supervision or teaching, service delivery programs, and Nevada occupational therapy statutes and regulations. The rules set no live or interactive minimum and no cap on self-study or internet based courses. The board may waive all or part of the requirement for an extenuating circumstance such as extreme illness, injury or financial hardship. NBCOT certification is not a continuing education substitute in Nevada and its units are not adopted: NRS 640A.120 makes current NBCOT certification a qualification for initial licensure and NAC 640A.055 requires proof of certification to reinstate an expired license, but neither the statute nor NAC 640A.030 makes it a condition of an ordinary renewal.
Required CE topics for Nevada occupational therapy assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence ExaminationA licensee must achieve a passing score at least once every five years, so it does not fall in every biennial renewal. NAC 640A.070(4) allows credit for passing it only once in a biennial renewal cycle. The rule does not state how many continuing education hours the examination is worth. A passing score within the preceding year is also required to reinstate an expired license under NAC 640A.055. | Not stated | Periodic | All licensees | NAC 640A.070(3) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Nevada does not require board approved providers or prior course approval. The board's own FAQ states that pre-approval is not needed and that occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants may take any continuing education course appropriate to their practice, provided the subject matter falls within NAC 640A.090. At renewal the licensee submits a list of the courses and activities completed; proof of completion is provided when the board asks for it, and the board runs random audits under NAC 640A.070(7). A licensee may ask the board in writing to approve credit for an activity not listed in NAC 640A.090. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Nevada OTA need to renew?
- Nevada occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy. NAC 640A.070(1) requires a person with a standard license to complete at least 24 hours of continuing education per biennial renewal cycle. The assistant figure was read as its own value: the continuing education rule is written around the standard license and never distinguishes an occupational therapy assistant from an occupational therapist, and no lower assistant total appears anywhere in NAC chapter 640A, so an occupational therapy assistant owes the same 24 hours. NAC 640A.013 defines an hour of continuing education as 60 minutes, excluding breaks. A licensee who earns more than 24 hours may carry a maximum of 10 hours into the next biennial cycle. A person who obtains a standard license within 12 months of graduating from an approved program that includes fieldwork needs only 12 hours for the first renewal, so the first renewal is reduced rather than waived, and licensees who do not meet that condition owe the full 24. Acceptable subject matter under NAC 640A.090 includes research, theoretical or practical courses, clinical development, administration, supervision or teaching, service delivery programs, and Nevada occupational therapy statutes and regulations. The rules set no live or interactive minimum and no cap on self-study or internet based courses. The board may waive all or part of the requirement for an extenuating circumstance such as extreme illness, injury or financial hardship. NBCOT certification is not a continuing education substitute in Nevada and its units are not adopted: NRS 640A.120 makes current NBCOT certification a qualification for initial licensure and NAC 640A.055 requires proof of certification to reinstate an expired license, but neither the statute nor NAC 640A.030 makes it a condition of an ordinary renewal.
- How often does a Nevada OTA license need to be renewed?
- Occupational Therapy Assistant licenses in Nevada renew every two years. A standard license expires two years after the date it was issued, so the renewal date is personal to the licensee rather than a common statewide date. Renewal can be filed online up to 60 days before expiration. The board will not accept a renewal application submitted more than 30 days after the license expired; after that the license must be reinstated, and it cannot be reinstated at all once five years have passed.
- What specific CE topics are required for Nevada occupational therapy assistants?
- Nevada Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence Examination: required on a periodic schedule set by the board. Citations: Nevada Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence Examination (NAC 640A.070(3)).
- Do Nevada occupational therapy 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. Nevada does not require board approved providers or prior course approval. The board's own FAQ states that pre-approval is not needed and that occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants may take any continuing education course appropriate to their practice, provided the subject matter falls within NAC 640A.090. At renewal the licensee submits a list of the courses and activities completed; proof of completion is provided when the board asks for it, and the board runs random audits under NAC 640A.070(7). A licensee may ask the board in writing to approve credit for an activity not listed in NAC 640A.090.
- Is the first Nevada OTA renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Nevada applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.
Sources
Last verified September 9, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 640A, Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy AssistantsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 9, 2026
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 640A, Occupational TherapyStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 9, 2026
- FAQs, Nevada State Board of Occupational TherapyState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- License Renewal Form, Nevada State Board of Occupational TherapyState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- Nevada State Board of Occupational TherapyState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
Nevada follows the standalone board pattern: occupational therapy has its own regulator, the Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy, under NRS and NAC chapter 640A, entirely separate from the Nevada Physical Therapy Board. The assistant total was checked separately against the full text of NAC chapter 640A. The continuing education rule, NAC 640A.070, is drafted around the standard license and sets no assistant specific figure, and the qualifying activity rule NAC 640A.090 credits supervision of both occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant students without splitting the totals, so assistants owe the same 24 hours with the same 10 hour carryover and the same five year jurisprudence examination interval. Where chapter 640A does treat assistants differently is outside continuing education: renewal fees are lower for an occupational therapy assistant, and reinstating an expired assistant license additionally requires proof of employment and supervision by a licensed occupational therapist under NAC 640A.055(2)(d). That supervision condition is a practice requirement, not continuing education. The rules state no mandated clinical subjects, no live or interactive minimum, no self-study cap and no record retention period.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.