New Jersey Licensed Practical Nurse license renewal and CE requirements
New Jersey licensed practical nurses must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Jersey Board of Nursing, Division of Consumer Affairs.
New Jersey licensed practical nurse licenses renew every two years, and the continuing education that counts is what was completed in the two-year period immediately preceding the renewal. The board does not publish a single calendar expiration date on the pages read, so check the expiration date printed on your license or shown in the licensing portal.
Summary
New Jersey licensed practical nurses must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Jersey Board of Nursing, Division of Consumer Affairs. New Jersey licensed practical nurse licenses renew every two years, and the continuing education that counts is what was completed in the two-year period immediately preceding the renewal. The board does not publish a single calendar expiration date on the pages read, so check the expiration date printed on your license or shown in the licensing portal. New Jersey also mandates specific subjects. Prescription opioid drugs, alternatives for pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle (all registered professional nurses and licensed practical nurses, not only prescribers). Up to 15 excess contact hours carry over to the next cycle.
New Jersey Licensed Practical Nurse 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 | Board-specific schedule |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes, up to 15 contact hours |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Academic courses related to nursing at an accredited school: 5 hours per credit; Doctoral program courses with a research component: 5 hours per credit; Teaching or developing a new approved CE program: 1 hour per 50 minutes taught; Teaching or developing a new nursing course at an accredited school: 5 hours per credit; Authorship of a published textbook or chapter: 15 hours per chapter up to 30; Completion of a doctoral dissertation: 30 hours; Authorship of a peer-reviewed published article: 15 hours per article up to 30; Presenting a new seminar or lecture to professional peers: 1 hour per 50 minutes; IRB-approved research project as primary or co-investigator: 30 hours; Development of new instructional materials: 15 hours up to 30; Acting as a preceptor for at least 100 hours in an organized preceptorship program: 10 hours; CME recognized by AMA, AOA or APMA and courses from ACPE-approved providers: 1 hour per 60 minutes |
The Board of Nursing's continuing education FAQ states that each licensee must complete a minimum of 30 contact hours during the two-year period preceding renewal, where one contact hour equals 60 minutes of instruction. Courses must be approved by a credentialing agency accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center; the accepted course types are listed at N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3(d)1-15. Online courses count and the board sets no cap on them. Employer-provided courses count when they carry a credit-hour designation, the employer is ANCC approved, and a certificate of completion is issued. A licensee may carry up to 15 extra contact hours into the next renewal period. Retired licensees who keep an active license must still complete the hours; a license placed on inactive status does not accrue the requirement but must go through reactivation.
Required CE topics for New Jersey licensed practical nurses
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription opioid drugs, alternatives for pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversionThe board's continuing education FAQ states this as a condition of biennial license renewal for all RNs and all LPNs. It counts toward the 30 contact hours. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | All registered professional nurses and licensed practical nurses, not only prescribers | N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3(b) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 5 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Certificates are not submitted with the renewal; the board may request copies during a random continuing education audit or a disciplinary investigation, and it recommends keeping certificates for at least five years. Courses must be approved by a credentialing agency accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, with the accepted types listed at N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3(d)1-15. Failing the requirement can draw sanctions by public order under N.J.S.A. 45:1-21 and 45:1-22. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a New Jersey LPN/LVN need to renew?
- New Jersey licensed practical nurses must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Jersey Board of Nursing, Division of Consumer Affairs. The Board of Nursing's continuing education FAQ states that each licensee must complete a minimum of 30 contact hours during the two-year period preceding renewal, where one contact hour equals 60 minutes of instruction. Courses must be approved by a credentialing agency accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center; the accepted course types are listed at N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3(d)1-15. Online courses count and the board sets no cap on them. Employer-provided courses count when they carry a credit-hour designation, the employer is ANCC approved, and a certificate of completion is issued. A licensee may carry up to 15 extra contact hours into the next renewal period. Retired licensees who keep an active license must still complete the hours; a license placed on inactive status does not accrue the requirement but must go through reactivation.
- How often does a New Jersey LPN/LVN license need to be renewed?
- Licensed Practical Nurse licenses in New Jersey renew every two years. New Jersey licensed practical nurse licenses renew every two years, and the continuing education that counts is what was completed in the two-year period immediately preceding the renewal. The board does not publish a single calendar expiration date on the pages read, so check the expiration date printed on your license or shown in the licensing portal.
- What specific CE topics are required for New Jersey licensed practical nurses?
- Prescription opioid drugs, alternatives for pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle (all registered professional nurses and licensed practical nurses, not only prescribers). Citations: prescription opioid drugs, alternatives for pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion (N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3(b)).
- Do New Jersey licensed practical nurses 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 5 years. Certificates are not submitted with the renewal; the board may request copies during a random continuing education audit or a disciplinary investigation, and it recommends keeping certificates for at least five years. Courses must be approved by a credentialing agency accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, with the accepted types listed at N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3(d)1-15. Failing the requirement can draw sanctions by public order under N.J.S.A. 45:1-21 and 45:1-22.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Frequently Asked Questions, Continuing Education, New Jersey Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Continuing Education, New Jersey Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- New Jersey Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
The 30 contact hours over the two years preceding renewal, the 60-minute contact hour, the 15-hour carryover, the one-hour opioid requirement that applies to all RNs and LPNs rather than only prescribers, the acceptance of online and ANCC-approved employer courses, the five-year retention recommendation, and the audit practice were all read on the Board of Nursing's own continuing education FAQ. The Division of Consumer Affairs site sits behind an Imperva bot wall that blocks every automated client, so these pages were opened and read in a browser and are recorded in data/licensure/link-verified-exceptions.json. The renewal basis stays other because no board page read states a calendar expiration date for LPN licenses; the FAQ describes the CE window relative to each licensee's own renewal instead. An earlier draft of this record relied on an Internet Archive capture of the Chapter 37 rules; those values have now been confirmed against the live board pages and the archived source was dropped.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the New Jersey Board of Nursing, Division of Consumer Affairs before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.