North Dakota Occupational Therapy Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
North Dakota occupational therapy assistants must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice.
Licenses renew every two years, in even numbered years. The board sends renewal applications on or before April 1 of the renewal year, and the renewal application, continued competency documentation and fee have to be postmarked or delivered to the board by June 1 or a late charge is assessed. The license expires if the complete renewal has not reached the board by June 30 of the renewal year. An expired license can be renewed late for up to three years after expiration, with 20 contact hours earned in the preceding 24 months, after which the initial application process applies.
Summary
Requirements are changing. The board's continuing education page says a contact hour is based on a 50 minute hour, while N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-04(1), as amended effective April 1, 2021, says one contact hour equals one clock hour. The 20 hour total and the 24 month window are the same in both. Confirm with the board how a 50 minute session is counted before relying on the shorter figure.
North Dakota occupational therapy assistants must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. Licenses renew every two years, in even numbered years. The board sends renewal applications on or before April 1 of the renewal year, and the renewal application, continued competency documentation and fee have to be postmarked or delivered to the board by June 1 or a late charge is assessed. The license expires if the complete renewal has not reached the board by June 30 of the renewal year. An expired license can be renewed late for up to three years after expiration, with 20 contact hours earned in the preceding 24 months, after which the initial application process applies. Hours do not carry over between cycles.
North Dakota 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 | Same date for every licensee, 06/30 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 20 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Professional presentations such as in services, workshops or institutes, counted once, with no limit on hours; Community or service organization presentations, counted once, maximum 8 hours; Formal academic course work, 5 contact hours for a one or two credit class and 10 contact hours for a three or four credit class; Authoring professional publications: 10 hours for a book chapter, 10 hours for a peer reviewed article, 5 hours for a non peer reviewed article, 2 hours for a lay publication article, 5 hours for developing instructional materials or multimedia; Research activities, 10 hours as primary or coprimary investigator and 10 hours for externally funded service or training projects; Formal self study course with a completion certificate, with no limit on hours; Direct supervision of occupational therapy students in Level II fieldwork or an experiential component as primary supervisor, maximum 12 contact hours per licensing period; Professional leadership such as officer or committee chair in a professional organization, or item writing for a certification examination, maximum 6 hours; Employer based continued competency education with measurable learning outcomes, at least one hour long, maximum 6 hours; Distance learning activities |
N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-04(1) sets a minimum of 20 contact hours earned in the 24 months before the completed renewal application reaches the board, and the board's continuing education page states the same 20 contact hours, which it also writes as 2.0 CEUs at 10 contact hours per CEU. Hours may be used for one renewal period only, so nothing carries over. There is no cap on hours from workshops, conferences, formal self study courses or distance learning; the caps that do exist attach to specific alternative activities and are listed under accepted alternatives. Hours are prorated for a first renewal: 20 contact hours if initially licensed after June 30 of the even numbered year and before July 1 of the odd numbered year, 10 contact hours if initially licensed between July 1 and December 31 of the odd numbered year, and none if licensed on or after January 1 of the even numbered year, in which case the full 20 hours apply from the following period. A licensee returning after up to three years unlicensed still has to show 20 contact hours earned in the 24 months before the renewal application. The board may waive or make exceptions for medical hardship or other extraordinary circumstances. Preapproval of a course is optional and may be requested by either the licensee or the provider. The 20 contact hour requirement is set by one rule, 55.5-02-01-04, that applies to licensees generally, and the board's continuing education page states it for licensed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants together, so the assistant figure was read in the same sources as the therapist figure rather than inferred. What differs for assistants at renewal is not continuing education: 55.5-02-01-02(2) requires an occupational therapy assistant who was supervised during the renewal period to file substantiation of supervision along with the renewal application, continued competency documentation and fee, and the board publishes a separate OTA Renewal Substantiating Supervision form. An assistant not practicing during the renewal period files without it and submits supervision substantiation on resuming practice.
Required CE topics for North Dakota occupational therapy assistants
The North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice 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
| Proof submitted at renewal | Yes |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | Continued competency has to be directly related to or supportive of occupational therapy practice, enhance the licensee's professional development and competence, and be specific to a current or intended area of practice. Programs from AOTA, NBCOT, the North Dakota Occupational Therapy Association, medical associations, educational bodies and national or state health organizations qualify, as does anything the board approves. A copy of a certificate showing the licensee's name, dates, course title and contact hours must be submitted with the renewal application; where no certificate was issued the licensee files the board's Individual Licenseholder's Continued Competency Attendance form signed by a supervisor. Preapproval is optional and open to both licensees and providers. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a North Dakota OTA need to renew?
- North Dakota occupational therapy assistants must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-04(1) sets a minimum of 20 contact hours earned in the 24 months before the completed renewal application reaches the board, and the board's continuing education page states the same 20 contact hours, which it also writes as 2.0 CEUs at 10 contact hours per CEU. Hours may be used for one renewal period only, so nothing carries over. There is no cap on hours from workshops, conferences, formal self study courses or distance learning; the caps that do exist attach to specific alternative activities and are listed under accepted alternatives. Hours are prorated for a first renewal: 20 contact hours if initially licensed after June 30 of the even numbered year and before July 1 of the odd numbered year, 10 contact hours if initially licensed between July 1 and December 31 of the odd numbered year, and none if licensed on or after January 1 of the even numbered year, in which case the full 20 hours apply from the following period. A licensee returning after up to three years unlicensed still has to show 20 contact hours earned in the 24 months before the renewal application. The board may waive or make exceptions for medical hardship or other extraordinary circumstances. Preapproval of a course is optional and may be requested by either the licensee or the provider. The 20 contact hour requirement is set by one rule, 55.5-02-01-04, that applies to licensees generally, and the board's continuing education page states it for licensed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants together, so the assistant figure was read in the same sources as the therapist figure rather than inferred. What differs for assistants at renewal is not continuing education: 55.5-02-01-02(2) requires an occupational therapy assistant who was supervised during the renewal period to file substantiation of supervision along with the renewal application, continued competency documentation and fee, and the board publishes a separate OTA Renewal Substantiating Supervision form. An assistant not practicing during the renewal period files without it and submits supervision substantiation on resuming practice.
- How often does a North Dakota OTA license need to be renewed?
- Occupational Therapy Assistant licenses in North Dakota renew every two years. Licenses renew every two years, in even numbered years. The board sends renewal applications on or before April 1 of the renewal year, and the renewal application, continued competency documentation and fee have to be postmarked or delivered to the board by June 1 or a late charge is assessed. The license expires if the complete renewal has not reached the board by June 30 of the renewal year. An expired license can be renewed late for up to three years after expiration, with 20 contact hours earned in the preceding 24 months, after which the initial application process applies.
- Does North Dakota require specific CE topics for occupational therapy assistants?
- The North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice does not list mandated subject areas for OTA renewal on the pages we verified; the 20 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do North Dakota occupational therapy assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal. Continued competency has to be directly related to or supportive of occupational therapy practice, enhance the licensee's professional development and competence, and be specific to a current or intended area of practice. Programs from AOTA, NBCOT, the North Dakota Occupational Therapy Association, medical associations, educational bodies and national or state health organizations qualify, as does anything the board approves. A copy of a certificate showing the licensee's name, dates, course title and contact hours must be submitted with the renewal application; where no certificate was issued the licensee files the board's Individual Licenseholder's Continued Competency Attendance form signed by a supervisor. Preapproval is optional and open to both licensees and providers.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education Requirements, North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy PracticeState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Application for Renewal of License, North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy PracticeState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Administrative Code, North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy PracticeState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy PracticeState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- North Dakota Administrative Code Title 55.5, Occupational Therapy Practice, Board ofStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-04, Continued competency (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 10, 2026
- N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-02, Licensure renewal (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 10, 2026
North Dakota licenses occupational therapy through its own regulator, the North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice, which is separate from the North Dakota Board of Physical Therapy. The 20 contact hours in 24 months, the proration rules and the content standards were read on the board's own continuing education page, and the same figures plus the credit values for each activity category were read in N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-04. The biennial renewal in even numbered years, the June 1 filing date and the June 30 expiration were read in N.D. Admin. Code 55.5-02-01-02, and the board's renewal page confirms licenses expired June 30, 2026 and that the next online renewal opens April 1, 2028. North Dakota publishes Title 55.5 of its administrative code as a chapter index in HTML on legis.nd.gov but the chapter text itself only as PDF, which was not opened, so the rule text was read on the Cornell LII mirror and the legis.nd.gov index is cited for the title and chapter structure. One point of disagreement between sources, recorded in the advisory rather than as a conflict because it does not touch the recorded total or cycle: the board's continuing education page, last updated in 2016, describes a contact hour as 50 minutes, while the rule as amended effective April 1, 2021 defines one contact hour as one clock hour. The board mandates no continuing education subjects at all, so mandatory_topics is empty. There is no ethics hour, no jurisprudence hour and no other subject mandate in Chapter 55.5-02-01. A jurisprudence examination is not a standing renewal requirement, though 55.5-02-01-02(1)(e) and (2) let the board require one of a licensee, and the board publishes a jurisprudence exam for license reinstatement. NBCOT certification is not required to renew; the rule accepts NBCOT programs as a continuing education source and requires a passing score on a national certifying examination only for initial licensure under 55.5-02-01-01(1)(b). Record retention length and any audit programme are not stated, because the board reviews the certificates filed with every renewal rather than auditing a sample. The occupational therapy assistant total was confirmed separately: the board's continuing education page names licensed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants together at 20 contact hours, and 55.5-02-01-02(2) sets out the assistant renewal procedure with the same continued competency documentation requirement. The assistant specific item at renewal is substantiation of supervision, which is a supervision requirement and is not recorded as continuing education.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the North Dakota State Board of Occupational Therapy Practice before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.