Utah Occupational Therapy Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Utah occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Occupational Therapy).
The license expires on May 31 of odd-numbered years, on a two year renewal cycle. The Division of Professional Licensing mails a renewal notice to the licensee's address of record at least 60 days before the expiration date, so keeping the address current matters. Renewal is completed online.
Summary
Utah occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Occupational Therapy). The license expires on May 31 of odd-numbered years, on a two year renewal cycle. The Division of Professional Licensing mails a renewal notice to the licensee's address of record at least 60 days before the expiration date, so keeping the address current matters. Renewal is completed online. Utah also mandates specific subjects. Legal and ethical principles of practice: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle.
Utah 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, 05/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 24 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | Maintaining current and active NBCOT certification, which rule R156-42a-304(2)(ii)(B) accepts in place of the 24 hours; Lecturing or instructing an occupational therapy course at an accredited college or university, a qualified continuing education course, or as an invited guest lecturer (1 hour of credit per hour taught, up to 10 hours for an occupational therapist assistant as well as an occupational therapist, and the same course may be counted at most twice per cycle); Participating in a fellowship, residency or specialty certification (2 hours of credit for each hour of participation); Providing volunteer health care treatment in occupational therapy that meets Utah Code 58-13-3(8); Serving as a clinical instructor supervising at least one occupational therapist student or occupational therapy assistant student (up to 5 hours); Authoring a scholarly peer-reviewed journal article, book or book chapter; Volunteer service on a board or committee, or in a leadership role, in a state, national or international organization for the development and improvement of occupational therapy; Studying a scholarly peer-reviewed journal article |
Rule R156-42a-304(1) states that the qualified continuing professional education requirements apply to occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants alike, and R156-42a-304(2) sets one figure for a licensee: during each two year renewal cycle, at least two hours in legal and ethical principles, and either at least 24 hours of qualified continuing professional education or current and active NBCOT certification. The assistant total is therefore the same 24 hours, not a reduced figure, and the Division publishes the same renewal requirement for the Occupational Therapist Assistant Renewal as for the Occupational Therapist Renewal. The Division's renewal page states the requirement as 24 hours of which a minimum of 2 hours must relate to legal and ethical principles of practice, so the ethics hours are counted inside the 24 rather than added to them. Courses must be at least 50 minute blocks and must be approved, conducted or sponsored by an accredited college or university, a state or federal agency, a professional association, organization or facility involved in occupational therapy practice, or a commercial continuing education provider. Accepted formats include college lecture and discussion, professional conferences, seminars, training sessions, synchronous distance learning documented as real time and interactive, and asynchronous distance learning that is not real time or interactive, with no stated cap on the asynchronous format. Hours are increased or decreased proportionately based on the licensee's date of licensure within the two year cycle. The Division may defer or waive the requirement under R156-1-308d. Being supervised by an occupational therapist and the cosignature rules in R156-42a-601 are practice requirements, not continuing education.
Required CE topics for Utah 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal and ethical principles of practiceThe course must meet the general continuing education standards and cover at least one of: the patient and occupational therapist relationship, confidentiality, documentation, charging and coding, compliance with state or federal laws affecting occupational therapy practice, or a topic in the AOTA 2020 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. The Division's renewal page counts these 2 hours within the 24. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | Utah Admin. Code R156-42a-304(2)(i) and (4) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Not stated |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 2 years |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | A qualifying course must be approved, conducted or sponsored by a recognized accredited college or university, a state or federal agency, a professional association, organization or facility involved in the practice of occupational therapy, or a commercial continuing education provider. Verification is a certificate of completion showing attendee, provider, instructor, date, title, number of hours, objectives and format, or, for self-directed study or authorship, documentation of the date of study, title and abstract, objectives and number of contact hours. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Utah OTA need to renew?
- Utah occupational therapy assistants must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Occupational Therapy). Rule R156-42a-304(1) states that the qualified continuing professional education requirements apply to occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants alike, and R156-42a-304(2) sets one figure for a licensee: during each two year renewal cycle, at least two hours in legal and ethical principles, and either at least 24 hours of qualified continuing professional education or current and active NBCOT certification. The assistant total is therefore the same 24 hours, not a reduced figure, and the Division publishes the same renewal requirement for the Occupational Therapist Assistant Renewal as for the Occupational Therapist Renewal. The Division's renewal page states the requirement as 24 hours of which a minimum of 2 hours must relate to legal and ethical principles of practice, so the ethics hours are counted inside the 24 rather than added to them. Courses must be at least 50 minute blocks and must be approved, conducted or sponsored by an accredited college or university, a state or federal agency, a professional association, organization or facility involved in occupational therapy practice, or a commercial continuing education provider. Accepted formats include college lecture and discussion, professional conferences, seminars, training sessions, synchronous distance learning documented as real time and interactive, and asynchronous distance learning that is not real time or interactive, with no stated cap on the asynchronous format. Hours are increased or decreased proportionately based on the licensee's date of licensure within the two year cycle. The Division may defer or waive the requirement under R156-1-308d. Being supervised by an occupational therapist and the cosignature rules in R156-42a-601 are practice requirements, not continuing education.
- How often does a Utah OTA license need to be renewed?
- Occupational Therapy Assistant licenses in Utah renew every two years. The license expires on May 31 of odd-numbered years, on a two year renewal cycle. The Division of Professional Licensing mails a renewal notice to the licensee's address of record at least 60 days before the expiration date, so keeping the address current matters. Renewal is completed online.
- What specific CE topics are required for Utah occupational therapy assistants?
- Legal and ethical principles of practice: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Citations: legal and ethical principles of practice (Utah Admin. Code R156-42a-304(2)(i) and (4)).
- Do Utah occupational therapy assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Records must be kept for 2 years. A qualifying course must be approved, conducted or sponsored by a recognized accredited college or university, a state or federal agency, a professional association, organization or facility involved in the practice of occupational therapy, or a commercial continuing education provider. Verification is a certificate of completion showing attendee, provider, instructor, date, title, number of hours, objectives and format, or, for self-directed study or authorship, documentation of the date of study, title and abstract, objectives and number of contact hours.
- Is the first Utah OTA renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Utah 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.
- Utah Admin. Code R156-42a, Occupational Therapy Practice Act Rule (current rule, effective 12/23/2025)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 9, 2026
- Renew an Occupational Therapy License, Utah Division of Professional LicensingState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
- Occupational Therapy, Utah Division of Professional LicensingState board page, accessed September 9, 2026
The assistant figures were read as assistant figures: R156-42a-304(1) names occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants together, R156-42a-304(5)(a)(ii) sets the same ten hour teaching cap for both, and the Division's renewal page lists a single set of renewal requirements above separate Occupational Therapist Renewal and Occupational Therapist Assistant Renewal forms. Utah regulates occupational therapy through the Division of Professional Licensing under the Occupational Therapy Practice Act, Title 58 Chapter 42a, with rule R156-42a; physical therapy sits under a separate act and rule, R156-24b, so none of the physical therapist assistant figures were reused. A Utah physical therapist assistant counts 20 CEUs, while an occupational therapy assistant counts 24 hours, a different unit and a different number. The hours, the two hour legal and ethics requirement, the NBCOT alternative, the credit rules, the pro rata adjustment and the two year documentation retention were read in R156-42a-304 on adminrules.utah.gov, which serves current rule text only through the /public/rule/R156-42a/Current%20Rules path and is not reachable by ordinary command line fetch, so it was read in a browser. The May 31 odd year expiration and the 60 day renewal notice were read on the Division's own renewal page. The rule does not say whether certificates are submitted at renewal or only produced on request, and does not describe an audit program, so those fields are null. NBCOT certification is required for initial licensure through the COTA examination (R156-42a-302(2)) and, once licensed, current NBCOT certification can stand in for the 24 hours. Trigger point dry needling registration under R156-42a-307 is available to occupational therapists, not assistants, and is an added scope credential rather than part of the base continuing education total.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Occupational Therapy) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.