Arizona APRN license renewal: CE, fees, and prescriptive rules

NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS · Verified 2026-06-04

The Arizona State Board of Nursing does not set a fixed CE-hour mandate for APRN renewal. The APRN renewal fee is $160. The board is one of up to four clocks: your national certification and any DEA registration renew separately.

What the Arizona State Board of Nursing requires of APRNs

Requirement	Hours	Status
Continuing Competence	Course-based	Required
Practice Hours Option	Course-based	Optional
National Certification Option	Course-based	Optional
Education Option	Course-based	Optional
APRN National Certification	Course-based	Required

Full renewal context (deadlines, grace period, audits): Arizona nursing license renewal guide.

Prescriptive authority in Arizona

What we verified for Arizona

Board-sourced

Practice authority: Full practice authority: APRNs assess, diagnose, and prescribe independently, including controlled substances, with no collaboration requirement.
Collaboration / supervision: None required by Arizona law: no collaborative agreement or supervisory relationship with a physician is mandated for practice or prescribing.
State controlled-substance registration: No separate state controlled-substance license. Prescribers with DEA numbers must register with the CSPMP, Arizona's prescription monitoring program (no fee); that is PMP enrollment, not a second license.
Prescriber CE: Renewal (4-year cycle) requires either 960 APRN practice hours in the past 5 years or 45 hours of advanced pharmacology plus 45 hours of role/population CE; DEA registrants also owe at least 3 hours of opioid or substance-use CE per cycle.
National certification at renewal: Yes. The APRN certificate rides on current national certification; it expires when the RN license or the certification lapses, whichever comes first.

Source: Arizona State Board of Nursing and R4-19-506, last checked 2026-06-11. Rules change; confirm with the board before relying on this.

The other three clocks

Arizona has not enacted the APRN Compact (which is not yet operational anywhere). The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so multi-state APRN practice still means a separate APRN credential in each state. Your national certification (AANPCB, ANCC, NBCRNA, or AMCB) and any DEA registration renew on their own cycles, with their own CE math.

The four-clock guide: certification cycles, compact status, DEA and MATE

Arizona APRN renewal FAQ

How many CE hours do APRNs need to renew in Arizona?: The Arizona State Board of Nursing does not set a fixed CE-hour mandate for APRN renewal. Your national certification still carries its own CE requirement on a separate clock.
What is the APRN renewal fee in Arizona?: The Arizona APRN renewal fee is $160. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the Arizona State Board of Nursing portal.
Can APRNs prescribe independently in Arizona?: Full practice authority: APRNs assess, diagnose, and prescribe independently, including controlled substances, with no collaboration requirement.
Does Arizona require a state controlled-substance registration on top of the DEA?: No separate state controlled-substance license. Prescribers with DEA numbers must register with the CSPMP, Arizona's prescription monitoring program (no fee); that is PMP enrollment, not a second license.
Is Arizona in the APRN Compact?: No. Arizona has not enacted the APRN Compact, and the compact itself is not yet operational anywhere. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so it does not extend APRN practice across state lines.
Does my national certification have to be current to renew my Arizona APRN license?: Yes. The APRN certificate rides on current national certification; it expires when the RN license or the certification lapses, whichever comes first.

More for Arizona nurses

Four clocks are too many to keep in your head

Track your RN license, APRN credential, national certification, and DEA registration in one place, free to start.

Start Tracking — Free

What the Arizona State Board of Nursing requires of APRNs

Requirement	Hours	Status
Continuing Competence	Course-based	Required
Practice Hours Option	Course-based	Optional
National Certification Option	Course-based	Optional
Education Option	Course-based	Optional
APRN National Certification	Course-based	Required

Full renewal context (deadlines, grace period, audits): Arizona nursing license renewal guide.

Prescriptive authority in Arizona

What we verified for Arizona

Board-sourced

Practice authority: Full practice authority: APRNs assess, diagnose, and prescribe independently, including controlled substances, with no collaboration requirement.
Collaboration / supervision: None required by Arizona law: no collaborative agreement or supervisory relationship with a physician is mandated for practice or prescribing.
State controlled-substance registration: No separate state controlled-substance license. Prescribers with DEA numbers must register with the CSPMP, Arizona's prescription monitoring program (no fee); that is PMP enrollment, not a second license.
Prescriber CE: Renewal (4-year cycle) requires either 960 APRN practice hours in the past 5 years or 45 hours of advanced pharmacology plus 45 hours of role/population CE; DEA registrants also owe at least 3 hours of opioid or substance-use CE per cycle.
National certification at renewal: Yes. The APRN certificate rides on current national certification; it expires when the RN license or the certification lapses, whichever comes first.

Source: Arizona State Board of Nursing and R4-19-506, last checked 2026-06-11. Rules change; confirm with the board before relying on this.

The other three clocks

Arizona APRN renewal FAQ

How many CE hours do APRNs need to renew in Arizona?

The Arizona State Board of Nursing does not set a fixed CE-hour mandate for APRN renewal. Your national certification still carries its own CE requirement on a separate clock.

What is the APRN renewal fee in Arizona?

The Arizona APRN renewal fee is $160. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the Arizona State Board of Nursing portal.

Can APRNs prescribe independently in Arizona?

Full practice authority: APRNs assess, diagnose, and prescribe independently, including controlled substances, with no collaboration requirement.

Does Arizona require a state controlled-substance registration on top of the DEA?

No separate state controlled-substance license. Prescribers with DEA numbers must register with the CSPMP, Arizona's prescription monitoring program (no fee); that is PMP enrollment, not a second license.

Is Arizona in the APRN Compact?

No. Arizona has not enacted the APRN Compact, and the compact itself is not yet operational anywhere. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so it does not extend APRN practice across state lines.

Does my national certification have to be current to renew my Arizona APRN license?

Yes. The APRN certificate rides on current national certification; it expires when the RN license or the certification lapses, whichever comes first.