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

The Colorado 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 Colorado?

The Colorado APRN renewal fee is $108. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the Colorado Board of Nursing portal.

Can APRNs prescribe independently in Colorado?

Full practice authority with a tiered prescribing on-ramp: provisional prescriptive authority (RXN-P) requires 1,800 preceptored hours; full authority (RXN) follows a 750-hour mentorship completed within 3 years. After that, no physician oversight is required.

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

No separate state controlled-substance license; prescribers hold DEA registration and use the state prescription monitoring program.

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

Yes. Current national certification in the role and population focus is required; a lapse jeopardizes the APRN authority.

Colorado APRN License Renewal: CE, Fees, and Prescriptive Rules

Built by Keegan, a travel RN · verified against official board sources

NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS · Verified against the Colorado Board of Nursing · 2026-09-04

The Colorado Board of Nursing does not set a fixed CE-hour mandate for APRN renewal. The APRN renewal fee is $108. The board is one of up to four clocks: your national certification and any DEA registration renew separately.

What the Colorado Board of Nursing requires of APRNs

Requirement	Hours	Status
Continuing Competency	Course-based	Required
APRN Substance Use Prevention	2 hrs	Conditional

Renewal deadlines in Colorado differ by license type: September 30, every 2 years (RN/APRN); August 31 (LPN). Confirm your APRN deadline with the board.

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

Prescriptive authority in Colorado

What we verified for Colorado

Board-sourced

Practice authority: Full practice authority with a tiered prescribing on-ramp: provisional prescriptive authority (RXN-P) requires 1,800 preceptored hours; full authority (RXN) follows a 750-hour mentorship completed within 3 years. After that, no physician oversight is required.
Collaboration / supervision: None after full prescriptive authority; the APRN maintains their own safe-prescribing plan and professional collaboration without physician sign-off.
State controlled-substance registration: No separate state controlled-substance license; prescribers hold DEA registration and use the state prescription monitoring program.
Prescriber CE: Colorado publishes no fixed pharmacology-hour renewal mandate for prescribers; substance-use prevention training applies per board rule, and certifying-body CE carries the pharmacology load. Confirm current rule 1.25 specifics with the board.
National certification at renewal: Yes. Current national certification in the role and population focus is required; a lapse jeopardizes the APRN authority.

Source: Colorado DORA Board of Nursing and 3 CCR 716-1.15, last checked 2026-06-11. Rules change; confirm with the board before relying on this.

The other three clocks

Colorado 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

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Colorado APRN renewal FAQ

How many CE hours do APRNs need to renew in Colorado?: The Colorado 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 Colorado?: The Colorado APRN renewal fee is $108. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the Colorado Board of Nursing portal.
Can APRNs prescribe independently in Colorado?: Full practice authority with a tiered prescribing on-ramp: provisional prescriptive authority (RXN-P) requires 1,800 preceptored hours; full authority (RXN) follows a 750-hour mentorship completed within 3 years. After that, no physician oversight is required.
Does Colorado require a state controlled-substance registration on top of the DEA?: No separate state controlled-substance license; prescribers hold DEA registration and use the state prescription monitoring program.
Is Colorado in the APRN Compact?: No. Colorado 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 Colorado APRN license?: Yes. Current national certification in the role and population focus is required; a lapse jeopardizes the APRN authority.

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Colorado APRN License Renewal: CE, Fees, and Prescriptive Rules

NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS · Verified against the Colorado Board of Nursing · 2026-09-04

Requirement

Hours

Status

Continuing Competency

Course-based

Required

APRN Substance Use Prevention

2 hrs

Conditional