Georgia requires 30 CE hours for RNs with five mandatory topics that must be covered — though no specific hour counts are mandated per topic. The state also requires CE documentation to be submitted through CE Broker, not directly to the board. Here's what you need to know.
Georgia RN License Renewal Requirements Overview
The Georgia Board of Nursing (under the Georgia Secretary of State) requires Registered Nurses to complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2-year renewal cycle. LPNs have a lower requirement of 20 hours.
Georgia is a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member state, so nurses with a multistate license can practice across all compact states without obtaining additional licenses.
What CE Hours Are Required?
- RNs/APRNs: 30 total contact hours per 2-year renewal cycle
- LPNs: 20 total contact hours per 2-year renewal cycle
- Medical Errors — must be covered within total hours (no specific hour count mandated)
- Domestic Violence — must be covered within total hours
- Laws and Rules of the Board — must be covered within total hours
- HIV/AIDS — must be covered within total hours
- Recognizing Impairment in the Workplace — must be covered within total hours
Alternative Competency Pathways
Georgia offers five ways to satisfy continuing competency — CE hours are just one option. You can also meet requirements through national certification, an accredited academic program, verified competency by a licensed facility plus 500 practice hours, or a Board-approved reentry program.
Step-by-Step: How to Renew Your Georgia Nursing License
- Know your deadline. RN and APRN licenses must be renewed by January 31 of even-numbered years. LPN licenses are due by March 31 of even-numbered years.
- Complete all CE hours and mandatory topics. Finish your 30 hours (RN) or 20 hours (LPN), ensuring all 5 mandatory topics are covered.
- Submit documentation to CE Broker. All continuing competency documents must be submitted through CE Broker — do not send them directly to the board or by email.
- Log in to the GOALS portal. Georgia launched the GOALS licensing portal in September 2025. Complete your renewal application there.
- Pay the renewal fee. The current fee is $65 per license. APRNs must renew their RN and APRN licenses separately ($130 total).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Sending CE documents directly to the board. Georgia requires all documents to go through CE Broker. Documents sent directly to the board office or by email will not be processed.
- APRNs forgetting the double renewal. APRNs must submit and pay for two separate renewals — RN first, then APRN — totaling $130 in standard fees.
- Missing mandatory topics. While Georgia doesn't mandate specific hour counts per topic, all five topics (medical errors, domestic violence, laws/rules, HIV/AIDS, recognizing impairment) must be covered within your total hours.
- Missing the late renewal window. Georgia offers a late renewal period of approximately one month after the deadline with an additional late fee. After that window closes, full reinstatement is required.
Tips for a Smooth Renewal
- Use CE Broker early. Submit your CE documentation throughout the cycle instead of waiting until the end. This way you can catch any issues with rejected submissions early.
- Consider alternative pathways. If you maintain national certification or are enrolled in an academic program, you may already satisfy competency requirements without needing 30 CE hours.
- Track everything in one place. RenewRN monitors your mandatory topics and total hours so you always know which requirements you've met and what's remaining.
Why CE Broker Matters Even More in Georgia
Georgia is one of the regulator-of-record CE Broker states, which means the Board of Nursing pulls compliance data directly from CE Broker rather than reviewing certificates you submit. The board does not accept documentation by email, fax, or mail — if your hours aren't in CE Broker, the board doesn't see them, even if you've actually completed them.
Most accredited CE providers report hours to CE Broker automatically within 1–2 business days. A few situations where hours don't auto-report:
- Free CE from professional associations sometimes requires manual upload (the provider gives you a certificate; you upload it to CE Broker yourself)
- Hospital in-service trainings often need manual submission, and only count if the in-service was offered through an accredited CE provider
- Out-of-state workshops or conferences may need manual upload depending on the provider's reporting setup
Best practice: log in to your CE Broker account a few weeks before renewal to confirm every course you've completed is showing on your transcript. If something's missing, contact the provider directly — uploading manually later is straightforward but takes time you don't want to be scrambling for at deadline.
The Five Mandatory Topics — and How They Differ from Other States
Most states with mandatory topic requirements specify both a topic and a minimum hour count. Georgia is unusual: the five topics are required, but the state doesn't mandate how many hours you spend on each. The intent is that the topics be covered within your 30 hours — even brief inclusion within a longer course can satisfy the requirement.
The five topics are:
- Medical Errors — patient safety, error reporting, root cause analysis
- Domestic Violence — recognition, reporting obligations, intervention
- Laws and Rules of the Board — Georgia Nurse Practice Act, scope of practice, disciplinary procedures
- HIV/AIDS — current treatment guidelines, transmission prevention, patient counseling
- Recognizing Impairment in the Workplace — substance abuse, fitness for duty, reporting obligations
Practical takeaway: when you're selecting CE courses, look for ones that explicitly list which mandatory topics they cover. Many Georgia-specific CE bundles are designed to satisfy multiple mandatory topics in a single course. Your certificate should clearly state which topics were covered.
The Five Continuing Competency Pathways
Georgia is one of a handful of states that gives nurses multiple ways to satisfy continuing competency — CE hours are just the most common. The five recognized pathways:
- 30 CE hours covering the five mandatory topics (most common)
- Current national certification — if you maintain a current ANCC, AANP, or other recognized national certification in your specialty, that can substitute for CE
- Accredited academic program — if you completed a relevant nursing degree or post-graduate program during the renewal cycle
- Verified competency by a licensed facility plus 500 practice hours — your employer attests to your competency and you document at least 500 nursing practice hours
- Board-approved reentry program — typically used by nurses returning to practice after a lapse
For most actively-practicing Georgia nurses, the CE-hours pathway is the simplest. But if you maintain a national certification anyway, you may not need to complete additional CE on top of it.
The APRN Double Renewal — How It Actually Works
APRNs in Georgia hold two distinct licenses: an RN license and an APRN license. At renewal, you submit two separate applications and pay two separate $65 fees ($130 total). The CE requirements aren't duplicated — your 30 hours satisfy both — but the administrative steps are.
Order matters: renew the RN license first. The APRN license cannot be renewed if the underlying RN license is expired or in a non-renewable state. The GOALS portal walks you through this sequencing, but confirming both licenses are renewed before the January 31 deadline is on you.
Audits, Late Renewal, and Reinstatement in Georgia
Georgia conducts random CE audits each renewal cycle. Because hours flow through CE Broker automatically, audits are typically about verifying coverage of the five mandatory topics rather than verifying hour totals. Keep your CE certificates and your CE Broker transcript accessible — most nurses can pass an audit just by exporting their CE Broker transcript and submitting it.
If you miss the January 31 deadline:
- Late renewal window: approximately 1 month with an additional late fee on top of the $65 standard renewal fee. Confirm the current late fee amount on the GOALS portal — published rates can differ from older sources. You still cannot practice during the late window; your license is technically expired until the late renewal is processed.
- After the late window: reinstatement is required. The standard reinstatement fee for RN/LPN is $175. All current CE requirements must be current, and processing typically takes 2–4 weeks during which you cannot work.
- Long lapses may trigger refresher requirements or competency assessments.
Georgia RN Renewal FAQ
Do I need to upload certificates to CE Broker myself? Usually no — most accredited providers auto-report. But check your CE Broker transcript before renewal. Anything missing requires manual upload.
How are the 5 mandatory topics verified? Through your course certificates and CE Broker transcript, which lists topics covered for each course. Random audits may ask for additional detail.
If I hold national certification, do I still need CE hours? Possibly not. Current national certification is one of Georgia's five competency pathways and can substitute for the 30-hour requirement. Check the GOALS portal for the specific certification attestation process.
Can I take all 30 hours online? Yes. Georgia doesn't require any in-person CE hours.
If I'm a first-time renewer, am I exempt? Yes. New licensees are exempt from CE requirements for their first renewal period.
Track Your Georgia CE Requirements with RenewRN
With 5 mandatory topics, CE Broker submissions, and separate APRN renewals, Georgia has a lot of moving parts. RenewRN keeps it all organized so you can focus on nursing, not paperwork.