Ohio requires 24 CE hours for RNs and LPNs, with APRNs facing a significantly higher 48-hour requirement that includes advanced pharmacology. The state also has different renewal years depending on your license type.
Ohio RN License Renewal Requirements Overview
The Ohio Board of Nursing (OBN) requires Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses to complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every 2-year renewal cycle. APRNs must complete 48 total hours (24 RN + 24 advanced practice).
Ohio is a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member state (effective January 1, 2023), so nurses with a multistate license can practice across all compact states without obtaining additional licenses.
What CE Hours Are Required?
For RNs and LPNs (24 hours total):
- 24 total contact hours per 2-year renewal cycle
- Ohio Nurse Practice Act & Rules (1 hour minimum): Category A content on Ohio nursing law and rules, approved by the Board, an OBN approver or an accredited provider, or offered by an approved provider unit
- Human Trafficking / Sexual Assault Recognition (1 hour): optional (may count toward your CE total)
- CE must come from an approved source under OAC 4723-14-05, such as ANCC-accredited providers, OBN approvers, or other states' boards of nursing
For APRNs (48 hours total):
- 48 total CE hours: 24 hours for the RN license plus 24 hours for the APRN certificate
- Advanced Pharmacology (12 hours): CNPs, CNSs, and CNMs must include at least 12 of the 24 APRN hours in advanced pharmacology
- All mandatory RN topics also apply to APRNs
Step-by-Step: How to Renew Your Ohio Nursing License
- Know your renewal year. RN and APRN licenses renew in odd-numbered years. LPN licenses renew in even-numbered years. Renewal opens July 1 and is due September 15. From September 16 through October 31 you can still renew with a $50 late fee.
- Complete all CE hours and mandatory topics. Finish your 24 hours (RN/LPN) or 48 hours (APRN), including the Category A hour, within the CE reporting period for your renewal.
- Log in to the Ohio eLicense Portal. Visit elicense.ohio.gov to start your renewal.
- Complete the renewal application. Update your personal information and affirm that all CE requirements have been completed.
- Pay the renewal fee. The fee is $65 for a single-state RN/LPN license, $75 for a multistate license, and $135 for the APRN license (APRNs renew their RN license too). Ohio adds a $3.50 transaction fee to every payment.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing renewal years. RNs and APRNs renew in odd-numbered years while LPNs renew in even-numbered years. If you hold both, track both timelines carefully.
- Using a course that isn't Category A. The Ohio law-and-rules hour must be Category A content, approved by the Board, an OBN approver or an accredited provider, or offered by an approved provider unit. A general "nursing ethics" course does not count.
- APRNs not meeting pharmacology hours. Of the 24 APRN hours, CNPs, CNSs, and CNMs must include at least 12 in advanced pharmacology. Generic advanced practice CE won't satisfy this.
- Expecting a grace period. Ohio has no formal grace period. If you fail to renew by October 31, your license lapses on November 1 and you cannot practice until reinstated.
- Trying to carry over hours. Extra CE hours earned in one renewal period cannot be carried over to the next in Ohio.
Tips for a Smooth Renewal
- Renew by September 15. Renewal opens July 1. Waiting past September 15 adds a $50 late fee, and after October 31 the license lapses.
- First-time renewals may be exempt. If you obtained your license by examination, no CE is required for the period right after licensure (OAC 4723-14-03). Endorsement licensees who have held the Ohio license one year or less need 12 hours instead of 24.
- Keep records for 6 years. Ohio conducts random audits and you must produce CE documentation within 60 days of a request. RenewRN helps you track and store all your CE records in one place.
- Take advantage of NLC benefits. As a compact state, your Ohio multistate license lets you practice in other NLC states without extra licenses.
Ohio's Category A Rule, Updated for 2026
The most easily-missed Ohio requirement isn't the 24-hour count. It's the Category A hour: at least one hour on Ohio nursing law (ORC Chapter 4723) and the Board's rules.
Until March 2026 a Category A course also had to come from an approved provider headquartered in Ohio. That condition is gone. Under OAC 4723-14-01(E), effective March 26, 2026, Category A CE must be approved by the Board, an OBN approver, or an accredited provider, or offered by an approved provider unit. The content still has to be about Ohio nursing law and rules, so check that the certificate identifies the course as Category A.
The Ohio Board of Nursing publishes Category A online resources on its website, and the Ohio Nurses Association and Ohio nursing schools offer Category A courses.
Renewal-Year Calendar Math
Ohio's renewal calendar trips up nurses in two ways:
- Different years for different license types. RNs and APRNs renew in odd-numbered years (2025, 2027, 2029…). LPNs renew in even-numbered years (2026, 2028, 2030…). If you hold both an RN and an LPN, for instance, an LPN who later became an RN and never surrendered the LPN license. You have two separate renewal cycles on opposite years.
- Due September 15, lapses November 1. Renewal opens July 1 and is due September 15. Late renewal runs September 16 through October 31 with a $50 late fee. There's no grace period after that: an unrenewed license lapses on November 1.
- The CE window is changing. For the 2026 LPN renewal, CE counts from November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2026. For the 2027 RN and APRN renewal, CE completed on or after November 1, 2025 counts, and the new reporting period ends June 30, 2027, so finish your hours by then rather than by the renewal deadline (Ohio Board of Nursing notice, April 2026; OAC 4723-14-01(U)).
Why APRNs Have Two Stacked Requirements
Ohio APRN renewal is structurally different from most states. Instead of a single combined CE total, Ohio treats your APRN license as two layered credentials, each with its own CE requirement:
- RN base layer (24 hours): Same as any other Ohio RN, the 24 hours, including the Ohio NPA Category A hour
- APRN advanced layer (24 hours): Additional advanced-practice CE specific to your role
- Pharmacology requirement (within the APRN 24): CNPs, CNSs, and CNMs must include at least 12 hours of advanced pharmacology in the APRN layer. CRNAs are exempt from this 12-hour pharmacology requirement.
Total: 48 hours per cycle, structured. The mental model that helps most: think of it as two separate 24-hour buckets, each with its own rules, both due at the same renewal.
Ohio Audit Rules. 6-Year Retention and 60-Day Response
Ohio is one of the strictest states on CE record retention. You must keep CE documentation for 6 years: long enough to cover three full renewal cycles. If audited, you have only 60 days to respond with documentation, which is shorter than most states.
What auditors verify:
- Course certificates with provider name, course title, hours, and completion date
- Provider verification. Confirmation that the provider was ANCC-accredited or OBN-approved on the date you took the course
- Specifically the Category A certificate for the Ohio law-and-rules hour
- For APRNs: separate documentation showing the 24 advanced-practice hours and the 12-hour pharmacology subset where applicable
If the Board asks for proof and you don't provide it before the end of the renewal period, the license lapses (OAC 4723-14-03(D)), and failing an audit can require up to 48 additional hours of CE. Storing certificates digitally, with clear filenames and date organization, saves you from scrambling within the 60-day window.
NLC Compact Practice from Ohio
Ohio joined the Nurse Licensure Compact effective January 1, 2023. Ohio nurses whose primary state of residence is Ohio can apply for a multistate license through eLicense and practice in the other NLC member states without separate applications.
Two practical implications:
- A multistate Ohio license follows the same renewal cycle and CE requirements as a single-state Ohio license. 24 hours every two years, including all mandatory components.
- If you move to a non-NLC state and your primary residence changes, your multistate privileges end at your next renewal. You'd apply for a license in the new state directly.
What Reinstatement Looks Like in Ohio
Because Ohio has no grace period, from November 1 you cannot legally practice on an unrenewed license. Reinstatement steps:
- A separate reinstatement application in eLicense, not the renewal application
- The reinstatement fee: $100 outside the renewal season, more if you reinstate during one, plus the $3.50 transaction fee
- 24 contact hours of CE completed in the 24 months before you apply, including Category A. If the license has been lapsed two years or more and you hold no other license, the Category A portion is 2 hours (OAC 4723-14-03(E)).
- Lapsed five years or more: a criminal records check is also required
Ohio RN Renewal FAQ
I have both an Ohio RN and LPN. Do I need 48 hours per cycle? No, but they're on different renewal years. Your RN cycle (odd years) needs 24 hours; your LPN cycle (even years) needs 24 hours separately. Effectively you're always working on a CE cycle.
If I just got my license, am I exempt from CE this cycle? Yes, if you obtained your license by examination: no CE is required for the period right after licensure. Endorsement licensees (those who transferred from another state) who have held the Ohio license one year or less need 12 hours instead of 24 (OAC 4723-14-03).
Can I take all 24 hours online? Yes. Ohio doesn't require any in-person hours, as long as the CE comes from an approved source and one hour is Category A.
Does the human trafficking course count toward my 24 hours? Yes, if the course carries CNE credit. The human trafficking recognition course is optional in Ohio (not mandatory), but if you take it, it counts toward your CE total.
How early can I renew? Renewal opens July 1 of your renewal year and is due September 15. After that you pay a $50 late fee, and after October 31 the license lapses.
Track Your Ohio CE Requirements with RenewRN
With different renewal years for different license types and a strict no-grace-period policy, staying organized is critical. RenewRN tracks your CE hours, monitors mandatory topics, and sends reminders so you never miss a deadline.