How RenewRN Verifies Its Data

What gets verified, exactly

For every state on the site, the verification process checks each of the following against the Board of Nursing's current published rule:

• Renewal cycle length (1, 2, or 3 years) and renewal-month rules
• Total CE hours required per license type (RN, LPN/LVN, APRN, NP subspecialties)
• Each mandatory CE topic, its required hours, and the rule that creates it
• First-time-licensee CE exemptions, if any
• Renewal fees, late-renewal fees, and reinstatement fees per license type
• Grace period and what triggers a fully lapsed status
• Online renewal portal URL and the official application path
• Whether the state mandates CE Broker reporting (changes which provider list applies)
• NLC compact membership status
• Approved-provider acceptance criteria (ANCC, board-approved, accredited)

Source hierarchy

When the source materials don't agree, RenewRN's policy is to follow this order:

1. The state's administrative code or nursing practice act: the statutory text itself.
2. The Board of Nursing's current published rule or FAQ page: the agency's interpretation of the statute.
3. A board-issued press release or rulemaking notice for changes effective in the current cycle.
4. NCSBN, AMA, and ANA bulletins for cross-state context only, never as a primary source.

Every state page on this site links to its specific source URLs at the bottom of the page. If you click one and find a discrepancy, tell us and corrections ship the same day they're confirmed.

When verification runs

Verification is event-driven, not calendar-driven. A state's data is re-checked whenever any of the following happens:

• The Board of Nursing publishes a rule change or notice
• State legislation affecting licensure is signed (RenewRN monitors NCSBN bulletins, the AMA scope-of-practice tracker, and individual state legislatures' nursing committees)
• A user reports a discrepancy via /contact
• The renewal-cycle anniversary of the last verification passes (calendar-based fallback so no state goes unchecked for more than 12 months)

Major changes also land in the public rule-change log, the only nursing tracker we know of that publishes one.

Who maintains this

RenewRN is built and editorially maintained by a travel RN who has renewed licenses across multiple states, so the guidance is written by someone who has been through the process. The call on which source is authoritative and which rule applies, though, isn't a matter of anyone's judgment: it's whatever the official board source says, which is why every fact is cited back to it.

The site is run independently of any nursing school, CE provider, state board, or staffing agency. There are no editorial partnerships that influence the rule data or the provider reviews. Affiliate relationships (where they exist) are disclosed on each review page.

If you spot something wrong

State boards sometimes update a rule before it’s announced. If you see an out-of-date number anywhere on this site, email us directly. Verified corrections go live the same business day.

If you're a state board representative reaching out about a rule change before it's public, please use the contact form and identify yourself. RenewRN will hold the change until your effective date.