Colorado Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

The Colorado State Physical Therapy Board runs a self-directed Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system instead of a conventional CE-hours mandate. Physical therapists log 30 PDA (Professional Development Activity hours, 1 PDA = 1 clock hour) per 2-year license period, with at least 20 hours in Educational Coursework, Fellowships, or Residencies; Physical Therapist Assistants need 20 PDA total, at least 15 in those same categories.

There is no board-mandated topic list — no required jurisprudence, ethics, or opioid course. Licensees instead complete a Self-Assessment Tool, set goals in a Learning Plan, and choose activities from 13 PDA categories. Hours do not carry over between license periods.

CPC doesn't apply during your first license period — it begins only after your first renewal. Alternatives include Deemed Status (an approved outside program, currently just the Colorado Department of Education) and a military exemption for qualifying active-duty service.

Renewal Pathways

Exemptions

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  Initial License Period Exemption — CPC/PDA requirements do not begin until after a licensee's first renewal of their initial PT or PTA license/certificate. If the first license/certificate was issued mid-cycle, no CPC work is required until after that first renewal.
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  Deemed Status — A licensee who satisfies the continuing professional competency requirements of a Colorado state agency/department, a Board-recognized accrediting body, or a Board-approved entity for the FULL two-year license period may qualify for Deemed Status instead of the CPD/PDA-hours pathway. Currently only the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is Board-approved, for special-services providers employed by a school district for the entire license period without a break.

  Must be in full compliance with the alternate program for the entire two-year license/certification period, not a partial period.

  Still subject to an audit of compliance.
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  Military Exemption — Licensees called to federally funded active duty for 120+ days for the purpose of serving in a war, emergency, or contingency may request a full exemption from CPC requirements for the two-year license period that falls within, or up to six months following, the qualifying service period. Must be pre-approved by the Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO).

How You Can Complete Your CE

Colorado CE Rules & Limits

Details specific to Colorado that generic CE guides tend to miss:

• Colorado uses a distinctive self-directed 'Continuing Professional Development (CPD)' model rather than fixed-topic CE: licensees complete a Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), build a personal Learning Plan with learning goals, and log Professional Development Activities (PDA) across 13 defined categories. There is no mandated jurisprudence, ethics, opioid, or human-trafficking course -- content is entirely self-selected, subject only to the Educational-Coursework/Fellowships/Residencies minimum-hours rule.
• PDA are defined as equivalent to clock hours (1 PDA = 1 clock hour / 60 minutes), so total hours is recorded directly with no CCU/point conversion.
• PTs must complete 30 PDA per 2-year license period (at least 20 of which in Educational Coursework, Fellowships, or Residencies); PTAs must complete 20 PDA per 2-year certification period (at least 15 of which in the same three categories).
• CPC/PDA requirements do NOT begin until after a licensee's first renewal of their initial license/certificate -- the entire first license period is exempt.
• No carry-over: PDA hours must be earned and completed within the single 2-year license/certification period being renewed and count for only that period.
• Two alternate compliance pathways exist besides the default PDA-hours route: Deemed Status (satisfying an approved outside program -- currently only the Colorado Department of Education, for school-employed special-services providers -- for the FULL 2-year period) and a Military Exemption (120+ days of qualifying federally funded active duty), which must be pre-approved by DPO.
• The Board does not pre-approve or accredit specific CE providers/courses; compliance instead relies on the licensee's own documentation, retained for at least 5 years from the license/certificate expiration date of the period the PDA was completed for.
• Audits of compliance are conducted AFTER each renewal period ends; licensees should not proactively submit CPC documentation to DORA unless specifically notified they were selected for an audit.
• Colorado PT/PTA licenses renew biennially, expiring October 31 of even-numbered years (per third-party corroboration of the renewal calendar; the CPC Program Manual and webpage define the compliance period itself as 'the two-year license/certification period that immediately precedes the renewal').
• The CPC Program Manual (secondary source used here) is dated 'Rev. 1/2026', confirming it is current as of this fetch (2026-07-03).

Provider Requirements

The State Board does not pre-approve or accredit specific educational providers or programs. Licensees self-select Professional Development Activities across 13 Board-defined PDA categories (Educational Coursework, Fellowships, Residencies, Formalized Assessments, Presentations, Research, Publications, Mentoring, Supervision, Independent Study, In-Service, Group Study, Volunteer Service), guided by their own Self-Assessment Tool results and Learning Plan, and must retain category-specific verifiable documentation in case of a post-renewal audit.

Tips for Colorado PTs

• Complete the Self-Assessment Tool and draft your Learning Plan early in your 2-year cycle — the Board expects your PDA activities to trace back to documented learning goals if you're audited.
• Track your Educational Coursework, Fellowships, and Residencies hours separately from your other PDA — PTs need at least 20 of 30 hours there, and PTAs need at least 15 of 20, so general activities like mentoring or volunteer work can't fill that portion.
• Don't bank extra hours expecting them to help next cycle — Colorado PDA hours count for only the license period in which they're earned, with no carry-over.
• If you're a new licensee, you don't need to track any PDA hours until after your first renewal — spend that time getting oriented before your CPC clock effectively starts.
• Keep your documentation (certificates, transcripts, letters, attendance logs for group study) for at least 5 years, since the Board audits compliance after each renewal period and only wants records if you're specifically selected.

Sources

PT Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Colorado

All Physical Therapy CE Requirements by State

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