Alabama Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 10 Hours Every Year
At a Glance
10
Contact Hours
1 yr
Renewal Cycle
Yes
Online Allowed
Yes
Carry-Over
Alabama physical therapists and PTAs must complete 10 contact hours of continuing education every year, since Alabama renews PT/PTA licenses annually on October 1 rather than every two years. A 2-hour Alabama Jurisprudence course is mandatory at your first renewal and again in any year ending in 0 or 5. PTs offering Direct Access care need 2 more hours, for 12 total.
First renewal? Requirements may differ for first-time renewals. See details below.
Disclaimer: This information is for reference purposes only. Requirements are set by the Alabama Board of Physical Therapy and may change. Always verify current requirements directly with the board.
Requirements Overview
The Alabama Board of Physical Therapy requires every licensed PT and PTA to complete 10 contact hours of continuing education annually. Renewal is annual rather than biennial, with the compliance period running October 1 through September 30, matching the license's October 1 expiration date.
Two of those hours must cover Alabama Physical Therapy Jurisprudence at your first renewal after licensure — endorsement licensees complete 2 jurisprudence hours plus 8 general hours, while exam licensees fold the 2 hours into the standard 10. After that first renewal, jurisprudence is required again only in renewal years ending in 0 or 5.
PTs who plan to see patients without a physician referral under Direct Access must complete 2 additional hours on the professional standard of care, for 12 total hours; this doesn't apply to PTAs. Excess hours beyond the 10-hour minimum may carry forward, capped at 10 hours.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Physical Therapy Jurisprudence (Practice Act & Administrative Code) | 2 | Periodic | Required with EVERY licensee's first renewal (2 of the 10 hours for new-exam licensees; 2 jurisprudence + 8 general = 10 total for endorsement/score-transfer licensees). After the first renewal, required again only in renewal years ending in '0' or '5' (e.g., 2025, 2030, 2035). General ethics courses do NOT satisfy this specific requirement. Distinct from the one-time 'AL JAM' exam required only for new applicants, not renewing licensees. |
| Direct Access supplemental CE (professional standard of care) | 2 | Conditional | Only required for PTs who plan to see patients without a physician referral (Direct Access practice). Adds to the standard 10-hour requirement for a total of 12 hours. Not applicable to PTAs, since Direct Access is a PT-only practice privilege in Alabama. |
First Renewal vs. Standard Renewal
10 hours CE, annual renewal, no jurisprudence year
10 hours
Standard annual renewal (license expires Oct 1) for licensees not in a first-renewal, jurisprudence (0/5) year, or Direct Access.
10 hrs incl. 2 hrs AL jurisprudence (first renewal)
10 hours
New licensees renewing for the first time submit 2 hours of Alabama Jurisprudence CE within their standard 10-hour requirement, per the renewal/CE web pages.
10 hrs (2 jurisprudence + 8 general), first renewal
10 hours
Licensees obtaining licensure by endorsement/score transfer must submit 2 hours Alabama Jurisprudence + 8 hours general CE = 10 hours total with their first renewal.
10 hrs incl. 2 hrs jurisprudence, years ending 0/5
10 hours
All licensees (PT and PTA) must include the 2-hour Alabama Jurisprudence course within their 10-hour requirement during renewal years ending in 0 or 5 (e.g. 2030, 2035).
12 hours CE for PTs providing Direct Access care
12 hours
Standard 10 hours plus an additional 2 hours on the professional standard of care, required for PTs who plan to see patients without a referral.
Exemptions
- Recent Graduate Initial Licensure Exemption — Per the primary PDF (Con_Ed_General_GuidelinesDirectAccess.pdf, item 2.ii): 'Individuals licensed within one year of graduation from a CAPTE approved program will not be required to meet the continuing education requirement for initial licensure or the first renewal.'The current official renewal and CE web pages instead state that licensees who are recent graduates renewing for the first time must submit 2 hours of Alabama Jurisprudence CE with their first renewal (a partial, not full, exemption). The web pages appear more current (year-specific 2025/2026 language); the PDF may be stale.
How You Can Complete Your CE
💻
Online / Distance
Allowed, no limit
🏫
In-Person / Live
Allowed
Alabama CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Alabama that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Annual minimum — at least 10 hours must be completed each year of the cycle, not just by the renewal deadline.
- Carry-over — CE hours earned in excess of the 10-hour requirement during a compliance period may be carried forward into the next compliance period, capped at a maximum of 10 hours carried forward.
- Alabama PT/PTA license renewal is ANNUAL (not biennial) -- the license expires every October 1, with the CE compliance period running October 1 through the following September 30, and an annual renewal fee ($130 PT / $93 PTA).
- The primary PDF states individuals licensed within one year of graduation from a CAPTE-approved program are FULLY exempt from CE at initial licensure and first renewal (item 2.ii), while the current renewal and CE web pages instead require such new grads to submit 2 hours of Alabama Jurisprudence CE with their first renewal (a partial requirement, not a full exemption). The PDF also contains a stale, year-specific note ('between June 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024') suggesting it may not have been fully updated for the current cycle; the live web pages were treated as more current for the mandatory topics/renewal option claims.
- Alabama also requires a separate one-time 'AL JAM' (jurisprudence) exam for NEW APPLICANTS only, distinct from the 2-hour Jurisprudence CE course required at renewal; the renewal page states explicitly: 'THE ALABAMA JAM IS ONLY REQUIRED FOR NEW APPLICANTS, NOT LICENSEES WHO ARE RENEWING.'
- PTAs are subject to the same 10-hour CE total, jurisprudence requirement, and annual renewal cadence as PTs, EXCEPT the Direct Access +2-hour requirement, which applies to PTs only (Direct Access is a PT-only practice privilege in Alabama).
- No CCU/point-system conversion applies -- the Alabama PT board uses direct 'contact hours' (1 CE hour = 50 minutes of engagement), so total hours is recorded directly in contact hours with no unit conversion needed.
- Non-traditional CE credit (academic coursework, clinical residency/fellowship, specialty certification, peer-reviewed publication, teaching/lecturing, formal peer review of practice) is accepted per a detailed credit-value table in the General Guidelines PDF. A further subset of 'limited non-traditional' activities (e.g., abstract/book-review publication, manuscript review, clinical-instructor hours, alternative media development) is capped at 40% of a licensee's total annual CE requirement. This 40% cap applies only to that specific alternative-credit subset -- no explicit numeric cap on ordinary online/self-study coursework was found in any source.
- Records supporting completed CE (agenda, brochure, or other documentation, plus proof of completion) must be retained by the licensee for five (5) years and provided to the Board upon request/audit. Upon a failed audit, the licensee has 60 days to cure the deficiency before disciplinary action.
- License restoration/reinstatement (expired within 5 years): submit certificates documenting 10 hours of acceptable CE per year the license was expired, plus restoration fees (this reinstatement CE scales with years expired and is separate from the standard 10-hour annual renewal requirement).
Provider Requirements
No board pre-approval of courses or providers is required. The Board accepts any coursework directly related to the practice of physical therapy, provided it meets the General Guidelines (organized activity with stated objectives/goals, conducted by subject-matter experts, identifies target audience/prerequisites, and provides a certificate or other proof of completion). Licensees exercise their own professional judgment in determining whether a given activity qualifies. The CE and renewal web pages additionally list several known (non-exhaustive) third-party providers specifically for the 2-hour Alabama Jurisprudence course.
Tips for Alabama PTs
- Mark your calendar for October 1 — that's both your license expiration and the start of the new CE compliance period, so plan your hours around that date rather than the calendar year.
- If this is your first renewal, budget 2 of your 10 (or 12) hours for the Alabama Jurisprudence course; endorsement/score-transfer licensees need 2 jurisprudence hours plus 8 general hours, not 10 general hours.
- Circle renewal years ending in 0 or 5 (2030, 2035, etc.) — the jurisprudence course comes due again in those years even if you've already completed it once.
- Only enroll in the Direct Access supplemental course if you actually plan to treat patients without a referral that cycle; it adds 2 hours (12 total) and applies to PTs only, not PTAs.
- Keep certificates and course documentation for 5 years in case of an audit, and note that hours earned above the 10-hour minimum can carry forward, but only up to 10 extra hours into the next period. Verify current specifics with the Board before relying on them.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Alabama Board of Physical Therapy's official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Jul 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.