Delaware Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The Delaware Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers requires 3.0 continuing education units (CEUs) for every biennial license renewal, due no later than January 31 of odd-numbered years. Delaware tracks CE in CEUs rather than raw hours, but the Board's fixed conversion rate is 1 CEU = 10 contact hours, so the standard requirement equals 30 contact hours per 2-year cycle.
Of those hours, 2 hours (0.2 CEU) must cover ethics related to physical therapy or athletic training, and licensees must also show proof of a current CPR card from an approved provider, which counts as 0.1 CEU (1 hour) toward the total. New licensees owe a prorated amount at their first renewal — from 0.5 to 2.5 CEUs — depending on when in the two-year cycle their license was issued.
CEUs cannot be carried over from one biennial period to the next, and the Board does not require course pre-approval for most CE, though it runs random post-renewal audits requiring proof of attendance, dates, instructor, and hours for each course claimed.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics (related to the practice of physical therapy and/or athletic training) | 2 | Every renewal | 0.2 CEU (= 2 contact hours) of Ethics is required within every biennial renewal's CEU total, not a one-time or periodic requirement. Restated on both the CE page ('You must include proof that you completed.2 CEUs (two hours) of Ethics') and renewal page ('The CEU requirement includes 0.2 CEUs (two hours) of ethics'). |
| Current CPR certification (American Red Cross, American Heart Association, National Safety Council, or other Board-approved agency, with a live lab component) | 1 | Every renewal | Proof of a current CPR card counts toward the CEU total at a fixed rate of 0.1 CEU (1 contact-hour equivalent), per Section 13.1. This is a certification requirement bundled into the CE total rather than a traditional coursework topic, but the Board explicitly counts it as part of the mandatory 3.0 CEUs each renewal. |
First Renewal vs. Standard Renewal
Exemptions
- Hardship Extension Or Waiver — An applicant for license renewal may be granted an extension of time in which to complete CEU hours or a total or partial waiver of CEU requirements upon a showing of hardship, including disability, illness, extended absence from the country, and exceptional family responsibilities.No extension of time or waiver shall be granted unless the licensee submits a written request to the Board prior to the expiration of the license.
- Inactive License Reactivation Scaled Requirement — Licensees reactivating from inactive status owe a scaled CEU amount rather than the full standard requirement if inactive less than 24 months.No CEUs are required at all if the license was inactive for fewer than 12 months.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Delaware CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Delaware that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — CEUs earned in one biennial renewal period may not be applied toward the next biennial period's requirement; each 2-year cycle's 3.0 CEUs must be earned fresh within that cycle.
- Delaware measures CE in Continuing Education Units (CEUs), not raw contact hours. The Board's fixed conversion is 1 CEU = 10 contact hours (equivalently, 1 contact hour = 0.1 CEU), per Section 13.1.1. The standard 3.0 CEU/biennium requirement therefore equals 30 contact hours; the mandatory 0.2 CEU Ethics component equals 2 hours; the 0.1 CEU CPR component equals 1 hour.
- CPR certification is not a traditional educational 'topic' but is explicitly counted as 0.1 CEU (1 hour) of the mandatory total, and must come from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, National Safety Council, or another agency approved by the Board and posted on the Division of Professional Regulation's website, with a live lab component.
- License renewal is fully online via DELPROS; the Board's standard renewal cycle runs February 1 through January 31 of odd-numbered years (e.g., 2025-2027), with licenses expiring January 31 of odd years.
- Reinstatement of an EXPIRED license (not inactive status): licenses expired more than 1 year but less than 5 years require reinstatement via DELPROS; licenses expired over 5 years require reapplying as a new applicant (Section 11.0). No specific 'CE hours per year expired' formula was found for expired-license reinstatement (as distinct from inactive-status reactivation, below); this is a gap in the available sources.
- Failure to meet the CE requirement is unprofessional conduct under 24 Del.C. Section 2616(a)(7) and Section 12.22 of the Rules and Regulations, and can result in a Board hearing and disciplinary sanctions under 24 Del.C. Section 2616; audited licensees who cannot demonstrate compliance are notified and may request a hearing regarding extenuating circumstances.
- Record-keeping/proof: renewal itself only requires an electronic attestation of CE completion (Section 13.3); documentary proof (attendance verification, course dates, instructor, sponsor, hours -- course brochures alone are NOT accepted as proof of attendance, nor are payment receipts) is only required if the licensee is selected for the Board's random post-renewal audit, which the Board notifies within 60 days after January 31 and to which the licensee must respond within 20 days (Section 13.4).
- Non-traditional CEU credit is explicitly enumerated with specific conversion rates in Section 13.2.5-13.2.6, e.g.: first-time presentation of a professionally oriented course/lecture = 0.3 CEU/hour; university/college coursework = 0.34 CEU per 1-credit course per semester (0.27 per trimester, 0.24 per quarter); passing the licensing exam = 1.5 CEUs (one-time, new licensees); original publication in a peer-reviewed journal = 0.3 CEU (non-peer-reviewed = 0.1 CEU); holding an executive office in a national/state professional association or serving as a Board member = 0.3 CEU; acting as a clinical instructor supervising a PT/PTA/AT student = 0.1 CEU per 40 contact hours of supervision.
Provider Requirements
No blanket pre-approval requirement for every course: CEUs already approved during the current licensing period by a national governing body (e.g., APTA, BOC) or a fellow state licensing board are automatically acceptable to the Delaware Board. Sponsors or licensees may separately request prior written approval of a specific CEU course by submitting a CEU Application Form to the Board; a designated Board member reviews and approves or denies the request (ratified by the full Board), and any such approval expires 3 years after the approval date (a new application is required if the course is amended during that period). Ultimately, 'Approval of CEUs shall be within the discretion of the Board.'
Tips for Delaware PTs
- Track your CEUs, not raw hours — Delaware's conversion is 1 CEU = 10 hours, so a typical 1-hour course only counts as 0.1 CEU toward your 3.0 CEU total.
- Renew and gather your ethics course and current CPR card well before January 31 of the odd-numbered renewal year; both are mandatory components of every renewal, not optional add-ons.
- If this is your first renewal, check your license issue date against the Board's proration table — you may owe as little as 0.5 CEU or as much as 2.5 CEU rather than the full 3.0 CEU.
- Do not upload CE documentation into DELPROS unless you're notified you've been selected for audit; keep certificates, course dates, instructor, sponsor, and hours on hand in case you are.
- Since Delaware does not allow CEU carry-over, avoid front-loading hours in one cycle — extra CEUs earned this period will not reduce what you owe next period.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Delaware Examining Board of Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers'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.