Virginia Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
Under regulation 18VAC112-20-131, physical therapists licensed by the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy renew biennially and must document 30 contact hours of continuing learning within the two years before renewal: at least 20 hours must be Type 1 (organized, board-approved courses), and no more than 10 hours may be Type 2 (consultation, independent study, pro bono care, or clinical supervision).
Virginia sets no fixed subject-matter hours — there's no separate ethics, jurisprudence, or human-trafficking mandate for PTs. The first biennial renewal after initial licensure is fully exempt, and nothing in the regulation permits unused hours to carry into the next cycle.
Licensees must keep the Continued Competency Activity and Assessment Form for four years and respond to a random audit within 30 days. The Board may grant a one-year extension or hardship exemption by written request submitted before the renewal date.
First Renewal vs. Standard Renewal
Exemptions
- First Renewal Exemption — Full exemption from all continuing competency requirements for the first biennial renewal following the date of initial licensure by examination in Virginia.
- Board Extension — The board may grant an extension of the deadline for continuing competency requirements for up to one year for good cause shown, upon a written request from the licensee prior to the renewal date.Request must be submitted in writing prior to the renewal date.
- Hardship Exemption — The board may grant an exemption for all or part of the requirements for circumstances beyond the control of the licensee, such as temporary disability, mandatory military service, or officially declared disasters.Request must be submitted in writing prior to the renewal date.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Virginia CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Virginia that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Virginia does not mandate any specific-subject CE hours (no fixed ethics hours, no jurisprudence exam or course, no mandatory human-trafficking CE) for physical therapists. The six considerations listed in 18VAC112-20-131(A) (ethical practice, standard of care, patient safety, new technology, patient communication, changing health care system) are selection guidance for the licensee, not board-mandated topic-hour requirements. (Note: Virginia's Board of Medicine separately requires 1 hour of human-trafficking CE for its licensees per 2023 legislation -- this applies to physicians, not to the Board of Physical Therapy.)
- Virginia's CE structure is organized by activity format rather than subject topic: Type 1 (board-approved organized courses/classroom experience; minimum 20 of the 30 hours for PTs) and Type 2 (colleague consultation, independent study/research/writing, limited pro bono care, board-meeting attendance, teaching, clinical supervision; maximum 10 of the 30 hours for PTs). One college credit hour = 15 Type 1 contact hours. Forty hours of clinical supervision/instruction = 1 Type 2 contact hour.
- Alternative documentation: APTA specialty certification (initial certification or recertification year) or graduation from a transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy program (degree-award year) may substitute as evidence of completing that biennium's continuing competency requirement (18VAC112-20-131(B)(3)-(4)).
- Licensees must retain the Continued Competency Activity and Assessment Form with supporting documentation for 4 years following renewal (18VAC112-20-131(D)); if randomly audited, materials must be submitted within 30 days of notification (18VAC112-20-131(E)). Failure to comply may subject the licensee to disciplinary action (18VAC112-20-131(F)).
- Statutory authority: §§ 54.1-2400 and 54.1-3474 of the Code of Virginia. Regulation text last amended effective June 18, 2025 (Virginia Register Volume 41, Issue 20) per the Virginia Administrative Code historical notes; both the Board's official page and the Virginia Administrative Code (law.lis.virginia.gov) mirror quote 18VAC112-20-131(A)-(H) verbatim and were cross-checked word-for-word as identical.
Provider Requirements
Type 1 courses must be 'approved or provided by an organization approved by the board' -- the Board maintains and publishes a list of Approved CE Providers for Type 1 Coursework (linked from the Continuing Education page, referencing 18VAC112-20-131(B)). One college credit hour counts as 15 Type 1 contact hours. Type 2 activities (independent study, research/writing, pro bono care, board-meeting attendance, teaching, clinical supervision) do not require board/provider pre-approval but must relate to the clinical practice of physical therapy.
Tips for Virginia PTs
- Keep at least 20 of your 30 hours in Type 1 (board-approved, organized) courses — Type 2 activities like independent study, colleague consultation, or clinical supervision are capped at 10 hours and won't count toward more than that.
- If this is your first renewal after initial Virginia licensure, you owe zero CE hours — but confirm your renewal date with the Board, since the exemption applies only to that one first cycle.
- Save the Continued Competency Activity and Assessment Form and every course certificate for four years; if selected for a random audit, you'll need to submit everything within 30 days of notice.
- Log Type 2 credit carefully: pro bono clinic work and board-meeting attendance each cap out at 2 hours, and 40 hours of clinical supervision only equals 1 contact hour, so these categories add up slowly.
- Request an extension (up to one year) or a hardship exemption in writing before your renewal date if illness, military service, or a declared disaster prevents you from finishing your hours on time — requests made after the deadline forfeit that option.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Virginia 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.