Washington Continuing Education Requirements
Continuing education (CE) for licensed professionals in Washington is set by each profession's own state board — Washington State Board for Architects (Department of Licensing), Washington State Board of Accountancy, Board of Physical Therapy, Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BRPELS), Washington State Department of Licensing, and Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission. Every board sets its own contact-hour total, renewal cycle, and mandatory subjects. Compare all 7 professions below, then open a profession for the full Washington breakdown.
Washington CE Requirements at a Glance
| Profession | Contact Hours | Renewal Cycle | Online? | Key Topics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect | 24 | 2 yr | Yes | Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) | View → |
| CPA (Certified Public Accountant) | 120 | 3 yr | Yes | Board-Approved Ethics and Regulations | View → |
| Physical Therapist (PT) | 32 | 2 yr | Yes | Health equity, Suicide assessment training | View → |
| Professional Engineer (PE) | None | — | — | — | View → |
| Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Attestation of reading ch. 58.09 RCW (Survey Recording Act) and ch. 332-130 WAC (minimum standards for land boundary surveys) | View → |
| Real Estate Agent / Broker | 30 | 2 yr | Yes | Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate, Washington Real Estate Fair Housing | View → |
| Registered Nurse (RN) | 8 | 1 yr | Yes | Health Equity, Suicide Prevention Training | View → |
Notable Washington Requirements
Specific mandates Washington boards impose that often trip up license holders:
- Architect Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) — 16 hours — At least 16 of the 24 professional development hours in each two-year period must address public health, safety, and welfare (HSW). Full Architect details →
- CPA Board-Approved Ethics and Regulations — 4 hours — 4 hours in Board-approved ethics and regulations CPE per triennium. Full CPA details →
- PT Health equity — 2 hours — 2 hours of health equity continuing competency training every two years; these hours count toward (not in addition to) the total 32-hour PT / 24-hour PTA CE requirement. Full PT details →
- PT Suicide assessment training — 3 hours — One-time 3-hour empirically supported suicide assessment training covering screening and referral, from a single provider, in one or more sessions. Full PT details →
- PLS Attestation of reading ch. 58.09 RCW (Survey Recording Act) and ch. 332-130 WAC (minimum standards for land boundary surveys) — 2 hours — On and after January 1, 2019, every licensed professional land surveyor must attest at renewal to having read chapter 58.09 RCW (Survey Recording Act) and chapter 332-130 WAC (minimum standards for land boundary surveys). Full PLS details →
- Real Estate Current Issues in Washington Residential Real Estate — 3 hours — Core Course required every renewal cycle. Full Real Estate details →
Browse by Profession
Washington Licensing Boards
CE requirements on this page are sourced from each profession's official Washington board:
- Architect
- CPA
- PT
- PE
- PLS
- Real Estate
- RN
Other States
Browse CE requirements for another state: