California

California LCSW CEU Requirements: A Working Guide for 2026

April 15, 2026 · ~7 min read

The short version: 36 hours every two years, 6 in law and ethics, plus two one-time trainings you complete once in your career. The one-time trainings are where most of the confusion happens. Here's the longer version, with the context that makes it usable.

Who this applies to

This guide is for active LCSWs (Licensed Clinical Social Workers) in California. ASWs (Associate Clinical Social Workers) have no CE requirement while working toward licensure. Once licensed, the LCSW requirements kick in at your first renewal. If you are still accumulating hours under BBS supervision, this post is preview reading.

The numbers

• 36 total CE hours every 2-year renewal cycle
• 6 hours of California-specific law and ethics (part of the 36)
• 6 hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention (one-time, career)
• 3 hours of telehealth law and ethics (one-time, career)

The 6 hours of law and ethics are part of the 36. The two one-time trainings sit outside the per-cycle total. Once you complete each one-time training, it is done forever, but it has to be on file with the board.

One-time requirements, in detail

California is unusual in requiring one-time career trainings on top of the per-cycle total. These catch newer licensees off guard because they look like ordinary CE categories but follow different rules.

Suicide risk assessment (6 hours)

Required for all licensees renewing after January 1, 2021. Does not repeat. If you earned your LCSW after that date, you need this on file before your first renewal. If you were already licensed before 2021, you needed it on file at your first renewal after the rule took effect. Most currently active LCSWs already have this done.

Telehealth (3 hours)

Per AB 1759, effective July 1, 2023. Must include law and ethics specific to telehealth practice. A general ethics course does not substitute. If you deliver any portion of services remotely, this is required regardless. If you do not practice telehealth, it is still required.

Renewal timing

Biennial. Your license expires on the last day of your birth month in an even or odd year depending on your issue date. Plan backward from that date.

California has no grace period. The license becomes delinquent the moment it expires. You have a 3-year late-renewal window with escalating fees. After 3 years, the license is cancelled and you would need to reapply from scratch. Do not let it lapse.

Law and ethics: California-specific

The 6 hours of law and ethics must be California-specific. A generic NASW ethics course will not count unless it explicitly covers California Business and Professions Code, Title 16 regulations, or California-specific BBS enforcement cases. Read the course description carefully before enrolling.

Self-study cap

None. The BBS removed the 50% home-study cap effective July 1, 2015, when the CE rules were consolidated under 16 CCR § 1887 et seq. Self-study and asynchronous online courses from an acceptable provider category count the same as live training. The only per-category caps that remain under § 1887.3 are teaching (18 hours per cycle) and professional board or committee service (6 hours per cycle).

Accepted CE providers

The BBS no longer maintains an approved-provider list. You are responsible for verifying provider status. Acceptable provider categories include:

• American Psychological Association (APA)
• Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) ACE
• California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
• Accredited postsecondary institutions
• Teaching engagements in relevant subject areas

When in doubt, pick a course from a national body. ACE-approved coursework is a safe default for most categories.

Carryover

California does not document a carryover allowance. Assume excess hours do not roll over to the next cycle. Plan to finish at or slightly above 36, not well above it.

Documentation and audits

Keep completion certificates for at least four years past the cycle they apply to. The BBS audits a percentage of renewals. Audited licensees have 30 days to produce documentation. Store certificates as you go, tagged with the date and the subject-area category.

For the one-time trainings, keep those certificates forever. If you change record-keeping systems, migrate them. A suicide risk assessment certificate from 2021 that you cannot find in 2034 is a problem.

Board links

CE info: bbs.ca.gov/licensees/cont_ed.html
CE chart: bbs.ca.gov cechart.pdf

Keep it that way.