Contractor Continuing Education Requirements by State: How Many Hours Your License (and Your Techs’) Needs to Renew

A plumbing company in Florida owes the state 14 hours of continuing education every two years to keep its license; the same company in Texas owes 6 hours a year for the master plumber on staff and nothing for the business; in Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina or Pennsylvania it owes nothing at all. Add an electrical license and an HVAC license and the picture splits again: North Carolina wants 8 hours a year from each qualifier, Utah wants 6 for the contractor license plus 16 for the electrician plus 12 for the plumber, New Jersey wants 34 hours from the electrical contractor and 5 from the HVACR contractor, and Wisconsin wants 24 from everyone but only every four years.

This guide covers all 50 states and DC as of October 2026, for the four licenses a trades company is most likely to hold: the general or residential contractor license, electrical, plumbing and HVAC/mechanical. For each state it gives the hours, the cycle, who has to take them (the business, the qualifier, or every licensed tech) and the board that tracks them. It also covers the national certifications (EPA 608, NATE, backflow) that have their own renewal rules regardless of state.

Who Owes the Hours

Three different people can be the one who has to sit through the course, and the state decides which:

• The qualifying party (qualifier). In the contractor-license states (Florida, Utah, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina, Alaska, Louisiana, Tennessee), the CE attaches to the individual who qualified the business for its license. If he leaves, the company has a window (usually 60–90 days) to replace him, and his CE history leaves with him.
• Every licensed tech. In the trade-license states, each master, journeyman or residential electrician, plumber or HVAC tech holds his own license and owes his own hours: Texas (4/6/8 per year), Washington (24/3), Colorado (24/3), Minnesota (16/2), Ohio (10/year for contractors), North Carolina (8/year for qualifiers). The company doesn’t owe anything, but a tech whose license lapses can’t legally pull the permit or do the work.
• The business license, no CE. In Arizona, Nevada, California, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, the license renews on fee, bond and insurance; CE isn’t part of it. The gate is usually workers’ comp proof (California), the bond (Arizona, Nevada) or the registration filing (Pennsylvania).

Course content follows a pattern: a code-update block tied to the NEC, IPC/UPC or IMC cycle the state is on (most are on 2020 or 2023 NEC as of 2026), a laws-and-rules hour from the board itself, and electives in safety, business, energy or specialty topics. Florida, Oregon and Utah specify the breakdown; Texas requires NEC, Texas law and safety in every 4-hour electrical course. Most states accept online courses from approved providers; a few (Oregon’s CCB laws course, North Carolina’s mandatory 2 hours) require the board’s own.

The 14 States With GC/Residential CE

Hours per cycle for each of the four license types, as hours / years (“8 / yr” is annual). “None” means the state licenses the trade but requires no CE; “no state license” means the trade is licensed locally or not at all.

Where the Hours Aren’t

States with no CE for the contractor license, and the handful where the only CE is on a trade or certification the company may not even hold.

National Certifications

• EPA Section 608 (refrigerant handling, required for anyone who opens a refrigerant circuit): no expiration, no CE. Type I, II, III or Universal is good for life. The 2025–2026 EPA technician-certification updates for A2L refrigerants didn’t add a renewal requirement.
• NATE (voluntary HVAC certification): recertify every two years with 16 hours of CE, or retest. Many manufacturers and utilities require it for rebate work; no state requires it.
• Backflow prevention assembly tester: certified by the state or a third party (ASSE, ABPA, USC Foundation); most require recertification every two to three years with a refresher course and a hands-on exam (Texas TCEQ: 3 years with 24 hours; Florida: varies by utility). See backflow testing software for the testing side.
• Medical gas (ASSE 6010 installer): recertify every three years with a refresher and exam.
• OSHA 10/30: no expiration federally, but Nevada, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Missouri (public works), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Florida (Miami-Dade) and Minnesota (certain projects) require the card for construction work and some require renewal every five years.
• Manufacturer certifications (Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Generac, Rheem): typically annual or biennial dealer training, required for warranty-eligible installs and rebates rather than by law.

Tracking It for a Crew

A ten-tech shop in a trade-license state can have a dozen renewal dates and three different boards. The failure mode is a tech who shows up to a permit inspection with a lapsed license: in Texas the work stops and TDLR can fine the contractor; in Florida an unlicensed-activity citation runs $500 to $5,000 per count; in Oregon a lapsed CCB license voids your lien rights on every job done while it was lapsed. The fix is a renewal calendar that lists every license (business, qualifier, each tech) with its board, cycle, hours, completion deadline (often earlier than the renewal date: Connecticut’s June 30, Florida’s August 31, Utah’s November 30) and the provider, kept in the same system as the tech’s certifications so dispatch can see who’s current before assigning a permit job. Most boards post completion online within a week of the provider’s report; verify before the deadline rather than after.

What Changed in 2024–2026

State-by-State Breakdown

Red chips mark states that require CE for the general or residential contractor license itself (in addition to any trade licenses); amber marks states where only the trade licenses (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) carry CE; grey marks states with no state CE for any contractor or trade license, including the local-licensing states. Each block gives the hours and cycle for the four license types and a note, with a link to the board.

Hours, cycles and board assignments current as of October 2026, compiled from state licensing board rules, approved-provider listings and board renewal guidance. Where a state has multiple license classes within a trade (limited, residential, specialty), the figure given is for the master or unlimited class unless noted. Local jurisdictions in Kansas, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Colorado set their own requirements. Verify the current cycle with the board before relying on a figure; boards change hours and deadlines by rule without legislation. This is a survey for operating a business, not advice on a specific license.

Running the Business

• The license itself: HVAC license requirements by state, electrician license requirements by state, plumber license requirements by state and locksmith license requirements by state cover getting the license this post is about keeping.
• The other renewal gates: workers’ comp requirements by state (California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington check it at renewal) and contractor insurance requirements by state (the bond).
• Training repayment: if you pay for a tech’s CE, non-compete laws by state covers what you can and can’t claw back when he leaves.
• What changes on January 1: new contractor laws by state.

FAQ

Which states require continuing education for a general contractor license?

Fourteen: Florida (14 hours every two years for all CILB licenses), North Carolina (8 hours a year), Utah (6 every two years), Oregon (8 to 32 every two years depending on residential or commercial and years licensed), Georgia (3 a year), Alaska (16 every two years), Massachusetts (6 to 12 every two years for the Construction Supervisor License), Michigan (21 per three-year cycle for the first six years, then 3), Minnesota (14 every two years for residential), Wisconsin (12 every two years for dwelling contractor qualifiers), Louisiana (6 a year for residential), Rhode Island (5 per two-year registration), Tennessee (8 every two years for residential) and Mississippi (2 a year for residential). Everywhere else the contractor license renews without CE, though trade licenses may still require it.

How many CE hours does an electrician need?

It depends on the state and runs from about 1 hour a year to about 11. Examples: Texas 4 a year; Connecticut 4 a year; Virginia 3 every three years; Arkansas, North Dakota and West Virginia 8 a year; Kentucky 6 a year; Ohio contractors 10 a year; Michigan 15 every three years; Minnesota and Utah 16 every two years; Florida 14 every two years; Colorado, Idaho and Washington 24 every three years; Massachusetts 21 every three years; Wisconsin 24 every four years; New Jersey contractors 34 every three years. States without statewide electrician licensing (Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and several others) leave it to local jurisdictions.

Do plumbers need continuing education?

In about half the states that license plumbers statewide. Texas requires 6 hours a year; Illinois 4 a year; Kentucky 6 a year; Ohio contractors 10 a year; North Carolina qualifiers 8 a year; Utah 12 every two years; Minnesota 16 every two years; Massachusetts 12 every two years; Florida 14 every two years for plumbing contractors; Connecticut 4 a year. Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Indiana, Tennessee and South Carolina license plumbers (or plumbing contractors) without requiring CE.

Who has to complete the CE: the company or the tech?

Whoever holds the license. In states that license the contracting business through a qualifying individual (Florida, Utah, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alaska), the qualifier completes the hours. In states that license individual tradespeople (Texas, Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Kentucky and others), each licensed master, journeyman or technician owes his own hours. The company isn’t usually liable for an employee’s CE, but a tech with a lapsed license can’t legally do licensed work or pull permits, and the contractor that sends him can be cited.

Does EPA 608 certification expire?

No. EPA Section 608 technician certification (Type I, II, III or Universal) is valid for life with no continuing education. The A2L refrigerant transition in 2025 and 2026 didn’t add a renewal requirement, though manufacturers and some distributors require A2L-specific training before selling or warrantying equipment. NATE certification, which is voluntary, must be renewed every two years with 16 hours of CE or by retesting.

Can I take contractor CE online?

In nearly every state, yes, from a board-approved provider. Exceptions and limits: Oregon’s mandatory 3-hour CCB laws course must come from the CCB; North Carolina’s 2 mandatory GC hours come from the Board; some electrical boards cap online hours or require a live code course for certain license classes; and a few states require that providers report completion directly to the board. Check the board’s approved-provider list before paying for a course, because hours from an unapproved provider don’t count.

What happens if I miss my CE deadline?

The license usually goes inactive or delinquent on the renewal date and you can’t legally contract or perform licensed work until it’s reinstated. Most boards allow late completion with a late fee for a period (Florida’s delinquent status, Texas’s 90-day and 18-month late-renewal windows), after which the license expires and may require re-examination. Some states fine for false CE attestations found in audit (Connecticut, Florida, Washington). Working on a lapsed license can void lien rights (Oregon, California) and the right to sue for payment in states with unlicensed-contractor bars.

Which states require no contractor continuing education?

Arizona, Nevada and South Carolina license every trade statewide and require no CE for any of them. California requires none for any CSLB contractor license (only the DIR electrician certification for employees carries hours). Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Kansas and Missouri have no statewide license for most trades, so there’s no state CE; local jurisdictions may require it (Johnson County, Kansas requires 8 hours every two years, for example). Virginia’s contractor license has no CE, though its tradesmen need 3 hours every three years.

Does my CE from one state count in another?

Sometimes. States with reciprocity agreements for the license itself (the Southeast electrical and plumbing compacts, the Kansas City metro programs) often accept each other’s code CE, but most boards require that at least the laws-and-rules portion be their own. Florida’s 14 hours don’t satisfy North Carolina’s 8 because North Carolina requires its own 2 mandatory hours; a national NEC code-update course may count in several states if the provider is approved in each. Check each board’s approved-course list, and keep certificates for at least four years for audits.

How long should I keep CE records?

At least one full renewal cycle beyond the one the hours were used for, and four years as a practical minimum. Connecticut requires four years; Florida audits back two cycles; Washington and Oregon audit a percentage of renewals each year. Keep the certificate of completion with the course number and provider approval number, and note the date it was reported to the board.

Bottom Line

Find out which of the three people owes the hours in your state: the qualifier (Florida, Utah, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina and the other GC-CE states), every licensed tech (Texas, Washington, Colorado, Ohio, Minnesota and the trade-license states), or nobody (Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, California’s contractor license). Then put every license on one calendar with its completion deadline, which is often months before the renewal date, and check the board’s portal for posted hours before the deadline rather than trusting the provider.

The hours themselves are a few hundred dollars and a day or two a year per license. The lapse is the expensive part: a stopped job, a fine, and in Oregon a lost lien. Treat the renewal calendar as part of dispatch, not HR; the tech’s license status is a scheduling constraint like his certifications and his van.