All states
Renewal requirements by state › Texas
Texas license renewal
Texas nursing CE renewal requirements
Texas RNs renew every two years and must show continued competence. Continuing education is one way to meet it: 20 contact hours.
Texas APRNs renew every two years and need 20 contact hours of continuing education each renewal, including 5 contact hours of pharmacology, plus 7 more contact hours on required topics.
✓ Verified October 8, 2026 against Texas’s board of nursing, state rules and the Nurse Licensure Compact. Sources are listed below.
At a glance
- Renewal cycle
- Every two years
- RN continuing education
- 20 contact hours or another competence option
- APRN continuing education
- 20 contact hours
- Nurse Licensure Compact
- Yes, a member state
- Reports to CE Broker
- No
Required topics
“Part of the total” hours count toward the overall requirement; “on top of the total” hours are extra.
RNs
| Topic | Hours | How often | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human trafficking prevention (HHSC-approved, trauma-informed)RNs providing direct patient care | — | Every renewal | Part of the total |
| Texas nursing jurisprudence and ethicsAll RNs, every 6 years | 2 | Every third renewal | Part of the total |
| Older adult or geriatric populationsNurses (incl. APRNs) whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations; Board-approved certification in that area may substitute | 2 | Every renewal | Part of the total |
| Forensic evidence collection (emergency department)Nurses (incl. APRNs) employed in an emergency room setting (home unit, float, agency); within 2 years of starting ER employment | 2 | Once | Part of the total |
APRNs (in addition to RN requirements)
| Topic | Hours | How often | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe and effective opioid pain managementAPRNs authorised to prescribe opioids | 2 | Every year | On top of the total |
| PharmacotherapeuticsAPRNs with prescriptive authority | 5 | Every renewal | On top of the total |
| Prescription Monitoring Program courseAPRNs with prescriptive authority; within 1 years of initial APRN licensure (those licensed before 1 Sept 2020 were due by 1 Sept 2021) | 2 | Once | On top of the total |
RN renewal in detail
- 20 contact hours of CNE, OR achieve/maintain an approved national certification.
- A current national certification can satisfy the requirement.
- Your first renewal after licensure has a reduced or prorated requirement.
- When it expires: End of birth month.
APRN renewal in detail
- 20 hours in APRN role/population focus (counts for RN too) or national certification; PLUS 5 hours pharmacotherapeutics above the 20 if prescriptive authority; PLUS 2 hours/years safe opioid pain mgmt if prescribing opioids.
- APRNs must hold a current national certification.
- A current national certification can satisfy the requirement.
- Your first renewal after licensure has a reduced or prorated requirement.
- When it expires: End of birth month.
Using HIVE Nurse for your hours
Texas’s human trafficking course must come from a provider approved by Texas Health and Human Services.
HIVE Nurse is approved as a provider of continuing nursing education by the Florida Board of Nursing (CE Provider #50-57054). Boards differ on whether they accept CE from a provider approved by another state’s board, so check Texas’s rules before you count a course.
The renewal checker builds your own list from these rules and can remind you before your license expires.
Sources
Some details for Texas are being re-confirmed with the board. Check the source before you renew.
Rules change. Your board’s website is the final word.