Clinician license renewal in California

APRN / nurse practitioner license

Renewal cycle

Biennial. The NP certificate, the NP furnishing number, and the underlying RN license each renew on a two-year cycle (BRN fee schedule, CURES alert post-7/1/2025).

rn.ca.gov, as of 05/08/2026

Renewal fee

$150 NP certificate renewal every two years (as of 2026-05-08; BRN fee schedule). NPs with a furnishing number add $168 each cycle; NPs authorized to prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances add a $30 CURES fee per biennium. The underlying $190 RN license renewal is paid separately on the same cycle, so a fully prescribing NP pays $190 + $150 + $168 + $30 = $538 per biennium.

rn.ca.gov, as of 05/08/2026

Continuing education

30 contact hours of continuing education every two years (CCR Title 16 §1451, Article 5). Nurse practitioners whose primary-care patient panel is more than 25% age 65+ must take at least 6 of the 30 hours in gerontology, dementia care, or care of older patients. Licensees in their first two years post-initial-licensure are exempt from the 30-hour requirement, except for a one-hour Implicit Bias course (AB 1407, effective January 1, 2023).

rn.ca.gov, as of 05/08/2026

Online renewal available

Confirm with California Board of Registered Nursing

Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.

Physician assistant license

Renewal cycle

Biennial. PAB renews California PA licenses on a two-year cycle (PAB Fee Schedule + PAB CME page).

pab.ca.gov, as of 05/08/2026

Renewal fee

$300 biennial PA license renewal fee per the Physician Assistant Board fee schedule (as of 2026-05-08). PAs authorized to prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances also pay a separate $30 CURES fee per biennium (Health & Safety Code §11165.1); confirm at the time of renewal which fees apply to your delegation services agreement.

pab.ca.gov, as of 05/08/2026

Continuing education

50 hours of approved continuing medical education every 2 years per Title 16 CCR §1399.612(a) (PAB CME Regulations). NCCPA-certified PAs satisfy the requirement by maintaining current NCCPA certification. AB 1407 (effective 2023) adds a 1-hour Implicit Bias course at first renewal post-initial-licensure. Bus. & Prof. Code §3534.5 (eff. 1/1/2025) requires PAs whose primary-care panel is over 25% age 65+ to complete at least 20% of mandatory CE in geriatric medicine, dementia care, or care of older patients.

pab.ca.gov, as of 05/08/2026

Online renewal available

Confirm with Medical Board of California

Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.

MD / DO license

Renewal cycle

Confirm with Medical Board of California

Renewal fee

Confirm with Medical Board of California

Continuing education

Confirm with Medical Board of California

Online renewal available

Confirm with Medical Board of California

Track this credential automatically with Larch’s License tracking.

State controlled-substance registration

Some states layer a state-level controlled-substance registration (CSR or CDS) on top of the federal DEA; others rely on the DEA alone. Where Californiarequires one, it carries its own number, fee, and renewal clock — independent of the DEA cycle.

Required in this state

Confirm with California controlled-substances regulator

Track DEA + state CSR together with Larch’s DEA + CSR tracker.

Federal DEA registration

DEA registration is federal, not state-issued. DEA practitioner registrations renew on a three-year cycle and are tied to a specific practice address — multi-site clinicians typically hold one DEA per practice location, each with its own number and clock. The first renewal on or after June 27, 2023 also required a one-time MATE Act 8-hour training attestation; once attested, the credit carries forward.

See Larch’s DEA tracking page for details on the federal cycle, multi-site rules, and the MATE Act attestation requirements.