CEU Requirements in Colorado

All Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants must begin to demonstrate Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) to practice physical therapy in the state of Colorado after renewing their initial license/certificate. If your first license/certificate was issued during the middle of the DORA license cycle, you do not have to start working on your CPC requirements until AFTER you renew your license/certificate for the first time.

CPC requirements must be met in order to renew or reinstate a license/certificate to practice physical therapy by one of the following three methods:

1. The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program

  • Complete the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT)
  • Execution of a Learning Plan
  • Accrual of Professional Development Activities (PDA) Hours
    • Physical Therapists -  30 hours of PDA relevant to the practice of physical therapy and in line with a Learning Plan. A minimum of 20 of the 30 required hours must be in the Educational Coursework, Fellowships, or Residencies category.
    • Physical Therapist Assistants - 20 hours of PDA relevant to the practice of physical therapy and in line with a Learning Plan. A minimum of 15 of the 20 required hours must be in the Educational Coursework, Fellowships, and Residencies category.

2. Deemed Status

  • A licensee/certificate holder who satisfies the continuing professional competency requirements of a Colorado state agency or department, an accrediting body recognized by the Board, or an entity approved by the Board for the full two-year license period may qualify for Deemed Status.

3. Receiving a military exemption

  • Licensees/certificate holders who have been called to federally funded active duty for more than 120 days for the purpose of serving in a war, emergency, or contingency may request an exemption for the continuing professional competency requirements for the two-year license period that falls within the period of service or within six months following the completion of service. To apply for a military exemption, visit dpo.colorado.gov/Military/FeeWaiver.

Details about how to meet CPC requirements by the three methods above can be found in the CPC Program Manual and other documents listed in the Resources section of the Colorado DORA - State Physical Therapy Board website.

Questions specifically related to licensing, continuing education requirements, rules, regulations, and the practice act that governs the profession, please reach out to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) directly. Contact them at [email protected] or 303-894-7800. 

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Look for the seal below on any CEU course you are considering attending. This seal indicates the course has been verified by the APTA Colorado to meet the licensure renewal requirements.  

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CEU Locker

How to Get Your Course Verified by APTA Colorado (Applications for Verification & Course Management)

APTA Colorado provides professionals in our state with a rigorous course review system. Our system provides therapists and the CEU Providers serving our state with reassurance that courses being verified meet a high standard and will be acceptable as proper course content for the purposes of licensure renewal.  

CEU Providers (of courses) in Colorado can utilize our CEU Locker system for making course approval applications, maintaining list of credits and submitting payments for all aspects of this process.

This CEU Locker system is a shared system for many Physical Therapy Components that provides a fast, convenient centralized location to get approvals in several states by completing and storing your paperwork requirements only one time.

You can get started by creating a CEU Provider account here:  https://ceulocker.com/ 

View the APTA Colorado Chapter Continued Competency Standards here. Please note, you must include all of the required materials and documents in your submission to CEULocker in order to be approved. Click here for the CEU Provider Reference Guide. 


CEU Holders in Colorado (CEU Storage & Management for PT/PTA Licensees)
Brought to you by the Colorado Chapter, the CEU Locker provides secure, long term storage for your continuing education credit needs. Helping keep you organized and your practice protected, we hope you find our new system eases and streamlines the management and record-keeping required for CO state licensing requirements.

You can get started in this system by creating a CEU Holder account (free) at this link:  https://ceulocker.com/