| Hours required | 24 per year |
| Deadline | Last day of your birth month |
| Maximum online | 12 hours (distance learning) |
| Must be in person | 12 hours minimum |
| Mandatory hours | 6 of the 24 |
| Regulator | Board of Chiropractic Examiners (BCE) |
| New licensees | Exempt in year of initial licensure |
California chiropractors must complete 24 hours of continuing education every year, and no more than 12 of those hours may be earned through distance learning. The remaining 12 hours must be completed in person. Your CE year ends on the last day of your birth month, and six of the 24 hours must come from mandatory subject categories set by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
That 12-hour ceiling is the number that catches most California DCs out. It is a hard cap, not a guideline, and it applies to every online format the Board classifies as distance learning. Planning your year around it — online for the flexible half, in person for the balance — is the difference between a clean renewal and a scramble in your birth month.
Requirements change. Always confirm current rules, mandatory categories, and course approval status directly with the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners before you enroll.
California Board-approved courses. The BCE approves continuing education course by course. Our California distance-learning coursework is Board-approved and backed by the Texas Chiropractic College Postgraduate Education Department, a CCE-accredited institution. Log in and your account will show each course as approved or not approved for California.
On this page: Requirements · FAQ · California CE Courses
No more than 12 of your 24 annual hours may be earned through distance learning. At least 12 hours must be completed in person, in a classroom setting.
Live webinars do not count as classroom hours. During the COVID-19 emergency, DCA Waiver 20-63 allowed licensees to complete their classroom hours through interactive video conference. That waiver expired March 31, 2022. Since then the distance-learning maximum has been back at 12 hours, and licensees are again required to attend at least 12 hours in person. Any live-streamed or interactive online course counts toward the 12-hour distance allowance unless the Board has specifically classified it as non-distance.
This is the single most common California compliance error we see — doctors who complete 20 online hours and discover only 12 will count.
Six of your 24 hours must come from mandatory categories:
The remaining 18 hours are electives drawn from the Board's approved subject categories. Mandatory hours may be completed online — they still count against your 12-hour distance cap.
California chiropractic licenses expire annually on the last day of the licensee's birth month. All 24 hours must be completed by that date.
Two details worth planning around. There is no grace period — hours completed after your birth month do not apply to the renewal that just closed. And courses must be taken within the 12 months preceding the end of your birth month, so you cannot bank hours from an earlier cycle.
Because the deadline is anchored to your birthday rather than a statewide date, your renewal month differs from your colleagues'. Set your own calendar reminder — roughly 60 days out is a practical target.
California does not accept approval by another state's board, and it does not treat a provider's general standing as blanket course approval. The BCE approves each course, hour by hour and topic by topic, and issues an approval number with a defined validity window.
One course can carry multiple approvals across different subject categories, which is why an eight-hour program may appear several times on the Board's list with different numbers. When you review a course, confirm the category it is approved under — that determines whether it satisfies a mandatory bucket or counts as an elective.
The Board publishes its approved distance-learning list on its website. Newly approved courses can take time to appear there, so if a course is not yet listed, confirm its status with the provider or the Board directly rather than assuming.
New licensees are exempt from continuing education in the year of initial licensure.
Physical disability. A licensee who cannot attend courses in person, and who provides written certification from a primary health care provider, may earn all 24 hours through Board-approved distance learning.
Teaching. A licensee who teaches a Board-approved CE course may earn one hour of credit per hour of live lecture, up to 24 hours per year. Teaching an online on-demand course does not earn credit under this provision.
Records. You attest to completion on your renewal form, and renewals are subject to audit. Keep your certificates — each should show the provider, the hours earned, the mandatory category if applicable, and whether the hours were distance or classroom.
California chiropractors must complete 24 hours of continuing education each year, due by the last day of the licensee's birth month. Six of the 24 hours must come from mandatory categories, and the remaining 18 are electives.
A maximum of 12 of the 24 hours may be earned through distance learning. At least 12 hours must be completed in person. The cap applies to all online formats the Board classifies as distance learning.
No. The waiver that allowed interactive video conference to satisfy classroom hours expired March 31, 2022. Since then the distance maximum has been 12 hours and licensees must attend at least 12 hours in person. Live webinars count toward your distance allowance.
Six hours are mandatory: 2 hours in Ethics and Law, plus 4 hours from any one or a combination of History Taking and Physical Examination Procedures, Chiropractic Adjustive or Manipulation Techniques, and Proper and Ethical Billing and Coding.
Your license expires on the last day of your birth month, and all 24 hours must be complete by then. There is no grace period, and courses must be taken within the 12 months preceding that date.
Complete your 12 online hours with CCEDseminars
California Board-approved distance-learning coursework, on demand, on your schedule. Backed by the Texas Chiropractic College Postgraduate Education Department. Discounts apply automatically at checkout — no promo codes needed.
Reviewed by the CCEDseminars Editorial Team · Content last reviewed: July 2026
There are no live webinars accredited for this state.
There are no online courses accredited in this state.
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