Michigan OT and OTA license renewal and continuing education
Michigan rule R 338.1251 states: “An applicant for license renewal shall accumulate not less than 20 continuing education hours that are approved by the board under R 338.1252, during the 2-year licensing period immediately preceding an application for renewal.”
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
Source read on November 12, 2026: Michigan Administrative Code R 338.1191 to R 338.1252, Occupational Therapists – General Rules (PDF) from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs administrative rules site, rules 51 and 52 (R 338.1251 and R 338.1252). The rule history lists an effective date of March 19, 2026.
Pain and symptom management
“At least 1 hour of continuing education must be earned in the area of pain and symptom management.”
Certification and records
“Submission of an application for renewal constitutes the applicant’s certification of compliance with the requirements of this rule.” A licensee keeps documentation “for a period of 4 years after the date of applying for license renewal.” The board may ask for evidence of compliance (paraphrased).
What counts
Programs approved or offered for credit by AOTA, IACET authorized providers, the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association, NBCOT, or another state or provincial OT board count without limit, as do academic courses in an approved OT education program. Publications, presentations, board or committee service, research, and some other activities count up to set maximums (paraphrased). A licensee may not earn credit twice for the same or a substantially identical program in one renewal period (paraphrased).
Other trainings
A board-approved program that meets Michigan’s one-time human trafficking training or its implicit bias training requirement may also count toward renewal hours in that renewal period (paraphrased).
Waivers
A waiver request must reach the department “not less than 30 days before the last regularly scheduled board meeting before the expiration date of the license.”
What this page does not do
It covers the state occupational therapy license only, and only what the official page or pages named above say. It does not cover NBCOT certification renewal, does not list fees, and does not replace the board’s own instructions. Rules change; check the board before you renew.