A compact jurisdiction can issue either a single-state or multistate license. Eligibility depends on residence, uniform requirements and the license actually issued.
Operational membership can allow an eligible RN or LPN/VN with a multistate home-state license to practice in other compact jurisdictions, subject to the destination state’s practice laws.
Always confirm primary state of residence, the designation on the actual license and any move-related application obligation.
Use the Alabama Board of Nursing License Lookup for Alabama RN, LPN and MAC status. Renewal opens September 1 at 8:00 a.m. and closes December 31 at 4:30 p.m.; RN/APRN licenses renew in even-numbered years, LPN licenses in odd-numbered years, and Alabama multistate licenses follow the published odd-year cycle. Alabama nurses generally need 24 CE hours per license period, and APRNs need 6 pharmacology hours.
Alaska renews RN and LPN licenses on different even-year deadlines, uses a two-of-three competence model, and is not an NLC jurisdiction.
American Samoa is noncompact; detailed current renewal rules are not consistently published online, so the site does not guess them.
Use Nursys to verify Arizona RN, LPN and APRN credentials; use the Arizona Board’s verification system for nursing assistant and related certificates. RN/LPN licenses renew every four years, with the renewal due by April 1 of the applicable year.
Use the ASBN verification instructions to select the correct primary-source system. Arkansas renewals are biennial, and RN/LPN/APRN continuing education generally requires 15 contact hours per two-year cycle unless another accepted option applies.
Use California DCA License Search for public RN verification and BreEZe-linked services for applications and renewals. Confirm the credential first because LVN and CNA users are routed to different California authorities.
Use Colorado’s official license lookup for public verification and the Division’s online services for applications and renewal. Colorado does not require routine CE for RN or LPN renewal, but advanced-practice and prescriptive-authority requirements can differ.
Use Connecticut eLicense for public verification and online licensing services. RN and LPN licenses generally renew annually; continuing education obligations differ by credential and renewal cycle.
Use DELPROS for Delaware license records and online transactions. RN and LPN renewal dates are credential-specific, and full two-year CE requirements are 30 hours for RNs and 24 for LPNs.
DC is noncompact and transitioned to a birth-month/birth-year renewal cycle effective June 16, 2024.
Use Florida’s public Verify a License service for current status and MQA Online Services for renewal or application actions. Florida RN renewal requirements are grouped by expiration cohort and CE is reported through the state tracking system.
Use the Georgia Secretary of State license search for public verification and GOALS for applications and renewals. From January 1, 2026, required nursing CE reporting is handled through CE Broker.
Guam has enacted the NLC but implementation is pending; renewal cycles and CE totals differ by credential.
Hawaii uses MyPVL for licensing, requires an approved continuing-competence activity, and does not participate in the NLC.
Use the Idaho DOPL license search for public status and the Board page for applications and renewals. Idaho is transitioning nursing licenses to a biennial cycle, so confirm the account-specific date rather than relying on an older odd/even schedule.
Use IDFPR License Lookup for current public status and IDFPR’s online renewal system for eligible account actions. Illinois is not an NLC jurisdiction, and endorsement verification for nursing is handled through Nursys.
Use Indiana’s free license search for public verification. RN licenses renew by October 31 in odd-numbered years, and Indiana does not impose a general CE-hour requirement on routine RN/LPN renewal.
Use Iowa DIAL for license verification and renewal. RN/LPN renewal is generally every three years, requires 36 continuing-education hours and has a published $99 renewal fee.
Use the KSBN real-time verification system for current license status. Active RN/LPN renewal is biennial, with 30 approved CNE hours and a published $85 renewal fee.
Kentucky nursing licenses renew annually during the Board’s September 15 through October 31 renewal period. RN/LPN continuing competence is commonly met with 14 contact hours during the annual earning period.
Use LSBN resources for RN/APRN actions. Louisiana RN renewal is biennial, with the regular renewal period generally October 1 through December 31 and a late period in January. LPN users must use the separate practical-nurse board.
Maine RN and LPN licenses renew every two years by the licensee’s birthday. Renewal is online and the Board states there is no grace period; APRNs have additional specialty continuing-education obligations.
Use the Maryland Board public lookup from its official website and the online renewal service for transactions. RN/LPN renewal eligibility includes 1,000 active-practice hours in the preceding five years or a qualifying refresher route.
Massachusetts nurses complete 15 contact hours per renewal period. RN licenses renew by the nurse’s birthday in even-numbered years and LPN licenses in odd-numbered years. Massachusetts is not yet operational for multistate licensing.
Michigan nursing licenses renew every two years through MiPLUS. RN/LPN renewal requires 25 continuing-education hours, including at least two hours in pain and symptom management. Michigan is not an NLC member jurisdiction.
Use the Minnesota Board’s online services for public verification and renewal. After initial registration, RN/LPN licenses generally follow a two-year birth-month cycle; RNs need 24 CE hours and LPNs need 12.
Mississippi RN renewal occurs July 1 through December 31 in even-numbered years; LPN renewal occurs in odd-numbered years. Routine RN CE is generally triggered after more than five years out of practice, while LPN and APRN rules differ.
Use Nursys QuickConfirm for current Missouri nursing license verification and MOPRO for applications and renewal. RN renewal is generally February 1 through April 30 of odd-numbered years; LPN timing differs.
Montana is an NLC jurisdiction and repealed its former general nursing CE requirement effective November 18, 2023.
Nebraska RN and LPN licenses expire October 31 on alternating years: RNs in even-numbered years and LPNs in odd-numbered years. Renewal requires a DHHS continuing-competency pathway, commonly recent practice plus 20 hours of CE.
Nevada RN and LPN licenses renew on an individual biennial expiration cycle. Renewing RNs and LPNs complete 30 hours of nursing-related CE plus Nevada-specific training obligations.
New Hampshire is an NLC jurisdiction; RN/LPN licenses generally renew every two years with 30 contact hours.
New Jersey RN and LPN licenses renew biennially and generally require 30 contact hours, including one hour addressing prescription opioid drugs. The public MyLicense verification site is separate from renewal and application workflows.
New Mexico is an NLC jurisdiction and added a $50 multistate-license fee effective June 1, 2026.
Use NYSED Online License Verification for public status and enforcement information. Use Online Registration Renewal to renew the registration that authorizes practice; a New York nursing license and its registration are not the same thing.
Use the NCBON real-time license verification database for current status and the Nurse Portal for applications or renewal. RN and LPN licenses renew every two years by the last day of the birth month, with continuing competence required before renewal.
North Dakota is an NLC jurisdiction with a two-year renewal cycle and 12 RN/LPN contact hours.
CNMI uses online licensing and requires current substance-use-disorder education; it is not an NLC jurisdiction.
Use eLicense Ohio for public verification and account-based applications or renewal. Ohio licenses and certificates renew every two years on credential-specific schedules; verify the current window before starting.
Oklahoma licenses generally renew every two years through the Nurse Portal. Renewal requires one Board-recognized continuing-qualification pathway rather than a single universal CE-only rule.
Oregon licenses generally renew every two years by birthday. As of January 1, 2026, RN/LPN/APRN renewal requires one hour of pain-management education in 36 months and two hours of cultural-competency education in 48 months; the new 20-hour RN/LPN total begins in 2028.
Use PALS to verify a Pennsylvania license and to manage applications or renewals. Pennsylvania’s current renewal guidance also explains how a multistate license affects whether a separate Pennsylvania single-state license should be renewed.
Puerto Rico uses a three-year health-professional renewal cycle and is not an NLC jurisdiction.
Rhode Island is an NLC jurisdiction with a two-year cycle and 10 continuing-education hours.
Use South Carolina LLR for public lookup, endorsement and renewal. RN/LPN licenses generally renew by April 30 of even-numbered years; a common competence pathway is 30 contact hours, with recognized alternatives available.
South Dakota is an NLC jurisdiction with primary-source verification and credential-specific online renewal.
Tennessee nursing licenses renew every two years. Current Board materials require RN/LPN licensees to maintain evidence of two continued-competence activities, and the listed renewal fee is $140 for RN/LPN transactions after the 2026 fee update.
Use Texas license verification for public status checks and the Texas Nurse Portal for applications, renewals and account actions. Texas participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, but multistate eligibility depends on primary state of residence and uniform requirements.
The U.S. Virgin Islands uses birth-month renewal and has enacted the NLC, but implementation remains pending.
Utah RN licenses expire January 31 in odd-numbered years and LPN licenses January 31 in even-numbered years. Renewal requires practice/CE competency options plus one approved suicide-prevention training.
Vermont is an NLC jurisdiction and uses OPR online services for nursing licensing and renewal.
Virginia RN and LPN licenses renew every two years. Continued competency can be met through one of several Board pathways, including 30 CE hours or 15 CE hours plus 640 hours of active practice.
Washington nursing licenses renew annually. Current Board materials list an annual RN single-state renewal fee of $138 and require continuing competency that includes continuing education and active-practice components. Washington participates in the NLC.
West Virginia is an NLC jurisdiction with separate RN/APRN and LPN boards, cycles and competence rules.
Wisconsin RN credentials renew by February 28/29 in even-numbered years and LPN credentials by April 30 in odd-numbered years. DSPS does not list a routine general CE total for ordinary RN/LPN renewal.
Wyoming is an NLC jurisdiction with even-year renewal and five accepted competence pathways.
No. You must meet the uniform eligibility requirements and the home-state authority must actually issue a multistate license.
RN/LPN compact authority does not automatically provide APRN authority. Confirm destination APRN requirements separately.
A permanent change in primary state of residence can require an application in the new home state. Confirm the current timeline and requirements with that authority.
No. A jurisdiction can enact compact legislation before it begins issuing or recognizing multistate licenses operationally.
