EMS recertification requirements, state by state

Every state renews EMS certifications differently: some require current National Registry certification, some offer it as one pathway, and some run their own. This is a plain-language map of the rules for 50 states plus the National Registry, each with its cycle, hours by level, and the official source, retrieved September 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency before relying on any figure.

National Registry

NREMT EMR16 hrs / 2 yrs NREMT EMT40 hrs / 2 yrs NREMT AEMT50 hrs / 2 yrs NREMT Paramedic60 hrs / 2 yrs

States that require current NREMT

Alabama2 years Arkansasfollows the 2-year NRE Connecticut2 years Delaware2 years Louisiana3 years Mississippi2 years New Hampshire2 years North Dakota2 years Oklahoma2 years Rhode Island2 years South Carolina2 years Utah2 years Vermont2 years West Virginia2 years

States where NREMT is one pathway

States with an independent pathway

California2 years Georgia2 years Illinois4 years Kansas2 years Maine2 years Michigan3 years Nevada2 years New Jersey3 years New York3 years Pennsylvania3 years Tennessee2 years Washington3 years Wisconsin3 years Wyoming2 years

Guides

The questions behind the tables: what happens if NREMT expires, NREMT vs state license, how many CE hours an EMT needs and a paramedic, whether one CE course counts toward both. All guides.

Sources

NREMT recertification pages
State EMS office websites and administrative codes, listed on each state page

Compiled from these sources, retrieved September 2026. Renewal rules change; confirm with the issuing agency before you rely on any figure here.

Written and maintained by Max Ballesteros
Paramedic, flight medicine and search and rescue. Founder, CurrentCert.
Last reviewed 2026-09-12 against the sources listed above. How these pages are checked. Report a correction.