December 31st CLE Deadlines by State

Posted on 11/05/20 By Brittany K. King

There is no nationwide standard for CLE in the U.S. and instead, requirements are decided by each state. Required hours and deadlines vary considerably by state; some require upwards of 120 CLE credits within a reporting period while other states have no CLE requirements at all.

Many states have a standard CLE deadline of December 31.

In some cases, your deadline may fall near December 31 depending on your assigned compliance group, the date your license was originally issued, your birthdate, or state-specific extensions due to COVID-19.

Do you have CLE requirements to fulfill by December 31? See if your state has upcoming end-of-year deadlines below.

This post was last updated on November 5, 2020.

 

AL | AK | CO | CT | DE | FL | GA | HI | ID | IN | IA | LA | ME | NE | NV | NJ | NM | NY | NC | OH | OK | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA | WI | WY

 

States with December 31 CLE Deadlines

The following is a list of states with CLE deadlines on December 31, or whose deadlines may fall on or around December 31 due to special circumstances. 

 

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Alabama CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 1 ethics credit

 

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Alaska CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 4 ethics credits

 

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Colorado CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 3 years
Credit requirement: 45

Specialty credit requirements:

• 7 ethics credits

 

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Connecticut CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics and/or professionalism credits

 

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Delaware CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 2 years
Credit requirement: 24

Specialty credit requirements:

• 4 ethics credits  

 

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Florida* CLE Requirements

Deadline: *Deadlines are the same as your date issued
Reporting period: 3 years
Credit requirement: 33

Specialty credit requirements:

• 5 ethics, professionalism, substance abuse or mental illness credits
• 3 credits in approved technical programs

 

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Georgia CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 1 ethics credit
• 1 professionalism credit
• 3 trial practice credits for trial attorneys only  

 

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Hawaii CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 3

Specialty credit requirements:

• 1 ethics credit every three years 

 

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Idaho CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 3 years
Credit requirement: 30

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics or professional responsibility credits

 

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Indiana CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 3 years
Credit requirement: 36

Specialty credit requirements:

• 3 ethics credits

 

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Iowa CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 15

Specialty credit requirements:

• 3 ethics credit every two years, ending on odd-numbered years  

 

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Louisiana CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12.5

Specialty credit requirements:

• 1 ethics credit
• 1 professionalism credit

 

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Maine CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 11

Specialty credit requirements:

• 1 ethics or professional responsibility credit

 

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Nebraska CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 10

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics or professional responsibility credits

 

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Nevada CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 13

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics credits
• 1 substance abuse credit   

 

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New Jersey CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 2 years
Credit requirement: 24

Specialty credit requirements:

• 4 ethics or professionalism credits

 

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New Mexico CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics or professionalism credits

 

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New York* CLE Requirements

Deadline: *Deadline is within 30 days of your birth month
Reporting period: 2 years
Credit requirement: 24

Specialty credit requirements:

• 4 ethics and professionalism credits
• 1 credit in diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias

 

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North Carolina CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics and/or professionalism credits
• 1 technology training credit
• additional credit on substance abuse awareness or debilitating mental conditions every three years    

 

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Ohio CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 2 years
Credit requirement: 24

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2.5 professional conduct credits

 

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Oklahoma CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 1 ethics credit

 

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Oregon CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 3 years
Credit requirement: 45

Specialty credit requirements:

• 5 ethics or professionalism credits
• 1 lawyers’ statutory duty to report child abuse credit
• In alternate reporting periods, at least 3 additional hours must be in programs accredited for Access to Justice (Elimination of Bias) under Rule 5.5(b) and 1 hour in Mental Health/Substance Use

 

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Pennsylvania* CLE Requirements

Deadline: *Group 3 has a deadline of December 31^st  
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics credits 

 

Note: All CLE credits to satisfy 2020 compliance deadlines may be obtained through completion of distance learning programs consistent with the Rules and Regulations for Continuing Legal Education in Pennsylvania.

 

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Tennessee CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 15

Specialty credit requirements:

• 3 ethics credits

 

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Texas* CLE Requirements

Deadline: *Deadline is last day of your birth month  
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 15

Specialty credit requirements:

• 3 legal ethics or professional responsibility credits

 

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Virginia* CLE Requirements

Deadline: *Deadline extended to December 31^st 
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 12

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 legal ethics or professional responsibility credits

 

Note: The normal October 31^st deadline has been extended to midnight EST December 31^st, 2020. The required CLE hours must be reported no later than 4:45 P.M. EST February 15^th, 2021.

 

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Washington CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 3 years
Credit requirement: 45

Specialty credit requirements:

• 6 ethics and professional responsibility credits
• 15 law and legal procedure credits  

 

Note: In the extended 2018-2021 reporting period, you must complete earning credits by December 21^st, 2021, and must complete the certification of credits by February 1, 2022.

 

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Wisconsin CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 2 years
Credit requirement: 30

Specialty credit requirements:

• 3 ethics credits

 

Note: You may earn a max of 6 credits in Law Practice Management, or one of the following which are considered Lawyers Awareness and Understanding: substance abuse, mental illness, stress management, work/life balance relating to the practice of law

 

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Wyoming CLE Requirements

Deadline: December 31^st
Reporting period: 1 year
Credit requirement: 15

Specialty credit requirements:

• 2 ethics credits    

 

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