Home › Guides › Compact (IMLC) CME
You got licensed through the Compact. Your CME did not come with it.
The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is an expedited licensing pathway. Once a Compact license is issued it is an ordinary license from that state's own board, and that board sets its own renewal cycle, hour totals and mandated topics. Nothing about continuing education is consolidated, waived or coordinated by the Compact.
What that means in practice: across the 51 US jurisdictions there are 4 different renewal cadences (4 on a 1-year cycle, 38 on a 2-year cycle, 8 on a 3-year cycle, 1 on a 4-year cycle). 38 have a controlled-substance or opioid CME mandate and 13 do not, and 8 will not accept a general accredited course at all. See exactly what each of those eight demands (Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia). Hold licenses in several and you are tracking all of that at once.
What each jurisdiction actually requires
Compiled from each board's own rule text and citation. Every row links to the full state page, including advanced practice providers.
| Jurisdiction | Total CME | Cycle | Controlled-substance / opioid mandate | Board-approved course required | Compact status (imlcc.com, September 27, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25 / year | 1 year | 2 hours every 2 years: controlled-substance prescribing, abuse recognition, chronic pain. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Alaska | 50 / 2 years (Category 1) | 2 years | 2 hours every 2 years: pain management and opioid use/addiction. Trigger: DEA registrants. | No | Compact passed; not yet issuing licenses |
| Arizona | 40 / 2 years | 2 years | 3 hours per cycle: opioid-, SUD-, or addiction-related. Trigger: DEA registrants. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Arkansas | 20 / year (>=10 Category 1) | 1 year | 1 hour per year - opioid & benzodiazepine prescribing (counts toward the 20-hour annual total). | No | Compact passed; not yet issuing licenses |
| California | 50 / 2 years | 2 years | 12 hours one-time (by 2nd renewal / within 4 years): pain management and care of the terminally ill, including Schedule II addiction risk. | No | Not a member |
| Colorado | 30 / 24 months | 2 years | No state opioid mandate since SB26-138 (2026), which removed the 2-hour substance use disorder / opioid CME; the Colorado Medical Board took up repealing Rule 1.29 (3 CCR 713-1) at its August 27, 2026 hearing, so check the Board for the date the repeal takes effect. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Connecticut | 50 / 2 years | 2 years | No standalone opioid topic: controlled-substance prescribing and pain management are part of the 1-hour risk-management topic, due at the first renewal and at least every 6 years (Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-10b). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Delaware | 40 / 2 years (Category I) | 2 years | 2 hours every 2 years: controlled-substance prescribing / chronic pain, attested at each CSR renewal (plus a one-time state course when applying for a CSR). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| District of Columbia | 50 / 2 years | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) applies. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Florida | 40 / 2 years | 2 years | 2 hours every 2 years: prescribing controlled substances; the required content now includes the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease (CS/SB 844, ch. 2026-6, in force July 1, 2026). | Yes | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Georgia | 40 / 2 years | 2 years | 3 hours one-time (next renewal), responsible opioid prescribing (+20 hours if ≥50% pain patients). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Hawaii | 100 / 2 years (40 Category 1 + 60 Category 2, or 100 Category 1) | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (issues Compact licenses; cannot be your state of principal license) |
| Idaho | 40 / 2 years (practice-relevant) | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Illinois | 150 / 3 years (min 60 Category 1) | 3 years | 3 hours per Controlled Substances Registration renewal (from January 1, 2025, P.A. 103-0531; 1 hour for the 2020 to 2024 renewals) - safe opioid prescribing (counts toward the 150-hour total). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Indiana | None (no general CME mandate) | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate; no general CME mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Iowa | 40 / 2 years | 2 years | 2 hours every 5 years: CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Kansas | 50 / year (20 Category I + 1 Category III min) | 1 year | 1 hour per year (1–3 per cycle): pain management, opioid prescribing, or PDMP use. Trigger: all. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Kentucky | 60 / 3 years (30 Category I) | 3 years | 4.5 hours every 3 years: use of KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders. | Yes | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Louisiana | 20 / year (Category 1) | 1 year | 3 hours one-time (before first renewal): best-practice CDS prescribing, drug diversion, addiction treatment, chronic pain (single curriculum, all four topics). | Yes | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Maine | 40 / 2 years (Category 1) | 2 years | 3 hours every 2 years: prescribing of opioid medication. Trigger: prescribes controlled substances. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Maryland | 50 / 2 years (25 Category 1) | 2 years | 2 hours one-time at CDS registration, prescribing/dispensing controlled substances. Trigger: CDS applicants. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Massachusetts | 50 / 2 years (current board practice; regulation text says 100) | 2 years | 3 credits per 2-year cycle. | Yes | Not a member |
| Michigan | 150 / 3 years (75 Category 1) | 3 years | 3 hours every 3 years, pain & symptom management (DO: also 1 hour controlled-substance). Trigger: all. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Minnesota | 75 / 3 years | 3 years | No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Mississippi | 40 / 2 years (Category 1) | 2 years | One-time 8 hours: the federal DEA MATE Act (§303) training, which the Board's rule now requires of DEA registrants and which satisfies the Board's controlled-substance training requirement; the former 5-hour biennial rule was replaced. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Missouri | 50 / 2 years | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Montana | None (no CME required) | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate; no general CME mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Nebraska | 50 / 2 years | 2 years | 3 hours every 2 years (≥0.5 hours on the Nebraska PDMP), opioids. Trigger: all CS prescribers. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Nevada | 40 / 2 years (20 in specialty) | 2 years | 2 hours per biennium: misuse/abuse of CS, opioid prescribing, or addiction. Trigger: MDs registered to dispense CS. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| New Hampshire | 100 / 2 years (40 Category I / 60 Category II) | 2 years | 3 hours every 2 years: pain management and addiction disorder. Trigger: DEA-holding PDMP registrants. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| New Jersey | 100 / 2 years (40 Category I) | 2 years | 1 credit per biennium: responsible/safe opioid prescribing, alternatives, abuse signs. Trigger: all MD/DO. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| New Mexico | 75 / 3 years | 3 years | 5 hours one-time in first year (+5 of 75 hours each cycle), pain management / safe CS prescribing. | No | Compact passed; not yet issuing licenses |
| New York | None (no general CME hours) | 2 years | ≥3 hours every 3 years: pain management, palliative care, and addiction. | No | Not a member (legislation introduced) |
| North Carolina | 60 / 3 years (Category 1) | 3 years | 3 hours Category 1 every 3-year cycle, controlled-substance prescribing practices including chronic pain. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| North Dakota | 40 / 2 years | 2 years | No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Ohio | 50 / 2 years (all Category 1) | 2 years | No general opioid mandate for ordinary MD/DO renewal. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Oklahoma | 60 / 3 years (Category I) | 3 years | ≥1 hour per year: pain management OR opioid use/addiction. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Oregon | 60 / 2 years | 2 years | 1 hour / 2 years: the Oregon Pain Management Commission (OPMC) pain-management module (specific mandated course). | Yes | Not a member |
| Pennsylvania | 100 / 2 years (20 Category 1) | 2 years | 2 hours per biennium, pain management, addiction ID, or opioid prescribing/dispensing (initial: 2+2 within 12 months). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Rhode Island | 40 / 2 years | 2 years | One-time 8 hours Category 1 for Schedule-II-opioid prescribers (216-RICR-20-20-4 4.4(P)); the biennial 40-hour renewal names no specific topics. | No | Compact passed; not yet issuing licenses |
| South Carolina | 40 / 2 years (Category 1) | 2 years | 2 hours per biennium, safe prescribing/monitoring of Schedule II–IV CS. Trigger: all physicians regardless of specialty. | No | Not a member |
| South Dakota | None (no CME required) | 2 years | No opioid/CS mandate; no general CME mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Tennessee | 40 / 2 years (Category 1) | 2 years | 2 hours per 2-year cycle, controlled-substance prescribing. | Yes | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Texas | 48 / 2 years (24 formal Category 1) | 2 years | ≥2 hours, safe/effective pain management re: prescribing opioids & other CS. First two renewal periods, then ≥ every 8 years. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Utah | 40 / 2 years (34 Category 1) | 2 years | 3.5 hours per period: CS-prescribing classes (+ one-time SBIRT class from 2024). | Yes | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Vermont | 30 / 2 years | 2 years | 2 hours per 2 years: prescribing CS (DEA holders) + 1 hour palliative/hospice/pain (all licensees). | No | Member (issues Compact licenses; cannot be your state of principal license) |
| Virginia | 30 / 2 years (all Type 1) | 2 years | No standalone opioid/CS CME mandate currently in force (former mandate removed). | No | Not a member |
| Washington | 200 / 4 years | 4 years | One-time ≥1 hour: best practices in opioid prescribing (or the WAC ch. 246-919 opioid rules). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| West Virginia | 50 / 2 years (Category I; 30 in specialty) | 2 years | 3 hours ONCE, within 1 year of initial licensure: a Board-approved course on “Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances.” | Yes | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Wisconsin | 30 / 2 years | 2 years | 2 of 30 Category 1 hours per 2-year cycle, prescribing opioids and other CS. Trigger: DEA-registered physicians. | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
| Wyoming | 60 / 3 years | 3 years | 1 hour per 2-year cycle - responsible CS prescribing OR SUD treatment (Board of Medicine, W.S. 33-26-202(b)(xiv)). | No | Member (can be your state of principal license) |
Provided for planning only: verify against your state board before relying on it. Totals shown are for physicians (MD/DO); APRN and PA requirements differ and appear on each state page.
Work out the fewest, best-timed courses
Select the states you're licensed in and when each renews. The planner maps every mandate against your actual cycles and schedules the smallest number of courses that keeps all of them satisfied, including the one-time federal DEA MATE Act requirement.
Open the free CME plannerCommon questions
Does the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact cover my CME requirements?
No. The Compact is an expedited pathway to obtaining a license in a member state. Once issued, each license is an ordinary license from that state's own medical board, and that board sets its own CME requirements, renewal cycle and mandated topics. The Compact does not consolidate, waive or coordinate continuing education.
Do I need separate CME for each state license?
Not usually separate courses, but you must satisfy each state separately. Most boards accept AMA PRA Category 1 credit from any ACCME-accredited provider, so one well-chosen activity can count toward several states at once. The exceptions are states that mandate a specific topic, and the eight that require a board-approved or state-specific course.
Why don't my renewal dates line up?
Each board sets its own cycle independently. Across the 51 US jurisdictions: 4 on a 1-year cycle, 38 on a 2-year cycle, 8 on a 3-year cycle, 1 on a 4-year cycle. Two licenses obtained on the same day can still renew in different years.
Which states won't accept a general accredited course?
8 jurisdictions require a board-approved or state-specific course for their controlled-substance requirement: Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia. A generic ACCME activity will not satisfy them, and physicians usually discover this at renewal.
What happens if CME slips in one state?
The obligation sits with the licensee, not with the Compact, an employer or a staffing agency. A lapse is addressed to you by that state's board, and it can affect the license supporting your Compact eligibility.