Renew Title 32 License: CE Hours, Deadlines, and Reinstatement

An Arizona chiropractic license renewal is due each year by the last day of your birth month, submitted through the board’s online licensee portal with a $225 fee. Miss the deadline and your license is automatically suspended by operation of law. You have two years from the suspension date to reinstate; after that, you must apply as a new candidate and sit for examinations again.

When and How to Renew

Since 2025, Arizona has tied chiropractic license expiration to the licensee’s birth month rather than the calendar year. If your birthday is April 17, your license expires April 30 every year, and your complete renewal application and $225 fee must be in before that date.¹

Renewals are online only. The Board of Chiropractic Examiners no longer accepts paper applications for renewals, address changes, or chiropractic assistant registrations, and it no longer mails annual renewal certificates. Proof of licensure comes from a wallet card you download from the portal at no charge.²

The board is required by statute to mail a renewal notice at least 30 days before your deadline, but that notice is a courtesy, not a safeguard. The automatic suspension for a missed deadline applies whether or not you received the mailing.³

Continuing Education

The board can require up to 12 hours of continuing education each calendar year as a condition of renewal. Qualifying courses must cover topics aligned with the chiropractic licensure exam and be taught by faculty at a college or university accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or another accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.⁴

Failing to complete continuing education without adequate cause is separate grounds for probation or suspension, distinct from the automatic suspension that follows a missed renewal.⁴

Reporting Criminal Charges

Arizona requires all licensed health professionals, including chiropractors, to report certain criminal charges to their licensing board within 10 working days of the charge being filed. The obligation covers all felony charges and any misdemeanor involving conduct that could affect patient safety. The clock runs from the charge, not from your renewal date.⁵

Failing to report is itself unprofessional conduct, and the board can impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 on top of any other discipline. If you’re unsure whether a particular misdemeanor qualifies, the board will provide a list of reportable offenses on request.⁵

What Happens if You Miss the Deadline

If a complete renewal application and fee are not received by your deadline, the board automatically suspends your license. There is no grace period, no warning letter, and no board vote. The suspension is nondisciplinary, so it does not appear on your record as professional misconduct, but the practical effect is the same: you cannot legally treat patients while suspended.³

Reinstating a Lapsed License

Reinstatement requires four things: a completed reinstatement application, proof of continuing education for each year the license was suspended, payment of the annual renewal fee for each year of suspension, and a $200 reinstatement fee.⁶

The continuing education requirement scales with time away: 12 hours for each year of suspension, capped at 24 hours total. Course completion must be documented and certified on the board’s reinstatement application.⁷

The two-year cliff matters more than any other date in the renewal process. If you do not request reinstatement within two years of the suspension date, the reinstatement path closes. Arizona law then requires you to apply as a new candidate, meaning the full initial licensure process including examinations.³

Inactive and Retired Status

If you plan to stop practicing, Arizona offers two formal alternatives to letting a license lapse.

Inactive

Inactive status is for chiropractors who are not currently practicing in Arizona but want to keep their license without completing continuing education. You still submit a renewal application every year and still pay the $225 annual fee. Address and phone number must stay current with the board. Practicing on inactive status is grounds for discipline under A.R.S. § 32-924, the same statute covering fraud, malpractice, and substance abuse violations.⁸⁹

Retired

Retired status eliminates the annual renewal fee, though you still file a renewal application each year and keep your contact information current. To qualify, you must present evidence that you have permanently retired from chiropractic practice and paid all outstanding fees, and you cannot be actively practicing in another state. A retired chiropractor who practices during the waiver period faces the same penalties as someone practicing with no license at all.⁸¹⁰

Inactive is generally the better choice for a temporary break, because the return path is easier within the first two years. Retired makes more sense if you are done practicing for good and want to stop paying fees, but coming back is significantly harder.

Coming Back From Inactive or Retired Status

From inactive status of two years or less, reinstatement takes the annual renewal fee and proof that you have met the board’s continuing education requirements. No exam.⁹

After more than two years on inactive status, you must also pass the SPEC exam (Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic) administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners before the board will reinstate you.⁹

Coming back from retired status always requires the SPEC, regardless of how long you have been retired. You also pay the current annual renewal fee and provide evidence satisfactory to the board that you are professionally able to practice and still possess the required knowledge. The board holds a hearing and can refuse reinstatement on any of the disciplinary grounds in A.R.S. § 32-924.³ The board’s substantive policy sets continuing education at 12 hours if retired for one year or less, and 24 hours if retired for more than one year.¹¹

Address and Contact Updates

Arizona law requires chiropractors to notify the board in writing within 30 days of any change in home or office address or phone number, and the penalty for failing to do so is $50, enforced separately from any renewal issue. The requirement applies to every license status, active, inactive, and retired. Keeping your information current is also how you ensure you actually receive that 30-day renewal notice.³

1
Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Important Changes and Information Regarding Your Renewal and Thentia Portal Access
2
Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Licensee Information and Services
3
Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 32 – Laws and Rules of Chiropractic Care
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-931 – Continuing Education
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3208 – Criminal Charges Reporting
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Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R4-7-503 – Renewal License Issuance, Reinstatement
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Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Reinstatement of License Application
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Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Inactive and Retired Status Information
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Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Inactive License Request
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Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Application for Retirement Status
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Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Arizona Code 32-923 – Change of Address; Annual Renewal Fee; Failure to Renew; Waivers