Regulatory Updates
California CLS Renewal Is Now Annual: The 2026 Switch to 12 CE Hours
CLS License Renewal Team August 28, 2026 3 min read
California Just Changed How Every CLS Renews
Effective January 1, 2026, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Laboratory Field Services (LFS) moved all clinical laboratory personnel from a two-year renewal cycle to an annual renewal cycle. If you hold a California CLS, MLT, cytotechnologist, or director license, you now renew every year instead of every two. Renewals submitted from March 19, 2026 onward all follow the new annual schedule.
New CE Requirements
Instead of 24 contact hours every two years, California now requires CE within the most recent 12-month period:
- CLS, MLT, Cytotechnologist, and Director: 12 CE units within the past 12 months
- Phlebotomist (CPT I, CPT II, LPT): 3 CE units within the past 12 months
The total CE you must complete is about half the old biennial amount, but you now buy and track it twice as often. For most licensees that is a real increase in how frequently they shop for CE.
New Fee Schedule (Annual)
| License | Annual Fee | Late Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| CLS / MLT | per year (was biennial) | |
| Director | per year | ,140 |
| Phlebotomist (CPT I/II, LPT) | per year | (doubled) |
The renewal window also shrank from 60 days to 30 days before your expiration date, and late renewal doubles the fee. A director who misses the window owes ,140 instead of .
Why This Matters
- Purchase frequency doubled. You plan CE every year, not every two.
- The penalty is brutal. A 30-day window plus a doubled late fee makes a reliable countdown tool genuinely valuable.
- Your competitors are stale. Anderson Continuing Education still tells CLS licensees they need "24 contact hours during every two-year renewal cycle," and LabCE still says "24 hours of continuing education each time you renew." Both are out of date as of 2026.
How to Stay Compliant
- Track your expiration date in our license countdown tool.
- Buy CDPH-accepted CE early. See our CE provider directory or use the CE calculator to see exactly how many hours you need.
- Set a reminder 90/60/30 days out so the 30-day window never surprises you.
Sources
- CDPH LFS - Personnel Renewal: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/OSPHLD/LFS/pages/personnel-renewal.aspx
- AcornCE - CDPH LFS Changes Personnel Licensure Renewal to Annual Schedule: https://acornce.com/2026/01/11/important-update-cdph-lfs-changes-personnel-licensure-renewal-to-annual-schedule-starting-2026/
This article summarizes a regulatory change and is not legal or licensing advice. Always confirm current requirements directly with CDPH Laboratory Field Services.