Ohio RN licensure 2026: $75 fee, 3–5 weeks
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
Ohio licensure at a glance
| Board of nursing | Ohio Board of Nursing |
| Endorsement fee | $75 |
| Processing time quoted | 3–5 weeks |
| Renewal cycle | 2 years; renews in odd years, lapses November 1 |
| Continuing education | 24 contact hours per 2-year cycle, including 1 hour of Category A (Ohio nursing law) |
| Fingerprinting | Required for licensure by endorsement (BCI and FBI) |
Apply and check current fees at nursing.ohio.gov.
Ohio renewal and licensing rows checked 2026-09-26 against codes.ohio.gov (1, 2, 3).
Ohio RN license renewal: 2 years; renews in odd years, lapses November 1. Continuing education for Ohio renewal: 24 contact hours per 2-year cycle, including 1 hour of Category A (Ohio nursing law).
Same in all 51: licensing · renewal · discipline · international · CEUs · defence.
Ohio required CE topics, and free courses for them
Can Ohio nurses finish CE for free? Not for the required topics: none of the 2 topics Ohio names for RN or LPN renewal had a free course we could verify (Category A: Ohio Nurse Practice Act (ORC Chapter 4723) and Board rules; Ohio nursing law for licensure by endorsement), so those hours usually come from a paid, board-accepted provider.
Ohio renewal CE: 24 contact hours every 2 years, including 1 hour of Category A (Ohio nursing law); none for the first renewal after licensure by exam. APRNs: a further 24 hours per APRN license, 12 of them advanced pharmacology (CNP, CNS, CNM). Topics the Ohio board names, checked Sep 2026:
- Category A: Ohio Nurse Practice Act (ORC Chapter 4723) and Board rules: 1 contact hour · every renewal (not the first renewal) · RN/LPN. Source
Must be Category A: approved by the Board, an OBN approver, an accredited provider, or offered by an approved provider unit (OAC 4723-14-01)
No free course found for Ohio's version of this yet. - Ohio nursing law for licensure by endorsement: 2 contact hours · one-time, before licensure by endorsement · RN/LPN. Source
CE directly related to ORC Chapter 4723 or the Board's rules
No free course found for Ohio's version of this yet. - Advanced pharmacology: 12 contact hours · every renewal (not the first APRN renewal) · APRN. Source
Must be provided by an accredited institution recognized by the Board; applies to APRN-CNP, CNS and CNM (not CRNA)
No free course found for Ohio's version of this yet.
Every free course, with filters: free CEUs for Ohio nurses.
Compact status: Not a compact state
Ohio issues no multistate license. Whatever your compact license covers, Ohio needs its own — apply before you agree a start date. Compact map.
Getting licensed in Ohio
Endorsing into Ohio runs through the Ohio Board of Nursing at $75, quoted at 3–5 weeks, with no second NCLEX. Because Ohio is outside the compact, travel assignments here need a Ohio license in hand before you start — build the processing time into any contract start date you agree to.
Advanced practice in Ohio
Whether an NP may prescribe independently in Ohio is set by the Ohio Board of Nursing and moves by legislative session. Check it before accepting an APRN role there.
Practice environment
Staffing ratios: Ohio has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratio law. Staffing is governed by hospital policy and, where one exists, the collective bargaining agreement — so safe-staffing concerns are raised through the facility's chain of command and its staffing committee rather than through a state standard.
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Common questions
Does Ohio accept a compact nursing license?
No — Ohio is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so a multistate license does not reach it. You need a Ohio license of its own.
Endorsing a license into Ohio: cost and wait?
$75 to the Ohio Board of Nursing, which quotes 3–5 weeks. Nursys verifies electronically.
Who regulates Ohio nursing?
The Ohio Board of Nursing, at nursing.ohio.gov.
Licensure in states bordering Ohio
Pennsylvania · West Virginia · Kentucky · Indiana · Michigan.
Related Ohio guides
Ohio RN salary data · travel nursing in Ohio · compact license map · national licensing guide.