Hawaii Massage Therapy Continuing Education & Renewal Requirements
CE hours: 12 hrs. Massage therapist and massage establishment licenses renew every two years and expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year regardless of the original issuance date.
Statewide requirements and local rules are identified separately. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Overview
CE and renewal at a glance
Licensing information reviewed 2026-08-02
- CE hours
- 12 hrs
- License renewal
- Massage therapist and massage establishment licenses renew every two years and expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year regardless of the original issuance date.
- CE reporting period
- Official sources differ on this point, so no single answer is shown; confirm it with the responsible authority.
Check the requirement's scope, exceptions and reporting period. An item marked “Not confirmed” never means that no CE is required.
Before you rely on these answers
- Sources differ: CE reporting period, Renewal documentation, Late renewal / reinstatement, Inactive status / reactivation, Reporting and proof of CE, Renewal attestation, First renewal / proration
Each item explains the issue and links its official sources. Everything else on this page is sourced as stated.
Responsible authority
Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Board of Massage Therapy
- AuthorityVisit the official authority
- RenewalOfficial renewal information
- StatutesOfficial statutes or rules
The authority’s current rules govern your renewal. Confirm requirements with it before you rely on a course or a date.
CE hours
- CE requirement and exceptionsConfirm details
HRS section 452-16 requires massage therapists to complete at least 12 continuing-education hours within the two-year period preceding each renewal, including two hours of first aid, CPR, or other emergency-related training. That hour requirement is statutory. Current Board guidance is separate and addresses how hours may be earned rather than how many: it accepts distance learning, including synchronous and asynchronous online study, home study, and live or recorded media; it counts one CE hour as at least fifty minutes of participation; and it adds a hands-on condition for the two emergency-related hours. The Board supplies that guidance on an interim basis while the adopted massage rules have not been updated to codify CE standards.
Current Board guidance supplies CE detail while the posted massage rules have not yet been updated to codify the program standards.
- Hour total
12
Renewal timing and fees
- Renewal cycle
Massage therapist and massage establishment licenses renew every two years and expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year regardless of the original issuance date.
- Renewal deadline
For the 2026 renewal cycle, the Board accepted on-time renewals from May 4 through June 30, 2026. A license not renewed by June 30 is forfeited, and the person may not practice until properly restored or relicensed.
- Renewal feesConfirm details
For the 2026–2028 period, the on-time active Massage Therapist renewal fee is $164 and inactive renewal is $12. The Board lists restoration within one year at $264 for active status or $112 for inactive status. Confirm current fees for later cycles.
Reporting period, first renewal and carryover
- CE reporting periodSources differ
Official sources differ on this point, so no single answer is shown; confirm it with the responsible authority.
- CarryoverConfirm details
No authorization for carrying CE hours into a later biennium was identified in the reviewed statute, current FAQ, or interim guidance. This information does not infer a prohibition beyond those sources.
- First renewal / prorationSources differ
Official sources differ on this point, so no single answer is shown; confirm it with the responsible authority.
Required topics
- Required categoriesConfirm details
HRS 452-16 requires two of the 12 hours to include first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or other emergency-related courses. Board guidance revised May 2024, which is not an adopted rule, adds that those two hours must include a hands-on component and that the remaining ten may be in any category that enhances a massage therapist's skills and knowledge, including professional ethics, theory and practice of massage therapy, modalities, and professional development; practice-building business courses are not accepted.
- State-specific topicsConfirm details
Current Board guidance permits distance learning for the remaining ten hours when the subject increases professional massage knowledge; this format detail is guidance, not adopted rule text.
This has not yet been checked against the official sources, so no answer is shown.
- CPR / first aidConfirm details
Two of the 12 hours must address first aid, CPR, or other emergency-related training. The reviewed sources do not establish a separate renewal certification mandate.
This has not yet been checked against the official sources, so no answer is shown.
Online and course format
- Online and course formatConfirm details
Current Board guidance permits distance learning for the remaining ten hours when the subject increases professional massage knowledge; this format detail is guidance, not adopted rule text.
This has not yet been checked against the official sources, so no answer is shown.
- Practical / hands-onConfirm details
Current Board guidance describes a hands-on component for the two emergency-training hours; this condition is guidance, not adopted rule text.
This has not yet been checked against the official sources, so no answer is shown.
Proof of CE, audits and record keeping
- Renewal documentationSources differ
Official sources differ on what is filed at renewal: HRS 452-16 requires a renewing massage therapist to submit proof of the 12 CE hours, while the Board's CE guidance revised May 2024 says licensees attest to completing the requirement at renewal and send copies of their certificates only if selected for audit. The Board may audit at random, and a licensee selected for audit must provide documentation verifying compliance within sixty days of written notice. Guidance says each completion certificate should name the attendee and the provider and give the course or program title, date, location, and number of CE hours; that licensees keep their own certificates in case they are audited; and that providers include massage schools approved by a state board of massage, nationally accredited massage certifying organizations, and local or national professional associations. Restoring a forfeited license requires proof of the preceding biennium's CE. No record-retention period is stated in the reviewed sources.
- Reporting and proof of CESources differ
Official sources differ on this point, so no single answer is shown; confirm it with the responsible authority.
- Certificate requirementsConfirm details
Current Board guidance directs licensees to keep completion certificates unless audited. The reviewed sources do not establish a specific retention period.
This has not yet been checked against the official sources, so no answer is shown.
- Record retentionConfirm details
No distinct requirement confirmed in the reviewed official sources.
- AuditsNot confirmed
HRS 452-16 requires renewal proof and authorizes random audit with a 60-day response period. Board guidance directs licensees to attest and retain certificates unless audited; whether attestation alone constitutes statutory proof remains unresolved. The reviewed materials did not identify a uniform certificate-retention duration or CE carryover rule.
- Renewal attestationSources differ
Official sources differ on this point, so no single answer is shown; confirm it with the responsible authority.
Approved providers and courses
- How CE is approvedConfirm details
HRS 452-16 requires 12 CE hours per renewal biennium, including two hours of first aid, CPR, or other emergency-related training. Board guidance adds a hands-on condition and identifies accepted provider categories and interim compliance details, while the posted HAR chapter does not yet contain the statutory CE framework.
- Provider & course recognitionConfirm details
Current Board guidance describes recognized education sources, but a workshop listing or association sponsorship alone does not establish that every course qualifies for renewal CE.
This has not yet been checked against the official sources, so no answer is shown.
- Official CE resourceConfirm details
Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — approved massage therapy workshops
Open official resource →Use the authority's current provider and course acceptance rules.
- Official CE resourceConfirm details
Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — CE guidance and FAQ
Open official resource →Use the authority's current provider and course acceptance rules.
- Professional organizations' role in CENot confirmed
The official sources for this item are missing or incomplete, so no answer is shown.
Late renewal, reinstatement and inactive status
- Late renewal / reinstatementSources differ
A license not renewed by June 30 of an even-numbered year is forfeited, and a forfeited license may not be used to practice. It may be restored within one year by filing a restoration application with proof of CE for the preceding biennium and paying a penalty fee and any delinquent fees. After one year, the former licensee must reapply as a new applicant under the requirements then in effect, and the Board may require the examination. Official sources differ on who may ask for the examination to be waived: the application instructions accept a written request with documentation of current knowledge and skills, while the Board's FAQ revised April 28, 2025 says a waiver is considered only for former Hawaii licensees who have been continuously licensed in another jurisdiction since the Hawaii license lapsed. Confirm eligibility with the Board.
- Inactive status / reactivationSources differ
A Hawaii license may be placed on inactive status during the licensure period or at renewal. An inactive licensee is considered unlicensed and may not practice, and an inactive license must still be renewed by the renewal deadline; Board guidance says CE is not required while inactive. Official sources differ on what reactivation requires: the Board's CE guidance revised May 2024 says you must provide proof that you met the CE requirement during the preceding biennium, while the current reactivation application (July 2026) lists no additional massage-therapist requirement beyond the form and fees. Confirm with the Board before reactivating.
Who these requirements apply to
- Credential and statewide scope
A Hawaii Massage Therapist license is required to engage in massage for compensation unless a statutory exemption applies. Establishments and out-call services have separate licensing duties.
- Local requirementsConfirm details
General county business licensing, zoning, land-use, tax, and premises rules may apply. No massage-specific local licensing delegation or statewide preemption provision was identified in the reviewed state massage sources, and no county-by-county ordinance inventory was completed.
Changes in the law
- Rulemaking / implementation: HAR chapter 84 rule revisionConfirm details
The Board has published proposed revisions, but the posted package still contains blank adoption and effective-date fields and remains labeled proposed. Possible future examination, education, and human-trafficking changes are not current law or rule.
Proposed provisions are not current requirements.
- Rulemaking / implementation: HB 1862 proposed reflexology exemptionConfirm details
HB 1862 was introduced and referred to CPC in January 2026. It proposes an exemption for individuals and establishments offering only foot, hand, and outer-ear manipulation; it is not enacted law or a current exemption.
Proposed provisions are not current requirements.
Authoritative sources
Sources for Hawaii
Each answer shows the date it was reviewed and numbers the official sources behind it. An access date records when a source was last opened; it does not change a review date.
- HRS 452-16 — Biennial Renewal; Continuing Education; Audit and Restorationaccessed
- Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 452 — Massageaccessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Continuing Education Guidance, third amended May 17, 2024accessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions, revised April 28, 2025accessed
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 84 — Currently Adopted Massage Therapy Rules, 1990 Compilationaccessed
- Hawaii RICO — Licensed Massage Establishments in Hawaiiaccessed
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Board of Massage Therapyaccessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Massage Therapist Application Requirements and Instructionsaccessed
- HRS 436B-13.3 — Inactive License; Reactivation of Inactive Licenseaccessed
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Reactivation Applicationaccessed
- HRS 452-16 — Biennial Renewal; Continuing Education; Audit and Restorationaccessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Continuing Education Guidance, third amended May 17, 2024accessed
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 84 — Currently Adopted Massage Therapy Rules, 1990 Compilationaccessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions, revised April 28, 2025accessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Approved Massage Therapy Workshopsaccessed
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Proposed HAR Chapter 84 Massage Therapy, page updated April 24, 2026accessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Minutes of the May 6, 2025 Meeting (reviewed 2026-07-13; no longer retrievable at this address)accessed
- Hawaii Board of Massage Therapy — Meeting Minutes Indexaccessed
- Hawaii Legislature — HB 1862 (2026), Relating to Massage Therapyaccessed