Overview
All Educator Licenses expire on June 30th of the license renewal year (either a 3 or 5-year cycle). Renewal of current licenses may be completed between January 1 and June 29th of the expiring year. Early renewals are not permitted. Expired licenses may be renewed at any time. Please refer to the Step-by-Step Guide to Educator License Renewals Google Docs. There is no penalty for renewing a license from an expired status.
Once a professional license has been issued in Utah, the license is never removed, but may be renewed by completing the renewal requirements. Renewal hours are equal to the number of clock hours spent on the activity, as determined by the licensed administrator signing the renewal form. For licenses that have been suspended or revoked, please contact the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission (UPPAC).
All Educator License renewals are subject to monitoring by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). As such, you are required to keep your original signed renewal form with any supporting documentation for 12 months as evidence to support your online renewal transaction. Failure to maintain documentation and follow licensing procedures may result in a repeal of your license renewal and referral to the USBE Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission (UPPAC).
If you experience any renewal difficulties, please contact the Licensing Team at licensing@schools.utah.gov.
Professional Educator License (PEL)
We are pleased to announce an important update regarding the license renewal process. Educators holding a Professional Educator License with experience in a Utah public school district or charter for the past five (5) years are no longer required to complete the license renewal form or obtain an administrator’s signature. However, please note that you are still required to complete the Student & Data Privacy Training and the Educator Ethics review.
If you have not worked for all of the previous five (5) years, you must complete the Professional Educator License (PEL) Renewal Form to renew your license. The form may be completed either digitally (PDF) or printed and filled out manually. The educator must document a minimum of 100 hours of renewal activity.
Complete the online renewal process in Utah Schools Information Management System (USIMS). Educators should only finalize the renewal in USIMS once ALL requirements have been completed and the form has been reviewed and signed by a licensed administrator or other approved authority. The signed/approved form is then maintained by the educator and is not submitted to USBE unless the educator is notified of a monitoring review. Failure to maintain documentation and follow licensing procedures may result in a repeal of your license renewal and referral to the USBE Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission (UPPAC).
Associate Educator License (AEL)
An Associate Educator License (AEL) may not be renewed, effective June 10, 2024. The AEL may be extended up to two years depending on your experience in Utah schools.
Educators who are employed in a Utah public or accredited private school, they may work with their employer to request an Associate Educator License extension. You must complete the Associate Educator License Extension Form and submit the Associate Educator License Extensions application in SM Apply. The one-time extension may be granted for up to two (two) school years.
AEL Extension FAQs (Google Docs)
LEA-Specific Educator License (LEA-S)
A Local Education Agency (LEA)-Specific License may be renewed if the license area is not special education or a related service. Renewals are submitted for approval by the Local Education Area (LEA) Human Resources and the approved renewal status is then reported electronically by the LEA through CACTUS after July 15th of the new school year. LEA-Specific licenses may be renewed at any time after the license has expired. Renewal forms are not submitted to the USBE.
Your employer may require you to use the Local Education Agency (LEA) Specific Educator License Renewal Form(External Web Content) to renew the license. The form may be completed either digitally (PDF) or printed and filled out manually then provided to the Human Resources department for approval. The educator must document a minimum of 60 hours of renewal activities in at least two areas on the form. LEA-Specific Renewals require a refresh through the Utah Schools Information Management System (USIMS) site of both the USBE Educator Ethics Review within the last 12 months, and a cleared USBE background check completed after July 1, 2015 that has not been discontinued through the FBI Rapback network.
Approved LEA-Specific Renewal forms are retained by the Educator and LEA in the event the renewal is selected for monitoring by the Utah State Board of Education for up to 24 months from the date of the renewal. Failure to maintain documentation and follow licensing procedures may result in a repeal of your license renewal and referral to the USBE Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission (UPPAC).
Video Tutorials for Professional License Renewals
The following video tutorials will walk you through the steps to complete your professional educator license renewal.
Episode 1: Set up a USIMS account, migrate CACTUS data, and complete the Educator Ethics Review
Episode 2: Completing the renewal form, documenting activities, and meeting with an administrator
Episode 3: Saving documentation, completing renewal in USIMS, and printing a copy of your license.