Texas LVN License: Lookup, Renewal, CE, and Fees
Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. LVNs renew every 2 years, complete 20 hours of continuing education per cycle, and pass the NCLEX-PN plus the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Examination.
Look up a Texas LVN license
The board's search shows license status, expiry date, and any public discipline. Nursys Quick Confirm is a free national check you can use as a second source.
Texas Board of Nursing · read 2026-09-03 · a dash means the board publishes no figure
Renewal and continuing education in Texas
A Texas LVN license must be renewed every two years. It always expires on the last day of the birth month, in odd-numbered years for nurses born in an odd-numbered year and even-numbered years for those born in an even-numbered year. Renewal requires 20 hours of continuing education. Some nurses must also complete hours on nursing jurisprudence and ethics, human trafficking prevention, forensic evidence collection, or older adult and geriatric care, depending on practice setting and licensing period.
The renewal fee is $45, compared with the $75 fee for an initial license. Neither of these figures includes the cost of taking the NCLEX-PN exam or completing the fingerprint-based DPS and FBI criminal background check that Texas requires of applicants; those are separate costs paid at other steps in the licensing process.
Required CE topics
- 1Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethicsat least 2 contact hours before the end of every third two-year licensing period; applies to LVNs, RNs and APRNs and certification cannot substitute - Board Rule 216.3(g)
- 2Human Trafficking PreventionHHSC-approved course every licensing period for any nurse providing direct patient care (renewals on/after Sept 1, 2020; HB 2059, Occupations Code ch. 116)
- 3Forensic Evidence Collectionat least 2 contact hours for any nurse working in or floating to an emergency room setting - Board Rule 216.3(d)
- 4Older Adult or Geriatric Careat least 2 contact hours every licensing period for any nurse whose practice includes older adult/geriatric populations
Texas Board of Nursing continuing education rules · read 2026-09-03
How much does a Texas LVN license cost?
Board fees exclude exam registration and fingerprinting · Texas board fee schedule ↗ · read 2026-09-03
Moving to Texas: endorsement and temporary permits
Texas is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. An LVN who holds a multistate license issued by another compact state can practice in Texas under that license without applying for endorsement. LVNs who do not hold a multistate compact license, including those licensed only in a non-compact state, must apply for a Texas license by endorsement before practicing in the state.
Endorsement applicants apply through the Texas Nurse Portal, pay a $150 fee that includes the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Examination, and undergo Nursys license verification and a fingerprint-based DPS and FBI criminal background check. The two-hour, open-book Nursing Jurisprudence Examination on the Nursing Practice Act and board rules must be passed before a permanent license is issued, though a one-time 120-day temporary license may be issued within 15 business days. Internationally educated applicants follow separate instructions covering credential evaluation and English proficiency.
Education and exam for an LVN license in Texas
Texas requires LVN applicants to graduate from a board-approved vocational nursing education program; the program's dean or director submits an affidavit of graduation directly to the board. The board does not state a required program length. Before an Authorization to Test is issued, applicants must pass the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Examination, a two-hour, open-book test on the Nursing Practice Act and board rules, and then pass the NCLEX-PN exam to become licensed.
What do LVNs earn in Texas?
BLS OES May 2025 · 57,560 LPNs employed in Texas · LPN salary in Texas by city →
Nearby states
Sources
- Texas Board of Nursing ↗licensure, renewal, CE, and fee ruleshigh confidence
- bon.texas.gov/forms_fees.asp.html
- bon.texas.gov/licensure_examination.asp.html
- bon.texas.gov/licensure_endorsement.asp.html
- bon.texas.gov/licensure_renewal.asp.html
- bon.texas.gov/education_continuing_education.asp.html
- bon.texas.gov/licensure_nursing_jurisprudence.asp.html
- Nursys ↗ national license verification
- BLS OES May 2025 Texas LPN wages and employment
Read 2026-09-03. Rules and fees change; confirm with the board before acting.