Michigan Respiratory Therapist License Renewal
Editorial Note: This page is editorially reviewed by an ARDMS-credentialed sonographer as part of AlliedLicenseGuide.com’s allied health licensing database. Primary source: Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide (LARA).
Who This Guide Is For
- Michigan-licensed Respiratory Therapists tracking their 3-year renewal date and the Implicit Bias and Human Trafficking training requirements.
- Licensees renewing during the 60-day grace period who want to understand the $20 late fee and how the original expiration date is preserved.
- Licensees whose license has already lapsed and need to understand the Relicensure pathway and its $290.10 fee.
Michigan RT Renewal — At a Glance
| Renewal Cycle | 3 years |
| License Expiration | Triennial renewal based on the individual license issue date; renewal opens online no earlier than 90 days before expiration |
| Renewal Fee | $248.10 |
| Late Renewal Fee | Additional $20.00 if renewed during the 60-day grace period |
| Grace Period | 60 days — may continue to practice during this period; license lapses (retroactive to original expiration date) if not renewed within it |
| CE Hours Required | No traditional respiratory-care CE-hour requirement — see Implicit Bias and Human Trafficking training requirements below |
| Mandatory Training | Implicit Bias: 3 hours per renewal cycle (1 hr/year). Human Trafficking: one-time only (verified, not repeated) |
| Renewal Method | Online via MiPLUS |
| Lapsed License | Relicensure required: $290.10, 3-year application via MiPLUS; CRT/RRT exam proof within 2 years required if no current out-of-state license |
| Compact Renewal | Not applicable — Michigan is not currently a member of the RCIC, as of this page’s verification date |
| Renewal Contact | (517) 241-0199; BPLHelp@michigan.gov; MiPLUS |
Michigan Respiratory Therapist licenses are valid for 3 years. Renewal is completed online through MiPLUS, and the renewal window opens no earlier than 90 days before your license expires — the Board sends a reminder around that time, but renewing on time is your responsibility regardless of whether you receive it.
CE Requirements: What Michigan Requires Instead of General CE Hours
Unlike many states that require 20-30 hours of profession-specific continuing education per renewal cycle, Michigan’s Public Health Code does not impose a traditional respiratory-care CE-hour requirement for renewal. In its place, Michigan requires two specific trainings tied to its broader health-licensing rules.
The first is Implicit Bias training under Administrative Rule 338.7004, which applies to most health professions licensed under Article 15 of the Public Health Code (respiratory therapy, Part 187, is covered; Part 188 professions are excluded). For initial licensure, applicants need at least 2 hours of this training within the 5 years before the license is issued. For renewal, the requirement becomes cyclical: licensees must complete 1 hour of Implicit Bias training for each year of their 3-year license cycle — in practice, 3 hours — and the Licensing Guide is explicit that “this is not a one-time training and must be completed for each renewal cycle prior to the renewal being completed.”
The second is Human Trafficking Identification training under Administrative Rule 338.2201a, covering recognition of human trafficking in healthcare settings. Unlike the Implicit Bias requirement, this one is genuinely one-time: the Licensing Guide states it “must only be completed one time,” and confirms that renewal applicants need only have completed it prior to renewing — not repeated it.
Because neither of these trainings works like a typical state CE framework, Michigan does not maintain an approved-CE-provider list or category limits (online/live/self-study caps, etc.) for respiratory therapist renewal in the way states with general CE requirements do. What matters is that the training meets the content standards in the cited administrative rules.
Grace Period, Late Fees, and Lapse
If you don’t renew by your expiration date, Michigan provides a 60-day grace period. Per MCL 333.16201(2), you may continue to practice and use your title during this 60-day window. If you renew within it, you avoid the relicensure process but owe an additional $20.00 late fee per license type.
If you don’t renew within the 60-day grace period, your license lapses — and the Board’s FAQ is specific about how this is recorded: the lapse is retroactive to your original expiration date, not the end of the grace period. Their example: a license expiring January 31 can be renewed through April 1; if you miss that April 1 deadline, your license is treated as having lapsed on January 31, not April 1. Once lapsed, you can no longer practice your profession or identify yourself as licensed.
Getting a lapsed license back requires Relicensure rather than a standard renewal: a $290.10, 3-year “Respiratory Therapist Relicensure Application and Fee,” submitted via MiPLUS (Licenses tab, then Modification, then Relicensure). If you don’t currently hold a valid respiratory care license, registration, or certification in another U.S. state or Canadian province, you’ll also need an official NBRC report confirming you passed either the CRT or RRT examination within the 2 years before your relicensure application. The Board’s materials don’t specify a maximum lapse duration after which relicensure is no longer available — if your license has been lapsed for an extended period, confirm your options directly with the Board.
How to Renew
- Watch for your renewal window. You can renew online starting 90 days before your license expires — not before. The Board sends a reminder around that time, but track your own expiration date as well.
- Complete your Implicit Bias training for this cycle — 1 hour for each year of your 3-year license cycle (3 hours total) — if you haven’t already. (Your one-time Human Trafficking training does not need to be repeated.)
- Log in to MiPLUS (michigan.gov/miplus) to complete your renewal application.
- Answer the Good Moral Character and Disciplinary questions, providing documentation if you answer “yes” to either.
- Accept the Renewal Attestation, certifying that you’ve met all renewal requirements and that your information is accurate.
- Pay the $248.10 renewal fee by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover (add $20.00 if you’re renewing during the 60-day grace period).
Practical Notes
- Don’t let the absence of a traditional CE-hour count lull you into skipping the Implicit Bias training. It’s easy to assume “no respiratory-care CE-hour requirement” means nothing to track, but the 3-hour Implicit Bias training is mandatory every 3-year cycle and must be done before your renewal is complete — it’s just not labeled “CE” the way other states frame it.
- The 60-day grace period is more forgiving than it sounds, but the lapse date isn’t. You can keep practicing during those 60 days, and a late fee is only $20 — but if you miss the window entirely, your license is treated as lapsed from your original expiration date, not the day the grace period ended. That retroactive dating could matter if anyone asks about a gap in your licensure history.
- Relicensure is a different (and pricier) form than renewal. If your license has lapsed, you’re not filling out a renewal — you’re doing a “Modification > Relicensure” in MiPLUS, at $290.10 instead of $248.10, and potentially needing fresh NBRC exam verification if you don’t hold a license elsewhere.
- If you ever need a license verification for an employer or another state board, the free online verification via the Bureau’s website may suffice — the $15 certified verification is only needed if the recipient specifically requires it.
Related Pages
- Michigan Respiratory Therapist Initial License Requirements
- Arizona Respiratory Care Practitioner License Renewal
- Respiratory Care Licensing Hub
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do Michigan respiratory therapists need to renew their license?
Every 3 years. The Board’s FAQ states plainly that “Respiratory Therapist licenses are valid for 3 years.” Renewal can be completed online via MiPLUS starting 90 days before the expiration date, but not earlier. Source: Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide.
How many continuing education hours does Michigan require for respiratory therapist renewal?
Michigan does not have a traditional respiratory-care CE-hour requirement for renewal comparable to states requiring 20-30 hours per cycle. Instead, licensees must complete Implicit Bias training — 1 hour for each year of the 3-year license cycle (3 hours total per cycle), required every cycle — and a Human Trafficking Identification training that is a one-time requirement, not repeated at each renewal. Source: Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide.
Do AARC CE hours count toward Michigan respiratory therapist renewal?
Michigan does not require a set number of respiratory-care continuing education hours for renewal, so there is no AARC-approved-hour requirement to fulfill in the way many other states use. Renewal instead focuses on the Implicit Bias training (3 hours per 3-year cycle) and Human Trafficking Identification training (one-time) requirements established under Michigan administrative rules — AARC coursework may help you meet those content standards, but it isn’t tracked as “CE hours” for Michigan licensure purposes. Source: Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide.
What happens if my Michigan respiratory therapist license expires?
You have a 60-day grace period during which you may continue to practice and renew with an additional $20.00 late fee, avoiding relicensure. If you don’t renew within those 60 days, your license lapses — retroactive to your original expiration date, per the Board’s own example (a license expiring January 31 can be renewed through April 1; missing that deadline means the lapse is treated as effective January 31). Once lapsed, you can no longer practice or use the title, and getting relicensed requires a $290.10, 3-year Relicensure application via MiPLUS, which may require fresh NBRC exam verification if you don’t hold a current license elsewhere. Source: Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide.
How much does it cost to renew a Michigan respiratory therapist license?
$248.10, paid by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover credit or debit card. If you renew during the 60-day grace period after your license expires, an additional $20.00 late fee applies. Source: Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide.
Can I keep working if my Michigan respiratory therapist license has expired?
Yes, but only during the 60-day grace period immediately following your expiration date. Under MCL 333.16201(2), you “may continue to practice and use the title during the 60-day time period.” If the license lapses after that window, you can no longer practice your profession or identify yourself as a licensed respiratory therapist. Source: MCL 333.16201(2) and the Michigan Respiratory Therapy Licensing Guide.
Is Michigan part of the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact for renewal purposes?
No. Michigan is not currently a member of the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, as of this page’s verification date, so there are no compact-related renewal implications. Verify current status at respiratorycarecompact.org, since compact membership has been expanding quickly since the RCIC Commission was established in April 2026.
Fees and requirements listed on this page are based on the Michigan Board of Respiratory Care’s Licensing Guide and the Michigan Public Health Code, verified on the date shown in the change log below. Requirements are subject to change — confirm current details with LARA’s Respiratory Care page before your renewal deadline.
Change Log
2026-06-14 — Page created. CE structure, fees, grace period, and relicensure pathway verified directly from the Michigan Board of Respiratory Care’s Licensing Guide / FAQ (LARA, revision 1/26/2026) and MCL 333.16201(2), 333.18709, and Administrative Rules R 338.2201a and R 338.7004. Key findings: $248.10 renewal fee and $290.10 relicensure fee confirmed directly from the current Licensing Guide — corrected a Step 1/2 source’s unsupported $150 figure. The “no general CE hours” finding from one Step 1/2 source is confirmed with substantially more precision than originally reported: Implicit Bias training is 1 hour per year of the 3-year cycle (3 hours total) and recurs every renewal cycle, while Human Trafficking training is one-time only (not repeated) — the original source had not distinguished these two trainings’ recurrence patterns. The $20 late fee and the retroactive-to-original-expiration-date lapse rule were both confirmed where both Step 1/2 sources had marked them NOT FOUND. No maximum lapse duration for relicensure eligibility was identified in sources reviewed — flagged in case Kenneth has additional context. Compact status: not enacted, no active legislation identified for Michigan as of verification date.
2026-06-14 — Editorial corrections applied per Perplexity review: replaced “fixed 3-year cycle from issuance” with “triennial renewal based on the individual license issue date” throughout (metadata and At-a-Glance table); softened RCIC language to avoid time-sensitive legislative claims (now states Michigan is “not currently a member… as of this page’s verification date”); softened “no general CE hour requirement” language throughout (metadata, At-a-Glance table, CE Requirements section, practical notes, and FAQ) to “no traditional respiratory-care CE-hour requirement comparable to states requiring 20-30 hours per cycle”; added a new FAQ, “Do AARC CE hours count toward Michigan respiratory therapist renewal?”, addressing a common cross-state question directly. A reviewer-proposed $75 temporary license fee (sourced to a third-party reproduction of MCL 333.16344) was evaluated on the initial page but NOT adopted — see that page’s change log for details.