Alabama Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

The Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BELS) requires every professional land surveyor to complete continuing professional competency (CPC) measured in Professional Development Hours (PDH). The rule is set per year: you must earn 15 PDH each year, which works out to 30 PDH over the two-year renewal cycle.

Two subject areas are mandatory and come out of that total rather than adding to it. At least 1 PDH of ethics is required every year, and at least 4 PDH on the Standards of Practice for Surveying in the State of Alabama are required every two years (Ala. Admin. Code r. 330-X-13-.02). The board is explicit that these carve-outs do not raise the overall hour count.

Excess hours help: up to 15 PDH may be carried forward into the next renewal period. Newly licensed surveyors receive 30 PDH of credit toward their first renewal, so continuing education effectively begins at the second renewal.

Mandatory Topics

Exemptions

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  Active Military Service — Licensees serving in the U.S. Armed forces for a period exceeding 120 consecutive days may be exempt.
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  Assignment Outside The United States — Licensees on assignment outside the United States exceeding 120 consecutive days may be exempt.
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  Serious Illness Or Injury — Licensees experiencing a serious illness or injury may be exempt with supporting physician documentation.
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  Inactive Status — Licensees who list their status as 'Inactive' and who are not practicing are exempt from the CPC requirement.
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  New Licensees — New licensees are granted 30 PDH of credit toward the first renewal period, so no continuing professional competency is required for the initial renewal.

How You Can Complete Your CE

Alabama CE Rules & Limits

Details specific to Alabama that generic CE guides tend to miss:

• Annual minimum — at least 15 hours must be completed each year of the cycle, not just by the renewal deadline.
• Carry-over — A maximum of 15 PDH may be carried forward into the next renewal period. Excess hours beyond that cap are not credited.
• The requirement is measured per year: 15 PDH each year (30 PDH across the biennial renewal), including at least 1 PDH on ethics every year and at least 4 PDH on the Alabama Standards of Practice for Surveying every two years.
• The ethics and Standards-of-Practice hours are carved out of the overall PDH total, not added on top — the total required of land surveyors does not increase because of these subject requirements.
• Up to 15 excess PDH may be carried forward into the next renewal period.
• New licensees receive 30 PDH of credit toward their first renewal, so continuing education first applies at the second renewal.

Tips for Alabama PLSs

• Plan the two mandatory subjects first: 1 PDH of ethics each year, plus 4 PDH on the Alabama Standards of Practice for Surveying at least once every two years. These are specific carve-outs inside the 30-PDH total, not extra hours.
• Track hours by year, not just by renewal. The rule is framed as 15 PDH per year, so aim for 15 each year rather than banking all 30 in the final months before renewal.
• You can carry up to 15 excess PDH into the next renewal period — useful after a heavy course year — but hours beyond that cap are lost.
• If you were just licensed, you get 30 PDH of credit toward your first renewal; confirm with BELS which renewal is your first full CPC cycle before assuming a course is required.
• Keep your completion certificates. Alabama audits CPC compliance, and the ethics and Standards-of-Practice hours must be clearly documented as those specific subjects.

Sources

PLS Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Alabama

All Land Surveyor CE Requirements by State

Open any other state's Land Surveyor CE (PDH) requirements, or see the full Land Surveyor CE hub to compare every state in one table.