Indiana Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years
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Requirements Overview
The Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Surveyors, administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA), requires every registered land surveyor to complete 24 hours of continuing education to renew an active-status license each two-year period (865 IAC 1-15-2). Unlike Indiana professional engineers, land surveyors do have a firm CE requirement.
The 24 hours are split by subject: a minimum of 6 hours in mandatory topics — professional conduct, competent-practice standards, retracement, original and route surveys, and legal descriptions (865 IAC 1-15-6) — and a minimum of 18 hours in elective topics such as mathematics, GIS, GPS, and construction layout (865 IAC 1-15-7).
Delivery is flexible within limits: up to 12 hours may be earned through distance learning, and up to 4 unused elective hours carry forward to the next renewal period. New registrants are exempt at their first renewal, and inactive-status renewals require no CE.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory surveying topics (professional conduct, competent-practice standards, retracement/original/route surveys, and legal descriptions) | 6 | Every renewal | At least 6 of the 24 hours each renewal period must be earned in mandatory topics defined in 865 IAC 1-15-6: the rules of professional conduct (865 IAC 1-10); land surveying competent-practice standards (865 IAC 1-12, including surveyor responsibility, measurements for retracement/original/route surveys, survey conclusions and publication, plats, location reports, and section corner perpetuation); the Indiana land surveyor's registration act (IC 25-21.5); and preparation of legal descriptions (IC 25-21.5-1-7(a)(4)). |
Exemptions
- New Registrants (First Renewal) — New registrants are not required to comply with the continuing education requirements at the first renewal of their license.
- Inactive Status — A licensee renewing to inactive status is not required to complete continuing education. Continuing education must be satisfied before returning to active status.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Indiana CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Indiana that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — Up to 4 excess hours of elective continuing education topics earned but not used in one renewal period may be carried forward and applied to the next renewal period. Only elective hours may be carried over (not mandatory-topic hours), and proper documentation must be submitted to the board.
- The requirement is 24 hours per biennial renewal period, split into a minimum of 6 hours in mandatory topics (865 IAC 1-15-6) and a minimum of 18 hours in elective topics (865 IAC 1-15-7).
- No more than 12 of the 24 hours may be earned through distance learning; the remaining hours must be earned through other (e.g., in-person) methods (865 IAC 1-15-8).
- No single elective course may count for more than 12 hours toward the renewal-period requirement.
- Registered professional surveyor licenses renew biennially and expire July 31 of even-numbered years; the active-status renewal fee is $100. Verify your exact renewal deadline and any audit documentation requirements with the Indiana PLA.
Tips for Indiana PLSs
- Plan for the split, not just the total: at least 6 of your 24 hours must come from the mandatory-topic list (professional conduct, competent practice, retracement/original/route surveys, legal descriptions) — generic technical hours will not satisfy that portion.
- Watch the distance-learning cap. No more than 12 of the 24 hours may be earned online, so schedule at least 12 hours of non-distance (e.g., in-person or live) instruction each period.
- Only elective hours carry over, and only up to 4 of them. Mandatory-topic hours cannot be banked, so do not over-invest there expecting to roll the excess forward.
- No single elective course counts for more than 12 hours toward the requirement — spread electives across multiple courses to reach 18.
- Renewal is biennial and expires July 31 of even-numbered years. New registrants are exempt at their first renewal; confirm your exact deadline and recordkeeping/audit rules with the Indiana PLA before assuming a course counts.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the Indiana State Board of Registration for Professional Surveyors
- Each stated figure recorded with its exact source excerpt
- 1 source cited — 1 primary (official board)
PLS Requirements in Nearby States
Other Professions in Indiana
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.