Maryland Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years
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Requirements Overview
The Maryland State Board for Professional Land Surveyors, part of the Department of Labor's Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, requires continuing professional competency (CPC) as a condition of renewing a license. Under COMAR 09.13.08.03, every licensee must earn a minimum of 24 CPC units in each individual 2-year renewal cycle. The rule applies equally to professional land surveyors and property line surveyors, and one contact hour of qualifying activity counts as one CPC unit.
Of the 24 units, at least 4 units each cycle must come from activities addressing ethics, Maryland land-boundary law, codes of conduct, or the Minimum Standards of Practice. The remaining units may come from any qualifying land-surveying activity approved or recognized by the Board.
Maryland no longer allows units to roll forward: a former carryover of up to 12 units applied only to units earned on or before December 31, 2018, and no carryover is permitted for units earned after January 1, 2019.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics, Maryland boundary law, and standards of practice | 4 | Every renewal | At least 4 of the 24 CPC units in every 2-year renewal cycle must come from qualifying activities addressing content areas such as the Minimum Standards of Practice; legal cases, commentaries, and materials on the law of land boundaries in Maryland; ethical concerns and conflicts; codes of conduct; and standards of practice or care. |
Exemptions
- Newly Licensed (Initial License) — A licensee who is granted an initial license may renew the license for the next full term without complying with the CPC requirements.
- Hardship (Compliance Exception Request) — A licensee facing physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances may file a Compliance Exception Request with the Board at least 60 days prior to the license expiration date, together with a detailed proposal acceptable to the Board for completing the CPC requirements no later than 6 months after the license expiration date.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Maryland CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Maryland that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- The requirement is 24 CPC units per 2-year renewal cycle, with at least 4 units in ethics, Maryland boundary law, or standards of practice (COMAR 09.13.08.03). One contact hour of qualifying activity equals one CPC unit (09.13.08.07).
- The requirement applies to both licensed professional land surveyors and property line surveyors.
- No carryover of excess CPC units is permitted for units earned after January 1, 2019; a former allowance of up to 12 carryover units applied only to units earned on or before December 31, 2018 (COMAR 09.13.08.03C).
- Dual licensees (licensed as both a professional land or property line surveyor and a professional engineer) follow the engineer CPC rules in COMAR 09.23.06, except that at least 1/3 of the units earned must be from land surveying subjects (COMAR 09.13.08.16).
- Older course-vendor summaries describing a Category A / Category B split (16 of 24 in Category A) reflect superseded language; current COMAR 09.13.08.03 sets a single 24-unit total with a 4-unit ethics/standards/boundary-law minimum.
Tips for Maryland PLSs
- Plan for the full 24 units within each 2-year cycle — you cannot bank surplus units earned after January 1, 2019 to reduce the next renewal.
- Reserve at least 4 units for the mandatory subject areas: ethics, codes of conduct, the Minimum Standards of Practice, or legal cases and materials on Maryland land-boundary law (COMAR 09.13.08.03B).
- Count units at the standard rate of 1 contact hour = 1 CPC unit; a college credit hour counts as 5 units, so a single academic course can cover a large share of the 24.
- If illness, disability, or other extenuating circumstances will keep you from completing CPC, file a Compliance Exception Request with the Board at least 60 days before your license expires, with a plan to finish within 6 months.
- Newly licensed surveyors can renew for their first full term without CPC, but confirm the exact start of your compliance obligation with the Board before assuming a course is unnecessary.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the Maryland State Board for Professional Land 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 Maryland
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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.