Mississippi Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

The Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (PEPLS) requires continuing professional competency (CPC) measured in Professional Development Hours (PDH). The rule is set per calendar year: every professional surveyor must obtain 12 PDH each renewal-period year. Because Mississippi licenses renew on a biennial cycle, a full two-year renewal spans 24 PDH — notably lighter than the 30 PDH Mississippi requires of professional engineers.

Two subject-specific pieces sit inside that total. At least 1 PDH of ethics is required every two years, and surveyors must also complete Mississippi Standards of Practice — 1 PDH per year if licensed in the state five years or less, or 1 PDH per biennium if licensed more than five years. Only Mississippi's own standards courses count; other states' standards courses do not.

Up to 12 general PDH may be carried into the next renewal period, but ethics and standards-of-practice hours can never be carried forward.

Mandatory Topics

How You Can Complete Your CE

Mississippi CE Rules & Limits

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

• Annual minimum — at least 12 hours must be completed each year of the cycle, not just by the renewal deadline.
• Carry-over — Up to 12 PDH units may be carried forward to the next renewal period. Ethics PDH (§3(d)) and Mississippi Standards of Practice PDH (§3(e)) may not be carried forward.
• The requirement is measured per calendar year: 12 PDH each renewal-period year (January 1 to December 31). Because licenses renew biennially, a full two-year renewal cycle spans 24 PDH.
• The ethics requirement (1 PDH every two years) and the Mississippi Standards of Practice requirement (1 PDH per year if licensed 5 years or less; 1 PDH biennially if licensed more than 5 years) are subject-specific hours within the total, and neither may be carried forward.
• Only Mississippi-specific standards-of-practice courses satisfy §3(e); courses on other states' standards do not qualify.
• Mississippi adopted a biennial renewal process in 2020; licenses expire December 31 of the biennial renewal year, with online renewal open October 1 through December 31.
• As of January 1, 2025, the prior age-based exemption from PDH requirements was removed.

Tips for Mississippi PLSs

• Track hours by calendar year: the 12-PDH minimum resets every January, so meeting 24 PDH over the biennium means roughly 12 in each of the two years, not 24 banked at once.
• Newer licensees carry a heavier standards load: with five years or less of Mississippi licensure you need 1 PDH of Mississippi Standards of Practice every year; after five years it drops to once per biennium.
• Use Mississippi-specific standards courses. Section 3(e) will not accept a standards-of-practice course built around another state's rules.
• Lock in the 1 PDH of ethics each two-year cycle. Ethics and standards hours are excluded from carry-over, so earning extra does not help future cycles.
• You can carry up to 12 general PDH forward, but confirm your years-licensed status before assuming the lighter biennial standards rule applies to you.

Sources

PLS Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Mississippi

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.