New Jersey Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years
We're building a tool that tracks your CE hours and reminds you before your deadline — no more digging through board sites to check where you stand. Join the waitlist:
Requirements Overview
The New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors requires 24 CPC credits — one credit equals one hour of instruction — during the two-year biennial period preceding each renewal (N.J.A.C. 13:40-11.3). Unlike some states, a standalone professional land surveyor has no mandated ethics or standards sub-topic; any qualifying activity that directly relates to the practice of land surveying counts toward the 24.
If you exceed the requirement, up to 8 credits can carry over into the next biennium. Correspondence and individual-study courses only count in the period you finish them with a passing final exam, instructor service is capped at 50 percent of the requirement, and self-declared authorship prep at 25 percent.
Surveyors who also hold a New Jersey PE license follow a different rule: 36 credits total, split across the two disciplines.
Exemptions
- First Renewal After Examination — A licensee who obtained the license by passing the licensing examination receives a full waiver of the continuing-competency requirement for the initial renewal period.
- Active Military Duty — A licensee on active military duty exceeding 120 consecutive days in a year receives a full waiver of the requirement for that year.
- Hardship Waiver — The Board may waive, extend, or modify the requirement on an individual basis for hardship such as illness or disability or other good cause, on written request submitted 90 days before renewal.
- Comity (Out-Of-Jurisdiction) Licensees — A licensee first licensed in New Jersey by comity completes one CPC credit for each month since the New Jersey license was issued, in lieu of the full requirement at first renewal.
How You Can Complete Your CE
New Jersey CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to New Jersey that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — A maximum of 8 CPC credits may be carried over into the succeeding biennial renewal period.
- A standalone professional land surveyor must earn 24 CPC credits per biennial renewal period; there is no mandated ethics or standards sub-allocation for a surveyor-only licensee (N.J.A.C. 13:40-11.3(a)).
- Dual licensees (holding both a New Jersey professional engineer and professional land surveyor license) must complete 36 CPC credits total: at least 12 in engineering (with 2 to 8 in ethics on the engineering side), at least 12 in land surveying, and the remaining 12 in either discipline (N.J.A.C. 13:40-11.3(c)).
- Correspondence and individual-study credit is granted only in the renewal period in which the course is completed with a successful final examination. Instructor/workshop-leader service is capped at 50 percent of the requirement, and self-declared authorship preparation at 25 percent (N.J.A.C. 13:40-11.6).
- Compliance is certified at biennial renewal; retain your records for two biennial periods, as the Board conducts random audits (N.J.A.C. 13:40-11.7).
Tips for New Jersey PLSs
- Track credits against the biennial period, not a single year — all 24 are due for the two-year window preceding renewal, and you certify compliance on the renewal application.
- A surveyor-only license carries no required ethics hours in New Jersey, but keep every certificate: the Board audits at random and you must retain records for two biennial periods.
- Finish correspondence and self-study courses within the renewal period — the credit only lands in the period you complete the required final examination.
- If you hold both a PE and PLS license in New Jersey, plan for 36 credits split across engineering and surveying, not the standalone 24 — the dual-license rule is stricter.
- New licensees who just passed the exam get a full waiver for their first renewal period; confirm your first compliance biennium with the Board before buying courses.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and 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 New Jersey
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.