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

Requirements Overview

The North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (NDPELS) applies one continuing-education rule to surveyors and engineers alike (NDAC 28-04-01-03). Every registrant must complete 30 PDH every two years before renewing.

Those 30 hours have a required mix: at least 20 PDH must be technical subjects that safeguard public health, safety, and welfare — land-surveying software training counts — and no more than 10 PDH may be nontechnical. Within that nontechnical portion, at least 1 PDH must be an ethics-oriented class. Surplus hours carry forward, capped at 15 PDH into the next biennium.

North Dakota does not pre-approve courses or providers; you self-certify and must keep records for at least four years in case of audit.

Mandatory Topics

Exemptions

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  Active Military Duty — A registrant on temporary active duty, or on regular active duty deployed for a period exceeding 120 consecutive days in a year, is exempt from the required PDH during that year.
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  Disability, Illness, Or Extenuating Circumstances — A registrant prevented from meeting the requirement by physical disability, illness, temporary leave from professional activity, or other extenuating circumstances may be exempted with board approval.
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  Voluntarily Registered Exempt Engineers — Registrants exempt from registration under North Dakota Century Code section 43-19.1-29 who are voluntarily registered are exempt from the continuing professional competency requirement.
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  Retired Status — Registrants who qualify for retired status on the board-approved renewal form are exempt from the continuing education requirement.

How You Can Complete Your CE

North Dakota CE Rules & Limits

Details specific to North Dakota that generic CE guides tend to miss:

• Carry-over — A maximum of 15 qualifying excess PDH may be carried forward into the subsequent biennial renewal period.
• The requirement is 30 PDH per two-year biennium. Of the 30, at least 20 PDH must be in technical subjects that safeguard public health, safety, and welfare (including land-surveying software training), a maximum of 10 PDH may be nontechnical, and at least 1 of those nontechnical PDH must be an ethics-oriented class (NDAC 28-04-01-03).
• Dual registrants (holding both professional engineer and professional land surveyor registration) still owe 30 PDH total but must earn at least one-third (10 PDH) in each profession.
• Up to 15 excess PDH may be carried forward into the next biennium.
• North Dakota does not pre-approve courses or providers; the registrant self-certifies. Keep an activity log plus attendance/completion verification for at least 4 years from the last biennial renewal, as the board audits. A registrant currently licensed in another jurisdiction with mandatory CPD may satisfy the requirement by comity.

Tips for North Dakota PLSs

• Watch the technical/nontechnical split: at least 20 of your 30 PDH must be technical, and only up to 10 can be nontechnical — a course load heavy on business or management topics can leave you short on the technical minimum.
• Get your 1 ethics PDH in each biennium; it sits inside the 10-hour nontechnical cap, so it counts against that portion rather than adding to the total.
• North Dakota does not pre-approve courses or vendors — you decide what qualifies and self-certify, so keep your activity log plus attendance/completion proof for at least four years.
• You can bank up to 15 surplus PDH into the next biennium — half the requirement — which helps if you take a large course near the end of a cycle.
• New registrants have prorated first-cycle hours depending on when you were licensed; confirm your exact first-renewal total with NDPELS rather than assuming the full 30.

Sources

PLS Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in North Dakota

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.