Pennsylvania Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years
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Requirements Overview
The Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists requires every professional land surveyor to complete 24 PDH units of continuing education during each biennial (two-year) renewal period, under 49 Pa. Code § 37.111.
Pennsylvania does not mandate specific subject hours — there is no required ethics or laws block — but it does exclude some content: no credit is given for courses in practice building or office management. Qualifying activities include courses, seminars, workshops, conferences, and correspondence, televised, or videotaped formats relevant to professional practice.
Two timing rules matter. A licensee is not required to complete continuing education during the biennium in which they are first licensed, and continuing education generally counts only for the biennium in which it was completed, aside from limited carryover permitted by section 4.5(c) of the licensing act.
Exemptions
- Newly Licensed (First Biennium) — A licensee is not required to complete continuing education during the biennium in which the licensee is first licensed.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Pennsylvania CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Pennsylvania that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — Continuing education generally satisfies the requirement only for the biennium in which it was completed, except for credits carried over from the prior biennium as permitted by section 4.5(c) of the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law. Confirm the current carryover limit with the Board before relying on banked hours.
- The requirement is 24 PDH per biennial (two-year) renewal period (49 Pa. Code § 37.111). There are no fixed mandatory subject hours.
- Continuing education credit is not given for courses in practice building or office management.
- New licensees are exempt from continuing education during the biennium in which they are first licensed.
- Maintain records verifying completion for 5 years; failure to keep records lets the Board infer non-completion, and shortfalls are subject to discipline under section 11(b) of the act.
Tips for Pennsylvania PLSs
- Plan for 24 PDH every two years, spread across relevant technical and professional content — Pennsylvania sets no mandatory ethics or laws hours for surveyors.
- Do not count practice-building or office-management courses; the rule expressly disallows credit for them.
- If this is the biennium in which you were first licensed, you are exempt — but confirm your exact first compliance period with the Board.
- Keep certificates and records for five years. If you cannot produce records on audit, the Board may infer you did not complete the hours.
- Carryover from the prior biennium is limited by statute (section 4.5(c) of the act); verify the current cap with the Board before relying on banked hours.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists
- Each stated figure recorded with its exact source excerpt
- 1 source cited — 1 primary (official board)
PLS Requirements in Nearby States
Other Professions in Pennsylvania
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.