Vermont Land Surveyor CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 20 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

Vermont licenses land surveyors through a dedicated Board of Land Surveyors inside the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation — a separate board from the one that handles professional engineers. Its administrative rules require every licensee to complete and document 20 hours of continuing education within the two-year (biennial) period preceding each renewal.

Unlike some states, Vermont does not carve out mandatory topics. The rules simply require that activities be relevant to the practice of land surveying, giving you broad latitude in how you earn the 20 hours. The rules also do not restrict delivery format, so online coursework is acceptable.

Timing matters most. All 20 hours must be earned within the biennium before you renew — the rules include no provision for carrying excess hours into a later period. Newly licensed surveyors get a break: the requirement does not begin until the first full biennial renewal period after initial licensure, though the Board recommends CE in the meantime.

Exemptions

• ✓
  New Licensees (Initial Licensing Period) — For applicants granted an initial license, the mandatory continuing education requirement begins on the first day of the first biennial renewal period following the issuance of the initial license. The Board recommends, but does not require, continuing education during the initial licensing period.

How You Can Complete Your CE

Vermont CE Rules & Limits

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

• All 20 hours must be completed within the two-year (biennial) period preceding each renewal (Administrative Rules of the Board of Land Surveyors, Part 7).
• Vermont does not mandate specific CE subjects; activities must be relevant to the practice of land surveying.
• Newly licensed surveyors are not required to complete CE during their initial licensing period; the requirement starts with the first full biennial renewal period after initial licensure (CE is recommended in the interim).
• Land surveyors are licensed by a separate Board of Land Surveyors within the Office of Professional Regulation, not the engineering board; the requirement differs from Vermont's professional-engineer rule.
• Keep documentation supporting claimed credits for four years after the biennial report; records must be produced if the Board audits.

Tips for Vermont PLSs

• Plan for 20 hours inside the two-year window that ends at your renewal date. Hours earned outside that biennium do not count, and there is no carry-forward.
• Vermont mandates no specific subjects, so build a mix that genuinely relates to surveying practice — the Board approves activities by relevance, not by a fixed topic list.
• Online courses are acceptable since the rules do not restrict delivery format, but keep the completion documentation.
• If you were just licensed, you are not required to complete CE during your initial licensing period; the clock starts with your first full biennial renewal period.
• Keep records supporting every credit for four years after the biennial report, and verify the current renewal deadline and any form requirements with the Office of Professional Regulation.

Sources

PLS Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Vermont

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.