Alaska PE CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

Continuing education is governed by AS 08.48.101(a)(6) and 12 AAC 36.500–.550 (effective 10/15/2023). Registrants must obtain 24 PDH during the 24 months preceding each biennial registration period. Activities must be relevant to practice and may cover technical, ethical, or managerial content, but no specific subject hours are mandated.

If more than 24 PDH are earned, up to 12 PDH carry forward into the next biennial period and must be noted on the renewal form. The board pre-approves no courses; web-based and correspondence courses earn 1 PDH per hour with no cap. Licensees with multiple registrations earn the same total but at least 8 PDH in each. Keep records for four years — the board audits five percent of renewals, and audited registrants have 90 days to cure unacceptable credits.

Exemptions

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  New Registrant — New registrants are exempt from CE for their first registration renewal.
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  Military Active Duty — Registrants who have served 120 consecutive days on active duty in the armed forces of the United States in a 12-month period.
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  Retired Status — A registrant in retired status.
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  Hardship — An exemption may be granted to registrants who submit documentation to support experiencing a physical disability, serious illness, family emergency, or other extenuating circumstance.

How You Can Complete Your CE

Alaska CE Rules & Limits

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

• Carry-over — A maximum of 12 PDHs may be carried forward into the next biennial period. The number of carry forward PDHs must be indicated on the biennial registration renewal form.
• Governing authority: AS 08.48.101(a)(6) and 12 AAC 36.500-.550 (regulations effective 10/15/2023 per the board's Continuing Education webpage).
• Comity: A registrant currently registered in another jurisdiction with mandatory CE requirements substantially similar to or exceeding Alaska's may certify compliance via that jurisdiction, but must maintain PDH logs for audit.
• Multiple registrations: A registrant holding multiple registrations must earn the same total PDHs as a single-registration holder, but at least 8 hours of PDHs must be earned in each registration held.
• Audit: The board randomly audits five percent of all renewing registrants; if audited and some credits are unacceptable, the registrant has 90 days to obtain acceptable CE or the registration will be revoked.
• Recordkeeping: All records of attendance and completion of CE should be maintained for four years for audit purposes.
• This evidence is drawn from the AELS CE Instructions PDF (Rev. 03/01/2018); its substance (24 PDH biennial, 12 PDH carry-forward, exemptions) is corroborated by the board's current Continuing Education webpage.

Provider Requirements

The board does not pre-approve courses or activities for PDHs. Qualifying CE activities may be sponsored or presented by colleges or universities, employers, government agencies, nationally affiliated or professional societies, or by other organizations; it is the registrant's responsibility to ensure activities meet the requirements.

Tips for Alaska PEs

• No ethics or subject-specific hours are required; PDH just needs to be relevant to your practice.
• Carry-over is capped at 12 PDH, and you must record carried-forward hours on the renewal form.
• New registrants are exempt from CE for their first renewal.
• If you hold multiple registrations, you still owe 24 PDH total but must earn at least 8 in each registration held.
• Retain completion records for four years; the board audits 5% of renewals and gives 90 days to fix rejected credits.

Sources

Other Professions in Alaska

All Professional Engineer CE Requirements by State

Open any other state's PE CE (PDH) requirements, or see the full Professional Engineer CE hub to compare every state in one table.