California PE CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): No Mandatory CE Hours

Requirements Overview

California is one of the states with no continuing education requirement for professional engineers. The Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists (BPELSG) renews PE licenses on a two-year cycle by fee payment alone — there are no PDH, mandatory topics, or approved providers to track.

Separately from continuing education, starting July 1, 2026 every licensee whose license expires and renews after June 30, 2026 must complete a mandatory online Renewal Assessment within 60 days of the expiration date. It is a short compliance module (under an hour) covering state laws, board rules, and the board's top five administrative violations — explicitly not continuing education or PDH, and carrying no extra fee, though failure to complete it may result in disciplinary action. Engineers also get a 60-day grace period for the renewal fee.

California CE Rules & Limits

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

• California does not impose any general Continuing Education (CE) or Professional Development Hours (PDH) requirement for Professional Engineer license renewal. Renewal is accomplished by paying the standard renewal fee; licenses are valid for two (2) years from the assigned renewal date.
• Separate from CE/PDH: Starting July 1, 2026, all licensees whose licenses expire and renew after June 30, 2026 must complete a mandatory online 'Renewal Assessment' within 60 days of the license expiration date. It is a compliance/knowledge program (under an hour) covering state laws, board rules, and the board's top five administrative/procedural violations — it is NOT continuing education credit or PDH. There is no additional fee for it, but failure to complete it may result in disciplinary action. It must be completed once every two years, per license discipline (Business and Professions Code § 6795.2 for engineers).
• For Professional Engineers the Renewal Assessment's 'Changes to Practice Acts' module covers the Professional Engineers Act (Business and Professions Code sections 6700–6799) and Board Rules (Title 16, California Code of Regulations sections 400–476).
• Civil Engineering licensees who also hold Structural and/or Geotechnical Engineer licenses must renew (or simultaneously renew) the Civil Engineer license in order to renew those authorities; this is a license-linkage rule, not a CE requirement.
• Engineers have a 60-day grace period for renewal fee payment; a delinquent penalty fee equal to half the current renewal fee applies after expiration. No CE/PDH is required in any case.

Tips for California PEs

• No CE or PDH is required in California — budget only for the standard renewal fee on your two-year cycle, and note the 60-day grace period (with a delinquent penalty) if you miss the deadline.
• Starting July 1, 2026, complete the mandatory online Renewal Assessment within 60 days of your license expiration; it is a short compliance module, not CE, and carries no extra fee — but skipping it can trigger discipline.
• The Renewal Assessment's 'Changes to Practice Acts' module covers the Professional Engineers Act (B&P Code sections 6700-6799) and Board Rules (Title 16 CCR sections 400-476), so review those areas before taking it.
• If you are also licensed in other states, remember those jurisdictions may still require PDH even though California does not — verify each board's rules separately.

Sources

PE Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in California

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.