Louisiana PE CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
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Requirements Overview
Each calendar year requires 15 PDH, at least 1 of which must be earned in professional ethics. Engineers who design buildings or building systems, or review or approve building plans in Louisiana during the year, must additionally earn 4 PDH in Life Safety Code, building codes, or ADA Accessibility Guidelines (LAC Title 46:LXI §3105.A). No more than 8 PDH may be earned within a single calendar day.
Correspondence and continuing-education courses qualify, but informal activities such as reading technical journals do not. Up to 7 excess PDH — which may include ethics or building-code hours — carry into the subsequent calendar year, not the next biennium. Board-approved sponsors include the Louisiana Engineering Society, technical societies, government agencies, and universities. Records must be kept for six consecutive calendar years.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional ethics | 1 | Every renewal | At least 1 PDH per calendar year (2 PDH per biennial renewal cycle). Concerns the standard of professional conduct and responsibility required of a PE. |
| Life Safety Code, building codes and/or ADA Accessibility Guidelines | 4 | Conditional | At least 4 PDH per calendar year required only of PEs who design buildings/building systems or review/approve plans for buildings in Louisiana during that year. |
Renewal Pathways
Exemptions
- New Licensee — Exempt from CPD requirements during the calendar year in which they are licensed.
- Active Military Duty — Exempt for a calendar year during which serving on active duty in the U.S. Military for more than 180 consecutive days.
- Disability, Serious Illness, Or Serious Injury — May be granted an exemption for a calendar year when a disability, serious illness or injury prevents compliance; granted one calendar year at a time.Requires supporting documentation such as a signed physician's letter on physician letterhead stating nature/duration and limitations.
- Working In An Impractical Location — May be granted an exemption for a calendar year when working in a location for more than 180 days where compliance is impractical due to location, working hours, mail restrictions, etc.Requires supporting documentation such as a signed employer letter on employer letterhead.
- Inactive Status — Exempt until next licensure renewal when certifying inactive status on the renewal form.Must meet §3121 reactivation requirements to return to active status.
- Retired Status — Exempt until next licensure renewal when certifying retired status on the renewal form.Must meet §3121 reactivation requirements to return to active status.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Louisiana CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Louisiana that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Annual minimum — at least 15 hours must be completed each year of the cycle, not just by the renewal deadline.
- Carry-over — Up to a maximum of 7 excess PDHs may be carried forward into the subsequent calendar year (not the subsequent biennium). Excess may include ethics, Life Safety Code, building codes and/or ADA hours.
- PDH computation: fifty (50) contact minutes of verified attendance equals one PDH (§3113.B.1).
- Maximum of 8 PDHs may be earned within a single calendar day (§3105.A).
- PDHs may not be earned through informal, non-structured activities such as reading technical journals (§3111.B).
- Records (certificates/transcripts/proof and the board-approved activity log) must be maintained for at least six consecutive calendar years (§3115.B-D).
- The board conducts random audits twice per year of up to 30 percent of licensees renewing that year; a license will not renew without proof of compliance (§3117.B).
- A licensee found not in compliance is given 120 days to satisfy the requirements before disciplinary action (§3119.A).
- Credit conversions: 1 semester hour = 45 PDH; 1 quarter hour = 30 PDH; 1 CEU = 10 PDH (§3113.A).
- The board has final authority over the acceptability and PDH value of any activity (§3111.C).
Provider Requirements
Board-approved sponsors/providers: the Louisiana Engineering Society; the Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors; professional and technical engineering or land surveying societies; federal, state or local governmental agencies; and colleges or universities. Any activity by a board-approved provider automatically qualifies; for unapproved providers the licensee is responsible for determining acceptability. The board does not maintain a pre-approval/registration process for individual courses.
Tips for Louisiana PEs
- Meet the requirement annually — 15 PDH each calendar year, not just 30 by the cycle's end.
- Reserve at least 1 PDH per calendar year for professional ethics.
- If you design or approve building plans, add 4 PDH per year in Life Safety Code, building codes, or ADA guidelines.
- Carry-over is only 7 PDH and only into the next calendar year — sites citing 15 PDH are wrong.
- Cap a single day at 8 PDH and retain records for six years for the twice-yearly audits.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS)
- Each stated figure recorded with its exact source excerpt
- 1 source cited — 1 primary (official board)
PE Requirements in Nearby States
Other Professions in Louisiana
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