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

Requirements Overview

Under 49 Pa. Code § 37.111 and Section 4.5 of the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law (63 P.S. § 151.5), a PE must earn 24 PDH during each two-year renewal cycle, administered by the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. Pennsylvania sets no required ethics or law hours; law-and-ethics courses count toward the 24 PDH but are not separately mandated, and no credit is given for practice-building or office-management courses.

Excess PDH carry forward with a 12 PDH cap into the immediately following biennium, but a unit may not satisfy more than one biennium. Online, correspondence, and self-study formats are accepted with no stated cap. The Board does not preapprove individual courses, so licensees self-select qualifying activities. First-time licensees are exempt for the biennium immediately after initial licensure.

Exemptions

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  New Licensee — A licensee is not required to complete continuing education during the biennium (licensure period) immediately following initial licensure and registration.
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  Military Active Duty — A licensee serving on temporary active duty in the U.S. Armed forces for more than 120 consecutive days in a year is exempt from the PDH required during that year.
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  Disability Illness Hardship — A licensee experiencing physical disability, illness or other extenuating circumstances may be exempted upon board review; supporting documentation required and the Board may take up to 90 days to rule.

  May not be used to avoid a disciplinary sanction
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  Retired Status — A licensee who certifies retired status and no longer practices is exempt and receives a retired-status license; returning to active practice requires making up PDH for each exempted year, up to two years' worth.

  Must complete deficient PDH before returning to active practice

How You Can Complete Your CE

Pennsylvania CE Rules & Limits

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

• Carry-over — A maximum of 12 PDH units earned in excess of the 24-hour requirement may be carried forward into the immediately following biennial renewal period; a PDH unit may not be used to satisfy the requirement for more than one biennium.
• Renewal cycle ends September 30 of odd-numbered years (biennial); the 24-PDH requirement first took effect for the October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2011 period.
• Ethics is NOT a mandatory subject: Pennsylvania sets no required ethics hours. Law and ethics courses are accepted and qualify toward the 24 PDH, but are not separately mandated (Section 4.5(b)).
• No credit is given for courses in practice building or office management (49 Pa. Code § 37.111(a); Section 4.5(b)).
• A licensee may not receive credit for more than one presentation of the same course/activity in a given renewal period (49 Pa. Code § 37.111(b)).
• Licensees holding more than one class of license must meet the CE requirement for each license, but a single applicable activity may count toward multiple licenses (49 Pa. Code § 37.111(a)).
• Records verifying completion must be kept for 5 years after completion of the activity; the Board audits compliance and licensees must respond within 30 days (49 Pa. Code § 37.111(f)-(g)).
• Credit conversions: 1 CEU = 10 PDH; 1 semester hour = 45 PDH; 1 quarter hour = 30 PDH; 1 contact hour = 1 PDH; published paper/book or patent = 10 PDH each (Section 4.5(d)).

Provider Requirements

The Board does not preapprove individual courses; it may preapprove course providers and retains final authority over course approval, credit, and PDH values. The Board does not maintain a required provider list; licensees select relevant activities and the Board accepts credits earned in other jurisdictions if compliant.

Tips for Pennsylvania PEs

• There is no ethics-hours mandate in Pennsylvania, but law and ethics courses do count toward your 24 PDH if you take them.
• Carry-over is capped at 12 PDH, and any single PDH unit may not be used to satisfy the requirement for more than one biennium.
• The Board does not preapprove individual courses; you self-select activities and self-report, so keep the burden of proof on yourself.
• Retain records verifying completion for 5 years; if audited, you must respond to the Board within 30 days.
• If you were just licensed, you owe no PDH for the biennium immediately following initial licensure and registration.

Sources

PE Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Pennsylvania

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.