West Virginia PE CE (PDH) Requirements (2026): 30 Hours Every 2 Years
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Requirements Overview
West Virginia requires 30 PDH per biennial renewal under §7-1-10 of the Board's legislative rule (7CSR1), with no subject-specific mandatory topics — there's no separately required ethics or law-and-rules allocation. Up to 15 PDH in excess of 30 may be carried forward into the next renewal period, giving licensees some flexibility across cycles.
Online, correspondence, televised, and videotaped courses are explicitly accepted with no stated cap, and the Board does not pre-approve providers or courses — it retains final authority at audit. New registrants (by exam or reciprocity) are exempt for their first renewal period, and additional exemptions cover military duty, hardship, and retired status. Since November 2016, detailed PDH descriptions are only required if a registrant is selected for the 3-5% random biennial audit; records must otherwise be kept for three renewal periods.
Exemptions
- New Registrant — A new registrant by way of examination or reciprocity is exempt for his or her first renewal period.
- Military Active Duty — A registrant on active duty in the U.S. Armed forces exceeding 120 consecutive days in a calendar year is exempt from the PDH required during that year.
- Disability Illness Hardship — A registrant experiencing physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances may be exempt, subject to Board review and approval with supporting documentation.
- Retired — Registrants who list occupation as 'Retired' and certify they receive no remuneration for engineering services are exempt from required PDH.If a retired engineer returns to active practice, he or she must comply with §7-1-10.10 (obtain up to 30 delinquent PDH) before returning to active practice.
How You Can Complete Your CE
West Virginia CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to West Virginia that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — A maximum of 15 excess PDH may be carried forward into the next biennial renewal period.
- No subject-specific mandatory topics (e.g., no required ethics hours) are prescribed for PE continuing education in West Virginia.
- PDH records must be maintained for three renewal periods; the Board may request them for audit (§7-1-10.7).
- 3-5% of renewals are selected at random for continuing-education audit verification (§7-1-10.8.b).
- Online, correspondence, televised, and videotaped courses are explicitly accepted PDH activities (§7-1-10.2.c).
- As of November 2016, detailed PDH descriptions are no longer submitted at renewal; only registrants selected for the biennial audit must submit supporting records.
- Unit conversions: 1 CEU = 10 PDH; 1 college semester course (3 cr) = 45 PDH; 1 quarter course (3 cr) = 30 PDH; 1 hour of teaching = 2 PDH; each published paper or patent = 10 PDH.
- NCEES offers a free CPC tracking tool (ncees.org/cpc); the Board also provides a Professional Development Reporting Log template.
Provider Requirements
The Board does not pre-approve providers or courses. Per §7-1-10.5, 'No pre-approval of offerings will be issued' and the Board retains final authority over course/credit acceptability. Each registrant determines whether an activity qualifies.
Tips for West Virginia PEs
- No mandatory subject split exists in West Virginia, so any qualifying activity — technical, ethics, management — counts toward the 30 PDH total.
- Bank up to 15 excess PDH for the next biennium if you complete more than 30 in a cycle.
- New registrants by exam or reciprocity skip PDH entirely for their first renewal period.
- Keep documentation for three renewal periods even though you won't submit it unless selected for the 3-5% random audit.
- Use standard unit conversions (1 CEU = 10 PDH, one teaching hour = 2 PDH, published paper = 10 PDH) to track non-course activities toward your total.
Sources
- Cross-checked against the official published rules of the West Virginia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers
- Each stated figure recorded with its exact source excerpt
- 2 sources cited — 2 primary (official board)
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