Louisiana Architect CE Requirements (2026): 12 Hours Every Year

Requirements Overview

The Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners (LSBAE) requires every architect to complete 12 continuing education hours (CEHs) each calendar year under LAC Title 46, Part I, §1315, and all 12 must be health, safety, and welfare (HSW) hours — there is no elective or non-HSW portion.

Hours count only when earned through structured educational activities, defined as courses that devote at least 75% of their content and instructional time to HSW subjects related to architecture. You may earn hours at any location, and the board accepts HSW hours reported on the AIA/CES transcript for both resident and non-resident architects. Excess hours do not carry into a future year.

Hours must be finished by December 31 and are attested on the annual renewal. Newly registered architects are exempt in their first year, and emeritus, military, or documented-hardship exemptions are available.

Mandatory Topics

Exemptions

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  Newly Registered Architect — A newly registered architect is exempt during his or her initial year of registration.
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  Emeritus / Inactive Status — An architect granted emeritus or other similar honorific but inactive status by the board is exempt.
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  Military, Medical, Or Hardship — An architect otherwise meeting all renewal requirements who is called to active military service, has a serious medical condition, or can demonstrate other like hardship may, upon the board's finding, be excused from some or all of the requirements.

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 12 hours must be completed each year of the cycle, not just by the renewal deadline.
• Louisiana requires 12 continuing education hours (CEHs) each calendar year, and all 12 must be in health, safety, and welfare (HSW) subjects earned through structured educational activities.
• A 'structured educational activity' must devote at least 75% of its content and instructional time to HSW subjects related to the practice of architecture. Hours may be earned at any location, in Louisiana or elsewhere.
• The board accepts HSW contact hours listed on the AIA/CES transcript for both resident and non-resident architects, and maintains its own approved-topics framework.
• Hours must be completed by December 31 and are attested on the annual renewal application. Excess hours do not carry over to a future year.
• Recordkeeping has two windows: evidence of compliance must be kept for two years after the renewal period, and documentation of reported CE hours must be kept for six years from the date of award — retain records for six years to be safe.
• Reinstatement of a delinquent license requires making up missed hours, capped at a maximum of 24 hours regardless of how many years were missed.

Tips for Louisiana Architects

• Plan for all 12 hours to be HSW — Louisiana gives no credit for non-HSW continuing education, so confirm each course's HSW designation before enrolling.
• Verify the 75% rule: a course qualifies as a 'structured educational activity' only if at least three-quarters of its content and time cover HSW subjects.
• Finish your hours by December 31 — there is no carryover, so hours earned beyond 12, or after year-end, will not count toward the current year.
• If you report AIA/CES hours, they transfer directly; the board accepts the AIA/CES transcript for both resident and non-resident architects.
• Keep documentation for six years from the date each activity is completed — that is the longer of Louisiana's two recordkeeping windows and covers you if audited.

Sources

Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners (LSBAE)'s official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Jul 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.

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