New Jersey Architect CE Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The New Jersey State Board of Architects, part of the Division of Consumer Affairs, requires every licensed architect to complete 24 hours of continuing education for each biennial renewal. The renewal cycle is two years, ending July 31 of odd-numbered years, so you certify compliance once every two years rather than annually.
The requirement is split by subject. At least 16 of the 24 hours must be in health, safety and welfare (HSW) courses as defined in N.J.A.C. 13:27-3.1, and the remaining 8 hours must be in activities directly related to the practice of architecture. New Jersey also caps how fast you can earn credit: no more than 6 hours may be claimed in any single calendar day.
Architects newly licensed within 12 months of a renewal date are excused from CE for that first renewal, and a limited amount of credit earned late in the cycle can carry into the next period.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) | 16 | Every renewal | At least 16 of the 24 CE hours must be earned in courses or programs that meet the health, safety and welfare (HSW) definition. The remaining 8 hours must be in educational activities directly related to the practice of architecture. |
Exemptions
- First Renewal After Recent Initial Licensure — A licensee whose initial license was issued less than 12 months before the biennial renewal date is not required to complete continuing education for that first renewal.
How You Can Complete Your CE
New Jersey CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to New Jersey that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — Up to 12 CE hours (including up to 8 HSW hours) earned in the last six months of a biennial renewal period may be carried forward into the following period. Hours earned earlier in the cycle do not carry over.
- Of the 24 CE hours per biennial period, at least 16 must be health, safety and welfare (HSW) hours; the remaining 8 must be in activities directly related to the practice of architecture (N.J.A.C. 13:27-8.14).
- A maximum of 6 CE credit hours may be earned in any single calendar day.
- Registration renews biennially, with the current cycle expiring July 31 of odd-numbered years.
- Architects who also hold a New Jersey landscape architect license have an additional 12-hour landscape-architecture continuing education requirement.
- HSW is defined in N.J.A.C. 13:27-3.1. Verify course acceptability and current rules with the New Jersey State Board of Architects.
Tips for New Jersey Architects
- Plan for the 16-hour HSW floor first — more than half of your 24 hours must qualify as health, safety and welfare, so track HSW and non-HSW courses separately.
- Do not try to cram all your hours in a weekend: New Jersey allows a maximum of 6 credit hours per calendar day, so a full 24-hour cycle needs at least four separate days of learning.
- The remaining 8 non-HSW hours still have to relate directly to the practice of architecture, not general business or personal-interest topics.
- Only hours earned in the last six months of your period can carry over (up to 12, including up to 8 HSW), so time end-of-cycle courses deliberately if you want the rollover.
- If you were first licensed less than 12 months before your renewal date, confirm your first-renewal exemption with the Board before assuming you owe zero hours.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the New Jersey State Board of Architects (Division of Consumer Affairs)'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.