Oklahoma Architect CE Requirements (2026): 24 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
The Oklahoma Board of Governors of the Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects and Registered Interior Designers requires each architect to complete 24 CEUs of acceptable continuing education during the two-year period immediately preceding the biennial renewal date. One CEU equals one contact hour.
The rule that states the 24-CEU total (OAC 55:10-17-4) does not itself carve out a separate health, safety and welfare count, but the purpose of Oklahoma's CE rules (OAC 55:10-17-1) is to keep architects informed on subjects that safeguard life, health and promote the public welfare, and board and AIA state-requirement guidance treat all 24 CEUs as HSW. No credit is allowed for introductory remarks, meals, breaks, or business and administrative matters.
Licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years. Architects who exceed the requirement in a period may carry up to 4 CEUs into the next renewal period, and first-time licensees with a short initial period may be exempt from their first renewal.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health, Safety & Welfare (HSW) | 24 | Every renewal | Acceptable continuing education is technical and professional subject matter that safeguards life, health and promotes the public welfare (OAC 55:10-17-1). The Board and AIA state-requirement guidance treat all 24 CEUs as health, safety and welfare (HSW). Rule 55:10-17-4 itself states the 24-CEU total without a separate non-HSW carve-out. |
Exemptions
- First Renewal After Initial Licensure — First-time licensees by examination or reciprocity are exempt from the continuing education requirement for their first renewal if that first renewal period is less than two years.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Oklahoma CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Oklahoma that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Carry-over — If a licensee exceeds the continuing education requirement in a renewal period, a maximum of 4 CEUs may be carried forward into the subsequent renewal period.
- The requirement is 24 CEUs (one CEU = one contact hour) completed in the two-year period immediately preceding the biennial renewal date.
- Acceptable CE is technical and professional subject matter that safeguards life, health and promotes the public welfare (OAC 55:10-17-1); Board and AIA guidance treat all 24 CEUs as HSW, though rule 55:10-17-4 states only the 24-CEU total.
- Licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years (biennial). A maximum of 4 CEUs may be carried forward to the next period.
- No credit is allowed for introductory remarks, meals, breaks, or business/administration matters. Verify course acceptability with the Oklahoma Board of Governors.
Tips for Oklahoma Architects
- Aim for HSW content: although the numeric rule states 24 CEUs, board and AIA guidance treat all 24 as health, safety and welfare — verify a course's HSW status with the board before relying on it.
- Count contact hours carefully — one CEU is one contact hour, and time spent on introductions, meals, breaks, or business topics does not count.
- Track your two-year window: the 24 CEUs must fall in the two years immediately before your June 30 (odd-year) renewal.
- You can bank a little: up to 4 excess CEUs carry forward into the next renewal period, but no more.
- If you were just licensed by exam or reciprocity and your first period is under two years, check whether you qualify for the first-renewal exemption before earning hours.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Oklahoma Board of Governors of the Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects and Registered Interior Designers'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.